Stephanie Fennell ( wedding for Bryce Fennell/ Cecilia Depue) : Dream Day DJ Session
Meeting Date: August 07, 2025, 06:23 pm
Overview
Wedding date confirmed for October 4th, with a ceremony in Flagstaff forest and a backyard reception in Coconino Estates, accommodating 85-90 guests.
Ceremony to start at noon or 1pm, with a reception from 3pm to 8pm; dry reception followed by downtown celebrations.
Couple's priorities emphasize quality time and smooth execution, aiming for a light-hearted, backyard party vibe instead of formal settings.
Bryce proposed on Abernathy truck trail during fall; couple is actively involved in the local mountain biking scene.
Fat Olives catering booked for pizza, with additional vendors including Grand or Total Rentals for tables and a friend as photographer.
Music preferences include Chris Stapleton for the first dance, a mix of country and dance songs, and audio support for 85+ outdoor guests.
DJ options under consideration: Joe ($2,300) with lapel mics/lighting and Ryan ($1,700) with handheld mics; both cover 6 hours and ceremony audio needs.
A 35% deposit is required to secure the DJ date, with the audio guest book service available for $250 for capturing the voice of an elderly guest.
Provenance platform offers resources for AI-assisted ceremony script writing and music selection management with Spotify integration.
Music planning includes must-play, preferred, and do-not-play lists, with a focus on cake cutting song suggestions.
Notes
Wedding Details & Logistics (00:42 - 12:54)
Wedding date is set for October 4th with the ceremony in Flagstaff forest and a backyard reception in Coconino Estates.
Current guest count is 65, with an anticipated total of 85-90 guests.
The ceremony will take place at a forest location 20 minutes away from the reception at Bryce's parents' house.
Timeline includes a ceremony at noon or 1pm, followed by a reception from 3pm to 8pm.
The reception will be dry (no alcohol), with plans to go downtown afterward for additional celebration.
Couple Background & Vision (03:25 - 12:59)
The couple met while working at a mountain bike shop in Flagstaff and are active in the local mountain biking scene.
Bryce proposed on Abernathy truck trail during the fall aspen season.
Their wedding priorities include quality time together and smooth event execution with less burden on family members.
They desire a fun, light-hearted, laid-back backyard party vibe rather than a formal country club style.
Vendor Status & Music Preferences (07:38 - 01:16)
They have booked Fat Olives catering with a pizza oven, Grand or Total Rentals for tables and chairs, a friend as a photographer, and Mozell's for the cake.
For music, they want Chris Stapleton for their first dance, a mix of country and dancing songs, and need ceremony audio due to the forest location.
Special requirements include having Bryce's brother officiate the ceremony and audio support for 85+ guests in an outdoor setting.
DJ Service Options & Pricing (15:59 - 30:48)
The couple is considering Joe ($2,300 package) or Ryan ($1,700 package) for DJ services, based on their MC needs.
Joe offers lapel mics and more lighting, while Ryan provides handheld mics; both include 6-hour coverage and ceremony speakers.
A 35% deposit is required to secure the date, with the final balance due 30 days before the wedding.
An audio guest book is available for $250, particularly recommended for capturing the voice of an 86-year-old guest.
Planning Tools & Resources (17:16 - 25:53)
The Provenance platform offers AI-assisted ceremony script and vows writing with timing estimates and guest speaker management.
Client portal access includes a timeline builder, wedding outline form, music selection with Spotify integration, and other planning resources.
Music planning involves creating must-play, preferred, do-not-play, and special request lists, including cake cutting song suggestions.
Action items
Brandon Billings Reber
Contact Joe and Ryan to check availability for October 4th wedding date (28:27)
Provide DJ availability confirmation within 48-72 hours, by Monday at latest (28:27)
Hold the wedding date for one week to prevent other bookings (28:37)
Cecilia Depue & Bryce Fennell
Access client portal using date 10/4 and password 'fennel05' to explore planning tools (19:24)
Complete wedding outline form with ceremony and reception music selections (21:20)
Decide on ceremony timing (noon vs 1pm) and finalize reception schedule (06:52)
Discuss and decide on parent dances, particularly father-daughter dance (13:42)
Create music playlists using the online music selection tool with Spotify integration (25:53)
Consider audio guest book add-on service for capturing 86-year-old guest's voice (29:23)
Customer Objection Tracker
During the sales call, the customer, Cecilia Depue, raised several concerns and objections that can be categorized as follows:
DJ Service Necessity:
Concern: Initially, Cecilia expressed uncertainty about needing a DJ for their wedding, indicating they thought they could manage without one.
Resolution: She acknowledged the value a DJ adds after attending her brother's wedding, which helped shift her perspective.
Guest Count and Audio Needs:
Concern: Cecilia mentioned their guest count was expected to be between 85 to 90, which raised questions about audio requirements for both the ceremony and reception, especially in a forest setting.
Resolution: Brandon suggested that having a DJ for the ceremony would be beneficial for audio clarity, addressing her concern about managing sound in an outdoor environment.
Budget Considerations:
Concern: Cecilia inquired about pricing and expressed the need to ensure that the DJ services fit within their budget.
Resolution: Brandon provided a range of pricing based on the available DJs, assuring her that they would work within her budget expectations.
DJ Availability:
Concern: Cecilia wanted to know when they would hear back regarding which DJ would be available for their wedding date.
Resolution: Brandon committed to providing this information within 48 to 72 hours, which helped alleviate her concern about timing.
Ceremony and Reception Logistics:
Concern: Cecilia raised a logistical question about the ceremony being 20 minutes away from the reception and whether this would pose a problem for the DJ.
Resolution: Brandon reassured her that the transition would not be an issue and explained how they would manage the setup efficiently.
Overall Wedding Experience:
Concern: Cecilia emphasized the importance of having a smooth and enjoyable experience for themselves and their guests, indicating a desire for less pressure on family members during the event.
Resolution: Brandon highlighted the importance of the DJ's role as an MC to facilitate a smooth flow of events, aligning with her priorities for the day.
These objections and concerns reflect Cecilia's desire for clarity, assurance, and alignment with her vision for the wedding, which Brandon addressed throughout the conversation.
00:03
Brandon Billings Reber
Hello, folks. How we doing?
00:29
Pete Muscarella
There we go.
00:32
Brandon Billings Reber
How are you guys today?
00:34
Pete Muscarella
Good. How are you?
00:35
Brandon Billings Reber
Good, thank you. I'm only chuckling because I can count more times than I want to the number of times I have put myself on mute and just started talking.
00:46
Pete Muscarella
That's funny.
00:47
Brandon Billings Reber
Awesome. So let's talk about your big day coming up pretty soon. I don't know why my camera is being crazy right now. Let's see here. I love it. Sorry. I'm in my home office right now, so it looks a little nutty because it's our home office closet, and I have a five year old, so everything goes. Yeah. Bear with me here just a second as we try to get something to work. There we go. I prefer the logo. All right, cool. All right, guys. All the tech for all of us today. So talk to me about your big day. You guys are getting married next year in June.
01:24
Pete Muscarella
Yep, June 13th.
01:26
Brandon Billings Reber
Awesome.
01:27
Pete Muscarella
And how did we date for four years?
01:30
Brandon Billings Reber
Okay.
01:31
Pete Muscarella
And we met through a mutual friend. That I was born a race here. I went to Marshall School, now at school with him. And then when Pete and his family moved here, that was his first friend. And anyways, life happened with everybody. And then we met. He introduced us four years ago.
01:46
Brandon Billings Reber
I love that. Organic, as we like to say in this day and age.
01:50
Pete Muscarella
Yes. Yeah.
01:52
Brandon Billings Reber
Oh, that's fantastic. And where. What's your wedding venue? I don't know if I got that info yet.
01:56
Pete Muscarella
So in our backyard.
01:58
Brandon Billings Reber
Okay, perfect.
02:00
Pete Muscarella
How we are describing it is a casual outdoor garden wedding. Oh, okay. So, like, he's wearing a white linen shirt with shorts and flip flops. I'm wearing a dress that might not be white. Like, Kim Duncan is our wedding planner, so she'll make it look cool. She recommended you. Yep. And then my friend Lainey Johnstone, or Laney Giovali, he did her daughter's graduation, and so Kim decorated that. So that's where Lainey. I'm Lainey's God's godmother to her son.
02:34
Brandon Billings Reber
Oh, okay. I love all the little connections.
02:37
Pete Muscarella
Yeah.
02:37
Brandon Billings Reber
Well, that's awesome. You. You guys are on the right. Start already with Kim, because her. Her vision's incredible. Like, anytime I walk into a wedding that she is setting up, I'm blown away every time. And it's hard. Somebody who's done over 700 weddings, it's impressive that she can do that to me every single moment. I really appreciate it.
02:57
Pete Muscarella
Yeah. So we're thinking of 100 people because we don't live in a huge house. We don't have a huge backyard. But it's good with like, it won't be formal tables and there'll be some high tables, low tables, some couches, some chairs. Like. Yeah, because it's our second wedding, so we're not doing whole traditional things.
03:16
Brandon Billings Reber
Gotcha. Okay. Yeah, I love that kind of idea. And so musically, where are you guys sitting at for this? Because garden party vibes kind of gives a different world. There could be all kinds of different things that could be played there from, you know, classic rock and simple things along those lines all the way to like soul of the Caribbean island vibes if you really wanted to go crazy. So we're. There's a lot of choices. So what are you guys thinking so far?
03:43
Pete Muscarella
So I read your email and like the first two songs I guess I've been listening to lately is maybe because I Need to Keep Calm is by Selena Gomez. Just Got a Nice View and. But like the Shaboozi, like kind of some newer stuff. I'm a Pink fan, but we know. But then what I know. I'm a. I'm a what they call California reggae guy.
04:07
Brandon Billings Reber
You know, I like Dirty Heads, Slightly Stupid Revolution.
04:11
Pete Muscarella
We go to all their concerts bumping uglies.
04:14
Brandon Billings Reber
That's about all I listen to. Okay.
04:17
Pete Muscarella
Yeah. Okay, perfect Here. It's not like that some of that genre isn't great like dancing. Because we are gonna like. So we're thinking 3 o' clock cocktail hour, 4 o' clock yard, and everything's happening right here. And then 5 o', clock, eat, there's no assigned seating. And then be done at nine. And then whoever wants to stay can stay. We have a fire pit and have a cigar and a whiskey if they want.
04:44
Brandon Billings Reber
That's my kind of people. I like you guys already. Okay. My brain's already kind of working on the music that you guys have. So that Selena Gomez and the Pink, especially fantastic for dancing. There's a ton of those tracks for those too, in that kind of California reggae vibe. That's your cocktail hour all day. Yeah, yeah, that's what I was. That vibe, that's toe tapping music that keeps people calm, collective happy, still enjoying themselves. But not at the point where, especially if you're doing cocktail hour into ceremony, that allows us to warm them up a little bit but keep them calm enough that they're not going crazy during your ceremony and being really antsy, wanting to get back to the bar.
05:26
Pete Muscarella
Right, right.
05:27
Brandon Billings Reber
So, yeah, kind of how my brain works and how, you know, even if you guys get off this call and. And you're like, that's not our dj. And that's perfectly acceptable because that's. That happens, right? Not every client belongs to me, and I don't belong to every client. And I'm okay with that. Which I know sounds weird, but that's who we are. But I do want to kind of empower you guys a little bit to make that proper choice for yourselves and give you as much info as I can. So I'm a unicorn in that world, as it were.
05:56
Pete Muscarella
Nice.
05:56
Brandon Billings Reber
And so one question I always have that I want to know. Like, we've talked a little bit about your wedding ideas and what you're thinking there. How did you guys. Who proposed? How did that happen? I always want to know that story.
06:08
Pete Muscarella
Do you want to tell.
06:10
Brandon Billings Reber
It was, it was our four year anniversary, basically from our first date. And on our first date, we were supposed to go someplace else.
06:21
Pete Muscarella
And we drove by a certain restaurant here in town.
06:24
Brandon Billings Reber
I don't know how well you know town, but Josephine's. Yep. So we drove by Josephine's and I looked at Laura and I said, you know what, let's just go here.
06:33
Pete Muscarella
And I, I know the people that own Josephine's real well.
06:37
Brandon Billings Reber
So I was able to get us.
06:39
Pete Muscarella
Right in and we got tables and stuff.
06:42
Brandon Billings Reber
So here we are four years later.
06:44
Pete Muscarella
And it was, you know, as I put it was about, it was about time for me to do something.
06:52
Brandon Billings Reber
So, so I talked to the people.
06:55
Pete Muscarella
At Josephine's and we set it up.
06:57
Brandon Billings Reber
And were doing just the anniversary dinner. So.
07:01
Pete Muscarella
So she, you know, I didn't want her to know what was going on. And, and yeah, so we, I, I built a little patio.
07:09
Brandon Billings Reber
I'm a contractor, so I built a.
07:11
Pete Muscarella
Little patio for them in the back.
07:13
Brandon Billings Reber
And it's a covered patio, real nice little area.
07:16
Pete Muscarella
So they gave that area, they gave.
07:18
Brandon Billings Reber
Us that whole area for our dinner.
07:22
Pete Muscarella
And I had it all worked out.
07:23
Brandon Billings Reber
With the restaurant that they were gonna.
07:26
Pete Muscarella
Come, and I gave them my phone.
07:27
Brandon Billings Reber
And they took pictures and stuff and everything. I love that. That back patio, by the way, is incredible. So I'm like, okay, all right. Yeah, I've been in town about 30, 30, 32 years. Something in that area. So I've been here a while. Oh, are you in Flag? Yes, sir. Yep.
07:48
Pete Muscarella
Oh, we thought you were in Phoenix.
07:49
Brandon Billings Reber
No, sir, I'm based here in flag. Yep, the 7,000ft, exactly. Yeah, we have an office in the Fourth Street Professional Plaza, if you're familiar. So if you guys ever want to do an in Person meeting. We absolutely can. So I tried not to during the summer because I'm on the second floor and that's a very old building. It's a little warm. Oh, that's amazing, though. It's like using the connections and creating something so magical and memorable is awesome. So kudos to you, sir.
08:19
Pete Muscarella
You did good.
08:21
Brandon Billings Reber
Yes, absolutely. And so who else have you booked besides Kim so far?
08:25
Pete Muscarella
So really, that's it. We've got Kim. Satchmos is going to do satchimos for food. We're gonna have. And then Kim's setting up like the gelato. The Reynolds. The gelato. We're having a gelato cart. And not like maybe a little cake for just he and I. But if anyone wants dessert, they can go get some gelato. And then the bougie bathroom and all that. Yeah, yeah.
08:49
Brandon Billings Reber
Smart on that one, by the way.
08:50
Pete Muscarella
Yeah.
08:50
Brandon Billings Reber
100 people using your bathroom is never fun to deal with. Okay, perfect. So then talk to me a little bit about the day a little more. What would you say are going to be most important things for you two that day, especially with it being kind of the second. You know, you guys have a little experience in this that most couples don't, which I find is a great thing.
09:12
Pete Muscarella
I think. I mean, I just want. So it's going to be hard to keep it at 100 because I was born and raised here and he's got a big family, so it's going to kind of be an older crowd. So he's nine of 10 kids and he's 57.
09:24
Brandon Billings Reber
Wow.
09:25
Pete Muscarella
So, right. So. And so his younger brother will come and only their spouses are coming. So it's gonna be kind of an older crowd. Maybe like the youngest person, someone I worked with. I used to work at katula. He's like 40. Yeah, yeah.
09:40
Brandon Billings Reber
I mean, just so you know.
09:41
Pete Muscarella
What, you're crowded. It's probably between the ages of 40 and 70. Yeah. And no kids are invited. His grandson will be there and then one other person will have like a 12 year old there. But it's just adults only, really. We want just people. So he proposed May 13th because we met May 13th and we wanted. We were thinking of getting married May 13th because we're getting old and we just want to remember one date. But weather and Flagstaff is awful in May. It could. It could rain, it could snow, it could do anything. So we looked on the calendar and 13 June landed on a Saturday. So we're like, okay.
10:18
Brandon Billings Reber
And June's perfect because it typically isn't Raining yet?
10:21
Pete Muscarella
Yeah, as you know. And the backyard looks amazing. Like what we've done, it's, it is, it's gorgeous. Yep. So we would come and enjoy our home, but we want to keep them kind of outside.
10:34
Brandon Billings Reber
And then Kim's got some really great ideas like with high tables, low tables, couches, chairs, you know, just every, just a mixture of everything throughout the yard.
10:45
Pete Muscarella
So we want people to gather and talk and meet new people. That does it. Don't like his.
10:50
Brandon Billings Reber
The hard, the hard thing that we'll have to talk about some and you're.
10:54
Pete Muscarella
Gonna have to come look at the.
10:55
Brandon Billings Reber
Yard and stuff is going to be that we want to do. Like the cocktail hour is going to.
11:00
Pete Muscarella
Be both in the front of the.
11:02
Brandon Billings Reber
House and the back of the house just so people can kind of mingle beyond between both the front and backyard.
11:09
Pete Muscarella
Before everybody goes back into the backyard.
11:12
Brandon Billings Reber
So for you that's going to be.
11:14
Pete Muscarella
The challenge, I think.
11:16
Brandon Billings Reber
Nah, it's not a challenge at all. In fact, I've. In the last year we've invested in a couple of battery powered speakers through EV and then we've got a wireless kit and the speakers that we've invested in actually have a power out on them. So we can run a power, a wireless kit on top of that speaker by itself just in a corner and then run sound from another one further back out. And usually we get, I want to say the furthest I've had those apart is probably about 350ft through a building. We should be good. And we even got power out here in the front that you could plug into. So.
11:53
Pete Muscarella
And what we're thinking is not like a super formal like, I mean obviously like DJ be like, okay, like we're getting ready to start. Let's, let's move everyone into like the sitting in the backyard or standing in the backyard. Like the ceremony is going to start and we're. Our friend got ordained so he's gonna marry us.
12:11
Brandon Billings Reber
Oh, perfect.
12:12
Pete Muscarella
Yep.
12:12
Brandon Billings Reber
Has he done a wedding before?
12:14
Pete Muscarella
No, it's gonna be his first. But we're gonna talk with him and he's had friends so he's going to be looking to you for advice. Now he's got people that has done weddings before that he's reaching out with, but then really just kind of be like music playing. We're not gonna have. No one's gonna give toasts or anything. Okay. Having assigned seating and like table one go or table two go. It's just kind of gonna be like, I don't know if that's will be. Cam can kind of be like, oh, like, this section should mosey to the garage for the food or something.
12:48
Brandon Billings Reber
You know, more than likely, I'll take that on. Typically, as your DJ and mc, I like that to be my job. Okay. It gives me a chance to chat with your guests and get them comfortable, make sure they know who I am. And the biggest reason is because, you know, yes, like you said, this is a second marriage, but it is still the first time with all of these people.
13:11
Pete Muscarella
Right.
13:12
Brandon Billings Reber
And you'll never get the same group of people together for anything ever again. So I don't want them bugging the two of you all night with questions. I want them comfortable enough with me that they walk over to me and go, hey, can you show me where? Can you tell me how to. Hey, I have a question about. Great.
13:27
Pete Muscarella
Yeah.
13:27
Brandon Billings Reber
I want those questions. Right. And if I can't answer them, Kim can. Right. So between she and I, we take care of those kinds of things. So, yeah, huge proponent of that. And for your wedding, truly, yes, a great DJ will be good for you guys. You need an emcee more than you need a good dj. I just threw a mixer yesterday for a bunch of wedding professionals here in Flagstaff, and one of the photographers, their photo video couple, he leaned over to me and he said, I can't stand it when I'm at a wedding and you're not there. I'm sorry. No, I. I know so many great DJs who could mix, but they're terrible MCs. And I know some good MCs, but they couldn't mix chocolate milk. And you can do both. And I was like, I appreciate that.
14:14
Brandon Billings Reber
It's, you know, it's been a work in progress for me for 22 years, so I hope I'm getting better.
14:20
Pete Muscarella
Saying makes sense. Like, you don't need someone just to play music. You need someone to like. Okay. And everyone's ever having a good time, and okay, we like what's okay. Yep.
14:28
Brandon Billings Reber
And in a. And in a way that will reach them. Right. Not just saying it, to say it. Say it in a way that the guests react to go, oh, yeah, we. We need to start moving. It's time to go. And be willing to, especially with family, if they're not listening over the microphone, be willing to get in the trenches and tap people on the shoulders and say, hey, we're five minutes from ceremony. If you'd be so kind, we're going to move you on over and get them going. So, yeah, I'm Same page with you guys all day long on that, so I love that. So talk to me a little bit about what you're hoping to have with the DJ coming in. I know Kim's probably got a lot of lighting and things of that nature happening for you already.
15:06
Brandon Billings Reber
Have you guys had a chance to look at the packages that we have on our website?
15:10
Pete Muscarella
Yes. I printed like, this is what you sent us, right? Yep. Whatever you, Whatever link you had. I, I. Yes, yes.
15:19
Brandon Billings Reber
Perfect. Okay, so with the different packages, we. I changed our pricing last year to tiered based on our DJs. Right. Our most inexpensive package is my newest DJs. They've been with me one or two years. They've all got under 10 weddings under their belt. They're still learning, and that's why they're cheaper. My second in command, Joe, at that 2300 price point, that is where a lot of couples land. And that kind of gives you all the basics without going too over the top. My package is the big one and it comes with a lot. So that's why. Yeah, you guys are frozen for just a sec, so I want to make sure you're still with me.
15:57
Pete Muscarella
Oh, sorry. You're good right here.
16:03
Brandon Billings Reber
Trust me. I'm in Flagstaff. I understand optimum, you know, and it's hit or miss all day long. It's been horrible over here. Do you have one of their newer modems?
16:17
Pete Muscarella
No, let's see. I moved back, probably got five years ago, so maybe I should get a new one.
16:22
Brandon Billings Reber
Yeah.
16:22
Pete Muscarella
Or I'm thinking of going to T Mobile or something because this is not working.
16:26
Brandon Billings Reber
They're not bad.
16:28
Pete Muscarella
Do you have a new one?
16:29
Brandon Billings Reber
I do. I. I changed out about six months ago, and it was a massive change for us. Like, our speeds increased and have been consistent. So highly recommend that. And you should be able to just either just grab your modem off the shelf and take it in there and say, hey, I need to change this out. I am having all kinds of issues. And they'll replace it at the store for you or give them a call and then they'll have you go down to the store and replace it out. Right, Right. That's what we did.
16:57
Pete Muscarella
So that's good to know.
16:58
Brandon Billings Reber
Thank you for that.
16:58
Pete Muscarella
Sorry.
16:59
Brandon Billings Reber
Side note, so with our package, the nice thing with my package is you are getting things like our photo booth, our audio guest book recordings of your ceremony and toast. Not toast, but ceremony. And then you're getting like, up lighting and dance floor lighting. So you do get that party vibe. Biggest reason that package has the price point that it does all that stuff in it. It's because you're getting me, and I am going to spend anywhere from 40 to 60 hours on your wedding before I walk in the door. And that's, you know, six hours of that is just on your photo booth, and that's crafting custom experiences for you guys and getting things together so that you get photos and videos of your guests out of that you wouldn't normally get. So kind of gives you an idea.
17:46
Brandon Billings Reber
If you don't want all the bells and whistles, you can do any of our other packages. And it's just a $500 fee to add me to it. So if that works better, just let me know. I'm easy.
17:55
Pete Muscarella
So if we did go with Joe but wanted you to be here, it'd be 500 bucks.
17:59
Brandon Billings Reber
Yeah, just 500 more. So you'd be at 28. And then at that point, you. It might be worth considering going up because you get so much more, especially with some older guests. You said 70 is the oldest guest. You think?
18:11
Pete Muscarella
Well, probably more like.
18:13
Brandon Billings Reber
Yeah, late 70s. Okay. Our audio guest book might be something you want to think about. And I say that. And have you seen an audio guest book yet?
18:25
Pete Muscarella
No. No.
18:26
Brandon Billings Reber
It looks something like this.
18:28
Pete Muscarella
Oh, cool. I have one of those at the house.
18:31
Brandon Billings Reber
So in this one, your guests pick it up. They would hear a message from either one of you or both of you, and then they'd leave a message back where this becomes important with your older guests. You're now capturing their voice.
18:42
Pete Muscarella
Right.
18:43
Brandon Billings Reber
So if the worst happens, or when the worst happens, we're all human, you have their memory still captured, and you have that voice message forever. So cool. Something to think of. Yeah. But other than that, if you've got just a few more minutes, I know we've been talking for just a little bit. I want to show you two quick things, one of which is going to be our planning portal. And, Pete, I'm going to use Laura's last name as your password, and I apologize. It's just going to make it easier on you guys. So we're going to do Wheeler. Yeah, we're gonna do Wheeler 26. And I've got that as W H E E L E R. Correct. Okay, cool. Just want to make sure I got that right. All right, so park. Yes, absolutely.
19:30
Pete Muscarella
It's named after my grandfather.
19:31
Brandon Billings Reber
The park is.
19:33
Pete Muscarella
Yeah, he came here in 1929.
19:35
Brandon Billings Reber
Wow.
19:36
Pete Muscarella
Yeah, there's some history.
19:38
Brandon Billings Reber
Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. Let's see here. You know what Actually, we're going to do something a little different. I have a package that we haven't really sold this year. We kind of mothballed it. I'm going to put that in for you guys. It's what we call our Flagstaff family package. That package is 2700. It's everything in DJ Joe's package, plus a photo booth for the 2700. So it's going to save you a hundred dollars and it'll still allow me to be the DJ on it. That way you don't have to go to the full. That allows you some wiggle room and the photo booth, so you get all the fun photos and videos of your family and guests. So, all right, let's see here. And that's only something I do with preferred vendors, and Kim is very much preferred. So. All right, let's see here.
20:28
Brandon Billings Reber
Let me move a couple things around. We're gonna do a screen share with you. Hopefully this will work. Optimum. Don't let us down. All right, so first thing I'm going to show you is software that we offer to all of our couples. This is called provenance. Provenance allows you to go in, create your ceremony script with your officiant, and you guys can customize this with up to 1600 traditions worldwide. So it allows you to make it yours. You can go in and write your vows in here.
21:00
Pete Muscarella
Gotcha.
21:01
Brandon Billings Reber
And it also has some AI options. And the two of you, because you have your own logins, you actually can set the vows so that only you and the officiate, or you, the officiant and coordinator, which would be me in this case, on this particular platform. That's just how it works. Can see them or just you can see them so no one else can see them. And that way you keep them secret from each other. So it's nice with those AI options because if you're just having a hard time finding the words, you can say, hey, this is what I want to say. How do I make it sound more regal? And it'll rewrite it for you. So other cool things. It shows you the length, right?
21:37
Pete Muscarella
That is nice to know time wise.
21:39
Brandon Billings Reber
Yeah. Especially on the ceremony, you get an idea of like, is our ceremony 50 minutes or 5? So as well with this. The other big reason. Well, the biggest reason I put it in is because of toast. You guys aren't doing those, so thank God we won't need it. I just got tired of bad toast. So now I make people use this so that we can put their toasters in. I Want to make sure we're getting good stuff on the ceremony script. One of the cool things is when you review it. This is a couple that got married a couple of weeks ago, actually a couple months ago. It shows you everything including cues so you truly set the way you want.
22:13
Pete Muscarella
I like that. Like that's my. Yeah.
22:17
Brandon Billings Reber
And this is something we give you for free. If you decide you want to book with us. Next big thing is going to be us. So this is our website. Same place you probably went in to grab a quote or book this session. You can now click this client login button in the upper right in here. You're going to put your wedding date in. Okay, that's the 13-10-26. And then that password we just talked about, Wheeler26, that is all lowercase so no capital letters there. Once this decides to load, you're going to see all the information on your day. We know 3 o' clock to 9 is what we're thinking. The balance that you have with us from here, planning forms. This is where you're going to find our wedding outline and our timeline builder.
23:02
Brandon Billings Reber
The timeline we're going to have to tweak a little bit because this is typically based on what we see. Weddings where they do half hour pre ceremony music and then they do the ceremony right at like three. We'll just swap this cocktail hour, add one in and kind of make all that work. But you can go through and tweak this. Get rid of stuff like we know we don't want toast. We're going to click this red trash can. Click. Ok. No more toasts. No more toast. Okay, same thing. If you don't want parent dances, you don't want to do cake cutting. Bouquet, garter.
23:28
Pete Muscarella
I'm just going to do a he and I dance. That's it.
23:30
Brandon Billings Reber
Perfect. We're going to clear all this out and Kim's going to be super happy because you'll already have kind of a. Are you guys, you're cutting that cake, correct?
23:39
Pete Muscarella
Well, we're going to cut a little cake. Yes. And then like for everyone else, if we're gonna have the gelato cart, they can go get ice cream or gelato if they want it.
23:47
Brandon Billings Reber
Okay, perfect. So the decision will be whether or not you want the cake cutting to be like a spectacle everybody watches. Or if you guys want to sneak off with a photographer and do that together. Gotcha. Yep. Sounds like no bouquet, no garter, no. Perfect. We'll get rid of those and that kind of gives us an idea. You're saying Pretty basic ceremony. Yeah. That's perfect. That's. That's what we look for. And not basic, but customized to you. Right, Right. It's your day, not mine. I want it to be yours. So. But now we've got kind of a rough timeline of what we're thinking on things. We can tweak times as we go and just have what we need in here. But any questions on how this whole thing will work?
24:26
Pete Muscarella
No, Felix, that's pretty cool.
24:29
Brandon Billings Reber
We try to make it easy. Now, our wedding worksheet, this thing's huge. But that's because it's. It's been built out of my brain of doing over 700 weddings in the last 12 years. And like, what are the things that couples forget or need to do or need to know what music gets forgotten? And that's what's here. So we know we'll be doing ceremony music. Ceremony we're planning for four o'. Clock. Guests are going to be there at three. This is a pre ceremony cocktail hour. So in this case, what we would want is instead of prelude music, this will be that pre cocktail hour. So kind of what's going to be playing during this time? Sounds like we're probably going to be hitting that California reggae vibe.
25:22
Pete Muscarella
We have our song.
25:24
Brandon Billings Reber
Oh, like your first dance?
25:26
Pete Muscarella
No, we have. We have first dance and we have the song that we want to walk like that. We want to start the whole thing. So, like this song is going to start and the officiant will either be at this spot or walk to the spot. Then my sister and Tommy, the best man, will walk. Then Cade, his grandson will be the ring bearer and walk. I mean, you'll be up there already or you'll walk and then I walk. But we want the one song to do the whole thing. Like, I don't want to change over from when I walk out.
25:53
Brandon Billings Reber
Okay, what song is that?
25:54
Pete Muscarella
It is Dirty Heads, you are My Constellation. And we have it modified. We have a cut version of it because we took out some of the.
26:07
Brandon Billings Reber
Stuff because what it is, it's a.
26:09
Pete Muscarella
Song the guy wrote about his wife. It says like 20 years later. We were like, we're not. We're not. We're not. 20 years and two kids, so.
26:19
Brandon Billings Reber
Gotcha. But when, finally, when you meet Laura, you'll notice the song has a thing about it.
26:24
Pete Muscarella
His.
26:25
Brandon Billings Reber
Her starry eyes. So wait till you meet Laura and see her eyes. I love it. That's amazing. And I love that you guys have tied something that is so special to you two together. That's Meaning is everything. Meaning is everything. From their recessional song. What's playing as you two are officially husband and wife walking back down the aisle?
26:45
Pete Muscarella
I have no idea. I don't know. Do you have any suggestions?
26:51
Brandon Billings Reber
Once I start to see your music and the. The suggestions in the playlist that you've created or the thoughts that you have already, we'll be able to come up with something really good for you.
26:59
Pete Muscarella
And our first song is Chris Stapleton Starting Over. We were both starting over at that time in our life when we met, so.
27:11
Brandon Billings Reber
I love it. Well, come out there, Mom. There's no there. There we go. Cool. So what I did is I dropped way down on this to the formal dances. That's what this section is. Not doing this. Not doing this. Okay, cool. And I'm gonna go back up. Pardon me. For this to feel a little awkward as we do that. Okay, cool. So from there, recessional song. So you got these little spaces to figure out all these little things that you still need. Cocktail hour. And so this will be after the ceremony, I'm gonna guess. Are you gonna do a little bit of a cocktail hour after and do photos? Are you going straight? Because you're probably gonna have about a half hour before dinner.
27:48
Pete Muscarella
Yeah, yeah.
27:50
Brandon Billings Reber
So that would be more like a cocktail hour, too.
27:52
Pete Muscarella
Yeah.
27:53
Brandon Billings Reber
Okay. That will just be a little mingling time for everybody. So. Yeah. And you said dinner at 5.
28:00
Pete Muscarella
That's what were. Well, I don't know.
28:02
Brandon Billings Reber
Now, like, the wedding's at 4, so.
28:05
Pete Muscarella
Yeah, probably 5:30 would be.
28:06
Brandon Billings Reber
Probably 5:30. Perfect. So that gives you kind of 3 to 4. 3 to 4:45 or 3:45. Excuse me. Kind of a pre cocktail hour and then a true cocktail hour with a lot of photos and things going on after the ceremony. And so that. That's really awesome because that gives you guys a chance to actually enjoy your guest.
28:24
Pete Muscarella
Right.
28:25
Brandon Billings Reber
Which a lot of couples miss. Let's see here. And then from there, do you want to keep that same cocktail hour vibe, that California reggae?
28:33
Pete Muscarella
I would say yes.
28:37
Brandon Billings Reber
Perfect. Are you going to do a grand introduction of any kind of.
28:42
Pete Muscarella
No. A bride introduction?
28:45
Brandon Billings Reber
Yeah. And you're, like, introducing the wedding party and you guys.
28:49
Pete Muscarella
No, we're like, who's. Who would do that? Would you do that?
28:53
Brandon Billings Reber
We did. It was. It was.
28:55
Pete Muscarella
We don't really have anyone.
28:56
Brandon Billings Reber
But I will say my. My wedding, though, is. Is not the one to. To base things off of. Like, I'm the guy that had a camel and a llama show up. So we did Some crazy stuff. My wife made the mistake of showing me these llamas of Instagram. Like wedding llamas of Instagram.
29:14
Pete Muscarella
Yeah.
29:15
Brandon Billings Reber
And it was wedding like llamas in these fake tuxes with like, you know, flowers on them. She's like, this would be so cute. So I went on a search and I found a guy and he's like, I also have a baby camel. I was like, bring that too. Folks pulled into our wedding and there's this llama in this fake tuxedo with this flower necklace and then a 13 and a half foot tall camel that was a year and a half old. I said, you said baby? He's like, well, they're big. I was like, a 1300 pound animal is not a baby. I was thinking dog sized. Like, I don't know. My brain was like Great Dane at most. But it was a memory. And people still talk about it, right? So those little things are always important.
29:57
Brandon Billings Reber
So then you two, do we want to do first dance before dinner? Are you thinking after dinner for that? I said after, after. Cool. Are you guys nervous about that dance at all?
30:11
Pete Muscarella
I'm sure I'll be bawling.
30:13
Brandon Billings Reber
Okay.
30:13
Pete Muscarella
I'll be crying.
30:14
Brandon Billings Reber
I only ask about nervousness just because if it's after dinner, you're paying for food, I want you to eat it. You're paying for stash, I want you to eat it.
30:22
Pete Muscarella
Right.
30:22
Brandon Billings Reber
So I think about those little things. You don't have to. And then are you going to do an introduction into the, for YouTube, into the reception, like coming in at all while everyone's there. You're just going to walk in with everybody from cocktail hour.
30:36
Pete Muscarella
I think these are so many things. I, I, I think we're all, we're.
30:41
Brandon Billings Reber
All going to be in the same.
30:42
Pete Muscarella
Area at the same time. It's not really walking into anything because it's going to be kind of cozy anyways.
30:50
Brandon Billings Reber
I don't think so.
30:51
Pete Muscarella
Yeah.
30:52
Brandon Billings Reber
And I should have said a lot of these questions. I really don't expect a true answer from you guys. This is really just getting the juices flowing. I want to get those brains moving and thinking about your big day and like what you're expecting, what you're hoping for, what you want to see. I've got an interesting question for you here in just a little bit that I'll have you think about as well. What's the wedding colors? Do you have those yet?
31:10
Pete Muscarella
Blue and green and it's all wildflowers. So not like, I can't describe like a navy Blue or an aqua blue or a forest green or something. It's just like June outside. Different colors of green and blue.
31:24
Brandon Billings Reber
Yeah. The reason I asked that is so that when I program the lighting to go to dancing, I program some of your wedding colors into it as well.
31:33
Pete Muscarella
Yeah.
31:34
Brandon Billings Reber
And when I say I program the lighting, I mean I actually program it to your music. So when we get to dancing, it actually moves and flashes in time. Yeah. That's where the other, like 40 hours of what I do comes in. Not doing toast, which is perfect. And then from there is going to be things like, are you doing a blessing before dinner? What kind of dinner style are you doing? Are you doing. You know, what kind of music do you want for dinner?
31:59
Pete Muscarella
We're doing buffet and we're not having. Obviously, it's so small. There's not gonna be plates on people's tables. They're gonna walk into the garage, get their plates.
32:07
Brandon Billings Reber
So be buffet perfect, and we'll dismiss those tables. Are you feeding your vendors?
32:14
Pete Muscarella
Yeah. Yeah.
32:15
Brandon Billings Reber
Okay. It's a question we have to ask. And the reason I ask that is not just because, you know, it's Sashmos and I'm a fan. I live up the street. I love that place. But that tells me when to send, like, your photographer who's going to be there all day.
32:28
Pete Muscarella
Right.
32:28
Brandon Billings Reber
You know, we want them early so we don't have to wait for them when we're ready to do your first dance. Right? Yeah. This will be a fun one for you. Enough for the vendors. I appreciate you. And that also helps me prep my day. Cake cutting song. That is something you guys are gonna have to think about. What are you going to cut cake to in front of your friends and family?
32:46
Pete Muscarella
We have a lot to think about.
32:47
Brandon Billings Reber
Like a hunting knife? Well, no, like a song. Like, we're gonna play a chainsaw sugar on me. I've seen a chainsaw a few times. NAU grads love to do that. They get the little, like, mini Temu chainsaws and they use those. So that is an idea if you want to do it.
33:07
Pete Muscarella
That's funny. Okay, so we need to think. I need to log onto this and think about all this other stuff.
33:13
Brandon Billings Reber
I mean, as a contractor, like, a skill saw would be great.
33:17
Pete Muscarella
Yeah.
33:21
Brandon Billings Reber
But yeah, this is what this is for. This is just to help you.
33:24
Pete Muscarella
Yeah.
33:25
Brandon Billings Reber
Think about these little things that you may not have thought of yet or you wouldn't. Until someone like myself says, hey, think about this.
33:30
Pete Muscarella
I never would have thought of, like, an eating. Eating music.
33:34
Brandon Billings Reber
Yeah. And honestly, with Me, especially if I'm going to be your dj. With the experience I bring to the table, you can probably just give me either a. If you've got like Apple Music or Spotify, you or you've created Playlist, shoot me the link. I will go through it and I will figure out what's going to fit. What vibe. Like what fits dinner, what fits cocktail, what fits dancing, all that good stuff based on your favorites. And then I'm also going to dig for those songs that you forgot about because I love playing those surprises. If I can find that song that makes Pete standing at the bar with his boys go, oh, my God, I love this song, and come running to the dance floor. My job. Pretty good. So any questions on how this whole thing works, though?
34:14
Pete Muscarella
No, that looks amazing. So I can just. When I go onto your website, I can click onto that and put that password in there.
34:21
Brandon Billings Reber
The link to this is on your website. Okay. Yeah. This client login button.
34:25
Pete Muscarella
Okay.
34:25
Brandon Billings Reber
All you got to click. It's tiny. It's the only gray button at the top, though. So we tried to make it somewhat distinctive because we couldn't make it bigger. Okay, last big. Last two big things in here. Select music. This is where you're gonna put the music of your day. You've got up to 20 songs here on the right. That is couples must plays the 30. If you can get to these. Great. This just gives me your vibe. The red one. We hate these. Don't play them exactly what they are.
34:49
Pete Muscarella
Okay, so I have chicken. Chicken dance. No, Macarena. No. Chicken dance.
34:54
Brandon Billings Reber
Done. No group dances is what that sounds like.
34:56
Pete Muscarella
Yeah, yeah.
34:57
Brandon Billings Reber
So. And that's easy. What we do is we just look for the song.
35:04
Pete Muscarella
There it is.
35:05
Brandon Billings Reber
We'll click select and list number three. We hate these. Don't play them.
35:10
Pete Muscarella
Done.
35:11
Brandon Billings Reber
Chicken dance. Honestly, I will say I've played that in over 700 weddings. I've played it less than a dozen times.
35:17
Pete Muscarella
Oh, really? Okay, so maybe that was old school. Like in the 80s or 90s, early 90s, when everyone. Yeah. Who knows?
35:23
Brandon Billings Reber
Yeah. And honestly, the last time I played it was a couple that had it on their do not playlist. We played the first seven seconds of it. They were fans of the band Rammstein. I don't know if you're familiar with this German, like, death metal band, essentially. And they're like, we don't know how to put this in our wedding, but we have to hear at least one song. The chicken dance has this drum beat in it that matches the first drum beat. Of Rammstein's song duhast. And so I said, do you trust me? And they're like, yes. I was like, great, don't panic for about 10 seconds. And I started playing the chicken dance. And she just looks at me like, really? And it hits that drum beat. And we just played it into Rammstein and she was just going nuts. It was.
36:05
Brandon Billings Reber
There's somewhere on my website there's a photo of a bride. She's got like horns up and just hair all over. That's that wedding. So the photographer that night was Ryan Williams. And he was like, that is the greatest shot I think I've ever gotten at a wedding. I appreciate it and I love it. The other couple of things you're going to have in here, you can connect this to Spotify if you're Spotify users and just drop stuff into the playlist from there. You also have these popular charts, so it's going to give you country slow songs, best of the 50s to 2010s. But you have things like cake cutting songs. The chicken dance is not in there, thank goodness. But as you go through this list, you'll find a few different things.
36:42
Brandon Billings Reber
And maybe it's not what you're looking for, but it might make you think of something else. Right.
36:45
Pete Muscarella
Okay.
36:47
Brandon Billings Reber
Further you get, the weirder it gets. I always tell everybody, page four has like How Low By Ludacris. I don't know who's cutting cake to that, but I wasn't at that wedding, so. But this just gives you ideas. So any questions on the music section?
37:01
Pete Muscarella
No.
37:03
Brandon Billings Reber
And if it's easier, if you guys are like Apple music users or whatever, just shoot me the playlist you're building and I will go from there. Truly, whatever's easiest for you. Last thing is billing and payments. So this is always the question is like, how do we book you? If we're ready to book you right here. Billing in payments go down here to make payment. Our initial payment, we call it the retainer. Initial payment, same verbiage, Same thing is 35% of the package price is 945 remainders due 30 days before your wedding day. You can make payments in here if you choose to. It's up to you. Again, we're easy. Whatever you want to do, you do. So any questions?
37:40
Pete Muscarella
No. No.
37:42
Brandon Billings Reber
Sounds pretty user friendly. Yeah. And what I'm going to do from here, I'm going to hold your date for the next seven days.
37:50
Pete Muscarella
Okay.
37:50
Brandon Billings Reber
So you get a full week to decide if I'm your dj, if you need more time than that, just let me know and I'm happy to assist. Oh, that's what I forgot to show you. Under event details and then important documents, this is where you find our contract.
38:05
Pete Muscarella
Okay.
38:06
Brandon Billings Reber
So you can read through the contract, see what our terms are, all that good stuff, how we protect you, how we protect us, all that good stuff. Your responsibilities, mine. It's really, it's a very simple contract. I am not a fan of the 77 page lawyer contracts that tried to been sold. It's just not my thing. And if I eventually need something like that, I've done something very wrong. That's how I feel. And if you forget, you can digitally sign this contract. When you go into it, there's an option at the bottom to digitally sign. But if for some reason you forget to do that, we actually have a clause that says your submission of the initial payment is acceptance of this contract in full. Again, try to make it easy.
38:45
Pete Muscarella
Yeah.
38:46
Brandon Billings Reber
So awesome guys. Well, other than that, I appreciate you. You know, I did tell you there was one other interesting question I was going to have for the two of you. So you don't have any more for me. I'm going to give you this last interesting question. Go ahead. Let's go to 2027. It is. We're going to go May 13th of 2027 because that's another anniversary for you guys. When guests are talking to you about your wedding, you're running into them at fries and bashes and Safeway and you know, Sam's club and all the other places that we shop because we have five choices. How do you want them to think and remember your wedding?
39:20
Pete Muscarella
I want them to think of just like the beautiful gathering of family and friends and outdoor and music and just like not whimsical but just kind of like a, like I just.
39:34
Brandon Billings Reber
Want them to say it was fun.
39:35
Pete Muscarella
That they had family, they had, you know, a good time, good food, good drinks, good people, good, you know, good atmosphere, everything about it.
39:47
Brandon Billings Reber
Absolutely. I love that. And that's one of the things to me that question never gets asked. I feel like. And it's so important to think not just of it now because this is the stressful time of planning.
40:00
Pete Muscarella
Right.
40:01
Brandon Billings Reber
But to the future, like what's it going to look like afterwards? And that vision is so impressive and so amazing for me. Yeah, absolutely. For me as a dj, knowing that helps me shape that night as well. Right. That helps me direct you and your guest through the music, help provide that journey. That helps them to make those memories, right? For a lot of folks, they can forget something happened, but if there's a song tied to it, right? My wife and I one summer got followed by the Beach Boys. Like, every time we stepped in a store, a Beach Boy. And then we finally went and saw him in concert, and it stopped after that. It was the weirdest thing, but people are what? But it just happened. But those are the memories we make, right? There's always a tune involved.
40:46
Brandon Billings Reber
There's always something that ties and pulls that emotional string. So I take that very seriously, and I take my role as an MC very seriously to ensure that we get you guys where you want to be. That's the last of what I have to say, but I appreciate you guys.
41:01
Pete Muscarella
All right.
41:01
Brandon Billings Reber
Thank you so much for your, you know, time tonight. And if you have any questions or concerns or do you need me to tweak a package or something else you'd rather have or you want to add or remove something, let me know and we'll figure something out for you.
41:13
Pete Muscarella
Okay?
41:14
Brandon Billings Reber
Cool.
41:14
Pete Muscarella
Okay. Okay. It's very good. Okay. Thank you so much. You're welcome.
41:17
Brandon Billings Reber
Have a wonderful night.
41:18
Pete Muscarella
Have a good night.
41:19
Brandon Billings Reber
Thanks. Bye. All right, bye.
13:51
Brandon Billings Reber
Hey, Megan. How we doing? Good.
13:53
Megan Myers
How are you? Sorry we're late.
13:54
Brandon Billings Reber
Oh, no, you're fine. It's actually just about to shoot you a text message, so I'm gonna delete that out so we don't accidentally do it. Okay. How are you folks tonight?
14:05
Megan Myers
We're doing good. How about you?
14:07
Brandon Billings Reber
I am doing great, thank you. I'm excited to chat with you about your big day, kind of learn a little bit about the two of you. Yeah. Oh, my goodness. Oh, you're so cute.
14:23
Megan Myers
This is Lila.
14:24
Brandon Billings Reber
Hi, Lila. How old is Lila?
14:27
Megan Myers
She is 15 months.
14:29
Brandon Billings Reber
Oh, my goodness. Ooh, baby, that's awesome. Mine just turned five on Friday, so.
14:37
Megan Myers
Oh, how fun. We have a five year old as well.
14:40
Brandon Billings Reber
Oh, yes. It's an interesting time.
14:44
Megan Myers
Yeah. Are they starting kindergarten?
14:46
Brandon Billings Reber
She is. She's starting kindergarten in about a week. A week from Monday, actually. Yeah, she's super happy, super excited about it.
14:53
Megan Myers
Yeah.
14:54
Brandon Billings Reber
Well, awesome. You too. Other than Lila, let's chat a bit, a little bit about you guys. And before I dive in, what questions can I answer out the gate for you guys?
15:07
Megan Myers
Yeah, I don't think I have any at the moment. I'm sure I'll come up with some, though.
15:12
Brandon Billings Reber
For sure. So talk to me about you two then. How did you guys meet?
15:16
Megan Myers
We met on hinge.
15:19
Brandon Billings Reber
Yeah.
15:20
Megan Myers
Nice magical hinge. Yeah.
15:24
Brandon Billings Reber
Nothing wrong with that. And so who. Who swiped on who met who messaged who? How did that all work? So I messaged her first. She had some goofy thing in her profile about all their. All her tattoos, and I have, like, two of them. And I was like, I might get more sometime down the road. And we haven't stopped talking since that first line of our relationship. Yeah, that's amazing. My wife and I met online, so.
15:57
Megan Myers
Okay.
15:58
Brandon Billings Reber
I'm all about it. It's perfect.
16:00
Megan Myers
Yeah, it's always exciting.
16:03
Brandon Billings Reber
Yep. And we're kind of the same way. I have one tattoo and my wife has, like, 16 at this point, if I remember. Really? Yeah, she. She collects some, like, Pokemon at this point in the game. Oh, well. Awesome. Well, other than, you know, spend time with Littles, what do you guys like to do together?
16:25
Megan Myers
We're pretty outdoorsy. He's a big hunter. I'm kind of. I used to be, so I'm getting back into it. But we like to, you know, hike and be active. Just do things with family.
16:40
Brandon Billings Reber
Nice. What's your favorite species to go after? I'd say deer is my favorite because game and fish doesn't let me go after elk very often. I'VE been putting in for elk for seven years now, and I still haven't sniffed a tag, so. I understand.
16:58
Megan Myers
Yeah, it's hard.
16:59
Brandon Billings Reber
Yeah. It's getting a little ridiculous, to be honest. I'm getting ready to start bow hunting just because I know I can at least get a tag right.
17:06
Megan Myers
Yeah.
17:08
Brandon Billings Reber
Well, with all that talk to me about the proposal story, who proposed to whom, and how did that happen?
17:14
Megan Myers
Well, he proposed. We were supposed to go to a concert, and then. So I guess he had a whole plan for the concert. But then, of course, it was on a weekday, were tired. We decided to not go, and so he just proposed on the couch when were sitting and having a little sweet treat after dinner. So his whole goal is to just catch me off guard, and he definitely did. I had this confused look on my face the whole time because I was. I had no idea what was happening.
17:45
Brandon Billings Reber
She just kept asking me, are you sure? Is this real?
17:48
Megan Myers
Yeah.
17:50
Brandon Billings Reber
I love that.
17:51
Megan Myers
Yeah.
17:52
Brandon Billings Reber
That's amazing. Oh, and I love the. The whole surprise aspect. It's always one of those, like, you know, usually when guys get to that point where they're about to propose, there's a lot of searching for the ring, and there's a lot of, is he gonna do it now? Am I prepared for it? Kind of thing. So someone getting surprised. Someone is huge. And that's amazing.
18:11
Megan Myers
Yeah. I had no idea.
18:14
Brandon Billings Reber
What was the concert you guys are gonna go see?
18:16
Megan Myers
We were gonna go see Creed.
18:19
Brandon Billings Reber
Okay, cool.
18:20
Megan Myers
Yeah.
18:21
Brandon Billings Reber
All right.
18:22
Megan Myers
It would have been a good time.
18:23
Brandon Billings Reber
But it would have. I'm very into dad rock. Okay. That's good to know. All right. I always realize my age when I. I hear someone say dad rock, and then I realize it's all the stuff I grew up on. I'm like, I thought it was just rock. I only call it dad rack because that's what everyone calls it. Anyway. And so talk to me about your date. What made you guys choose December 5th? You're looking for a cool number, mostly like, a cool number to remember. We were originally going to do October 25, 2025, but I believe Violas was already taken for that date. And then. Oh, yeah, the pumpkin patch. We're like, we like Halloween, but we don't want to look like Halloween freaks. Yeah. Stuff. Yeah. Any wedding in Violas in October through, like, early November, you're definitely in pumpkin patch territory.
19:26
Brandon Billings Reber
And you got a giant skeleton in the back of a bunch of your photos, so it's interesting. And so what made you Guys fall in love with Violas.
19:36
Megan Myers
I really like the indoor space. I thought it was so cool. We really want to have an open bar, so we thought it was cool that they have a giant bar and a cool party area. And then I really like the bridal suite, too. I thought that was really cool that we have our own little space to get pretty. Yeah, it was just really. And it's so pretty, all the pictures. It'll be interesting to see what the weather's like when it's our turn, but I'm hoping it'll be like last year. It was kind of still a little bit warm for this ceremony, and I like that there's an inside and outside space. So.
20:12
Brandon Billings Reber
Perfect. And what are you guys thinking for your guest count? We're looking at 68 right now. It's gonna be rather small, but. No, that's perfect. That feels great in Violas, so. Yeah. Yeah. Usually Violas to me, the sweet spots, like, 50 to 75 guests. It doesn't feel too cluttered, but there's enough folks to make it still feel full. So. Yeah, y' all are hitting all my sweet spots already. I got married at Violas in 2019, so. Oh, wow. Perfect. Yeah. If. When you get a chance, ask Jesse about the Campbell wedding, and she'll tell you all about it.
20:48
Megan Myers
Oh, my God. Awesome.
20:50
Brandon Billings Reber
Yeah, went. We went a little nutty being in the industry, so.
20:54
Megan Myers
Yeah.
20:55
Brandon Billings Reber
So as you guys have kind of started booking everything. I know you got your venue. Who else have you booked for your big day?
21:01
Megan Myers
Well, we have a photographer that's just kind of a close friend of ours.
21:05
Brandon Billings Reber
Okay.
21:05
Megan Myers
And then we're looking at either Will's Grill or Mama Kim's for food.
21:10
Brandon Billings Reber
O.
21:11
Megan Myers
So we'll see who gets back to us first. But we're. We're not super picky about, like, what we want to eat. We're kind of just like, what do you suggest? And make us something yummy.
21:22
Brandon Billings Reber
So that's a tough. That's a tough combo.
21:25
Megan Myers
Yeah.
21:26
Brandon Billings Reber
Were you guys at the. The open houses?
21:29
Megan Myers
We were, yeah.
21:30
Brandon Billings Reber
Okay. Thought you looked familiar.
21:33
Megan Myers
We were there for a long time.
21:34
Brandon Billings Reber
Yeah. So say you look somewhat familiar from that time, but we did a bunch of expos this year, so my brain loves to meld faces, to say the least. Cool. All right, that's. Yeah, I would love to, you know, tell you one or the other, but those are two very difficult caterers to.
21:50
Megan Myers
Yeah.
21:51
Brandon Billings Reber
Kind of decide between. Wills is definitely one of my favorites. They're quick, and the food is incredible. No matter what. Like, they just bring. They just bring it. Mama Kim, though, she's good at what she does.
22:03
Megan Myers
Yeah. She said she'll cook anything that we want. So then we're like, well, that makes it harder.
22:09
Brandon Billings Reber
That makes it even harder. Sure. She'll come up with some menus for you, though. That'll be really good, so. Well, awesome. Well, I appreciate that, you guys. I love to learn about the couples that I'm talking to and kind of get to know you a little bit. Because, really, even though you're interviewing me tonight to see if near my team is a fit for you, I'm doing the same. Right. I want to make sure that if we send one of our DJs to you, they're going to be able to execute your vision.
22:36
Megan Myers
Okay.
22:37
Brandon Billings Reber
I want to ensure that not only can they get your vision and make it work, but that they can also be that resource and that expert in your corner that I expect them to be. So I think very highly of my team, but I also expect a lot from my team. So let's talk about your wedding day. What would you say are probably the most important things you want to see happen that day?
23:03
Megan Myers
Well, I think we want everybody to have a good time. So we. We're striving to be, you know, have fun, have a lot of food, have a lot of drinks, and have a lot of games. We just want everybody to come and have fun with us and not be stressed out and not, be, you know, overwhelmed with family drama. So I think that would say is our main goal. Just enjoy ourselves.
23:26
Brandon Billings Reber
Try and get everyone to let loose. Yeah, absolutely. Okay. That I like, and I know we like dad Rock. And so actually, the way I. I put it, put that what you guys just talked about with everyone having a good time, striving to have fun, lots of food, drinks, games. You guys want to make great memories, right? Right. And that's the biggest thing. You want your wedding vendors to be those experts that are going to navigate the day, ensure that it runs smooth with minimal input from the two of you.
23:55
Megan Myers
Great.
23:56
Brandon Billings Reber
Sound about, right? Yeah, that'd be great. Perfect. Love that. Just want to make sure we're on the same page so far. So let's talk music ideas. Any. Have you guys started thinking about music for the day? Any favorite songs that you want to add? Anything along those lines?
24:10
Megan Myers
Well, we're very millennial. We're all around 30, so we love our, you know, Flow Rider, our pretty much all that, you know, like, you'd expect at our prom. Just something that Makes everybody want to dance. And the. The classics.
24:31
Brandon Billings Reber
I like it. So I'm an elder millennial, just in case that hasn't kind of popped out to you guys already. So I'm turning 42 next week. Wow. Wait a minute. Was focused on my daughter. I was like, wait a minute. Yeah, we're close together. So I started DJing in 2001, and so, like, everything you're talking about is, like, what I learned to DJ with and things. It sounds like you guys are here in Flagstaff. Is that right? Yeah.
25:04
Megan Myers
Yeah.
25:05
Brandon Billings Reber
Okay. How long have you guys been in Flag?
25:07
Megan Myers
Well, I was born and raised in Flag, and then he's been here for the last couple months. He grew up in Cottonwood, but I got him to move up here with me recently.
25:15
Brandon Billings Reber
Okay, nice. I love it. My mom's in Cottonwood, so, yeah, we're all one big happy Northern Arizona family. So if you're familiar with. Were you familiar with the boardwalk at all when it was open downtown? It's now Cornish paste.
25:29
Megan Myers
Yes, it sounds familiar.
25:31
Brandon Billings Reber
Yeah. Back in the day, we had the Mad Eye and all the other stuff down south of the tracks. Yeah. I started DJing at the boardwalk. Oh, really?
25:38
Megan Myers
Okay.
25:38
Brandon Billings Reber
Yeah, that gives you an idea of how old I am and be, you know, the kind of music I'm. I'm ready to throw down with.
25:43
Megan Myers
Yeah, awesome.
25:46
Brandon Billings Reber
Awesome. Okay. And then so let's go forward in time. Let's go to 2026. December 5, 2026. You've got people reaching out to you, saying, hey, happy anniversary. How do you want them to remember your wedding?
26:01
Megan Myers
I don't know. He's been to a lot. So what are the most memorable things from other people's weddings?
26:12
Brandon Billings Reber
Be fair, in a lot of those weddings, I was drinking a lot. Perfect.
26:16
Megan Myers
I definitely feel like it's either, oh, I remember the good or the fun times that I had on the dance.
26:21
Brandon Billings Reber
Yeah, it's mostly, it seems like the dance floor.
26:24
Megan Myers
Yeah. And how fun the crowd is, like.
26:26
Brandon Billings Reber
Sharing the pictures from everyone having fun on the dance floor.
26:30
Megan Myers
We went to one a couple years ago now, and it was only us and, like, five other people that danced because it was not a very good music situation. We made it fun, but it could have been better.
26:43
Brandon Billings Reber
Yeah. And that's one thing that I. I try to impress on couples. And so a lot of what I'm going to tell you tonight, I've been a DJ now, you know, it's 22, 23 years, and I've been doing weddings for 12. And so a lot of the things I'm going to tell you is, even if you decide we're not the right fit for you, I want you to have some knowledge that you can take with you to find the right DJ for you, not just the right price. I'm a huge fan of that. Like, you know, not every client is for us, and we're okay with that. But if we can give you some of our knowledge and let you pick my brain, great. You know, that means you get to have an amazing wedding.
27:18
Brandon Billings Reber
I am not a fan of those weddings that feel like that, where the music just feels awful. People are not dancing, they're not having a good time. Honestly, a lot of times that comes from a very limited playlist. Like couples saying, here's the 50 songs you can play from it, dancing. And that's it.
27:35
Megan Myers
Yeah, that's true.
27:36
Brandon Billings Reber
Because you just don't know what that human element is going to do that night.
27:40
Megan Myers
Right.
27:40
Brandon Billings Reber
Your guests might say, oh, we want to dance to all of this. Then you get there and you're like, actually, no, we just want to rock out tonight. You know, we want to listen to Blink182 and Creed all night. Like, okay, cool. That's what you want. That's what we do. So we have to be able to maneuver and move with you and your guests and not just play the songs you want to hear, but find those tracks that you forgot about, you know, that I very much like. Yeah, I appreciate that. And one of. I will tell you one of my favorite tracks in the last, like, two years that we've been just throwing out there. We can. Do you remember the song Ice Cream Paint Job by Deroe? Yes. Yeah. That is one people forget about.
28:18
Brandon Billings Reber
But when you drop it on a dance floor, everyone's like, oh, my God, it's such a moment. So we love stuff like that. So we love to think about those little things and figure out what's adjacent to what you guys like. So. Yeah. And so let's go the opposite side. Tell me something that if it happened at your wedding, you'd want to crawl into a hole and never come out. The cha's like, my people.
28:43
Megan Myers
Yeah, I don't like any of those line dances. Like, stupid shuffle. I'm not down for that one.
28:51
Brandon Billings Reber
You're in. Yeah, you guys are in. Line dance, Any line. Organic orchestrated dance. Oh, I love it. That's. I love that already. That's a hundred percent what we're looking for. I'm so sick of those songs, it's not even funny. All right, let's see here. You guys answered some of my questions already. And I know some of these go a little bit deeper than you probably used to if you've talked to other vendors. And we do that on purpose. So are there any special songs or genres of music that hold sentimental value for you two as a couple or that you feel should be a part of your wedding day? It sounds like Creed is definitely something that needs to make an appearance that night.
29:28
Megan Myers
Yeah, I feel like we. All of our, like, sentimental songs are going to be more on the countryside. Our wedding is going to be a little bit more western. So we do have more of the, like, slow country songs that we want to dance to.
29:42
Brandon Billings Reber
Okay.
29:42
Megan Myers
But other than that, it's just part of Party City.
29:46
Brandon Billings Reber
Gotcha. All right, Morgan Wall. But we also like 90s country, like Brooks and Dunn. You guys are unicorns.
29:57
Megan Myers
Yeah.
29:58
Brandon Billings Reber
And what I mean by that is when it comes to country, people kind of have these distinct genres of country that they're into. Like, oh, I'm only into new country. Or I'm into that, like 2010 country. Or I'm into country before Nelly ruined it in 2004 with over and Over Again because there was like a five year gap where there was just nothing good. And I blame Nelly 100 for that. The one song you could pin it on. Or that stadium country from the 90s, you know, that Garth Brooks, Alan Jackson, all that kind of good stuff where everyone's coming out for the big shows. You guys kind of being on both sides of that is awesome. That means we can really mix and mash a lot of different things together and have some fun. That's what we like. Yeah. Perfect.
30:42
Brandon Billings Reber
And you kind of told me already that you've been to weddings or events where the music stood out to you and kind of what made it memorable or special. Are there any specific moments that you remember on a dance floor where something just happened and you were like, oh, my God, I'm going to remember this forever?
30:55
Megan Myers
Well, the one thing I could think of is when went to one a couple years ago, I think it was the brother sang a song for his sister or something like that.
31:04
Brandon Billings Reber
Who was.
31:05
Megan Myers
Who performed at the Zale wedding?
31:07
Brandon Billings Reber
Oh, yeah, that was Taylor's younger brother.
31:09
Megan Myers
Yeah, I thought that was cute. I always like it when the family gets involved a little bit.
31:15
Brandon Billings Reber
Love that. Is that something we should think about for your wedding? Is there someone who may want to do something like that? I don't think we have anyone to challenge.
31:24
Megan Myers
We invited your friend Brett, but I don't think he'll make it. His friend is an actual, like, professional artist, but he lives in, like, Tennessee. He's in Nashville to pursue his dream. So we invited him, and were gonna see if maybe he'd want to sing a song, but I don't know if he'll make it.
31:40
Brandon Billings Reber
Well, that works. All right. And then. So, thinking of your wedding, what are some other ways that we could help make your wedding day feel even more unique and reflective of you two as a couple?
31:49
Megan Myers
So one thing that I had an idea about was any of our special songs, like the father daughter dance, whatever. I think that it would be fun to, like, after the chorus incorporate, everybody to come and join us so that we're not just dancing for the whole song so that all the mothers can dance with their sons and all the dads can dance with their daughters, and everybody can kind of join in on our special moments as opposed to, like, just watching us the whole time. Kind of get the family involved and make it more memorable that way.
32:27
Brandon Billings Reber
That's nice, because that also pulls a lot of the. The eyes off of you too. Yeah. Even though we're having a wedding, we don't want anyone to look at it especially. Awesome. I love that. Well, those are kind of the big questions that I have, because it really gives me an idea of your wedding and your vision. What questions do you guys have for me so far about what we've talked about?
32:51
Megan Myers
I can't really think of any.
32:56
Brandon Billings Reber
No. Because I imagine they're gonna reach out about, like, where to play each song, like, our special songs. We're gonna go over that in just a minute, actually. Like, the schedule of everything. So I think the schedule. Everything will pretty much be the only things that'd be questioning. Yeah, perfect. Otherwise, sound like you're hitting the sweet spots. Love it. Appreciate that. All right. And I'm just going to update a password for you guys. So talking a little bit about us, so you guys get a little bit of knowledge about who we are as a company and kind of what we do. You know, I started this company about 10 years ago. Like I said, I've been doing weddings for 12. I've been DJing about 22, DJing and emceeing.
33:41
Brandon Billings Reber
For me, the reason I'm kind of the top end of our pricing is because I tend to be the emcee and DJ that gets called for a lot of things. Like, next Saturday, I'll be doing the ducks unlimited dinner here in Flagstaff in September. I'm Doing the Special Olympics Annual Bear Aspen fundraiser as their mc. And DJ D actually has me do most of their events across the state, including some of their very high dollar events in Scottsdale, where they've got a lot of donors coming in. And, and they're making like half a million dollars in donations in that one event over four hours.
34:18
Brandon Billings Reber
So that's kind of gives you an idea of me as an emcee and like, my goals as an emcee are always to make your guests feel comfortable, because the more comfortable they feel, the more likely are to let loose and actually enjoy the night. Especially, you know, our parents always at these events, they always feel like, okay, I have to watch everything. I have to monitor everything. These are my kids getting married. We want it to be what they want. And then once they realize that we've got it becomes this thing like, oh, I can actually relax. I just did a wedding last month. Dad was an ex drill sergeant.
34:54
Megan Myers
Okay.
34:55
Brandon Billings Reber
So you kind of have that idea of him right out the gate. Very like, okay, it's time to do this. Everyone get together and like, you could hear him over top of everyone. Like, it's time to do this. Time to do. And I said, you know what? I got this. Tonight, I'm your mc. I'm your dj, I'm your expert. I want you to just have a good time. And he looked at me and said, it's hard to turn off, but I'm going to. I said, perfect, Have a good time tonight. And about 10 minutes later, he said, yeah, you really do have this. I said, that's what I'm here for. And he literally just drank and spent time with his family and his daughter and his new son. And he said, I have never had this much fun at a wedding.
35:31
Brandon Billings Reber
I was like, good, that's. That's what we're here for. On the other side of it, we're also going to make sure that you two are comfortable. All of our DJs are going to check in with you guys throughout the night just to check in and make sure you're good. You know, the number one thing that gets forgotten at a wedding is newlyweds. Not that you're there, but that you're people. Everyone forgets that you're human. They just think, oh, you're the happy bride and the happy groom. Well, you've got 68 people that are unloading all of their emotions on you. They're laughing and they're crying and they're telling stories and they're bringing up memories and It's a lot for two people to handle.
36:03
Megan Myers
Yeah.
36:04
Brandon Billings Reber
So we just pop in, we check on you and make sure you're good. So other than that, coming up to your wedding, most of my team is going to spend between 15 and 25 hours on your wedding before they walk in the door.
36:16
Megan Myers
Okay.
36:16
Brandon Billings Reber
And the day of your wedding is going to be a 10 to 12 hour day for us. Between getting everything loaded, getting set up, getting there, tearing down all that fun stuff. So it gets a little crazy for myself because of where I am and what I demand of myself as a DJ, I'm going to put closer to 40 or 50 hours in before I walk in the door.
36:37
Megan Myers
Okay.
36:38
Brandon Billings Reber
And that's between not just programming your music, building timeline, talking to you guys. We also do things like programming the lighting. So with my package, you get things like up lighting, you get dance floor lighting. We program all of that to go to the music of the night. So when we get to dancing, the uplights are bouncing in time to the beat of the music. They are doing chases around the venue. You know, the moving heads are actually moving in time. They're flashing colors in time. They're doing all those good things. And it may not sound like it's a lot of extra, but it just ties things together in a way that kind of like lighting at a concert. Right. It matches the mood of the songs that are coming on. It just helps bring that emotion and those memories together.
37:20
Brandon Billings Reber
So I always like to give you guys just a little bit of like a little peek behind the curtain as to what we do, and it's kind of what makes us different. So.
37:28
Megan Myers
Yeah. That's awesome.
37:29
Brandon Billings Reber
Yeah. So let's talk a little bit about planning. So what I'm going to do is just do a screen share with you guys. Looks like you're on a phone, so you may not be able to see this very well. So I apologize. First things first, I'm going to show you. This is what's called the provenance app. Have you guys heard of this at all? You're efficient. Do you plan to hire an officiant or have like a friend or family member do it? We have a family member doing it. Cool. Have they done a wedding before? Yes. Okay, cool. So if you want. If you do decide to hire us, we can give you access to provenance. Provenance allows you to go in, build your ceremony script between yourselves and your officiant, allows you to build your vows out.
38:07
Brandon Billings Reber
You can actually lock these down from each other so you can't see them. It'll show you how long they are as you're writing them. So you kind of get that. So, like these guys, when they did their script, it was 12 minutes long. We go in and review it. You see it's got like full cues. Everything the officiant needs to share is in here. It gives them things like, you know, when the bride approaches the breezeway, the officiant is going to say to the audience, please rise for the bride. Like, it allows you to really build all this out to make it easier for you guys and to know that you have everything you need.
38:39
Megan Myers
Okay.
38:40
Brandon Billings Reber
This is just one of those value add things that we offer to you guys as, you know, 7,000ft of Sound clients. So, yeah, we'd like to let you know that's there. And then it's massive. It also has some AI options. So when you get into the bow side of it, there's actually. When you go in here and start writing it, you can use some AI edits to help you. So if you have an idea of like, I want it to say this, but I don't have those words, ask it and it will help you write it. It'll even tell your intended tone, what your target length is and how long it currently is. So you get an idea of how that works.
39:20
Megan Myers
Okay.
39:20
Brandon Billings Reber
Okay. Which is actually kind of awesome.
39:23
Megan Myers
Yeah.
39:25
Brandon Billings Reber
And the real reason that we invested in this for all of our folks is down here. Toasts. If you're going to allow people to speak that night, you can go in here and add them in as a guest speaker. You get to select who they are when they're speaking, how long in minutes. And then you tell them what should they focus on or not mention.
39:44
Megan Myers
Okay.
39:45
Brandon Billings Reber
Because I've heard one too many bad best man speeches. It's always the best man.
39:50
Megan Myers
That's probably ours too.
39:52
Brandon Billings Reber
Yeah. So you have a way to help kind of control that a little bit. Yeah, Lots of fun stuff. All right, next big thing is our planning portal. So this is our website. Probably where you went to either check your date or get that free quote here at the bottom. Now you can click this client login button in the upper right and it's going to bring you to this fun page. From here you're going to put in your wedding dates. Guys are December 5th of this year. And your password, which is super complicated. It's Myers 25.
40:22
Megan Myers
Okay.
40:24
Brandon Billings Reber
Yep. We go for those hard passwords and then click sign in. And once you do that, what's going to end up happening? It's always slow but it's me presenting. It's going to take you into our planning portal. It's going to show you how long to your date. Right now we have four to 10. But if you guys want to tweak that time, we can. This is just 90 of the weddings we do are 4 to 10.
40:43
Megan Myers
Yeah, I think that's what we have scheduled over there too.
40:46
Brandon Billings Reber
Yeah, it's usually what we see in here planning forms is going to be the meat and potatoes event details. And then in this important documents as our contract. So you can take a look at that. This is also where you can print the documents if you want to send them to any of your other vendors. Okay. Billing and payments is how you make your payments to us. And then select music we'll talk about in a second.
41:09
Megan Myers
Okay.
41:09
Brandon Billings Reber
We're gonna start on the planning force. I know, sir, you were just mentioning timeline. Well, right here we have a timeline for you. We will actually pre build this for you. So all you have to do is go in here and tweak it. Okay. Awesome. Yeah. So it starts with pre ceremony. We always include pre ceremony. All of our packages come with six hours of performance time. And so that's start of your wedding 4 o' clock to 10 o'.
41:31
Megan Myers
Clock. Okay.
41:32
Brandon Billings Reber
Yeah. The ceremony music prior to the actual ceremony, when guests are arriving, we just give you that. It's 30 minutes of music. It's nothing major. We call it a day.
41:41
Megan Myers
Okay.
41:41
Brandon Billings Reber
From there you can kind of go through and just tweak this how you want. This is what you see is what you get. Editor. So let's say you're not doing a sand or candle lighting ceremony. You're gonna do a whiskey blending ceremony. That's what my wife and I did because we're whiskey people. I've seen coffee blending, I've seen wine blending. Like if there's something that was important to the two of you or was like a first date thing that you guys did that you want to remember. You guys being outdoorsy, I'd highly recommend a tree planting. Yeah, a lot of folks do that. So they will take dirt.
42:17
Brandon Billings Reber
You know, with usurping from Cottonwood and Megan, you man being from here in flag, they'll take dirt from both places, plant a tree in a small plot, and then add dirt from both sites into that plant and then it just becomes a culmination of your relationship. So yeah, cute little things. But you can get rid of that if you don't want it. From there, it's just kind of a line out of how We've seen things run the smoothest. But tweak this how you want. It's your day, not mine. So we just try to make it easy. You know, again taking that, you know, 12 years and over 700 weddings that I've got under my belt out of my head and trying to give you some of that. Yeah, that's awesome. Same thing with all this other stuff.
42:58
Brandon Billings Reber
If you don't want to do like bouquet and garter, you can always go over here to this red trash can. Click it, Click. Okay. And whatever line that was disappears.
43:05
Megan Myers
Okay.
43:06
Brandon Billings Reber
Easy. Any questions on that? No, I think that's pretty self explanatory. I think that's awesome. Perfect. I appreciate that. We still have many years working on this and getting it up and running the way we want. Next one's going to be the wedding worksheet. So our worksheet is going to take you from pre ceremony music. So we know ceremony music. And starting around 4 o', clock this will be the viola's patio. Guests arriving around 3:30. And then what kind of music is playing as guests are arriving? Have you guys started thinking on that yet? There's a lot of music in your day, a lot of different music, a lot of transition music. So that's what this becomes. It's kind of a guide to help you think about those little things.
43:51
Megan Myers
Okay.
43:51
Brandon Billings Reber
You can also with most of our DJs except our three most inexpensive DJs. They're inexpensive because, well, inexpensive in comparison to like myself and my second in command because they're fairly new and they're still learning some of this stuff. They're. They're not quite as musically savvy as I would like. Granted, almost my entire team is musicians and the one gentleman who's not a musician has tons of musician friends. DJs @Snowball and throws music festivals. So he has a huge musical knowledge. I, for me, I hired a personality because I can train anybody to dj. But if you have the personality issue, I can't fix that. Right. Way I see it. So from there you're also going to have entrance songs. Do you want a separate one for grandparents, parents and our bride's. Our bridal party and then our bride.
44:41
Brandon Billings Reber
Or do you want one for all the same. I do not expect you to have these answers right now. This is just something to think on. Yeah, no, that's great. That.
44:50
Megan Myers
Yeah, good point.
44:51
Brandon Billings Reber
Gives us more to think about. Recessional song. Everyone gets confused by this word. Yeah. Two officially husband and wife. What's Playing as you're walking back down the aisle.
45:00
Megan Myers
Okay.
45:01
Brandon Billings Reber
That's what that is.
45:01
Megan Myers
Okay.
45:03
Brandon Billings Reber
One way I set myself apart from other DJs and musicians when it comes to this. Most will wait until your officiant says, you know, gathered friends and family, or, ladies and gentlemen, however, they're gonna say that I now present to you our new Mr. And Mrs. Or however you guys choose that to be. And then they play the song, not me. You two are going in for that first kiss. Your officiant says your official husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride, or you may now kiss each other. Whatever they go with. I'm bringing that song up because I want that Hollywood cinematic romance movie ending to your ceremony.
45:37
Megan Myers
Right.
45:37
Brandon Billings Reber
The two leads are getting together finally. That's the anticipation point we've been waiting for. I want a crescendo of music right there. So that's what we aim for. There's Katsu.
45:50
Megan Myers
No.
45:51
Brandon Billings Reber
What song was that? It's gonna be Take Me Higher. That's a good one, actually. It's got a good instrumental start. I'm gonna. I'm gonna convince her. I take it you're not that big of a Creed fan.
46:08
Megan Myers
I just feel like it's not sentimental enough.
46:10
Brandon Billings Reber
Gotcha, gotcha. So from here, we know Cocktailer is probably gonna be for 30. Is what I'm going to call it about a half hour for your ceremony. Most ceremonies are about 15 minutes maximum. Book a half hour so that you've got the extra just in case you need it. And if you need me to stop at any time, feel free. I know you've got little ones, so. And especially if they get quiet, I know you got to go check on something. Gotcha, gotcha. And then from there, cocktail hour music. So you can either give us a list or just give us a bunch of songs, and we'll figure it out from there.
46:46
Megan Myers
Okay.
46:46
Brandon Billings Reber
You know, kind of one way or the other, brand introduction goes here. Do you want to introduce everybody or just the two of you? Right. You can also use this to line out your wedding party. This format's weird on screen for some reason, but basically, it's bridesmaid, then groomsmen. So. And that's the way it works. Once it prints, it actually prints correctly. But on screen, it's got a weird. I can't get it to format properly ever again. Somebody made an update, and. Yeah, you know how it is. Update. Something means something got broken.
47:17
Megan Myers
Right.
47:18
Brandon Billings Reber
And then from there, we ask little questions. What's your introduction Song and how am I introducing the two of you? You know? Okay, and then question like, what are your wedding colors? That's specifically for me. If I'm your dj, so that I can program that lighting to match your wedding colors. I want that wedding color to pounce, and I want it to be in there. I want it to be seen when we get to dancing. So.
47:40
Megan Myers
So, yeah, big fan.
47:42
Brandon Billings Reber
Reception details. Who's giving toasts? Are you doing a blessing before dinner? You know, little questions to just help you figure out how you want your day to flow.
47:51
Megan Myers
Okay.
47:51
Brandon Billings Reber
Once we get this done together, then you guys know we truly have this. We literally have it in paper. Right? There's nothing else for you guys to have to worry about unless something needs to tweak that night because something's running long or something's gone short. We just need to move things around.
48:07
Megan Myers
Okay.
48:08
Brandon Billings Reber
We do ask if you're feeding us, especially if it's buffet style. And the reason for that is not just because I'm a true fat kid at heart. It's really because if you're feeding me, that means you're also feeding your photographer or videographer if you have them. And that tells us when to send them, so we know to send them early so we don't have to wait on them.
48:26
Megan Myers
Yeah.
48:26
Brandon Billings Reber
Little questions from there. Things like garter bouquet. If you're doing them, do you want to do a game during the reception? And. And then we have a whole list of games in here, so lots of fun stuff that you can play with and have a good time with. The cake Smash bet and the. What was the other one? The photo dash are the two that most people don't know. The photo dash is where the two of you in one song go table to take a photo with every single table in the room.
48:54
Megan Myers
I've seen that on TikTok.
48:56
Brandon Billings Reber
Yeah. Some photographers love it, some hate it. It is what it is.
48:59
Megan Myers
Yeah.
49:00
Brandon Billings Reber
The Cake Smash vet is where we would essentially put two jars on the bar with your faces in them, and people put money in them, and whichever one loses gets cake smashed in their face when you guys go to cut the cake. Seems like a setup. It 100 is. I was going to tell you, sir, no matter what, you lose. Sorry. Our bride. Our bride is in a dress and she does makeup, so you know she's gonna have makeup on. There's no way. But it's a great way to get, like, a honeymoon fund or especially having two littles if you've got to put them into daycare. It's a great way to, you know, help pay for some of that. Yeah. From there is your first dance. First dance. Father, daughter, mother, son. If we're doing them.
49:39
Brandon Billings Reber
Any other special dances, any special instructions, and a last dance. If you guys are doing one with a last dance, the way we do this is that's just for YouTube. We literally clear your venue and let the two of you have that moment with each other. Kind of a remember how you got into this and why you got into this and close it out the same way.
49:58
Megan Myers
Okay.
49:59
Brandon Billings Reber
Any questions on this gigantic form?
50:02
Megan Myers
No, I think that's awesome.
50:05
Brandon Billings Reber
Yeah, it's massive. All right, let's talk music request, and then we'll talk kind of where we are as a team versus your budget and what might fit you best. Okay, this is our select music area here. We give you a couple of lists. Up to 20 must plays. Up to 30. If you can get to these. Great. Up to 15. We hate these. Don't play them. And up to 50 special requests. Special requests typically come from. Like, if you connect your Spotify account to this, you can drag and drop into here.
50:33
Megan Myers
Oh, cool.
50:34
Brandon Billings Reber
We also give you some charts. Top country, top 100, top slow, best of the 50s to the 2010s anniversary songs. Bouquet toss, Cake cutting. Father, daughter, mother, Son. There's all kinds of lists in here. So if you're having questions about things, the biggest one, this cake cutting is always the list everybody uses because who in the world knows what they want to cut cake to in front of their friends and family. That's a weird song to think about. So go in here and look at the list and you'll kind of see some different things. It gets weirder the further you go. Okay, I want to say it's page. Page four. It's page four. That's where we find how low by ludicrous. I don't know who was cutting cake to that, but I'm mad I wasn't there, you know?
51:15
Brandon Billings Reber
But go in and look and see what's here. It may make you go, not that song. But it makes me think of. And now you found the song you're looking for. And this thing is super easy to use. If we go into the top 100 chart. Hey, it's changed. Love that. This always has your least favorite song right at the top. So we're going to click on that. We're going to click add this to the we hate these. Don't play them. And there it is. Okay, perfect. Now, I will say one other way that couples are doing. Sit down. They're kind of taking traditions and flipping them on their head. If you're familiar with like the dollar dance from days past where people paid like a dollar to come dance with the two of you during a song.
51:58
Brandon Billings Reber
What couples are doing now is they're taking their do not playlist. They're putting them on like an 8 by 10 printed out from Walgreens kind of deal.
52:05
Megan Myers
Yeah.
52:06
Brandon Billings Reber
And then they put a dollar amount next to it. So like Cupid Shuffle, a hundred dollars, you know, cha slide 200. The wobble 90. And so if somebody really wants that song played and then your Venmo goes on the bottom, they scan it, they pay your Venmo. And then you have somebody tell me, so and so just paid for this song. Go ahead and play it.
52:25
Megan Myers
Yeah. Okay.
52:27
Brandon Billings Reber
So if it's. If it's just one that you're just like, we're just sick of these songs. But we're okay if they get played. Let's make you some money with it.
52:34
Megan Myers
Okay.
52:35
Brandon Billings Reber
Yeah, that's a great idea. So little things, but so far with everything we've talked about, how well does it seem like we fit your wedding?
52:43
Megan Myers
I think it sounds awesome.
52:44
Brandon Billings Reber
I say pretty well. I'd say.
52:47
Megan Myers
I feel like that's the most important part, is the music and tying it all together. So it's cool that you have everything covered and thought of.
52:56
Brandon Billings Reber
We absolutely try, that's for sure. And so billing and payments is going to be the next big thing. We're going to jump back to this in just a moment. Let's go over and look at. Have you had a chance to look.
53:05
Megan Myers
At our pricing a little bit? Yeah, I think we saw the three different tiers of it.
53:10
Brandon Billings Reber
Yep. So you've kind of have our lowest tier. With what you guys need, you're going to be at the top end number because that's going to give you the six hours and that's going to give you kind of everything below.
53:21
Megan Myers
Okay.
53:22
Brandon Billings Reber
With what we call our value DJs, or our newest DJs. It's going to be Jerry, Ryan or Darren. They start at 1700, get you six hours. They'll do a single speaker and a handheld mic for ceremony wash lighting for the dance floor. That means it's just basically going to wash a single color. It's not going to do anything fun. It's just a colored light that is on your dance floor. You get our studio and you get up to two calls with them. This is kind of our budget option. It just gives you Somebody you can trust. You still have access to me because I'll be there to answer questions in case you have them. Because these guys are all, you know, it's part time for them. Okay.
53:54
Brandon Billings Reber
With Joe, my second in command, he's a bit higher because he's been with me now for five, almost six years. And he's very good at what he does. He's a drummer in a Pink Floyd cover band. Like, he knows his music, he knows his skills. He's an incredible guy. He's more limited because he's also a nurse. So a lot of weeks he's like, I just don't have it in me. And I don't blame him. I can't imagine doing that job. Fair enough. But with him, you get six hours. You get dual lapel mics. So we put one on our groom, one on our officiant. That way we cover all of you. We do advanced dance floor lighting with him. That means he's going to bring multiple light sets out. It's going to be more energy.
54:31
Brandon Billings Reber
It's not going to be built in time to the music as much as it would be with me. You get two calls with him or more. He tends to do like five or six calls with couples. And you get our Perfect Blend studio, which is what we just went over. Okay, so season DJ Smooth Flow, if he's available, he's a great fit for you guys. I'll be honest with you, especially if your budget can handle that. Now, if you want me as your dj, you can either go straight to my pricing, which is the 3300, and we're going to talk about all the stuff that comes with because it's a lot and. Or you can add 500 to either of these packages, and then I can go with those.
55:06
Megan Myers
Okay.
55:06
Brandon Billings Reber
If you're gonna do Joe's package Now, the 500, try to find a way to go up. The reason I say that is because when you go with me, you're going to get the full lighting where you're going to get up lighting and dance floor lighting. Up lighting is lights around the room, so that ties your wedding colors in. It provides a lot of elegance and ambiance to things like dinner, cocktail hour. That's going to be inside. With it being December, you're going to get the dual lapels, our premium sound. And that means that we're going to have sound kind of all over the venue. We're going to run wireless kits and put speakers in different places everyone can hear everything going on. Makes it Real simple, real smooth.
55:42
Brandon Billings Reber
Our pro lighting means that we bring four moving headlights, two that do patterns, two that are wash light, and they all move and run to the music, which means we're creating and giving energy all over. The up lights will move in time to the music. When we get to dancing, you're going to get our Lux lens DSLR photo booth and that also is going to come with some of our AI edits. You're going to get our audio guest book. Have you guys seen an audio guest book yet or know what that is? I think I've seen one.
56:09
Megan Myers
Yeah. I think it was at the wedding.
56:11
Brandon Billings Reber
Yeah, yeah. We have one that looks like this. I think that's the one that was out at the wedding expo. Okay. Yeah, these are great. Especially if you have older guests. I had a bride at a wedding expo. Tell me. I'm. I'm most excited about my audio guest book because my grandmother's 93 and I don't know how many more years I'm going to have her, but I'm at least going to get her voice.
56:29
Megan Myers
Yeah.
56:29
Brandon Billings Reber
And so we made sure that we captured that grandma's voice. And of course you're booking with me. You're getting 22 years experience behind me. I've done over 700 weddings personally, not as a company myself over the last 12 years. I average about 65 a year. So it's a lot of experience. So if you're able to go up to that package, grab it. It's. It is the most secure package for you and you're getting the best talent we offer. I will say, when it comes to our DSLR photo booth, bear with me. I'm gonna run into my Dropbox. I gotta remember, I was like, my brother shared a thing with me. So I gotta go find that real quick. All right, perfect. So we recently did one for a couple. Their name was the Mark Hertz and they were big fans of the.
57:24
Brandon Billings Reber
Oh God, I can't remember, but they had a. They're very British pop punk fans is who they were. And what I will tell you is went ahead and built out for their photo booth this experience, which was a tour poster. And then we built it in the style of one of their band's album covers. So their band had an album cover that kind of looked like this. And so we had the AI just edit people to look like that band poster. Oh, that's cool. Okay. And so all of their stuff came into this custom like 90s style band punk poster deal that they had. And they absolutely Loved it. In those edits, we also do all kinds of crazy other things. There's like superhero edits. You can see some of those here. Just like random anime edits and things like that.
58:13
Brandon Billings Reber
What I always tell folks is like, don't look at the fingers because that's where AI always goes wrong. Yeah, but you're going to end up with a whole bunch of photos of like parents that are going to do stuff like this where they turn themselves into like Barbie and Ken adjacent dolls, Disney adjacent princesses. I always say adjacent because, well, I don't want to be sued. Fair enough. And then we also found one of the favorite album covers from that band and actually redid it completely.
58:42
Megan Myers
Oh, that's cool. Yeah.
58:44
Brandon Billings Reber
What was the name of that band? I can't even think about it. So. Oh, no, it wasn't a different one. The Wombats. That's who it was. Oh, okay. That was the band that they were fans of. And so, you know, we just went digging to see what cover can I find that's going to match up to something we can do easily in this style. So that's what we did. But yeah, lots of fun stuff your guests get to do. We're also premiering this year some edits with like a holiday theme. So we're doing these holiday style edits so your guests are going to be able to do their Christmas cards at your wedding. Okay. So they get those kind of high end edits. But yeah, as we've been talking, what questions do you have for me? Wow.
59:39
Brandon Billings Reber
You fit everything pretty much right on the head. Awesome. I appreciate that. That's always kind of our goal. So what I'm going to do, I'm going to go back into our payment screen here real quick. Just kind of show you this real fast. And I appreciate you guys. I know I've taken up a bit more of your time than you expected, so thank you so much for giving me that. So with this, what you'll see now, I'm going to throw my package in so you can see kind of the top end and that way you can budget. That way if it doesn't work, let me know. We'll drop you down. I'll check in with my team to see who's available.
01:00:07
Megan Myers
Okay.
01:00:08
Brandon Billings Reber
But you guys let me know what works for you. I'm holding your date for a week so you get plenty of time to think if I'm your DJ or not. If you decide I'm going to be the one. The package is here. It requires a 35% initial payment, which is 1155. And then from there, this make payment button allows you to use. Top one is Square. The bottom two are PayPal slash Venmo, because that's the same company, so whatever you're most comfortable with. And you can make payments in here towards your wedding if you want. I can create a secondary login if you want someone to be able to log in and just make a payment. Like, if you have family members that want to help, you can do that as well. Whatever. It's easiest for you guys. I'm simple.
01:00:50
Brandon Billings Reber
I just try to make it simple. But yeah, this initial payment locks in your date and you're good to go with me. So for now, no one can book me out from underneath you for the next seven days. And I'm going to shoot you an email in a few minutes. I'm going to send you the notes from this call. So you may have seen a third person in here. That is Fred from Fireflies. That's my AI brain. And it basically just takes notes for me the whole time. So I send you a copy of those notes so you guys have them. I'm also going to send you what we call our chat GPT. That's tea. It is a prompt you can put into ChatGPT to compare up to five vendors of the same category in one fell swoop.
01:01:33
Brandon Billings Reber
So if you want to compare, like Mama Kim's and Will's Grill, you just put their name, their website, and then drop the prompt in and fill those in at the bottom. And it will do the work for you to tell you who they serve. Typical client type, typical pricing, you know, all that kind of good stuff. Stuff.
01:01:48
Megan Myers
Okay. Awesome.
01:01:49
Brandon Billings Reber
Yeah, I love giving little things to help. Yeah, you've been.
01:01:56
Megan Myers
Yeah.
01:01:56
Brandon Billings Reber
Any questions or anything else I can answer for you guys? I know you got little ones to get to. I think at the moment, I'm pretty well set. Awesome. Well, perfect. Guys, I know you've got my email. My phone number is also at the bottom. Call or text, that number both go straight to my phone. It is our business number. That way I can actually tell it's somebody coming from the business instead of just a random spam call like we all get. But yeah, you got seven days. Take your time. If you need more time than that or you have questions, reach out. I'm happy to help.
01:02:24
Megan Myers
Okay, awesome.
01:02:25
Brandon Billings Reber
You too. We really appreciate it. You're very welcome. You have a wonderful one. I'm super excited to hear from your day. I honestly, I. I'm seeing your day already. And, like, just people going bananas and crazy in my head. I'm already finding, like, early 2000s and 90s hits that I can mix with some country songs to make things work. Some classic country songs. Like, we recently mixed Taylor Swift's 22 with Sweet Home Alabama because we can. It was just fun. And just watch people go, wait a minute. It's like, yeah, you know, now our younger crowd singing along to Taylor Swift while our older crowd's dancing the, you know, Sweet Home Alabama. We've blended. Like, what is that? I can't even think right now.
01:03:12
Brandon Billings Reber
This is how we do it with things like disco from the Bee Gees and even country and just gone back and forth. So being able to mix and match your music and watching your guests just have an amazing time while it's happening, I'm all about it. So I would love to be a part of your day. Yeah, guys, well, I appreciate you. Thank you again so much for your time. Sorry to take a whole hour of you, but I hope we answered some questions. And like I said, reach out if you got anything else. Other than that, enjoy your week and your weekend. Thanks, guys. Bye.
04:01
Brandon Billings Reber
Hello, you two. How are you?
04:03
John Whitney
Good. How are you?
04:04
Brandon Billings Reber
I'm great. Can you hear me okay?
04:06
John Whitney
Yes. Can you hear us?
04:07
Brandon Billings Reber
I can. I have an exhaust fan in my office, so just want to make sure it's not too crazy loud. Okay, Perfect. Awesome. Well, thank you so much for reaching out and congrats on your upcoming wedding.
04:17
John Whitney
Thank you.
04:18
Brandon Billings Reber
It's going to be tons of fun. Let's talk about your venue. What made you guys book the Nordic Village?
04:24
John Whitney
We really just liked the. We wanted to be more in the forest and kind of a more rustic vibe. And that's, you know, we toured several other ones, and that kind of just fit us the best, I would say so.
04:37
Brandon Billings Reber
Okay. I love it. And so for you two, actually, before I launch in all my questions, let me ask you this. What questions do you have for me?
04:48
John Whitney
I guess the number one would be, do you also emcee or is it just dj?
04:55
Brandon Billings Reber
Yeah, I'm always. I try to be. I don't have a lot of DJ ego anymore. That's the way I'm gonna put this. But pound for pound, I would say I'm probably one of the best MCs in Northern Arizona. That's awesome. Full stop, period. I'm the guy who gets called on to do. If you're hunters or conservationists at all, I do Ducks Unlimited events across the state now, so one here in Flagstaff every year. I do the one in like, Havasu every year now. I also do their spot, their sponsor dinner in Scottsdale. So like to just as the MC side of life. That's what they're calling up me for. You know, so. Yeah. Yeah, I'm definitely your MC all day.
05:39
John Whitney
That's awesome.
05:41
Brandon Billings Reber
Yeah, it's always hard to talk about. So, yeah. A little weird about that.
05:46
John Whitney
Do you have.
05:49
Brandon Billings Reber
Not yet.
05:49
John Whitney
Not yet.
05:50
Brandon Billings Reber
Okay. Love it. Okay. Well, in that case, let me talk about YouTube for just a little bit because I always like to get to know folks a little bit and make sure that, you know, we're a fit for each other. You're a fit for one of my team members if I'm not the right fit for you. Yeah. Start me at the beginning. How did you guys meet?
06:07
John Whitney
We met online through a dating app, Tinder, you know.
06:13
Brandon Billings Reber
Okay.
06:14
John Whitney
Yeah, we try not to mention that too much because it's, you know, but yeah. Yeah, I know. Right? So, yeah, that was back in 2020. Yep. And then, you know, we. We dated for like three years while were both going to school, and then we kind of took a Year off and then got back together, and that was about two years ago, and ended up taking things a lot more seriously, and here we are. So.
06:48
Brandon Billings Reber
That's awesome. And so what do you guys like to do together other than be online?
06:54
John Whitney
Definitely. Very outdoorsy, you know, so a lot of camping, kayaking, hiking. Hiking, yeah. Just typical flag stuff, you know, outdoorsy stuff, I suppose. You know, movies. Just being lazy, too. So, yeah.
07:20
Brandon Billings Reber
You guys are here in town? Yeah. Yes. Oh, that's awesome. I apologize. If I had known that, I would have set you up for a meeting in our office, if that's something you're interested in. So we have an office on 4th street, so.
07:29
John Whitney
Oh, that's awesome.
07:31
Brandon Billings Reber
Yeah. So in case you ever need it or you ever want to meet in person, we can. I love that. That's amazing. So talk to me, then. Tell me the proposal story. I'm really interested in that, especially knowing that there was kind of a. A year of. Let's see if this really is the real thing.
07:46
John Whitney
Yeah.
07:46
Brandon Billings Reber
Coming back together, which is amazing. A lot of couples don't ever do anything like that, and it really does strengthen the bond.
07:52
John Whitney
Yeah. So she originally. She reached out to me, and then, you know, it was a little nervous at first to try things again, and then we did. And then about, I'd say, a year and a half after we got back together, then we. We went to Spain in March, and, you know, were doing all the touristy stuff. You know, we had gotten cheap tickets from, like, credit card miles or whatever from the bonus stuff, and went to a castle with one of our close friends that, you know, went to school with. So she was there to take pictures and everything. And, yeah, I asked her to marry me there. So, Yeah.
08:39
Brandon Billings Reber
I mean, you say you want the princess treatment, you gonna get it, right? Oh, yeah. Fairy tale to the max. I love that. That's amazing. Okay, and so how did you guys choose your date in June? That 6. 20 of 26. I really wanted a summer wedding. And I also like that it's a palindrome. So. Yeah. And they had it, so we just did it. That's hilarious. I just booked another couple. I don't remember what their date was. The exact same reason, because they're getting a palindrome. It's still in my notes, actually. So I'm like, that's awesome. So that's. Yeah. Fantastic. I'm. I love those kinds of things when they happen. All right, let's see here. And. And you guys are 26? Yes, of course. You are? Yeah, they were 626 of 26. Oh, yeah, they did the other one.
09:37
John Whitney
Yeah. That's awesome.
09:39
Brandon Billings Reber
So awesome. Okay, perfect. I love that. And great. It's great time. And Flag June is always really nice, especially out that way. Yes. All right. And so who else have you booked so far? I know you got your. Your venue is locked in.
09:52
John Whitney
Yes. We have catering through pizza. Yep. We have. What else do we have?
10:00
Brandon Billings Reber
We have photography and a day I've coordinated. Yeah. And that's. It was your photographer Encompass Weddings, so don't know the name yet. It's like they contract with a bunch of local photographers and then. Yeah, yeah.
10:17
John Whitney
A lot of the photographers were looking at, unfortunately, were already booked, so were, you know, kind of scrambling on that, so.
10:25
Brandon Billings Reber
Yeah, that makes sense. Our photographers here at Flag are exceptional, to say the least. Yeah, I completely understand that they would be a little booked. Okay, cool. Love that. All right, cool. Might be somebody new to work with and see. So then talk to me about your wedding day. As we are thinking about the day and thinking about everybody getting together and having this amazing time, what would you say is the most important thing to you about your wedding day?
10:55
John Whitney
For me, I would say, you know, really emphasizing, like, family, I suppose, and all of our friends and just having a really memorable day with everyone and having everyone together for the first time for, you know, both of our families. And that, to me, is the most important. Of course, having a great ceremony, too, is very important. And. Yeah, so that's for me. But I don't.
11:22
Brandon Billings Reber
I mean, I would agree. I think having a great time and also having some private moments, we can reflect on the day and. Yeah, would be good.
11:31
John Whitney
Love that.
11:32
Brandon Billings Reber
And honestly, where you're getting married is going to allow you to do that in. In a massive way. That ceremony site alone, where everyone's gotta kind of do a little bit of a hike to get out there, means that we can kick everybody back over to the tent and then you guys are out there by yourselves with your photographer for a little bit. You know, there's always places that you can just wander off to while I'm entertaining your crowd and you two can just have a moment. Plus you'll have the Nordic Village show you the bridal suite that's upstairs.
12:01
John Whitney
Yeah, yeah.
12:02
Brandon Billings Reber
So you'll have that as well. So there's lots of. Lots of places to hide and still watch what's going on, if you want. Yeah. All right, well, let's talk music then. What kind of thoughts are you guys having? On music or what are some of your favorite songs?
12:18
John Whitney
I would say it's pretty across the board with a lot, you know, mainly. Well, I can't even say mainly, but, you know, a lot of. A lot of the classics, you know, would be great. The classics in terms of. I don't know, I don't know, like.
12:40
Brandon Billings Reber
2000S high school dance.
12:41
John Whitney
Yeah, yeah, like that stuff that plays at every wedding. You know, like Mr. Brights, all of those, kinds of songs. But also, you know, some hip hop, some. A few country songs, of course, too, and then maybe a couple punk or.
13:07
Brandon Billings Reber
Pop.
13:08
John Whitney
I mean, I don't know, it's. It's hard to put it all together, I guess.
13:14
Brandon Billings Reber
So have you guys started a playlist?
13:16
John Whitney
No, I. I've been thinking about it quite a bit. So, like, you know, I've created, like, five different playlists with, like, three songs in them each that I just forget I'd make playlists for. So.
13:27
Brandon Billings Reber
Gotcha. Okay. No worries. That's always something I love to know and. And a weird question there may sound weird. It's just. Just me being a DJ, and I'm a DJ for 22 years now, so I've been doing this a long time.
13:38
John Whitney
Yeah.
13:39
Brandon Billings Reber
What type of country are you guys into? Are you new country? Country?
13:48
John Whitney
I would say more like older country or like, I like 90s country. Yeah, like 90s country or shoot, I don't even know how to explain it, but more like folksy, you know, like, not as much like. Because I feel like a lot of new. The newer country will just take, like, elements of whatever's popular at the time from other genres. Like that kind of thing. Yeah, so, you know, more of like the traditional country or, like folksy country or like, you know, stuff like that. So.
14:19
Brandon Billings Reber
Gotcha. So more into that stadium, like Alan Jackson, Garth Brooks, that kind of Shania Twain type vibe.
14:27
John Whitney
Yeah, like, they'll. Yeah, yeah, I know.
14:31
Brandon Billings Reber
It's. It's always an interesting question when I pose that to folks because they. A lot of people don't think about country as having these kind of, like, distinct eras, and it really does. It's very interesting. So, yeah, in the 12 years I've been doing weddings, I've met three couples that were like, oh, we like all of it. And I was like, really? That's really unusual. But I like it. So let's go to 2027. We're going to shift our mindset all the way a year out from your wedding. It is June 20th of 27. How do you want your guests Remembering your wedding day a year later, I got deep cuts on questions.
15:09
John Whitney
Yeah, that's great.
15:15
Brandon Billings Reber
I feel, like, fun and like. But different. Not just the traditional wedding. Not the traditional, like, hotel ballroom vibe.
15:24
John Whitney
Yeah. I guess for me, just a night where they could just kind of cut. Cut loose, I guess, and not be, like, uptight or afraid to dance or, you know, that kind of. And a night where, yeah, they just felt free to have fun, I guess so.
15:45
Brandon Billings Reber
Love that. Perfect. And that's. Those are the kinds of things I love to hear. Because as a dj, you know, it starts from basically. Now, these kinds of questions as we're talking about help just kind of get the juices going, help you thinking about what's going to be fun, what do we want to do, what do we not want to do at our wedding? And how do we make it us, right? We become the expert in your corner to help guide that vision. Because if you've never been married or if you've only been to, say, 30 weddings in your life, which is still a lot of weddings, it pales in comparison to someone like myself who's done over 700. So I want to make sure that you get into my brain and, like, pick the pieces out that you need and that you want.
16:28
Brandon Billings Reber
So that's where a lot of these questions have kind of come from over the years and why we have them now. The other big reason is even if, let's say, you get off this call and you're like, God, that guy's a jerk, great, no worries. We're just not the right fit for you. But by going through this with you're gonna have a really good idea of what it is you're looking for. So we always want to help folks, even if we're not the ones to do their wedding. So as weird as that sounds, it's awesome. Cool. So let's go the opposite way. Tell me something. If it happened at your wedding, you'd want to crawl into a hole and never come out.
17:01
John Whitney
Really? Any, like, family drama? I would suppose. You know, not that I can see that happening too much, but what do you think?
17:12
Brandon Billings Reber
I don't know. Some things like the bouquet toss or the garter thing going wrong? No, I just don't vibe with those.
17:20
John Whitney
Oh, you don't like this? Okay. Yeah, yeah, I would say, yeah, definitely. People just were making scenes, you know, family drama, and they wanted to make it about themselves. I suppose so.
17:36
Brandon Billings Reber
Gotcha. Anyone in mind that we're thinking of for that?
17:41
John Whitney
Not right now. Everyone's, you know, we don't have a history of too much drama, but it has happened in the past, so.
17:49
Brandon Billings Reber
Yeah, you. You mix, you know, alcohol or whatever else and. Yeah, but I totally get it. Cool. Honestly, that's the reason I asked that question, is just to kind of get an idea if there's someone specific that you're thinking about, because then I can make a note of them early.
18:01
John Whitney
Oh, yeah.
18:04
Brandon Billings Reber
Cool. Are there any special songs that you guys hold that are very sentimental to you? Was there anything playing during the proposal, or were you listening to anything special on the radio while you were swiping through Tinder and found each other?
18:18
John Whitney
What do you think?
18:19
Brandon Billings Reber
I mean, the song we want for our first dance is special to us. Yeah, what song is that? This Crazy Life by Charlie Crockett. All right. And what makes that one so special? Kind of just really resonates with us, I guess. Like.
18:40
John Whitney
Yeah, just. I mean, it came out during a time when we just had a lot going on and we're trying to figure out, like, where we're going next with our life and. Yeah, kind of. We heard it and it was very much so, like. Yeah. Resonated with us.
18:57
Brandon Billings Reber
So I love it. That's amazing. Perfect. Okay, cool. And then have you ever been to a wedding where the music truly stood out to you?
19:07
John Whitney
I feel like I've been to a lot of weddings where it was just kind of like the cliche music that they play at most events or most weddings, you know, which isn't like a horrible thing. It's fun. But just songs that you hear over and over at events, which, I mean, even I would like to have some of those at my wedding. But, like, what are they? Yeah, like the Mr. Bright side. The. What's the one? Is it a cha slide that was like.
19:43
Brandon Billings Reber
Yeah, Slide, Cupid Shuffle, the Wall.
19:47
John Whitney
All of the ones that, like, are like shoe ins for like any event like that, you know, and. Or just like the shoot the two thou, like late 2000s, early 2010s, like a lot of like Neo and Usher, which. I like those songs too, but, you know, it's like they quite frequent.
20:11
Brandon Billings Reber
Overdone.
20:12
John Whitney
I don't know about overdone. They're. They're kind of like. I feel like they're staples and events like these, but just. Even though, you know, that's what I took away from a lot of them. So, yeah, those stand out.
20:21
Brandon Billings Reber
You know, you're 100. A lot of those are. They've become staples one because they've just got like. They stand the test of time and two, because they will also make grandma dance. And. And so that's why a lot of DJs rely on them. But for us, you know, it's about YouTube. We want to craft this musical journey in a way that speaks to your story, not just to everyone's story. We'll still play a bunch of those and get a few of those in. I just did a wedding two weeks ago, and we started with Beyonce, then went into Dancing Queen, then went into. My goodness, where did we go from there? Into Taylor Swift.
21:02
John Whitney
Oh, wow.
21:03
Brandon Billings Reber
Then into Natasha Beddingford, and then into acdc. Yeah. So were just kind of moving through everything everybody wanted and just bouncing between genres and times and having a great time and. Yeah. So for me, as a dj, my goal is not just to play the songs that you want to hear. I want to find those gems you forgot about. I want to find those songs that makes John, while he's standing at the bar with his boys, go, oh my God, I love this song, and come running to the dance floor. You know, I want that moment. And so I'm constantly trying to find it. So for the two of you, what would you say are some ways that we can help make your wedding day feel even more unique and reflective of you two as a couple?
21:49
John Whitney
I feel like you've given a lot of thought.
21:53
Brandon Billings Reber
I don't know. It's a hard question. I don't know. I think for us, we're kind of straddling this line between, like, fun and casual, but also with some nice and traditional elements. So magically figuring out a way to, like, bring that to life more, I guess. Yeah. I also think, I don't know, like, we're just very like down to earth outdoors, listen to folk and indie music on the road, like, very chill. So trying to incorporate that into like a party scene, I guess, would be something that's actually surprisingly easy for a wedding. So your folk, especially the folk side of life, use that as pre ceremony. We'll find some instrumental folk music. That stuff that as guests are arriving, that's what's playing on the speaker. They're walking in. It fits your venue and it fits your vibe.
22:50
Brandon Billings Reber
That's a win right out the gate. As far as indie kind of that, for lack of a better term, that mid 2010s, like indie sleaze vibe, great for cocktail hour. It's toe tappers. It's sing alongs and stuff that people who don't even listen to indie music.
23:08
John Whitney
No.
23:08
Brandon Billings Reber
Right. They've heard it like The Black Keys, stuff like that. You know, you're getting into this, like, awesome vibe for cocktail hour that makes people want to just enjoy themselves, drink, and have a good time. So, yeah, those two were. I was like, those are easy. Some, like, German death metal or something crazy. Yeah, that would be cool if you.
23:28
John Whitney
Could sneak that in, though, honestly.
23:32
Brandon Billings Reber
I had a couple that was into Rammstein, actually. The band. Oh, that was their favorite band. They'd seen them like, a dozen times. And so their only do not play was the Chicken Dance. Yeah, unfortunately, the Chicken Dance has this intro at the beginning where the beats start out that lines really well with duhast. And so I looked at my bride. I said, hey, do you trust me? She's like, yes. I said, great. Don't get mad for 15 seconds. She was like, what? And so we started the Chicken Dance. And I see her look at me.
23:58
John Whitney
I'm like, I got you.
24:00
Brandon Billings Reber
And then we tone played it into Rammstein. Her family was going nuts because they wanted the Chicken Dance. They'd been asking for it all night.
24:06
John Whitney
Yeah.
24:07
Brandon Billings Reber
But then we immediately, like, five seconds in, drop into rom sign, and she and her husband are just like, you know, horns to the air, rocking out. Like, we have this amazing photo of her with her hair, like, completely out, and she's just going. It was one of those moments. I'm also the guy who's been known to throw grooms, you know, wedding mosh pits, because I could.
24:26
John Whitney
So, yeah, that's great.
24:28
Brandon Billings Reber
That's great. So, so far, talk to me about your thoughts. What questions? What can I answer? Well.
24:39
John Whitney
It sounds like you, out of all the people that we've met with, in terms of vendors and everything, like, you have the most, like, questions that have made at least me really think, you know, and that is, to me, really awesome. I would say so. Yeah. But. And it sounds like you're just willing to, you know, whatever needs to be done to make it awesome is what is going to be done. So, I mean, I don't know how many questions I have, but it's great.
25:14
Brandon Billings Reber
So I guess my question is, how closely if couples have, like, a coordinator, sorts, like, do you work closely with them the day of? Yeah. Yeah. Cool. Coordinators love me. Because what I typically will tell every coordinator is, you have this up to ceremony, and then after that, I'm taking over. And they go, what? I go, yeah, that is actually a DJ's job. And that is an MC's job. It is our job to run the timeline. The coordinator's job is to Coordinate all of us there and make sure all the pieces are doing what they're supposed to. They should not be running the timeline. They. If you've ever worked restaurants, that's the easiest way to think about it. Coordinators, back of house, DJs, front of house. Yeah, it's really that simple. And so I take that role very seriously.
26:00
Brandon Billings Reber
I take the MC role and what I teach my team is your MC side of it is more important than your DJ mixing skills. You can have a DJ who can't, you know, they couldn't mix chocolate milk if you ask them to. Right. But they're an amazing mc and so all of their reviews talk about how incredible they are.
26:18
John Whitney
Yeah.
26:19
Brandon Billings Reber
With me, I take that MC side started with that. I started with that way back in the day. I started hosting karaoke. I started emceeing events, doing those kinds of things before I became a dj. So I have that first. I'm still a pretty decent dj, and I will happily send you a mix if you'd like to listen to the first hour of a wedding. I just did. I have a question on Mix Club, so I will happily send that to you guys so you can take a listen to it. That would be awesome. It's, you know, it'll give you some ideas, too. So what I want to do, though. So hopefully that answered the question. But yes, I love working with coordinators. I'm not the typical DJ who's like, oh, they have a coordinator. It's going to be a pain. Absolutely not.
26:57
Brandon Billings Reber
It's going to be amazing because now there's two brains running things and two brains that are working together in tandem to make your vision come to life. So. All right, so I'm doing a quick screen share with you too, and I do apologize. I do have a hard stop, like 6:50, because I have a call at 7 as well.
27:15
John Whitney
Yeah.
27:15
Brandon Billings Reber
So I try not to take up too much of your time, so I apologize if I do. All right, here we go. So let me get you out of the way so we're not seeing your face a thousand times. All right, first thing I'm going to show you is this. This is called the Provenance app. Have you guys figured out your officiant yet? Yes.
27:33
John Whitney
Yeah, yeah. It's one of our friends. We just need to ask him, so. But easy to say. Yes.
27:39
Brandon Billings Reber
Has he ever done a wedding?
27:40
John Whitney
No, no.
27:42
Brandon Billings Reber
This will be a huge godsend to you. So the Provenance app. This is something we pay for our clients. This is a wedding, actually, I Just did a couple of weeks ago. And what's cool about this is we put in the two of you and then your officiant. Now, the three of you can go in here and start working on your ceremony together. And this thing will tell you, like, how long the ceremony is currently, what kind of tone it has, how many minutes your target is, and all the little things that you can go in and start talking about. Right. So just a few things before we start the music cue. When our bride approaches the breezeway, our officiant says, the audience, please rise for the bride.
28:21
Brandon Billings Reber
Like, all the things that you guys want, you can go in here and start putting in and how it all fits together. So it's kind of cool that you can build your own ceremony. Yeah. As well. With this, you guys can start doing your vows. And this also has some AI engines built into it. So if you're writing things out and you're like, I just don't like the way it sounds. I. This is how I feel. But I want it to sound like, you know, I want to sound regal. Tell the AI to rewrite it for you. And it will, you know, and you can get stuff to just write in a more simple way to read it or however you need. It'll also tell you how long it is. And you can go in here and lock each other out.
29:01
John Whitney
Oh, yeah.
29:01
Brandon Billings Reber
Even though you both have access, you have two different accesses, so you don't have to see each other's vows the day before, you know, until you actually hear them there.
29:10
John Whitney
Yeah.
29:11
Brandon Billings Reber
Now, the biggest truthful reason why I invested in this as a company. Those are all cool. The biggest reason is this down here. Guest speakers. You can go in and add the people who are giving toasts.
29:23
John Whitney
Oh, yeah.
29:24
Brandon Billings Reber
You can say who they are to you when they're going to be speaking. You can even say how long they get to speak and what should they focus on or not mention. That's the big one.
29:35
John Whitney
Yeah. Yeah.
29:37
Brandon Billings Reber
One too many bad speeches in my day. Here's a way to just kind of direct and help. So this is just something that's included with all of our packages if you want it. Awesome. Super easy about that. Next, I'm going to show you. You've been on our website already. It's probably where you click this. Apply for your dream day DJ session. Now you see kind of why we call it what we call it, because we're really talking about your day and looking at your vision and your dream. And all the videos on here are actually from weddings. I'VE done. Because whoever shoots content for tonight, though, as of our call, you guys can click on this button right here that says client login in the upper right. It's very tiny. I know.
30:16
Brandon Billings Reber
Once you get that open, you are then going to put your wedding date in June 20, 26. And then your password, super complicated. It's Whitney26.
30:31
John Whitney
Oh, perfect.
30:33
Brandon Billings Reber
I go for the crazy ones. And let me just make sure. John, I have your ney correct. Yes. Perfect. That's what I had. I just want to make sure. That's great. If you're on your phone, that click to install app button allows you to just have like a link where you can click it right away and get in.
30:51
John Whitney
Okay.
30:51
Brandon Billings Reber
So once you get into the portal, you're going to see your location. Ignore the setup time. We can never get this right. They keep tweaking it and it keeps still not working the way we want it to. So it is what it is. And then what time are you guys starting the ceremony? Are you planning 4pm yeah. Perfect. I think that's what I already have. Sure do. Four to 10. So we've got that in there. And from here, got a few things going on. Planning forms, event details, billing and payments. Select music. We're going to start in planning forms. This is kind of the meat and potatoes of what you're going to be doing that night. In here, you're going to find a couple of things.
31:26
Brandon Billings Reber
Wedding outline, which is kind of like a download of my brain developed after doing over 700 runnings over the last 12 years. This is how we've seen things run smoothest. But it's your day. This is just a starting point. Tweak this however you want. Right. So what you see is what you get. Editor, you may notice that daughter has a missing letter there. And I'm going to increase the size on this so it's a little bit easier for you guys to see, hopefully. Cool. Let's do that. So we'll just go in here and put the T in there and tab over and it saves automatically.
32:06
John Whitney
Awesome.
32:07
Brandon Billings Reber
There's stuff you don't want to do, like bouquet toss. We click delete and we click delete and okay. And there goes our garter and our bouquet. They're gone. Yay. Get rid of stuff that you don't want. Keep the things that you need. My two biggest suggestions on a timeline. And I always suggest this to every couple. Grand entrance right into your first dance. Get that first dance done. Get it over with. Most of my couples are more nervous about that dance than they are the ceremony. Don't know why. Plus, you got a captive audience. Right? So let's give them a show. Second, if Carson, your dad is going to give a toast that night, have him go last. Go straight to the father daughter dance.
32:49
Brandon Billings Reber
Again, that's selfish on my part because if your dad makes me cry, I just want to cry once through that whole dance. Just call it like it is. So. But any questions on how this works? No.
33:01
John Whitney
That looks awesome.
33:02
Brandon Billings Reber
Cool. And like I said, as of tonight, you guys can log in here and start playing around with this. We will hold your date for a week, so you get a full week to decide if we're your DJ or not.
33:11
John Whitney
Awesome. That's great.
33:13
Brandon Billings Reber
I'm not a fan of Rush. People appreciate that. It's a big decision. It's. I mean, you're literally trusting your entire data sleep. Right, I. I get it. Take your time. All right, we're gonna go click return and then we're gonna dive in the sweating worksheet. This thing's huge. So don't freak out on it. Yeah, sorry. I'm just set myself a little timer for 10 minutes. What this is going to be. Are we doing ceremony music? We know ceremony is going to start at 4 o' clock. Ceremony location. This is the Nordic village. I don't want to say pasture, but that's kind of what that is out there. Yeah, I'm gonna call it a field. I like it a little nicer. Guest arriving at 3:30 and then from there, prelude music. What's playing as guests are arriving?
33:59
Brandon Billings Reber
Kind of talked about instrumental folk from there is what songs are playing as guests are arriving or as people are walking in. Do you want a separate song for grandparents, parents, and our bridesmaids and groomsmen, or do you want one for all three? Right. Then what's our bride coming into? If you're doing some kind of a unity ceremony, do you need music under it? And then what's going to play? Recessional. You two are officially husband and wife. You're walking back down the aisle. What's playing at that time? So, and this is another place where I'm going to set things a little bit different than most DJs and companies that you'll work with. I don't wait until your officiant says, I now pronounce you husband and wife. Introducing the brand new Mr. Mrs. Or however they're going to say that I go for this.
34:41
Brandon Billings Reber
When you two go in for that first kiss, that officiant Says, you may now kiss each other or you may now kiss your bride. Whatever it is, I'm gonna start this song. I want that Hollywood cinematic romance movie ending to your ceremony. Right. The two leads are getting together at the end of the movie. Big crescendo of music. I want that for you. So that's great. That's how my brain works for there. We talk cocktail hour. We know that cocktail hour probably is going to be around 4th 30ish. We're just gonna call it that for now. Most ceremonies about a half hour might be a little bit later because guests have to walk back and forth is what it is. It technically is the same room as a reception. And then what kind of music is playing?
35:19
Brandon Billings Reber
You know, do you have specific artists, specific songs, or do you just want to send me some playlists and let me figure it out? You can absolutely do that with me.
35:26
John Whitney
Awesome.
35:27
Brandon Billings Reber
Yeah. Huge fans are just like, hey, give me a music dump, and I will figure out where it goes in, you know, in the day. I like that. Next is grand introduction. Am I introducing everybody or just the two of you? Right. Are we doing it as a bridal bomb where we bring all of them in one shot and then bring the two of you in after, or do you just want to be the two of you? That's the kind of stuff we think about and we think on. You can also go in here and start listing everybody out. And this looks a little weird when it prints. The second line is actually the groomsman for some reason. I don't know why it sits off.
35:59
Brandon Billings Reber
Now we got an update on the system, and it moved all the groomsmen lines over except the top one. Nothing I can do to fix it. So bridesmaids, groomsmen, start lining your pairs out. And now you'll know who's walking with whom. If you have more than this standard, then just start adding them down here. Your mater matron of honor and your best man go here. And then little things like, how am I introducing the two of you? Are you going to be Mr. And Mrs. Are we just going to be John and Carson? You know, how do you two want to be introduced? So this. None of this, I expect you to know right now.
36:29
John Whitney
Yeah, I don't.
36:32
Brandon Billings Reber
Just help you guys think a little bit. If you do decide to book with me and you book my package, the DJ Submaster B Experience. I ask about your wedding colors for a couple of reasons. One is because I program the lighting to the music, and so I want flashes of your wedding colors in the Lights. While we're dancing. Awesome. Yeah. I typically spend about 40 to 50 hours on a wedding before I walk in the door.
36:58
John Whitney
Oh, wow. Yeah.
36:59
Brandon Billings Reber
Yeah. I want it to go perfectly. Yeah. From there's reception, who's speaking? And you can list them out. Do you want a blessing before dinner? One of those questions you probably have not thought of yet.
37:10
John Whitney
Yeah.
37:11
Brandon Billings Reber
Why would you. Another big one. Cake cutting song. If you're cutting cake that night, what are you cutting it to? Silence is not the answer on that one. I'll tell you that. And we do ask if you're feeding us that way. With it being pizza clutter, it's going to be a buffet. If you're feeding me, that means you're feeding your other vendors. And that tells me when to send your photographer to dinner. I will always be the last one to eat because I'm a signal to the other vendors that everybody has eaten. We're getting ready to get going again.
37:40
John Whitney
Okay.
37:40
Brandon Billings Reber
But your photographer. I'm going to send them early because we don't want to wait for them again, me being selfish. I want my night to run smooth. We know we're not doing this. Not doing this.
37:54
John Whitney
Not doing this.
37:56
Brandon Billings Reber
Now, you can always change traditions, by the way. So if you still want to do something fun. I had. We did a wedding for two ladies that got married, and instead of tossing a bouquet or a garter, they did watches. Like, they were very into pocket watches. So they threw out pocket watches and cases to all the single people. People. And that was kind of a fun one. I've seen a T shirt toss all kinds of stuff.
38:18
John Whitney
That's interesting.
38:18
Brandon Billings Reber
That's awesome. Yeah. So there's ways to just make it about the two of you. Yeah. I don't recommend throwing an oar, especially kayaking. That could be a little dangerous. But figure something out. Throw a life vest. Sorry. A little too far. All right, let's see. What are we doing? Not doing this? And then one question that we've added from last year, actually. Do you want to do a game during reception? And then we gave you a list of different games that people have done.
38:45
John Whitney
Yeah.
38:47
Brandon Billings Reber
So a couple that folks aren't as familiar with the photo dash. It's fairly new. It's new. In the last couple of years. This is essentially where we either take you two table to table with your photographer during one song to get a photo with everybody, or we put the two of you in the middle of the room and have each table come up to you as a whole group.
39:06
John Whitney
Yeah.
39:06
Brandon Billings Reber
With one song to do photos. It's a great way to get all those photos with the tableside kind of deal without having to make it a boring thing.
39:13
John Whitney
Yeah.
39:15
Brandon Billings Reber
With the anniversary dance, we've actually started reversing this. So typically, the anniversary dance, you bring everybody out to the dance floor and then you go. If you've been together for a year or less, get off the dance floor. Like.
39:25
John Whitney
Yeah.
39:25
Brandon Billings Reber
Until you're left with grandma and grandpa out there dancing on the dance floor. Whoever's been there got it longest, Right? That's fun. But why am I killing your dance floor right out the gate? So we started doing it the other way. If you've been together a year or less, join us on the dance floor. Five years. Join us, join us. What's cool about that is when we finally get to that last couple that's been together for 30, 40, 50 years or whatever it is now, there's this huge receiving line of people that are cheering and clapping and screaming, celebrating their love, too, on the same day as yours. And it's just an infectious energy.
40:00
John Whitney
That's awesome.
40:01
Brandon Billings Reber
And the last one that people don't know is the cake smash bed. Cake Smash BET is where we put either two Venmos QR codes on the bar with each of your names on it or your faces on it, or two jars on the bar with each of your names or faces on it, and people stuff money into it, and the loser gets cake smashed in their face. John, if you decide to do this, just know you lose.
40:23
John Whitney
Yeah, no, I. Yeah, that makes sense.
40:27
Brandon Billings Reber
Carson's doing makeup. It is what it is. And we have your first dance song already. So give me one second. I'm gonna go pull that. Where did I put it? There it is. And we can put that in already. So, guys, we're already planning your wedding. Kind of how easy this whole thing is. Yeah. And then from there comes father, daughter and mother songs, and then any special dances, wedding party dance, any instructions, last dance, any of that good stuff. So you can put all that in here. If you just want to give me styles of music or artists, you can drop those in here at the bottom. Or if there's like, we don't want any Justin Bieber. Great. Put that in here. You know, we don't want to group dances. Put that in here. That just makes that easy.
41:10
Brandon Billings Reber
But any questions on this massive form and how this works?
41:13
John Whitney
No, that's awesome.
41:14
Brandon Billings Reber
Cool. Comprehensive.
41:15
John Whitney
Yeah.
41:17
Brandon Billings Reber
Yep. It's all about the planning, honestly. Great weddings don't just happen. They get planned. Totally. So yeah, so putting that on a T shirt, I think event details here. The big thing in here is important documents. And what you're going to find is our contract. Okay. So you can read through that. See your responsibility, our responsibility, all that good stuff. Select music's the next thing we're going to look at. This is where you give us the music of your day. Cool thing is, if you're Spotify users, connect it and then you can start adding your Spotify tracks into these lists.
41:49
John Whitney
Oh, that's great.
41:50
Brandon Billings Reber
Along the lines of these lists, you've got 20 must plays, you got 30. If you can get to these. Great. These. Just tell me what you like and show me which direction to take in. Red is red for a reason. We hate these. Don't play them exactly what they are. If there's a song that just. You see red every time you hear it, put it in here. Don't play it that night or it reminds you of someone that you don't want to think of that night. Put it in here.
42:10
John Whitney
Yeah.
42:11
Brandon Billings Reber
Last one, special request. This is just where you're going to start adding stuff in. You can also add requests, song name and artist, and any dedications as well. Okay. If you're using what we have here, let's go with Cupid Shuffles. We kind of talked about one of those already. Click it, you'll get the video, the lyric scroll across the top, and then you just select what list you want it to go to. I know that's one were thinking of. So there it is. We get to these. Great. Sweet. You also have this popular music charts here. And I know this is kind of a little hard to see. Precise. Just a little bit in here, though. You're gonna have like top 100 top country, top 5,000, best of the 50s to the 2010s. But then, okay, toss cake cutting. That's the big one.
42:53
Brandon Billings Reber
Cake cutting. Everyone uses this list because nobody knows what they want to cut cake to friends and family. Why would you? Father, daughter, you know, mother, songs. So if your parents are having a hard time giving you a song, there's some options in here that you can start with. When you click one of these lists, though, what ends up happening is things can get a little weird the further you go. So all this looks pretty normal. Now if we go to page like four. Yep, there it is. You'll find things like how low by ludicrous. Yeah, I don't know who's been cutting cake to that, but I kind of want to see. Yeah, so. But yeah, look through it, see what's in here.
43:31
Brandon Billings Reber
You might find something you love or you might say, that makes me think of and now you found your song, so use it as the tool.
43:39
John Whitney
That's great.
43:40
Brandon Billings Reber
But yeah. So looking at everything we've talked about, any questions?
43:45
John Whitney
I mean, I don't know if this is a hard question to answer, but Jen, generally do you know, like a range of how many songs are played in these kind of ceremonies? Kinds of these? Yeah. Reception. Sorry.
44:00
Brandon Billings Reber
It depends. We let you get up to a hundred in here. It really depends on how your crowd is reacting to songs. So, okay, for me as a dj, a lot of times, especially for some reason, you've landed on DJ content on YouTube. You'll hear a lot of DJs back east talk about you have to quick mix. If you're in a song longer than a minute, you're in too long. If you're longer than 45 seconds, you're in too long.
44:22
John Whitney
Yeah.
44:23
Brandon Billings Reber
The thing is that a lot of times if someone is scream singing along to a song, like you and your group are really grooving to a track, you're scream singing every word. I cut that early. You're angry. Yeah. Because it's like I was just in a moment there.
44:36
John Whitney
Yeah.
44:36
Brandon Billings Reber
On the other side of it, if we play something that's off your list and people are like, and I see them kind of bored with it, we're getting out of it quicker. So typically in an hour we're probably running between 3:30 and 60 songs, depending on what's happening. I would say we average probably two minutes a track. But again, depends on the song, you know, so hopefully that helps.
45:00
John Whitney
Yeah, no, definitely.
45:02
Brandon Billings Reber
But yeah. All right, so if I had to ask you, on a scale of 1 to 10, how do you think. How well do you think I fit your wedding?
45:09
John Whitney
Just put it out there like in the nines area.
45:15
Brandon Billings Reber
I like it. I appreciate that. So let's talk a little bit then. What's the investment to get someone like myself on board with you? Right. Your wedding's going to be six hours, four to ten. Yeah. Okay, cool. All of our pricing, actually, let me just minimize this guy to make my life easier. Is right here in our wedding on our website. You've got a few different options in here. And so our value DJ started like 1300 to 1700. Our experience DJ starts at 1700, goes up to about 23. The 23. The top end of this is a six hour package. That's what you're looking at.
45:49
John Whitney
Okay.
45:49
Brandon Billings Reber
My full package is 3, 300 if you want me with one of these other options, you just add 500 to the price and then you can have me added on the biggest things that you're going to get in difference when it comes to stepping one to the other. In this basic package, you're getting just wash dance lighting. So basically we wash dance for the single color and that's it all night. It doesn't move. With Joe's package, you're getting what's called advanced dance lighting. That means it's actually going to be a little more club like it's actually going to move. It's going to do those kinds of things. You're also getting lapel microphones on the ceremony with me, we're going to bring out some premium sound.
46:27
Brandon Billings Reber
And at the Nordic Village, I'm actually going to run completely battery operated for the ceremony, so you don't have to worry about a generator out there or running 200ft of power cable.
46:36
John Whitney
That's awesome. Yeah.
46:38
Brandon Billings Reber
We bring a battery powered speaker with battery powered lapel mics. They're actually right here, these little guys, they're about this big. Oh, big. And then I plug another mic into it and then run that to your collar and I put one on our officiant, one on John Carson. You will not get a mic because I will never put one on a bride's dress. But between the two, we can hear all three of you, no problem. If for some reason you've been on our Instagram lately, I would just posted a video yesterday and of it is a whole bunch of like ceremony audio that I chopped up into just making like a memorable reel essentially. And so you kind of get an idea of how well you can hear folks.
47:19
Brandon Billings Reber
So as well, when you step up with to my package, you go to pro lighting. That means it's actually programmed to the music of the night. And we also give you up lighting. So we'll uplight around the tent, we'll uplight around the trees and just have kind of lighting everywhere of your wedding colors. You're going to get our DSLR photo booth with me and that's a big one. Our photo booth does a lot of cool stuff out at the Nordic Village. You probably won't do dancing on the cloud. Instead we'll do probably vertical fog machines. And then you're going to get our audio guest book. And we also record the audio from your ceremony and your toasts. Yeah, it's a lot. And then on the audio guest book, you kind of get choices we have a couple different options right now.
48:01
Brandon Billings Reber
I just did an event, so I haven't had both of them with me because I just tested one of our new ones. This is one of our newer audio guest books. Kind of in an old school look. Kind of nice, kind of fun. And then we have one that's like in a more Victorian style look. Looks kind of like this guy. If it's not attached to something, which it looks like it is, I've always got something on my desk that attaches other cables, so, like that. And these are cool. Have you guys heard of audio guest books? Yeah. Cool. Sorry, John. Essentially what it does is we record a message from one or both of you onto it. Your guests pick it up, hear that message, then a really obnoxious beep. Then they leave a message back to you.
48:40
John Whitney
Okay.
48:40
Brandon Billings Reber
So now you've captured everybody's voices.
48:43
John Whitney
Yeah.
48:44
Brandon Billings Reber
Which is kind of cool.
48:45
John Whitney
Yeah.
48:47
Brandon Billings Reber
And then I send you all those files and you have them basically forever. A lot of my couples now are taking those files and sending them off and having them pressed on to like a vinyl. But if you have older guests, that's where something like this becomes amazing. Right. Because now you have their voice even when they're no longer around.
49:05
John Whitney
Yeah.
49:05
Brandon Billings Reber
So I had a bride put it to me like that, and I was like, cool, thanks. I'm stealing it from my marketing. But also, I don't want to hear that anymore.
49:12
John Whitney
Yeah, yeah.
49:14
Brandon Billings Reber
And of course, you get me guaranteed with that package, so.
49:17
John Whitney
Yeah.
49:18
Brandon Billings Reber
But. Yeah. So not sure where your budget is, but any thoughts on where we are? And all this stuff kind of lining up.
49:25
John Whitney
I think that's still something we're trying to. To figure out as the other pieces fall into place, you know, So I think originally were figuring around like a bit over two, you know, somewhere in there's a lot of varying, you know, things online. But so definitely something we're talking about as we're, you know, figuring it out, so.
49:47
Brandon Billings Reber
Gotcha. So what I'm gonna do, just because I'm always one to, like, to plan for, like, let me plan for the top stuff. I'm gonna put you in with my package. If you want to lock in with me, it's 35 of the package price. I can change this, though, at any point in time. So just let me know what you want me to change it to. And I can't. But this way, as you're planning your budget, you kind of see the top end of things and can plan around that. And if that doesn't Work great. We move it down. But go into the billing and payments here and then what you'll see is that package experience. The non refundable retainer is here. It's 35% of the package price. Remainder's not due until 30 days before your wedding.
50:28
Brandon Billings Reber
You can make payments in here if you choose. Like, we're easy. The only thing I recommend is that you use a rewards card to book us. I do that for all your vendors, by the way.
50:37
John Whitney
Yeah.
50:37
Brandon Billings Reber
Yes. I was reading a thing earlier and there was a CEO of a company, they import a bunch of stuff from China and they got hit with like a surprise fourteen thousand dollar tariff bill.
50:49
John Whitney
Oh, wow.
50:50
Brandon Billings Reber
Said he cashed in 1.8 million American Express points to pay for it.
50:54
John Whitney
I was like, incredible.
50:56
Brandon Billings Reber
That's cool. Yeah.
50:58
John Whitney
Yeah.
50:58
Brandon Billings Reber
What a cool thing to be able to do. Be like. But yeah, that kind of gives you that option as well. And honestly, if you don't like the vertical fog machines, we could also swap that for like this handheld CO2 cannon. So that's something that could be a lot of fun. And since we're outdoors, we get away with that. But yeah, if you decide on your dj, go in here. Click this make payment button. This will pull up your options. Credit card use a square box. Bottom one uses PayPal or credit card. And then Venmo is also an option. We've only had two couples ever use it and I'm so glad we put it in there because that's what they preferred. It's up to you. Whatever you prefer. I'm easy. It's just that simple. Like, I'm not. I'm not going to pressure you.
51:38
Brandon Billings Reber
I'm not going to give you guys a hard time on this. Like I said, I've got you. You're locked in for a week with me. Nobody can book me out from underneath you Shoot over. Any questions? If you need to book another call, book a call. If you just want to shoot a text, you can do that to our number as well. That goes straight to my phone. Whatever you need. Great. Awesome.
51:54
John Whitney
Thank you so much.
51:55
Brandon Billings Reber
I appreciate you both. Are there any other questions while we're sitting and talking? I don't have any. I don't have any. Awesome. Well, I'm going to shoot you an email probably in about an hour and a half. Just depends on how my next call runs in. It is going to be. You may have noticed there's a third person in our meeting. That is Fred from Fireflies. That's my AI brain and what they do is they take notes of the call for us. So I'm going to shoot you the notes from the call, I'm going to send your login password and I'm going to send you a prompt that you can use in chat GPT. That prompt will allow you to actually put in up to five different, in this case DJ companies, us included.
52:31
Brandon Billings Reber
You put in their name of the company and the website and put five of them in and it'll compare all five for you right out the gate. So they're pushing out pricing, what kind of clients they typically work with, all that good stuff. It'll figure that out for you and just give you a little synopsis. Sweet. Like I said, I like to help. Well, awesome. You too. Thank you so much for your time. I know I took a little bit more of it than anticipated but I hope you two have an amazing night and a wonderful fourth of July holiday.
52:57
John Whitney
Awesome. Thank you. You too.
52:59
Brandon Billings Reber
Thank you too. Bye. Bye.
11:06
Brandon Billings Reber
Hi, may I speak with Nizhoni, please? Hello, ma'am, this is Brandon with 7,000ft of sound. How are you today? I'm good, ma'am. You'd booked a Dream Day DJ session with me today. Did I get you a good time? Perfect. Well, let's chat a little bit about your big day. Congratulations on your upcoming wedding. Where are the two of you getting married? Oh, love it out there. Perfect. That means you're working with. Are you working with Alexis or with Jalen? Probably both at this point. I know they kind of bounce back and forth. Nice. Yeah, that's good. She's amazing at what she does, to say the least, so. Well, fantastic. Yeah. So talk to me a little bit about you two and kind of what you're looking for in a dj. Let me start with the easy question before we dive into the hard stuff.
12:13
Brandon Billings Reber
How did you guys meet? Oh, he's living the life and you're stuck here in Arizona with us. No worries. Okay. And so as you've been kind of looking for your vendors and kind of figuring folks out, who have you already booked? Have you booked anybody besides the venue so far? Gotcha. And who did you guys book for photo and video? Okay, cool. That's awesome. And cool. I love it. And so how did you guys choose your date? August 9th. That makes sense. With you guys being in two different states, it would be fun to find a day. Perfect. And have you guys started talking to any other DJ companies so far, or do I get to be the lucky first? Gotcha. Okay.
14:04
Brandon Billings Reber
And you know, that's kind of the interesting thing when it comes to DJs, you're going to get quotes that are kind of all over the place, if you haven't already. Yeah. I will tell you. Average wedding DJ price across the country, oddly enough. And this is was information put out by what's called Wedding Pro, which is the combination of wedding wire and the knot. Average price of a DJ nationwide is seventeen hundred dollars for a six hour wedding. So I always like to give couples that because it's. It always feels like a secret how much wedding anything costs. And it's so weird to me. So I'm. You probably noticed on our website, all of our pricing is right there. We're very like, here you go. We love to just give you the information and make it easy on you to figure things out. So.
14:56
Brandon Billings Reber
Well, as you've been searching, what questions have you come up with about DJs or for a DJ? It. Okay, yeah, gotcha. And what time are you doing Ceremony. Okay. And one thing I will tell you, especially if you're looking, if you're really centered on the price of things, the one thing you're going to want to ask about, have they ever worked at the Arboretum? Because the Arboretum is very unique in the way power works out there and needing. You're going to need a second sound system. So they're going to have to bring a second setup for the ceremony. And a lot of guys are going to quote you a cheap price and not include that second setup. And they'll be moving speakers or doing anything weird like that. And so that is something to just think about for sure.
17:29
Brandon Billings Reber
For us, our most inexpensive DJs are at 1700 and that's going to cover your full reception. It'll give you up to six hours of time. It'll give you a speaker for ceremony, two speakers for the reception, and some wash lighting for your dance floor. You're going to need that DJ from 4 to 9pm so you're essentially going to need at least five hours because they're going to be there, you know, 4 o'clock for ceremony. And really our DJs get there and start music at 3:30 so that your guests have music as they're walking in. Unless are you doing any kind of like live musicians come. Okay. And so that may also be something that's needed for your DJ to know if those live musicians need support from them as far as mixers and additional speakers.
18:22
Brandon Billings Reber
So little things to think about when it comes to adding in live musicians. We're very well versed in that. Most of our DJs are either musicians, singers or have thrown festivals. So we all kind of have a little bit of knowledge on that side. Let me think here. So then other important things in your wedding, because it sounds like for you guys, what's really important is ceremony is huge for you too, because that was one of the very first things you mentioned. And then kind of memories with family, you want to thank people. You have others that are going to be doing some talking. Does that sound like. Am I kind of getting a good idea of what you're thinking of? Okay, perfect. And so music wise, throughout the day, talk to me a little bit about what you guys are looking for music.
19:12
Brandon Billings Reber
Do you have an idea of favorite genres or songs that you're thinking it? Yeah, for sure. Okay. Yeah, gotcha. How many folks are you guys planning to have? Okay, not too bad. All right, let's see here. Sorry, I'm taking some notes at the same time. All Right, Cool. And I know you said it was a dry wedding, not an issue. Some of the best parties we've ever had have been dry weddings. So I know there's this stigma of, like, oh, if you have a dry wedding, it'll be boring. Couldn't be further from the truth. So. So just a heads up for you there. Don't. Don't go into it thinking that's going to cause an issue. Yeah. Want you to know that. So talk to me about what you want your guests to think. Let's go a year from this August.
21:49
Brandon Billings Reber
Let's go to August 2026, and guests are talking about your wedding. How do you want them to think about it? How do you want them to talk about it at that time? It. Yep, you're good. Okay, so it's going to sound weird, but in talking with you, have you guys reached out to NQ Entertainment yet? Have you reached out to a company called NQ Entertainment? Okay, so the owner of nq, his name is Elijah Smith. I'm going to give you his number. He is another DJ here in town. He's got years of experience, and honestly, I think he is a much better fit for you than we are.
23:36
Brandon Billings Reber
And I know that sounds crazy, but that is one of the things for me as a business owner and, you know, yes, I can book every client that walks in the door without care, but this is your wedding. And if we send someone just to make some money, it's not the right fit for any of us. The reason I recommend Elijah is because he's also a minister. And with your heavy focus on kind of the gospel and being a part of that, having someone who has that knowledge and understanding and will be able to move with not just the music, but also with you guys spiritually, essentially, is going to be kind of huge.
24:26
Brandon Billings Reber
And so that's why I would recommend you give him a call and just kind of chat with him and feel him out and see if he's going to be a good fit for you guys. Yeah. Yeah, I think so. He's. They. He's a bad millennial like me. We are kind of terrible with Instagram. I call it what it is. That's one of the things that we. We get so into the music that we forget about everything else and we really have to start remembering, like, hey, shoot some videos of what we do. Let me see if I can find them. I'm going to shoot you an email with his information, his website and his phone number so you have that directly And I'll shoot you his Instagram as well. He's honestly, he's also my best friend.
25:27
Brandon Billings Reber
If he's not available, you might also want to talk to Douglas Garner at Fresh Entertainment. Douglas is really good at kind of all the world of country. He is. He lives country. That's his thing. And with where you guys are, with having that kind of red dirt vibe, he's another really good dj. That's going to be a good fit for you, Gardner. Yep, not a problem. Yeah. Oh, a hundred percent. Yeah. I wouldn't just send you out to the wolves, metaphorically, without giving you that info at the same time. That's just not a. Not a. I'm not a fan of that, but I will shoot you. Yeah. Let me see what I can find. And as far as websites and Instagrams and all that good stuff. And I will shoot those to you in just a few moments.
26:34
Brandon Billings Reber
But while you have me, what questions can I answer for you? I'm a DJ of 22 years. I've been doing weddings for 12. I have over just over 700 weddings under my belt. So I love to share information. It's also why I'm so. It's easy for me to say, you know what, we might not be the right fit. I'm okay with that. But any questions I can answer while you've got me. Okay, perfect. Perfect. What I'm going to do is I'm going to keep you open with me for about the next seven days. That way you get a chance to talk to others, and that will allow us to at least hold this date just in case everyone else is booked and you want to come back and chat with me a little bit more.
27:20
Brandon Billings Reber
I always like to give you that option just so that you have it, but I'm shooting that email your way now. I'm also going to include in here a chatgpt command, if you will, that you can turn around and use to compare a whole bunch of people all at the same time. It's something I developed a couple of weeks ago, and we've been giving it out to our potential clients and folks that just reached out to us on Instagram. But basically it allows you to put up to five companies into ChatGPT and it'll tell you who they typically work with, what they are looking for, what their pricing is like, what they're like as a company in one shot. It just makes your life so easy. So. But, yeah, but you're so welcome. I appreciate you chatting with me today.
28:08
Brandon Billings Reber
You Have a wonderful afternoon. And any questions, shoot them my way. All right. You're welcome. Bye. For me, it.
00:00
Brandon Billings Reber
It actually the bit rate looks a lot cleaner on this that it did on the other it. What's up? I've got call it for. Yeah, okay, perfect. I'm in my office. See you guys soon. It. I mean it's plausible to be able to do it which that would be a very long day. Just fine. Hey Ryan, how we doing?
06:22
Ryan Steward
I'm good. Hey, sorry. Sierra is rushing home right now from work, but I figured I could get started with you. Sorry.
06:30
Brandon Billings Reber
You're good.
06:31
Ryan Steward
Do you want to waste your time?
06:32
Brandon Billings Reber
Not at all. These. These calls are never a waste of my time. You know, even. Even for the folks that we don't become their DJ for, it's still worth it just for you to get the time with me to chat and for me to know it's one less DJ horror story. So for lack of a better phrase. Well, awesome. Well, how goes the planning so far? Let me start with that fun question.
06:53
Ryan Steward
I think it's going well. We're in the nice like where everything's stressful decision making time frame right now, so we're trying to hammer out a bunch of things but it's like every time we get something checked off, it feels. Feels good. I love it.
07:06
Brandon Billings Reber
I'm gonna post something into the chat for you and I'll email this to you as well. But as you're in the decision making phase of life, I've been tooling around with a new thing that I want to give away to folks to help them out.
07:18
Ryan Steward
Cool.
07:19
Brandon Billings Reber
This is a prompt that I'm putting together for ChatGPT. So anywhere where you see the like vendor type slash service, just put in what you're looking for and then drop in the name of the company and the websites below and it'll pop out a little summary about who they are, who their expected preferred client is, any pricing on their website and we'll make it just a little bit easier for you.
07:41
Ryan Steward
Oh, that's awesome. Thanks, man.
07:42
Brandon Billings Reber
Yeah, you're very welcome. If you really want to go above and beyond, add this in after it gives you the output and it'll pop up five questions to ask those companies.
07:53
Ryan Steward
Cool.
07:54
Brandon Billings Reber
Yeah.
07:57
Ryan Steward
We love that.
07:57
Brandon Billings Reber
Yeah, I'm a fan of using AI for its intended purpose is the way I like it.
08:02
Ryan Steward
Totally. And that's what like I feel like we're in that realm right now where it's like you have to either start using it and trying to figure it out or you're going to be left.
08:10
Brandon Billings Reber
Behind 100% and then remind you what's.
08:14
Ryan Steward
Your wedding venue Our wedding venue is Orchard Canyon and Oak Creek Canyon.
08:19
Brandon Billings Reber
Oh, okay.
08:22
Ryan Steward
Yeah. So Sierra's company that she works for actually owns that property as well. So they're kind of giving us like a little bit of a. A fun, like discount to be there. And then they're trying to like, I think, help kind of build it up as more of a wedding destination. So.
08:39
Brandon Billings Reber
So love it. I was gonna say I don't get many requests for there, so.
08:43
Ryan Steward
Yeah, yeah, it's kind of an interesting venue, but it's cool. We wanted a place where we can have everybody stay over the weekend and not have to worry about going back and forth and like, not just like a one night blowout thing, but like more of a full weekend kind of fun. Fun event.
08:58
Brandon Billings Reber
Gotcha. Okay. And then with that venue, what time you guys starting everything?
09:03
Ryan Steward
So I think, I believe the ceremony is going to be around 4. It's going to be whenever the sun kind of is like cresting over the. The rock. Since we're in the canyon there, it'll be earlier than it would be normally.
09:13
Brandon Billings Reber
As I say, it's right up there by. It's just a little north of Slide Rock, isn't it?
09:16
Ryan Steward
Yeah, correct. It's. It's right by a Junipine, if you know where Junipine is. Yes, directly next door to that.
09:22
Brandon Billings Reber
Oh, okay, perfect. They used to be a client of mine, so in a past life I was an insurance salesman. Yeah. Crazy as that sounds.
09:32
Ryan Steward
Quite a transition, man.
09:34
Brandon Billings Reber
Yeah, yeah. Quite a bit actually. I mean, I've been DJing for 22 years and a lot of that time was kind of as a side hustle. Yeah, it's really. When you own a business, it's real tough to go. Yeah. This can be my everything. Like that's the scariest part of ever owning a business. I feel like for anybody making that.
09:52
Ryan Steward
Leap to commit to be like, okay, like, this is going to be my life, my income now, like make the bills. It's because of this and myself failing or whatever.
10:01
Brandon Billings Reber
There's a lot of that, unfortunately. Admittedly. Awesome. So then talk to me about you two. I want to get to know you guys just a little bit as well. How the two of you meet.
10:10
Ryan Steward
So we met through a mutual friend initially. He's going to be our person that marries us, so we're going to make him get ordained and do it for us. Non religious wedding. But yeah, so we met through him and then just started kind of doing like outdoorsy stuff together. Like our first date was on a hike into one of the canyons around here. And then we kind of never left each other's side after that. It was one of those where I was like, oh, I guess you're pretty cool. I tried to be like I was probably like four months out of a long term relationship and like when we started hanging out. So I was trying to like keep her at a distance. Like, I think you're cool but I don't really want a girlfriend right now.
10:51
Ryan Steward
And then yeah, just she sucked me in.
10:53
Brandon Billings Reber
That's usually how that works. And one of the cool things, I'm just going to show you this real quick. And you said Sierra or Sierra.
11:01
Ryan Steward
Sierra. Yeah.
11:02
Brandon Billings Reber
Ciara. Okay, cool. Just want to make sure I've got her name correct.
11:04
Ryan Steward
Yep.
11:06
Brandon Billings Reber
Let's see here. I'm just going to put her in.
11:10
Ryan Steward
Yeah, that's Ciara.
11:13
Brandon Billings Reber
Perfect. Oh wow. Just like the pop star. That's how DJs brain works. We see names that were like the singer. I know who that is. So one of the things that we offer all of our clients, if you would like it and I'm just going to share this real quick, we call. This is called the Provenance app. Have you heard of this app before?
11:33
Ryan Steward
No.
11:34
Brandon Billings Reber
So Provenance is an app, is actually featured in Vogue when they popped up. One of the cool things about them is that you have the ceremony script builder, you have a vow builder. And this also does have some AI options in it. But because you're using a friend to do your wedding, we can put all three of you in here and then like in here we have it's listing me as the wedding planner. I'm not the wedding planner but it typically sells this to wedding planners. And I was like, that's a cool system. I want it. But we can put your officiant in here as well and the three of you can work together to build out your ceremony script. And like it gives you cues, it gives you all the fun stuff to say.
12:13
Brandon Billings Reber
Like it's a lot in here for you to be able to play with. It also tells you a little bit about what you're aiming for. Like what's your target length for the ceremony? What's the current length based on it, what the tone is. There's a lot of cool stuff in here. You can add in any kind of readings or rituals from over 1600 different worldwide traditions.
12:33
Ryan Steward
Cool.
12:34
Brandon Billings Reber
So lots of cool stuff.
12:35
Ryan Steward
Yeah, I think we're planning on doing like the knot tying thing is what we.
12:40
Brandon Billings Reber
Nice.
12:40
Ryan Steward
Yeah.
12:41
Brandon Billings Reber
Okay. That is an awesome way to go. And so the kelpic knot tying.
12:46
Ryan Steward
Yep. Yeah.
12:47
Brandon Billings Reber
Perfect. Yep. Cool. And then talk to me a little bit about the proposal story who proposed to me.
12:52
Ryan Steward
So I proposed to her, and went on vacation, and I had a friend that I met through school that was a foreign exchange student that was from France. So went to France for her wedding, but we stopped in Paris for a few days and went to Versailles. And then I proposed right outside of the palace of Versailles, like, kind of on the steps there. So we got some really cool, pretty pictures. It was kind of. I was stressed because the place that I had initially picked there was under construction. So we got down to, like, the fountain that I wanted to do it in front of, and it was just green and, like, construction stuff everywhere. So I made her wait all day long, and then I finally, like, did it at the end at the palace steps again.
13:35
Ryan Steward
And then we had just a random girl take photos for us, and she absolutely crushed it. Like. Like, people think that I hired, like, some secret photographer, but it was just some completely random girl.
13:51
Brandon Billings Reber
Oh, that's amazing. I love that. And I love that, like, having to adjust on the fly because things are not where you wanted them to be is kind of a cool. It makes that story just that much more perfect. Like, get amazing photos and a great story.
14:07
Ryan Steward
Yeah.
14:09
Brandon Billings Reber
So how did you guys choose the date? July 27?
14:12
Ryan Steward
It was kind of, like, the few availability that they had for us, and then it was one of those where initially Sierra didn't want to have an odd year, and so apparently she went just odd everything. So 7 27, 25 was kind of where it ended up. We know it's gonna be hot that time of year, but we're prepared for that. And then it was kind of. It worked best for our schedule. Sierra originally wanted to try and get married in the fall, but I told her that's when our hunting seasons usually are. So she was like, okay, I don't want you gone during our anniversary every year, so we're gonna figure it out and do it before then.
14:49
Brandon Billings Reber
So I love that. And did you and I talk at the Sedona Bridal Expo?
14:54
Ryan Steward
I have not been to either one. Sierra went to both, I believe. I can't remember which one she talked to you at, because some of these.
15:02
Brandon Billings Reber
Details are starting to sound very familiar. I was like. I remember talking to a young lady who was talking about her fiance. Hunted. That's why they were getting married in July. And I think that must be you guys. So what's your.
15:16
Ryan Steward
What's your Animal of choice, whatever I can get drawn for like here in Arizona. So it's like. But I've got more into archery in the last like couple years. So that's been my new obsession.
15:26
Brandon Billings Reber
That puts you in line with over the counter tags.
15:29
Ryan Steward
Yep. Yeah. So I do that. Like I've been playing around with that a bunch. I had an archery elk tag last year, but wasn't able to get one unfortunately. But I had a amazing two weeks out in the woods, so it was great.
15:40
Brandon Billings Reber
Gotta love that. I know that's getting tags is always the fun of it. Like I have a bow and I just don't have time to like learn to use it.
15:49
Ryan Steward
Yeah.
15:49
Brandon Billings Reber
And a proper way where I could actually hunt with it. So it's rifle for me. And I think it took me five years to get drawn just for deer.
15:55
Ryan Steward
Yeah. No, it's. It's crazy. Like Sierra hunts with me as well and like the first year I put her in, she got drawn, of course. And then she has been drawn since.
16:06
Brandon Billings Reber
The way it works.
16:07
Ryan Steward
Yep.
16:07
Brandon Billings Reber
Awesome. So who else have you booked besides just the venue?
16:11
Ryan Steward
So right now we're working with a cake person. And then our next thing after getting a DJ is going to be our photographer. We haven't committed to a photographer yet. So we're going to start doing the interview stuff for that. And then we're doing our food through Orchard Canyon. So they're letting use their kitchen and staff and stuff. So we're curating a menu with their head chef guy down there.
16:33
Brandon Billings Reber
Gotcha. So are they. I know you said they're trying to use this to kind of help build some excitement for Orchard. Are they kind of doing like a shoot that day as well? Like they're going to have photographers there taking a lot of photos of everything.
16:46
Ryan Steward
Going on that hasn't been discussed yet. But I feel like their guy is probably like either that they're either going to piggyback and take some of our photos or they're going to have some. Like the manager down there loves to take like nature pictures and stuff. So I'm sure he'll probably be like floating around and trying to snap some photos during that as well. Help with their. Their PR stuff.
17:06
Brandon Billings Reber
Gotcha. Okay, cool. Just questions for my own knowledge on that one. So talk to me about some of the importance of your wedding day. Like for yourself. What do you feel like are the most important things that you want to see happen that day?
17:18
Ryan Steward
I think we're big on just the like kind of everyone getting to actually have fun and not be super busy and task oriented the whole time. We're trying to be like more casual. Not have like a bunch of like. Oh, like be here at this time. Be here at that time. Like photos are here like that. We don't want to be like running around the whole time. We want to like enjoy and be in the moment. I think is very important to us. So we've talked a lot about that. Like not having a very like super structured thing.
17:45
Brandon Billings Reber
Gotcha.
17:46
Ryan Steward
So that. Yeah, just having fun having our people there and then like not. Not stressing which Sierra. Sierra can struggle back and forth with being. Being a boss at her work. She has trouble letting go sometimes.
17:58
Brandon Billings Reber
Yes, I completely understand that. So in looking at orchard Canyon as well, because they don't have any photos about weddings there as of yet, of course. Are you guys kind of doing everything outside or will there be some inside?
18:12
Ryan Steward
So we're going to get the actual ceremony where we get married will be in the orchard canyon, which is like the apple orchard in the back. So we'll have. We'll be there. So the plan would be to have just kind of like one simple microphone speaker or whatever for that. Like something nice and easy. And then the like cocktail hour will be out in front of the lodge. They have a big lawn area there and that will also be where the post like dinner, dancing and stuff will be. The actual dinner will be inside of the lodge.
18:44
Brandon Billings Reber
Okay, sorry. Just taking a couple of notes. Even though my AI brain is on the call with us sometimes it misses some of the little details that I want. So I want to make sure you're good. Okay, cool. That's perfect. That kind of gives me an idea of what you need speaker wise and who of my team is probably going to be the better fit for you. So. Yeah. Cool. And let's talk about music ideas. So one of the big things we always send over is like three to five songs to think about that are some of your favorites. What are some of your favorite songs that you're hoping to incorporate that day?
19:18
Ryan Steward
So I think we're kind of all over the board in our music genre stuff. Like we like everything from like country and like the like americana stuff to like old school like hip hop and rap. So I think we're. We're pretty open. We don't want a lot of the like what are they like a team dance on like cupid shuffle, like stuff like that. We don't, we don't care about having like that kind of like line dancing stuff. We do have our wedding songs from an artist named pokey lafarge, who's, like, not super well known, but he's kind of. He's got a very old soul and a new body kind of vibe to him, which is cool.
19:56
Brandon Billings Reber
I like the sound of that.
19:57
Ryan Steward
Yep. And then, yeah, like, I think we just want kind of like, that fun. Like, a lot of the people are going to be in the, like, 30 to 50 range, so kind of that late 90s, early 2000s stuff will probably be, like, kind of our. Our hits to get people, like, out moving around and then mixed in with some newer and older things outside of that.
20:15
Brandon Billings Reber
Okay, I like that already. So I've been a DJ for 22 years, which means I started djing kind of right in the beginning of that 2000, like, 2001 to, like, 2010 club era.
20:33
Ryan Steward
Yeah, I feel like that was. It was like a fun time there.
20:36
Brandon Billings Reber
Yeah, it was good to be in a club. All right, perfect. Cool. And then thinking about your wedding day, we're going to actually jump a year ahead. So let's go to next year. This time a year out from your wedding. What do you want your guests to think about your wedding day at that time?
20:57
Ryan Steward
I want people to think about, like, it was fun and laid back, and they weren't stressed. They had a great time. Like, I've had weddings where I've been put. Put to work a lot. Like, I've been in a lot of weddings, so I felt like I was just kind of, like, doing things the entire time and not actually relaxing or getting to enjoy and, like, be in the moment. So I want people to just have that where they're. They're in it, they're involved, and they're not, like, having to worry about things.
21:26
Brandon Billings Reber
I love that. Okay, cool. And I will tell you a lot of what's going to make that work for you guys and for sierra to really be able to let go is going to be the communication leading up.
21:36
Ryan Steward
Right.
21:37
Brandon Billings Reber
And so as you're interviewing folks, ask them about how they're going to communicate with you. How do you get the music over to them? How do you build timelines? How do we. All that stuff together? We're going to go over that together tonight. But it's kind of one of the biggest questions that most couples forget to ask. So we always like to make sure that you know that's a big one to think on. And so other side of that coin, tell me something that if it happened at your wedding, you'd want to crawl into a hole and never come out.
22:06
Ryan Steward
I think I feel like we're pretty laid back. Like, I can't think of like a real catastrophic event. Like, went to a wedding where the like the power cut out and it was fine. Like, not like, I understand that's like a thing I wouldn't. That wouldn't be like a crawl in the whole die thing. Like, it would suck momentarily, but I feel like we would have a backup plan for that. But outside of that, like, I think like a. Some kind of like an equipment collapse or something. Like it fell on somebody or like if the dance floor collapsed and I made a fool of myself or fell on something. Like, I feel like that would be a pretty crawl in the hole kind of moment.
22:40
Brandon Billings Reber
Got it. Perfect. I always ask that question and like, what I'm actually looking for is if you start talking about family dynamics, is my first. Like, maybe you're not the right couple for me. Because that can always be an interesting thing to try to navigate. So cool. Alrighty. And so far as we've been talking, what questions have you come up with or are on your head that you want to get out?
23:04
Ryan Steward
I'm trying to think. Like, Thera had a whole list of stuff, I'm sure finders around here.
23:10
Brandon Billings Reber
No worries. I know she's on her way home. And you guys are in Sedona, right?
23:14
Ryan Steward
We're in Flagstaff.
23:16
Brandon Billings Reber
I didn't know that.
23:17
Ryan Steward
Yeah.
23:18
Brandon Billings Reber
Okay.
23:19
Ryan Steward
Of course, her being. Her being the boss, she got trapped at work late, which always happens, so.
23:25
Brandon Billings Reber
And does she work in the canyon then?
23:27
Ryan Steward
No. So she works up here. She. She works at a property called the place at Forest Ridge.
23:32
Brandon Billings Reber
Oh, okay.
23:35
Ryan Steward
So she manages an apartment community. And that's kind of her. Her thing up here.
23:39
Brandon Billings Reber
Gotcha. And with all the construction that we're dealing with here in town, traffic gets a little nutty right now.
23:46
Ryan Steward
Yeah.
23:46
Brandon Billings Reber
So I totally get it.
23:49
Ryan Steward
Yeah. And who knows? It's like she always tries to get out the door and then somebody grabs her for something. So.
23:53
Brandon Billings Reber
Choice of being the boss.
23:55
Ryan Steward
Yeah, exactly. I'm sure as I say, I bet you know all about that.
23:59
Brandon Billings Reber
Yes. So a couple of things to think on for your big day. And one of the things I'm trying to think on, first and foremost, as you're looking at our packages, you want to be looking at either the DJ Joe package or my package. Those are the two you want to keep your eyes on. My newest DJ Jerry. I don't think he's going to be the right fit for you guys. And that's just because he is still learning his voice when it comes to controlling a wedding.
24:28
Ryan Steward
Yeah.
24:29
Brandon Billings Reber
So I put him with folks that are more a type that want to control their wedding all day so that he just takes directions. Whereas Joe and I are the kind that's, you know, we're going to put everything together with you ahead of time. Then when we get to your day, it's, I got this, and, you know, I'll let you know what's going on as we need it.
24:47
Ryan Steward
That's perfect. I want that especially for Sierra. I feel like I'm definitely more of like the she. She dealing with all the things all the time is, like, kind of her thing. And I'm like, more like, yeah, whatever. It's fine. She likes to say she's like that, but she's definitely not like that.
25:01
Brandon Billings Reber
I totally get it. I totally get it. And that's, you know, one of the big things with us as well is, especially for myself, I tell all my couples, like, if you're having that kind of moment, I don't expect this from you, but possibly from her, where she's just getting stressed out about stuff.
25:15
Ryan Steward
Yeah.
25:15
Brandon Billings Reber
Let me know. We can walk out to the meadow. We can go out front, wherever it may be, and she can absolutely scream her complete head off at me, even if I'm not the issue, because I'm not going to see you the next day.
25:25
Ryan Steward
Yeah.
25:26
Brandon Billings Reber
You know what I mean? Like, I might run into your town later and we'll joke about it if I see a sprouts or something. I don't know. But yeah, we'll just joke about it later and laugh it off. Because if you have that kind of moment with mom, you'll never hear about it until her deathbed. That'll be the last time you hear about it. So we don't want you dealing with that. Looks like you got a pretty good binder there. Is that everything she's been kind of working on for the wedding?
25:48
Ryan Steward
Yeah. That's like, little notes and stuff and then some stuff from, like, we've had a couple other interviews. So I'm just kind of, like, looking over the last step that she had.
25:57
Brandon Billings Reber
Nice.
25:58
Ryan Steward
And then we're. So right now we're trying to figure out. We're not 100% sure if they have electricity piped out to the orchard. So do you guys carry, like, a generator or batteries or like, how do you have, like, one single speaker that you can run off of something shortly?
26:14
Brandon Billings Reber
Yeah. So for myself, typically, what I'm bringing now to ceremonies is what's called an ever speaker. It's actually battery powered and it is got a battery in it plus a jumper out so that my wireless mics connect to it directly. So the wireless receiver goes up top for me. I run two lapel mics. Those are the like collar style mics. So we put one on the efficient one on you. We'll never put one on the bride, but between all three we can hear you, no problem. And that just makes it super easy for everybody to kind of, you know, get what they need and make it work. And because it's battery powered, it makes it really nice in that regard, especially if something like power goes out of the venue. Well, great.
26:52
Brandon Billings Reber
We can still run some music because we have a speaker that doesn't need to be plugged in. So huge fan of having that. I also have one of those gigantic like Blue Eddie household battery backups that I keep in the van with me. And if power goes out for an extended period of time, we just drag that bad boy in and plug into it and we can usually get a couple hours out of it if needed.
27:14
Ryan Steward
And then have you or your. Who is it? Joe? Have you guys ever been done a wedding at Orchard?
27:21
Brandon Billings Reber
No, I said I don't think we've ever even had a request for a wedding at Orchard Canyon as of right now. So exciting to see it. But honestly, for myself, I've got over 600 weddings under my belt. There's yet to be a venue I can't walk in the door to and go, no problem.
27:37
Ryan Steward
Yeah.
27:38
Brandon Billings Reber
But if you guys want, we can schedule a site tour. So if you have like a vision that you want to just go over with me, we can do that and schedule a time for the three of us to meet down there, kind of walk through it, check it out and see what's going on and get your idea. I have one of those scheduled in May with a couple that has. The groom has a very specific idea of how he wants everything to run at the venue and like how they want dancing to go and how they want it set up. And so really figuring out how we're going to fit into that is going to be really important. So yeah, site visits are great.
28:09
Ryan Steward
Sweet. And then for our like cocktail hour, we're kind of, we're thinking like the modern like Bridgerton soundtrack kind of style. Like modern music played in like orchestra style. So is that something that you can mash up pretty easy?
28:33
Brandon Billings Reber
So I would honestly put that in front of ceremony.
28:36
Ryan Steward
Okay.
28:36
Brandon Billings Reber
Put that as pre ceremony. It's pretty mild for cocktail hour and it's very light. And so typically we recommend that as like as guests are arriving for the ceremony site, hearing that kind of thing playing. Cause they recognize it but they can't sing along to it. Whereas in cocktail hour you want it to be a bit more upbeat.
28:55
Ryan Steward
Okay?
28:55
Brandon Billings Reber
Yeah. So if you think of music on a scale of like one to a hundred being like drum and bass and one being like a funeral dirge, you want cocktail hour to be in that like 30 to 40 range. Right. Toe tappers. Upbeat enough. People aren't quite going to dance to it, but they're going to recognize it, they're going to enjoy it and it's going to get them loosened up and moving a little bit. Pre ceremony, you want to be in that like 20 to 30 range. That's also where your dinner vibe is going to be like 25 to 35 for dinner. Just to not only give guests a true direction on what they're doing, but also to control them a little bit, as weird as that sounds. Right? Yeah.
29:33
Ryan Steward
Not get them overhyped and then they have to go sit down for an hour to eat or whatever.
29:37
Brandon Billings Reber
Exactly. Same with that, like pre ceremony, you're not trying to get them super upbeat and super crazy. Because now they have to sit and be patient during your ceremony and be quiet. Whereas with dinner they can at least talk to each other. So keeping that calm but elegant vibe, it's a great way to run that kind of Bridgerton soundtrack at that time. Just a suggestion, but we'll do whatever you guys want. We're super easy in that regard. But yeah, we're also want to be the expert in your corner. Use the knowledge that we have and you know, kind of run with it.
30:08
Ryan Steward
Yeah, yeah. And then so with your packages, like what do you include with that like lighting? Like what all.
30:18
Brandon Billings Reber
So it depends on which package you're looking at. So starting with Joe's package with DJ Joe, you get Joe as your dj, you get up to six hours performance time. The dual sound system. So we have the one for ceremony, the one for the reception, and we can split a speaker off either inside or outside. Well, we can figure out how to make that work. Especially we're doing toast during dinner. We've got ways to make all that kind of happen. And then you get dance floor lighting with him. And so with that lighting, that means that you've got more of that kind of club style lighting where it's going to move, it's going to do Its kind of thing. Joe is getting closer to me where he's starting to program his lighting as well.
30:54
Brandon Billings Reber
So it programs more towards the music and lines up more in time when it comes to me. You're getting up lighting, dance floor lighting, dual sound system, six hours performance time. We're giving you the dual lapel mics. I'm recording your ceremony toast and your. Your ceremony and toast audio. I'm gonna send those to you as an MP3. You also get an audio guest book with me and you get a photo booth with me. So it's about a thousand dollar price difference and it probably should be more now that I think about it, when I talk about all the stuff that.
31:24
Ryan Steward
Comes with it, all that extra.
31:26
Brandon Billings Reber
Yeah. So you're at 2 versus 3300, depending on which one of us you look at. So we're easy in that regard. As far as like, pick what works for you. You can do Joe's package and decide to add me on. There's just a 500 upcharge to add me to any of our other packages just because I kind of have a set minimum that I'm willing to leave the house for anymore as I'm running a business and doing all the crazy stuff.
31:49
Ryan Steward
Yeah, for sure.
31:50
Brandon Billings Reber
Plus, I want my team to work. You know what I mean? I love. I'm a weird business owner. I love doing payroll and so, you know, getting. Sending folks money and hearing like, oh, we're going up to Alaska this year because of all the weddings I've got to do. It's like. I love that. It's amazing.
32:05
Ryan Steward
You're like, cool, man.
32:06
Brandon Billings Reber
You know.
32:07
Ryan Steward
Are you in Flagstaff or where are you at?
32:09
Brandon Billings Reber
I am, yeah. I'm in Sunnyside, actually. So our office is also there in Sunnyside if you know where the 4th Street Professional Building is across the street from Cal Ranch.
32:17
Ryan Steward
Okay.
32:18
Brandon Billings Reber
We're in that building. So. Yeah, I mean, we're appointment only in there because a lot of times we're set up for like mixes or just all kinds of stuff in there. We're playing with lighting. It's it. It's a tiny office, not a lot of space.
32:31
Ryan Steward
And then if we Would we be able to talk to Joe, like if we decided to go with you guys, would were able to talk to him before we made a commitment?
32:39
Brandon Billings Reber
Absolutely. You absolutely could. You can call our phone number, the 928-224-2523. And he is option. I want to say three, but you'll hear the IVR when you call in.
32:53
Ryan Steward
Okay.
32:54
Brandon Billings Reber
Yeah. And then the other big question, what's the cost to lock in with RDJ? It's 25% of whatever package price you've chosen.
33:04
Ryan Steward
Okay. And then just like the rest, before wedding day or a week?
33:15
Brandon Billings Reber
30 days. Yes, 30 days before your wedding is when that's due. But in our planning portal, you're actually able to make payments if you choose to. Yeah.
33:25
Ryan Steward
No extra fee for payment plan or anything?
33:27
Brandon Billings Reber
Yeah. And we don't even set up a payment plan if you want to do that. We do offer through Stripe. We do have financing through either a firm or Klarna is the other one. But that's between you and them. If you want that link, I'll send.
33:42
Ryan Steward
It to you and we should be fine. It's just trying to schedule the money going out, you know, 100.
33:49
Brandon Billings Reber
And that's a question we get often. So we finally have the ability to offer it. So I'm actually really excited about it, but most of our clients are not going to use it. We have a very select few that want that option, but we want to make sure that they have it if they want it.
34:00
Ryan Steward
Yeah.
34:02
Brandon Billings Reber
And I'm also going to give you, let me give you a login password for us. It's going to be your last name and the number 23, all run together, all lowercase. Let me just make sure I have everything set up here. I do. Okay, cool. Now what I'm going to do with you is I'm just going to do a quick screen share. You'll be seeing our website. This is where you probably went in to do the check availability or the one down here.
34:30
Ryan Steward
Yep.
34:31
Brandon Billings Reber
On here. Now click this client login button. You can go in and place your wedding date. And we are 27, 25. Perfect. And with this is going to be what we call our perfect blend planning portal. So in here you'll see a few different things. How many days to your big day, your balance. This is based on Joe's package right now. And as you guys are thinking, you can kind of go from. From there. I've got a certain end time of 4 to 10, so that's pretty typically what we see. And it sounds like you guys are shooting for about a 4:00 start time.
35:04
Ryan Steward
Yep. Yeah, that sounds about right.
35:05
Brandon Billings Reber
In here, planning forms is going to be the big thing that you're going to want to play with. So in the planning forms, you're going to have a timeline pre built. You can go in here and tweak this. This is a. What you see is what you get editor. So like, daughter has a missing T. We'll just throw that in there and you're good. But you can tweak any of this. Get rid of it. We already know that you guys are doing the Celtic knot tying ceremony. Is that the right. Tying. That's one of those words that like, my brain just does not.
35:35
Ryan Steward
Yeah, I know, man. And well, especially after you look at stuff for too long too, you're like, is that right? I don't know.
35:40
Brandon Billings Reber
Did I mess that up?
35:41
Ryan Steward
Yeah.
35:42
Brandon Billings Reber
So, yep, there you go. So you've got that in there now. And now we kind of have that as part of your ceremony and a rough estimate of time. Honestly, most couples don't take 30 minutes for their ceremony.
35:51
Ryan Steward
Yeah. Being pretty quick.
35:55
Brandon Billings Reber
So, yeah, leave this 30 minutes in there though, because that gives you some leeway on either side. In the event somebody's running late, that's super important, like a parent or a grandparent or something like that. Having a hard time getting through the canyon. You got an extra 10 or 15 minutes to play with. So we're big fans of making sure you have that extra time. Other than that. Yeah. This is built based on essentially the last 12 years of me doing weddings and what I've seen run the smoothest. But put this how you want and get rid of the stuff you're not going to do. So if you're not doing garter, you're not doing bouquet, you just click the trash cans. You get rid of them. You know, you don't do parent dances. Get rid of them. It's your wedding. Do you.
36:34
Ryan Steward
And then so if like at the end of the night, 10 o'clock rolls around, like, the vibes are great, like, is there an option to extend your guy or anything? Or you.
36:43
Brandon Billings Reber
Yeah, you can. And what's cool about that is it's typically 250 an hour to extend with us and you pay that directly to the DJ that night. It's the same if you book it now or if you book it then. So we tell everybody, book it then. And that is something that. Because that is 100% the DJs time, it 100% goes to the DJ. I'm. Yeah. Again, I'm a weird business owner.
37:07
Ryan Steward
You're so supportive. It's like, man, I wish my work was like this.
37:11
Brandon Billings Reber
And I think that's part of it is like, I've been through so many places that weren't, but I'm like, I'm not gonna be that guy. Cool. So next big thing under planning Forms is a sweating worksheet. This thing's massive. And it's supposed to because this is going to give you all the details about your big day. So now, ceremony about 4:30. This is going to be the Orchard Canyon slash, call it a lawn. Guest arriving around 3:30. And actually we'll make a note here. No power available. Prelude music. Kind of what were just talking about is that, you know, Bridgerton style covers. Then from there, what's everybody walking into? Do you want a separate song for grandparents, parents and a bridesmaids and groomsmen? Do we want one for all of them and then one for our bride?
38:05
Brandon Billings Reber
You know, this is how we start planning out your day and planning out all the little songs that you're going to need. Cool. 11 is recessional. This is when everyone gets confused on. This is when you two are officially husband and wife. You're walking back down the aisle. What's playing? So the big difference between me and pretty much every other DJ I know of with recessional song, most other DJs, most musicians are going to start that song after your officiant says, I now pronounce you, ladies and gentlemen, I am introducing you to your newlyweds, you know, Mr. And Mrs. Or however you want to be announced. I start the song when you go in for that first kiss. So when the officiant says, you may now kiss your bride, you may not kiss each other.
38:43
Brandon Billings Reber
I'm starting this song because I want that Hollywood cinematic moment in your wedding. And then I bring it back down for them to make that announcement. So I love those little touches because it just ties everything so much more together and just brings your guest in even more. Right. We're creating emotions. And one of my favorite things I've been telling couples this year is that, and it may add some pressure to you guys, so don't let it. It's just something to think about. This group of people you're getting together for your wedding, your guests, your bridal party, you two, you will never get them together for anything ever again. Right? You can get the biggest elk ever and mounted on your wall, three of them are going to come see it.
39:25
Ryan Steward
Right?
39:27
Brandon Billings Reber
Right. If you two decide to have kids later on, three people are going to come and visit. Five people, if you're lucky, maybe 10. Hey, who knows? But getting all these same people together for anything is just not going to happen. So you have six hours to make as many memories with them as humanly possible. And so for us, we take that really to heart. We understand that Our job is your mc is to facilitate your night so that you don't have to worry about things so that the two of you really get to spend that time with each other with your guest and make those memories. Right. Somebody coming up to you four, five, six years down the road going, hey, do you remember your wedding? Do you remember when insert thing that happened?
40:04
Brandon Billings Reber
That's the most fun I've ever had at a wedding is kind of the coolest feeling ever. It makes you realize that your wedding was the thing. And so that's what we're always aiming for.
40:13
Ryan Steward
Yeah. And that's like, I think our. Our big goal because like, together, like since we're in our mid-30s, right. So we've been in and been to a bunch of weddings at this point. So like, I want to have that moment where people come back, oh, here's was the best. Or like, oh, we had so much fun. Or that kind of feeling.
40:33
Brandon Billings Reber
Absolutely. And that's, you know, some of the upgrades that we offer are for that reason as well, like our photo booth and stuff like that one that we're offering now. And I'm gonna, I'm actually testing him April 12th. So if you guys are around April 12th, it's the pansy party over at the Gardens of Violas.
40:50
Ryan Steward
Okay.
40:52
Brandon Billings Reber
We're gonna be performing there midday, like 12 to 2 or something. 12 to 1, something 12 to 4. I don't remember what time they won't be there. I'm gonna be bringing out a saxophonist with me because this year we're adding an upgrade to my packages that will allow you to add a saxophonist during dancing. And basically we bring him out for the last two hours of dancing and we stick a wireless mic on him and drop him into the middle of the dance floor with you. So you get that live music DJ combo. We call it a hybrid event. So yeah, lots of fun stuff like that. Anyway, back into the planning world. I could get lost sometimes. I love talking about planning weddings. So from there is going to be cocktail hour details.
41:33
Brandon Billings Reber
We know we're going to need a cocktail hour system and basically just a speaker for that. And that technically not the same as a reception because dinner is going to be inside and dance floor and then will there be cover for our DJ out there?
41:54
Ryan Steward
So right as of right now, I don't think that there's a tent up. We're debating whether or not to like rent up awnings or anything. But as of right now, I don't believe there's any okay. Anything there?
42:06
Brandon Billings Reber
Because our DJs, our gear will need to be covered. It will need to be undercover. So typically we put that on the couple because then you can get the stuff that matches your aesthetic instead of us showing up with like, you know, a light blue company branded kind of thing. Right.
42:22
Ryan Steward
We want it to match you easy up.
42:25
Brandon Billings Reber
Yeah, exactly. At least we'll bring in Au. No, I'm kidding. But from there, cocktail hour music. What kind of music do you want for that grand introduction? You know, do you want to introduce everybody under the sun, just the two of you again, this is just here to give you space to kind of fill everything out and figure out what you want to do. Exactly. It's. We like to call it the third brain because that's exactly what it becomes for the two of you. We even ask how you want to be introduced. And for me, I ask what your wedding colors are. Reason for that is because I program all of the lighting to go with the music. So like the up lights, the dance floor lighting, everything that comes with me will move in time with the music when we get to dancing.
43:05
Brandon Billings Reber
So it'll like fade and fall in time with the song. If there's a build up, it's going to steadily build up to a brighter light, then drop out kind of thing. Like, we want that club vibe, we want that feel, and we want that emotion coming from the lighting to help move your dance floor.
43:20
Ryan Steward
Yeah.
43:21
Brandon Billings Reber
From there it's going to be things like details of reception. Are you allowing toast and if so, who's going to do them? And the one thing I will tell every couple to shy away from open toasting, do not do that to yourselves. If anything, if you have a lot of folks that are like, we want to give words, we want to leave some messages for you. Either do our photo booth or do our audio guest book. The audio guest book's a big one because it's not terribly expensive upgrade. It's like 250 bucks. But that allows your guests to leave a message to the two of you and then that way you don't have an hour and a half of people talking on a microphone. Yeah, because that's what will happen. Are you doing a blessing for dinner?
43:59
Brandon Billings Reber
It sounds like no, because you said non religious. Perfect. Thought so. But I'd never like to assume then from there is dinner music, what kind of music is playing and what's cool with either myself or Joe. You can go in here and under this select music, you can literally just load all your favorite songs into there. And we'll take it from there. We will divide and conquer where everything should go. So you guys don't have to worry about that.
44:21
Ryan Steward
I was gonna ask about that because we've. We've established. We started making like a Spotify playlist and just like dropping songs in. So.
44:28
Brandon Billings Reber
Yep. You can also just send us that link.
44:31
Ryan Steward
Cool.
44:31
Brandon Billings Reber
And actually along those lines, let me dive over to there real quick since we're on the subject. There's a Connect Spotify button here.
44:37
Ryan Steward
Oh, cool.
44:38
Brandon Billings Reber
So you can actually connect it and start pulling stuff over to line out where you like them. We give you a couple different lists. We give you a must play. If you can get to these. Great. We hate these. Don't play them. That's essentially every group dance. And then any special requests, you can add those in here. A lot of what you pull from Spotify is going to end up down here, but you're able to plug it into a few other spots. But that just gives us an idea of your favorite stuff and which way to take you guys. Because as I tell my team, it's not good enough to just play the songs they wanted to hear. You gotta find those gems they forgot about.
45:09
Ryan Steward
Yeah.
45:09
Brandon Billings Reber
That's when we get that amazing moment of like, oh my God, I love this song. And everybody coming running out to the dance floor, right? Yeah, we love those moments. They're amazing. Those are memories. I will say one of my favorite dance form moments. I had a groom and during one of our consultations, I was asking about some of their favorite music. I said, is there anything that's on the list that or is not on the list that you were hoping to get played but you couldn't figure out? And he goes, yeah. And he's kind of shy. And I was like, well, what is it? And his bride starts laughing. She goes, he loves Alanis Morissette. I was like, cool. She's like, we just don't know where to plug that in. I found an EDM remix to an Alanis Morissette song.
45:47
Brandon Billings Reber
And we hid his bridal party and his parents off to the side because were in viola. So we had the, you know, dance floor one side, we had the hall on the other. Hid them in the hallway, gave them all the little like light up foam LED batons, said, this song's specially for our groom. Started playing it and then they all just come out, surround him, like at the light, at batons. And like, it's the first time I've seen a groom cry. That wasn't the ceremony Right. I was like, that's a memory. So, yeah, that's a cool moment. We love those moments. We've also thrown wedding mosh pits because sometimes we have grooms that like that kind of music and we want to make sure everyone gets what they want, so.
46:25
Brandon Billings Reber
But yeah, other than that, going back into the wedding worksheet, you know, other things that we didn't look at yet. You got things like, are you providing a meal for the dj? We do ask that question just so that we know, is that a required.
46:36
Ryan Steward
Thing for you guys or not? Okay.
46:37
Brandon Billings Reber
No, not at all. We ask because if a. If it's a buffet and you're feeding us, that tells us when to send your photography team. So we like to send them early. If it's plated or if it's a no, that tells our dj, hey, bring a meal with you. Yeah, that's why we ask. Okay. It's more for logistics than anything, as weird as we are. Other than that, little songs like Cake cutting song. Yes. If you're cutting cake, you need a song. If you're doing bouquet toss, guard, or any of that. We also ask if you want to do a game during the reception. Some couples do, some don't. I don't think that fits you guys.
47:09
Ryan Steward
But yeah, I think we're leaning away from all that.
47:12
Brandon Billings Reber
Smart. Honestly. Just get rid of some of those traditions. First dance goes here. If you're doing one. Parent dances as well. And then last dance or any special announcements on here or group dances. Cupid shuffle, Cha, Slime, Separate. Cool. Just gonna make a note. So we've got it in there, but yeah. Any questions on that form and how that works?
47:40
Ryan Steward
No, it looks awesome, man. Like I said, it's like a good little second, third brain or whatever to have.
47:45
Brandon Billings Reber
So cool. All right, last two pieces. We talked about the select music already a little bit. We can connect Spotify. You also have under popular music charts all kinds of suggestions for things from country to slow, best of the 50s, dawn anniversary dances, bouquet toss, cake cutting songs. So I will tell you, the one that gets used the most is the cake cutting themes. The further you get, the weirder it gets. So, like we go to page four. We're going to find How Low by Ludacris in here. So, you know, there's all kinds of stuff in here to use it as kind of just inspiration. Go in and look at the songs. You might look at it and go, not that one. But it does make me think of knife on the song. So then the Last big thing is the billing and payments.
48:29
Brandon Billings Reber
So in here is where you will see your kind of package options. We've talked about the Joe package right now. So that's what we're going to put initial payment on. That's 575 click make payment. This will allow you to do. Credit card is Square, bottom is PayPal. So it's up to you. Venmo is an option because it's part of PayPal. I, for some reason it's a pain. I wouldn't even bother use the credit card or the PayPal option and that way we're both even more protected. Both Square and PayPal were chosen because of their great protection for both us as the seller and you as the buyer. So, yeah, what questions can I answer?
49:06
Ryan Steward
And then with Joe. How long Has Joe been DJing?
49:10
Brandon Billings Reber
Five years? Five, six, almost six. I started him in 2019.
49:16
Ryan Steward
Cool. He's been with you the whole time?
49:18
Brandon Billings Reber
Yes, he has. Yeah.
49:20
Ryan Steward
Did he. What did he do before? Do you know? Or I guess we can talk with him to get.
49:24
Brandon Billings Reber
No. So cool things about Joe. Joe is a drummer. So he's been a drummer in a Pink Floyd cover band. A drummer in a real big Fish cover band. So he's got a lot of musical knowledge. He's a guitarist. He's like, he's a father of two and his wife actually owns catering company. So before how I met Joe was at a wedding. He was actually bartending and working in the catering company. And I was just having an absolute rager of a wedding. We were had the dance floor rocking, having a great time, and he walked up to me and he goes, I want to do what you do. I said, cool, let's talk. And loved his personality and just brought him on. And that's been the big thing for me. I hired a personality before. I will hire a talent.
50:05
Brandon Billings Reber
I can teach you talent. I can teach you how to dj, I can teach you how to emcee. I cannot teach you a personality if you have the personality of a shoe. It's just that simple.
50:15
Ryan Steward
So I'm a big proprietor of that as well. Like not teach personality.
50:21
Brandon Billings Reber
Yeah, it's tough or impossible, as I like to say. So, yeah, from here, I'm holding your date for the next seven days. But before I let you go, I always like to ask the question, on a scale of say, 1 to 10, how well do you think we fit your wedding as a company?
50:35
Ryan Steward
I'd say you guys are probably like up there, like probably an 8 or so, right? Now, so I gotta, I obviously gotta confirm with the wifey, so.
50:44
Brandon Billings Reber
Absolutely. And I was hoping she would make it, but traffic is terrible today.
50:49
Ryan Steward
Yeah, she always, she gets hung up quite a bit. I'm used to her whenever she says I'll be home at a certain time. I was at an hour, so no worries.
50:57
Brandon Billings Reber
And if you guys need to do another call like this with me, feel free to click the link and book it. I'm happy to chat with you. If you want to meet in person, we can do that as well. Shoot us a text or give us a call, shoot me an email, whatever you want to do. Your dates on hold with me now for the next seven days. So you get a full week to decide if I'm going to be your DJ or if Joe's going to be your DJ or if we're going to be your team, whatever it may be. But yeah, you'll see all of our pricing on our website and then did.
51:20
Ryan Steward
You guys have any? Since she saw you at the wedding expo, was there any discount or like add on stuff for that or was that. I know some. Doing a little extra special things or whatever.
51:31
Brandon Billings Reber
Yeah. So if you go with Joe, you're going to get a free audio guest book. And if you go with me, then we'll take the $250 off my package price.
51:44
Ryan Steward
Okay.
51:47
Brandon Billings Reber
So up to you.
51:51
Ryan Steward
Cool. Alrighty.
51:54
Brandon Billings Reber
And I've added that in so you'll see that the next time you log in.
51:56
Ryan Steward
Cool.
51:57
Brandon Billings Reber
That's a great reminder. Thank you. It's been about a month, so yeah, those things. All right, let's see here. Cool. Other than that. I was going to say our packages are here. You can also see our photo booth items. If you're debating between the two, you can see some of that. We've just updated this page as well. When you go down a little bit, you'll see a bit more about our AI edits. This one's hilarious. We always tell everybody the AI does weird things when two people are involved. In this case, they were using our Viking edit and it turned both of them into men. Same here. We had a gentleman and just a great little, yeah, Southwestern Arizona cowboy.
52:38
Ryan Steward
He looks like he was made for that.
52:41
Brandon Billings Reber
So we love that you kind of see some of the stuff that we offer and how we do it and it's pretty cool. The AI tech. I really love it. We actually just added a new feature as well. It's a pretty hefty add on. It takes our. It's our Lux lens booth and then it's an additional 750 so it becomes a fifteen hundred dollar total photo booth. But it allows your guests to do trading cards where they can print them up that night and actually have a plastic sleeve trading card to take home with them. Branded for your wedding. Yeah. Kind of crazy. And the reason it's so expensive is because there's a higher cost for us to do it and we have to bring a second person in to have them actually run the photo booth online.
53:22
Ryan Steward
Yeah.
53:23
Brandon Billings Reber
So yeah, lots of cool stuff. So other than that, any questions I can answer? I know we've been over a lot of stuff in a very short.
53:30
Ryan Steward
I think I'm good at the moment. And then yeah, I'm sure Sierra, I'll have a bunch more stuff so if, if need be, we'll jump back on a call and stuff with you, but sounds good.
53:38
Brandon Billings Reber
And like I said, give Joe a call on our 7,000ft of sound line. Click over to Joe. He may not respond right away. I'm also going to copy him when I email you here in just a few minutes. That way you have his email. He's also a nurse here in Flag and so he works a lot of 12 hour days, three days in a row kind of thing. So if he's in the midst of a three day shift, he's not going to get back to you.
54:01
Ryan Steward
Do you know where I, I'm medical as well? Where, where does what unit does he work on or where does he work?
54:07
Brandon Billings Reber
I think he's at fmc, but I don't know what unit he works on.
54:10
Ryan Steward
Yeah, I'm a flight medic with Guardian Air. So I've run all around the hospital, so.
54:17
Brandon Billings Reber
Yeah. And all over the state. You've got a job. So did you. So a woman I went to high school with, her name was Jill, used to be a Guardian Air nurse.
54:30
Ryan Steward
Yeah, yeah, I know. I've known Jill for a long time.
54:34
Brandon Billings Reber
Yeah. Ask Jill about Brandon Billings Reber and she'll. She'll tell you all about me. She and I went to school for a very long time. She's amazing people.
54:41
Ryan Steward
Yeah, she's a sweetheart.
54:43
Brandon Billings Reber
Yeah. I mean that's typical FLAG set though, right? We all three degrees from each other. Awesome, Ryan. Well, I appreciate you and thank you for what you do. I really appreciate that. It's not a fun job being an EMT in any way, shape or form, let alone on a helicopter. You got to get the worst of the worst. So thank you for keeping your sanity and I appreciate you guys. We'll talk again soon. Your dates on hold for a week. Let us know what you decide. Awesome.
55:09
Ryan Steward
Thank you so much, Brandon.
55:10
Brandon Billings Reber
Thanks. Bye.