Needless to say, Kayleigh was absolutely delighted with the results, finding it difficult to select a final 36 images from the 100 taken on the day! All images of Kayleigh on this site are from the shoot, and many other pictures on our Gallery page were also provided by Paul and his team from our many exploits together in the Wedding business!

We have no hesitation in recommending Westside Studio for your photography requirements – contact Paul today on the website below:

http://www.westsidestudio.co.uk/

It seems to me that a lot of people born before 1960 don’t appear to have been out of the house since 1979, turned on a radio or even given airtime to any music created from the 80′s onwards. Case in point was a ‘party’ I DJ’d at last night. Small intimate venue, dinner dance, more mature crowd. I really struggled to get any signs of life early doors, playing cheesey stuff like Abba and Tina Turner to warm them up. Switched to 60′s Motown and added a few more dancers, but the place wasn’t exactly alight with rhythm. A dear old girl then asked for some ‘Fats Domino’ so I turned to rock n roll whereupon we gained another four on the dancefloor….and that was it. No more. But as soon as I tried to play something a little more recent (i.e. living memory for me, b. 1968) they asked me to change it despite the fact that most weren’t dancing anyway.

My gripe here is that the world today is full of such a wide variety of good new music that there MUST be something contemporary (or at least in the last 20 years!) that they like. Sticking their heads in the sand and continuing to insist that “everything’s shite since Roy Orbison died”*  is both ignorant and slightly amish! Rant over.

*Taken from the movie ‘The Commitments’

I last saw these guys back in the late nineties at The Forum (I think!) but I never dreamed that I’d one day share their stage for an awesome return to form. I had the simple job of playing my favourite old skool hip hop tunes inbetween the acts (4 in total) and it was a real pleasure to look out upon two thousand nodding heads enjoying the vibes! The support acts were all very, very good – Da Mighty Elementz, L Marshall & Clement Marfo…..check them out on YouTube, new UK hip hop is in safe hands!

A big thank you to the promoters OneManMelt (Zane & Kim, Thurrock legends!) and also to Barry from 2Groove for being such a legendary assistant & driver (mind that big orange post, mate!)

First one was all to do with perception. I paid a passing visit to a DJ with whom I was playing at the same venue on the same night, albeit in different function suites. I’d previously seen this guy’s website and upon briefly looking it over, he appeared to be very neat and tidy, with good equipment and presentation skills. In the flesh however, things were very different. The whole set up looked haphazard, dangerous even, and most of his components were sadly dated. As a DJ, he didn’t seem too bad from the bits that I witnessed, but I couldn’t help but feel that he was letting himself and his customers down with such a poor quality set-up, especially as he was earning just £25 less than I was on the night. His website had boasted top quality equipment but none of it was on show here! My main issue with this is simply that he wasn’t being dishonest on his site, but that he genuinely believes that his equipment is top notch because he knows nothing about the technical side of DJing. And take my word for it, there are hundreds of mobile DJs out there with the same naive approach! My personal mission statement is to provide the best quality sound and lighting that I can afford, and to ensure that I stay closely in touch with all technological advances…….reinvestment, reinvestment, reinvestment!

The other thought was regarding my own personal performance as a DJ/compere. Always concentrating on the equipment around me, it never even crossed my mind that some customers book me for, er……me! And it’s quite amazing how many DJs don’t sell their most valuable asset (themselves) to their prospective customers properly. It was brought to my attention last week, when I ‘hosted’ a charity gig and had to take centre stage with just a microphone and a few cheeky lines for about 45 minutes whilst we done raffles and auctions, etc. To me, it just comes naturally and I certainly didn’t regard it as a talent…..but when the staff pointed out that their two other resident DJs could never have undertaken such a task in the same entertaining way, I was humbled and quietly very proud. So from now onwards, I shall start to value my own contribution a lot more!

1. I Don’t Wanna Miss A Thing – Aerosmith
2. Amazed – Lonestar
3. Have I Told You Lately – Van Morrison / Rod Stewart
4. First Time Ever I Saw Your Face – Roberta Flack / Leona Lewis / Stereophonics
5. At Last – Etta James

Blockbuster Hollywood movies are often a big influence in many bride & groom’s decision for their opening song…….I Don’t Wanna Miss A Thing was from ‘Armageddon,’ Everything I Do (Bryan Adams) was from ‘Robin Hood,’ and incredibly popular back in the early 90′s was Unchained Melody, after it featured in ‘Ghost.’ In fact, at one point in the 90′s I was asked to open with the Righteous Brothers classic ballad at six consecutive weddings!

More recently has seen a trend towards doing something a little different for the First Dance…….the YouTube phenomenon of breaking into a hip-hop tune halfway through the ballad and showing the assembled guests your finest choreographed street dancing moves. Unfortunately, with so many people choosing this ‘surprise’ move, it’s no longer unique and can sometimes be a tad embarrassing or fizzle out to lukewarm applause!

Personally, I reckon you should just stick to the traditional slow tune that means something to the both of you. Then, once you’re in the middle of the floor, just forget everyone and everything around you and have a few romantic minutes together….after all, it’s the least you deserve after such a stressful and eventful day!

And finally, my choices for the perfectly-worded First Dance:

1. Make You Feel My Love – Adele
2. Fallen – Lauren Wood
3. Best Thing That Ever Happened To Me – Gladys Knight & The Pips
4. Days Like This – Van Morrison
5. Let’s Get It On – Marvin Gaye

So…..to anyone out there who’s thinking of buying something from Cash Converters…..bear in mind that it probably still belongs to someone else! And to other DJs and people looking for a party venue…..avoid Ardleigh House in Hornchurch. It’s a scruffy, barrel-scraping sh*thole that most drafty village halls would put to shame.

Considering the size of the building, the room in which the DJ sets up system is remarkably small. Best to utilise your smallest sound system and no need for dozens of lights. Access is fairly easy for unloading equipment and the staff are always helpful in clearing doorways, etc. to assist you. The bar is in a separate area but the music can still be heard from there. Being a Georgian country house, the surroundings are very ornate and grand, with fireplaces and antique furniture and it’s very hard to give it that ‘night club’ feel when the lights go down…….but we still love it! We’ve always had an excellent atmosphere and full dancefloor at the Lawn.

A new extension was built fairly recently but we understand this is only used for the ceremony and wedding breakfasts. Such a shame as it’s a nice large, rectangular room and ideal for a dancefloor and DJ.

Our reviews pass no comments on the quality of the food, bedrooms or service….we just review the ‘party-worthiness’ of the function suites and how accessible they are for DJs.

Like most, she was on a tighter budget than she originally expected and was struggling to prioritise where best to spend her money for maximum effect on the day. Gone were the expensive cars, the videographer and the jazz trio, and changes to the wedding breakfast menu had also been made to bring costs down slightly. We then discussed my fee, at which she expressed her surprise that it was more expensive than she had budgeted. I explained that our experience, equipment, know how and reputation in the wedding reception field was much admired and that our first class service was still very good value for money. She went on to say that she had another act in mind…..a local lad she’d seen in her dad’s social club…and he had quoted her £150. Being morbidly curious at this point, I pressed her on what kind of set-up the guy had and what music he was playing. “Oh,” she said, “I couldn’t hear much over the crowd as his speakers were not loud enough, but my dad says he’s good.” I was quite shocked that she was considering this DJ, even so I then asked about his lighting rig. “I think he had some traffic lights on the stage. There wasn’t much to be honest, he was using two iPods and a DJ deck thing” (mixer I presume…or hope).

Normally this would be the end of our discussion and I’d hang up knowing that, with price being the only factor, I couldn’t possibly match the other guy’s low quote. But I asked one more question…and it opened a whole new door! “If you don’t mind me asking, how much are you paying for your wedding cake?” She was clearly chuffed to inform me that they had ordered a four-tier, stacked-box design cake in pink and white, with silver ‘embellishments’. “It’s a real bargain! It should’ve been £695 but we’re getting it for £550.”

I paused for a moment, and then asked her a really simple question. “On your wedding day, if both the cake and the DJ were very poor quality, which do you think the guests would be most disappointed with?” I then reiterated that our service was first class (and also costing less than the cake) and that maybe her priorities should be revised somewhat. Silence followed. Then a quiet sigh. She quickly thanked me for my advice and promised to call back after she’d discussed it with her fiance…….

At least they’ll all have a nice piece of cake to remember the day by.

• The Manor Hotel BBQ – Sunday 11th Sept 2011 – All day barbeque with music and a pub quiz thrown in. Everybody welcome, £20 per person
• The Manor Hotel Wedding Fayre – Sunday 25th Sept 2011 – Free admission to one of Essex’s nicer wedding venues and the chance to chat to various suppliers on the day. Take a stroll around the newly-developed and beautiful Ceremony Garden, a wonderful outdoor wedding experience.
• The Orsett Hall Hotel Wedding Fayre – Sunday 30th October 2011 – One of Essex’s most high profile wedding fayres in the luxury of the fabulous 4-star Orsett Hall hotel. Lots of stallholders and loads to see on the day.

Hope to see you soon!