The fact is this, if you want a pick of some of the best wedding professionals in your area you NEED to be looking to book at least 12 months in advance.  The longer you leave it, the more chance the companies you want will be working elsewhere.

Another fact is that the disco is a far more important part of the day than you think it is – I just wish the magazines would catch onto this.  It’s the last part of the day, and the memory you go home with (along with the ceremony, etc.).  It is a major part of your special day yet I find it most odd that magazines and wedding websites don’t even list it as important!

After the success of the Buxted Park Wedding Show last week I thought would investigate other Shows.  The one i’ve been itching to do for some time now is the one at the Royal Pavilion in Brighton.  They don’t actually host evening wedding receptions there but they allow other venue’s in, venue’s that we actually already provide DJ’s for, so it kind of made sense.

So we rang them up and instead of the woman we wanted we were put through to somebody else who was most dismissive in thinking that Brides & Grooms who choose to come to their Show and indeed get married there would not be looking for mobile disco’s to entertain their guests in the evening.  She continued to tell us that harpists and piano players would be the entertainment of choice for the quality of the client who visited their show (this was the bit I found most laughable).

Now, DISCOfever already provides high-end wedding entertainment across the board and we get to work in some of the most prestigious wedding venue’s in Sussex.  Like many of my DJ peers, I would like to see the words “mobile disco” banished to some vast underground dwelling where it would never return, it just conjurs up some horrific images.  It now appears that the words “mobile disco” are creating some sort of divide between us and other wedding suppliers.  What sort of elitism is this?  We already struggle to get what we are worth.  Some clients already choose to put the supplier and the size of their wedding cake in a much higher priority than a DJ.  Some clients are happy to spend hundreds if not thousands of pounds on balloons and other trinkets that are simply thrown in the bin at the end of the party, yet always look for the cheapest deal on a DJ.

Getting back to the Pavilion before I really go off at a tangent into deeper, darker murky waters – it is (I believe) owned and run by the Brighton & Hove City Council.  Now, unlike some DJ’s, I pay my taxes and national insurance.  I pay my parking tickets on time, on top of the already obscene costs to park in the city where I live and choose to work, yet when I want to advertise my business – I can’t.

What is even more baffling is that whilst I am allowed to perform as a DJ in front of today’s Royalty (remember the Sandhurst gig I did before Christmas?) I cannot advertise my business in what frankly was a building that started off as a farmhouse before turning into a location for the Prince Regent to enjoy secret liaisons with a certain Mrs. Fitzherbert.

I will keep you updated with this, I doubt that I will be able to attend as the show is allegedly “fully booked” but we shall see what happens.

The Royal Pavilion Wedding Show

Buxted Park is one of our favourite venue’s.  We play there on average around twenty times each year.  It has two main function rooms.  A fantastic ballroom featuring pillars and beautiful period fireplaces, great for all year round weddings, or for those choosing the warmer summer months a stunning glass-roofed orangery.  There’s plenty of land around the venue to meander through and loads of special places to have those all-important wedding photo’s taken.

From discussions with previous clients the food is amazing and the service provided by both the catering staff and the wedding team is second to none.  And because it’s a popular location for us to play at, we know the staff and they know us too!

This will be the first time we have appeared at Buxted Park’s wedding fayre and we’re really looking forward to it.  Not only from a meeting current and possible future client perspective but also a chance to network with other companies who we see from time to time but always too busy to chat to.

If you fancy coming along, it would be lovely to meet you and chat about your Wedding.  Here are the details…

Sunday, 24th January 2010
Open Midday to 4pm admission is FREE!

I’ve really enjoyed the first 10 days of 2010. I went to see my Mum in Manchester and drove back through a blizzard, i’ve been sledging with the kids, invested in the biggest BBQ in the world (bring on the summer!) and of course, re-designed the website. I’ve also done my accounts and a load of other housekeeping duties as well.

Last night was really strange, and it compounded the fact why I enjoy going out most Saturday nights as there was naff-all on the telly. I sent, and received many text messages from my friends whoo too were in the same boat. What was nice though was to kick back and watch that old classic English film, Notting Hill. It really made my night.

My mother lives in Rochdale, a town about 15 miles north east of Manchester and it’s fair to say they’ve had a bit of snow recently.  I don’t think we were actually prepared for how much snow they had!  We made our way up the M40 onto the M6 and saw nothing.  Where was the snow?  We turned onto the M62 and made our way east past Manchester, Bury, Heywood…OH MY GOD!  I think it’s fair to say there was a bit of snow on the ground.  Now, I am a Northerner and we have the in-built ability to drive in this sort of weather.  A few inches of snow wouldn’t stop me – and it didn’t. That day a whole 12″ of snow had dropped and it didn’t show any sign of stopping.

So today we woke up to even more snow, another 5″ had fell overnight and we heard on the news that it was heading South.  We decided to cut short our visit and make our way home – after all, I have gigs this weekend I need to DJ at.  So we set off through the blizzards and made our way home.  Well, we thought we were going to.  We stopped at the first service station on the M62 for petrol, filled up and the car refused to start.  Flat battery!  I phoned the RAC and they promised a roadside warrior would be with me within 2 hours.  As I had a child in the car, and a very cold wife they arrived much quicker, in half an hour as it happens!  Result!

The very nice man concluded the battery was wasted and £103 later we were on our way home again.  Birmingham was pretty snowy but we were confident we would make it home before the snow got to us.

As we turned off the M40 onto the M25 it was like arriving in a different land.  There was no snow, no rain, no anything, in fact it was quite mild.

Upon arriving home it was apparent the snow was nearby, in Southampton to be exact.  So, we’re now prepared for an overnight downfall, but it’s just raining at the minute, no sign of the white stuff at all!  It will be a nice surprise when I wake up though I guess.  I love the snow, but the family hates it!

Now, I don’t know about you, but each time I see it it gives me a warm snuggly feeling inside.  Pathetic, I know!  Hahah!

For me, it also means that i’m going to be as busy as Santa over the next month or so.  This Thursday seems my first Christmas Party at the Ramada Jarvis hotel up in Gatwick near Crawley.  After that…well, let’s just say I have a few free days before the new year to put my feet up.  I’m even working on Christmas Day this year!

The main trouble these days for DJ’s is that if you go to your average DJ equipment shop in town for an “off the shelf” wire, you’ll pay a tenner or more, depending on what you’re getting and these will be Lidl quality, think value baked beans at 4p per can.  They look like beans but they taste rubbish.  If you want quality cables then you have to for Van Damme cable, Neutrik long-life connectors and so on.  Before long, your average £10 wire now costs £40 (but will last a lot longer).

I did a rough bit of maths on Saturday night as to the replacement value of the cables in my cables box and came out with the most frightening figure of over £800.  This really surprised me especially as I only use about 20 wires in my whole show, but they are good quality, and I also have replacements ready just in case.  On top of this I have a whole load of other cables and bits and bobs i’ve picked up along the way, just in case you get to a gig and there’s a singer who wants to wire into your equipment.

Cleaned all my gear too so it looks absolutely sparkly new, which is always nice!

See you soon.

Christmas for DISCOfever began in April this year when we started taking bookings for 2009.  We’re now playing at over 80 Christmas Parties at various locations all over Sussex.  Obviously, i’d love to be able to do them all myself.  The idea of running the DISCOfever “empire” from a disgustingly long yacht parked up in Monaco is most appealing but it’s not going to happen, so thankfully I have my band of merry men (DJ’s) to help me out.

This year is a little different in that I will be working both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day which is most odd as i’ve never done it, ever.  One of the hotels we provide entertainment for has got a booking for a coach-load of elderly Christmas revellers all coming to Brighton in search of a good old game of Bingo, a race night and a disco.  Well, I can do all of that!  It will be very odd, unwrapping prezzies with the kids in the morning, enjoying dinner with the family (and the Queen) then off to work.  I’m not moaning…it will just be odd!

We recently provided the entertainment for talkSPORT’s Ultimate Night In (in association with Carlsberg).  talkSPORT basically moved into a house in Haywards Heath, kitted it out with radio gear and all the booze you could ever want.  Superstar footballers turned up with a few random FHM girls and basically provided the best night in, ever for the winner of a radio competition.  You can see the pictures here!  (fast forward to photo 15 of 19 to see our DJ Dave playing some phat beats in the guys garage!)

Last Saturday I played at Ashdown Park which is a beautiful venue over in Forest Row.  It was a fantastic day (although it rained) and it was a great wedding, but slightly different in that it was being filmed for Living TV’s Four Weddings which should be on your screens next February.  If you’re not quite sure what sort of programme it is, think of Come Dine With Me, but with Weddings.  Four Brides battle it out to provide the ULTIMATE wedding day.  The other three brides then vote and give each wedding a score out of 10.  The winner wins a fantastic all-expenses-paid honeymoon somewhere exotic.  There was a lot going on at this wedding.  The Bride & Groom turned up in a horse-drawn carriage.  As well as having me for the disco, they also had a Frank Sinatra-style singer, a chocolate fountain, tarot reader and casino tables.  It was a brilliant night and hopefully I can look forward to another 15 minutes of fame when it comes to air next year.  I’ll let you all know first!

Tonight i’m going to a clients’ house to show them exactly what uplighting is and what it can do to a venue. I feel that this is really the best way to show it off because it’s great looking at pictures but you just don’t get the WOW EFFECT unless you see them with your own eyes!

Tomorrow night i’m in Maidstone for a SEDA committee meeting. Despite what some of my peers think these meetings are not like a group of stuffy pompous old men sat in a function room at the back of a pub singing God Save The Queen. In reality it’s a group of stuffy pompous old men sat in a pub just off the A20 eating steak and ale pie with chips and diet coke.

Thursday morning i’m off to a venue near Gatwick to discuss their Christmas parties. Yes folks, Christmas is nearly here, in fact we’ve been working on it since around June time. All of the hotels we worked in last Christmas have rebooked which is very good and we are looking forward to being almost as busy as Santa himself this year!

Thursday evening i’m DJ’ing at one of the local colleges. This is a regular and popular gig for me, such a great crowd!

Friday night i’m at the Tithe Barn in Petersfield and Saturday night at Ghyll Manor in Horsham.

Sunday is another Geek DJ bonanza! I’m off with the wife and meerkids to the NEC in Birmingham for BPM which is basically the same group of stuffy pompous old men x 1000 all meeting up to look at the latest DJ innovations. However this time, I get to stay in a really nice, plush hotel to keep the wife and kids happy. Must remember to pack my swimming trunks!

It’s been a really busy past few weeks, the wedding season really is in full flow and is not showing any sign of ending.  November is traditionally a very quiet month as everyone starts to gear up for Christmas, but looking at our calendar, I have 12 weddings booked in of which 6 I will be doing myself.  December is also really busy for weddings, plus we have the headache of juggling around over 60-70 Christmas Party functions at the same time!

We did the Alexander House Wedding Fayre on Sunday.  Surprisingly, it was really quite busy.  There was another up the road at Ashdown Park as well, so there was definitely some crossover in visitors.  We spoke to loads of people and took some business too which always helps!

This week, well, tomorrow i’m up at a Trade Show in London at Earls Court so i’ll be leaving Hove quite early tomorrow to get there for 11am.  Wednesday I will be planning for the weekend gigs which are both all-day ones.  And Thursday (which is also my birthday) I am off to the Ministry Of Sound in London to witness a global product launch from one of the biggest names in DJ’ing – Pioneer.  Should be a good laugh and lots of free champers!  Not that I drink champers.

Hmm, tiredness has crept up on me, time to go to bed.