On Sunday, 22nd January you can come and say hello to us at the Sopwell House Wedding Fayre. The doors open at 11 and close at 4pm.
We would love to chat to you about your special day and will also have our LED Dance floor and mood lighting on display as well. You can find us in the St. Albans suite along the back row as you walk in on the right.
Up to 45 local exhibitors spread over three of the available functions rooms. Tours of the venues accommodation and facilities will be available on the day. PRE-REGISTER FOR FAST TRACK GOODIE BAG COLLECTION AND ENTRY.
Whether you are planning a celebration or a business event, this effortlessly stylish hotel is one of Britains best-kept secrets. Sopwell House Hotel County Club and Spa in St. Albans, Hertfordshire was once the Georgian country home of Lord Mountbatten that combines a traditional ambience with contemporary service, comfort and amenities, to make a truly memorable setting for special occasions, business meetings, dining and relaxation.
Sopwell House has been a long-standing partner of ours since 2007 and has proven time and time again to be one of our most popular and highly attended wedding fayres. Tucked away down a country lane, the venue seems to appear out of nowhere and is delightful from the moment you arrive. We enjoy spending time at this beautiful setting and always look forward to visiting.
Date: 22nd January 2012
Opening times: 11am – 4pm (bridal shows at 12:30pm and 2.30pm)
Venue website: www.sopwellhouse.co.uk
This was taken from The Wedding Link
It happens all the time sadly: a DJ either cancels right before the event or he just never shows up. While you might be able to scrounge by without a DJ during some events, a no-show for a wedding might just ruin the evening. What do you do if you are having trouble with Wedding DJs? Better yet, how do you avoid having trouble in the first place when hiring Wedding DJs? Here are some tips.
Wedding DJs can be expensive. If someone offers to DJ your event for an incredibly low rate, use extreme caution. Remember that “there is no such thing as a free lunch”! In other words, there may be a reason why their rates are so low. Over the years, I’ve gotten many frantic calls at the last minute from brides and grooms looking for a DJ as their original one cancelled on them. Almost without fail, these DJ’s were quoting incredibly low prices which were much lower than industry rates. As it turns out, many DJ’s were offered a better paying gig and just decided to take the better paying offer instead of honouring their previous commitment. If someone offers you a rate that is just to good to be true, it probably is.
Another way to make sure that your DJ shows is to get a written contract. If your DJ doesn’t offer a contract or refuses to sign a contract for your event, you should refuse to book them. A contract protects both parties and ensures that the DJ will show up for the event and that he or she will get paid. I’ve discovered that the vast majority of the people who get let down by their DJ do not have a written contract. Instead, they are relying on a verbal agreement. Yes, it is ashame that some people can not be trusted to fulfill their promises, but that doesn’t change reality.
By following these tips, you should be able to find a Wedding DJ that shows up and shows off his talent at your event.
It has been said that money makes the world go ’round. This is very true, especially when you are planning an event like a wedding. When looking for a wedding dj, you will find that you can spend quite a bit of money on a DJ or you can pay a fraction of that cost on another DJ. You may be tempted to hire the cheaper DJ and use the money you have saved on other things. But not so fast……..
In order to understand why this might not be a good idea, you need to know a little bit about the wedding entertainment industry. The goal of any small business, including the entertainment industry, is to make a profit. Wedding DJs earn a profit for providing entertainment at weddings. This sounds simple enough, doesn’t it? Here is where it gets tricky though. In order to get business, DJ companies may quote an incredibly low price to a bride and a groom to appeal to their wedding budget needs. Then, in some instances a DJ agency is left to try to find a DJ that will actually want to work the gig for that amount of money.
In some cases, a DJ service may be looking for djs for wedding as late as days before! While you may think you are getting a good deal, you may actually not be getting a deal at all. In fact, you risk not having the DJ show up at all for your event. Even if you do get a DJ to show up at the last minute, you will be faced with choosing any wedding DJ that is available. This may mean hiring a wedding DJ that isn’t very experienced, or even very good.
The good news is that you can take steps to make sure that your entertainment isn’t a disaster. First of all, ask questions about a DJ service before booking. Find out if the DJ works alone or with a group. In addition, do not rely on verbal agreements! It is important to sign a written agreement with the DJ when booking.
Finally, and most importantly, remember that if something seems to good to be true, it usually is.
When planning your wedding, one of the essential elements, which is often overlooked or postponed until the last minute, is booking the wedding DJ or wedding disco. Booking the right DJ for your wedding is essential, after all he control the latter part of your special day – if done poorly your guests may leave feel dissatisfied by the music selection and presentation of the DJ which may put a damper on the end of a great day. Therefore, booking ahead of time is critical since the best DJs for weddings are often in demand and are usually booked up anywhere from 6 months to 18 months in adavance. There is no harm in booking this far ahead and although I have DJ for wedding bookings up to 2 years in advance, I do have some openings available, but they are filling up quickly.
Recently there has been a significant increase in the number of calls I have got looking to make last minute bookings for a DJ for wedding or other similar function. They are often surprised and disappointed when they find out that we have none available. Many of these people call up a month in advance (although my personal shortest has been 2 weeks) before their wedding and have to resort to using the Yellow pages to randomly call to book a DJ. However, chances are they may find a few who may not have a good reputation, hence the reason for their availability at such short notice.
In the same way some people wait until the last minute to book DJs, some DJs are unreliable. Many people have expressed their fears with having DJs not show up for the event for varied reasons. Some DJs have no scruples cancelling or “no showing” because they can get more money on a job from another customer. This is unacceptable and even in short notice bookings we still would urge you to get a written agreement with your DJ for wedding
Another reason why we receive last minute DJ booking requests is using friends to do the event. This arrangement is usually low-priced with no signed agreement and possibly a lack of commitment on the part of the friend. It is no fun calling to book a DJ a few days before your function because your friend’s friend has backed out of the arrangement. The last minute booking is often beyond your budget and you are left with having to face embarrassment, disappoint the group or find an unsuitable substitute.
You should never leave the booking of a DJ to chance. Therefore, it is important to book the right DJ in advance for your wedding reception and avoid last minute headaches.
People who prefer the juke box might say that the guests feel in control of the music because they get to choose the songs they want to hear, however this can often be a bit more of a disadvantage than an advantage, can you imagine if everyone (including the younger guests who like to play with everything) got their request played… it would be the birdie song and agadoo all over the place! The wedding reception using a DJ is subject to the talents and abilities to adapt to a crowd – as most wedding DJs are very versatile and can change the music style pretty quickly. A good wedding DJ has the skill set to not only filter out some of the more “out of place” songs but also deal with the guests in a courtace manor explaining why it might not be possible to play their request at the moment. However if the client wishes, the DJ can of course make it a free for all and play anything and everything – but be warned this might cause a bit of dance floor action problems.
Good music is what people want at a wedding party, and it can be provided by both a machine and by a DJ. Just know what it is you are looking and how it fits in with your vision for you day is important to make sure you get it right.
So last night, I had the pleasure of playing at a wedding venue I have been waiting to play at for a long time; St. Michaels Manor in St Albans, Hertfordshire.
The manor house is a perfect Wedding venue, it had a classic look with a modern flair to it.
As with all first dances at weddings, you can see the enjoyment of the happy couple. The lighting we use always creates a nice atmosphere, perfect for the first dance.
As always we kept the floor filled all night with big smiles all round.
Yet again we where back at one of our regular venues, Hunton Park in Hunton Bridge. We where in the marquee again, but this time we managed to get some better quality photos of the disco.
Would you like to hear what the happy couple thought about our services? Have a read by clicking here
Like at all weddings the first dance was such a magical and clearly enjoyable moment for the happy couple.
As always we kept the floor filled all night with big smiles and big shapes being thrown!
Last nights wedding was a nice intimate one! It was at Stoke Place in Stoke Porges, and we provided the evening disco entertainment.
The weather was certainly in the couples favor as the day was nice, sunny and hot. Sadly this often means for the DJ that is quite hard to keep the dance floor full but thankfully as always we pulled out all the stops and tricks to keep everyone attending the wedding entertained.
This is what our wedding set up looked like last night in Stoke Place, its a nice small and compact rig – perfect for the room we were in.
its time for the wedding guests to join in
Last nights wedding was a fantastic one! It was at Fanhams Hall Hotel in Ware, and we provided the evening disco entertainment.
Although we ran slightly late the event was certainly one to remember. One thing I certainly remember was the singers that the couple had booked – these guys where amazing. The fun these two chaps had as they where singing was so infectious! They sang, dance, went into the crowd and really where a true addition to the event. I actually let them plug into our Bose sound system to which they said it was the best sounding speakers they had ever heard! All in all it was a fantastic even to which as the pictures show, everyone had a great time with us providing the Wedding DJ entertainment
If you’re interested in hearing what they thought about us, click here
Saturday night I had the privilege to play at Peter and Emma’s Wedding at Whipsnade Zoo. Having never done a Wedding (or any other party) at a zoo before I was quite excited for this one.

I set up my equipment just in time for the wedding guest and wedding party to arrive. But just with enough time to take a few pictures and get a picture of what is one of the most fun looking wedding cakes I have seen.
The wedding breakfast was served, whilst I had a bit of free time to wonder around the zoo (although I didn’t stray too far I still managed to see some reptiles, sea lions and giraffes). Back in time for the speeches, of which I recorded the grooms for a little trick I had up my sleeve for the wedding first dance. After the speeches, the wedding guests got a bus tour around the zoo, during which time I edited the first dance and put all the wonderful things that the groom said about his bride – their reaction (in the video below) speaks for itself!
Overall it was a fantastic day, a brilliant wedding, filled with party animals (sorry couldn’t resist). I’m back at Whipsnade zoo fro another wedding shortly, and will certainly be looking forward to it!