Building Social Media & Business with Dominic of The Wedding Duo – E143

Welcome everybody to the Wedding Songs Podcast.

I am Matt Campbell Have you been planning your wedding or looking up weddings on TikTok? Instagram social media then you’ve definitely heard of The Wedding Duo. Well, today’s guest I have Dominic and they’re based out of San Antonio Columbus Ohio and they of course like every other wedding business, will go worldwide So welcome to the show Dominic Thank you so much for having me, Matthew.

We’ve been walking these similar paths for years now, haven’t we. As you said in the preview, we met at the wedding MBA, which is, it’s hard to believe, but you know, it is the, the main conference for wedding pros to attend. Yeah. Well, the wedding duo at that point was just a, it’s just a cute little seedling coming through the soil, but, we are the.

You know, I don’t know oak tree. You know, we’re like a, you know, midsize tree. I don’t know But but yeah, I always say if you’re engaged There’s a good chance my big bald head has come across there for you page at some point, right? Right doing doing some song suggestions And and that’s why I wanted to have you on the show today because I wanted to talk about your success in business and weddings But before we get started with that, I have to start off with an intro question Can you just share details of a unique wedding moment that you had?

 Where do you begin? Right? we’ve had, so many over the years, right? But for me, it’s, I tell people I attend parties for a living, so it’s a pretty good gig, honestly. I mean, I love what I do. I mean, I get to be not just at the party, but you know, a huge part of the party. Right? ’cause that’s what people remember.

They think the dj, they think of the music and the dance parties. But, I love it when it’s just when the couple tell me Our families love the dance. And I’m like, that’s good. I mean, maybe it’s just not often both sides, but sometimes people, they’re like, that’s what my family. They just know they’ve been doing a family events.

They do this. So when they say that, I’m like, okay, you know, I was like, and we’ve had so many great moments there where, where it’s just, I build up to this moment where we have this epic dance floor and it’s like fish in a barrel and you just can’t do it.

You can do no wrong because it’s not always that way. But, but we had one recently where the bride was a Swifty, you know, which is, that’s a, that’s a thing right now. and somebody said, you got to play love story. And I go, it’s not time yet. I’m building up to that moment. And she had all her friends and family in a big circle.

And I, and she was out there dancing with her girls and I was, where’s the groom? I need the group. So I found him and he’s back there. Smoking and joking with his buddies. So I drag him out on the dance floor and it’s the part where it’s like, he took a knee and pulled out a ring and I’m like, I was on the mic.

I said, do the thing, Matthew, do the thing. And he goes down on his knee and pulls out the ring and everybody’s singing and bouncing around and the bride was just like beaming. And I mean, I was, Oh my God. And I captured it. So it’s on a video out there somewhere, but, Those moments where I’m just like, afterwards you’re like, oh my God, I couldn’t have scripted it better, but you gotta get the right moment.

You gotta build up to it and hit the song. I’m like, oh yeah. It was good. It was good. Well, I, I think going off of that, it’s knowing your couples and knowing that moment and that you just made that moment extra special for that couple to, to know, to pull the groom in and do all those things, you know, a a plus, A plus.

Well, it’s not even that. There’s, you know, there’s nights where you open the dance floor and people dance for a minute and then they spread out. They’re still eating, serving cake. They’re still talking. They haven’t talked to anybody. And then, you know, you maybe have some of the kids running around there.

And one of the little girls, the flower girl says, can you play Taylor Swift? And I could have done love story there, but I’m like, I’m like, no, no, no, no. Let’s do, a different, there’s plenty of Taylor Swift songs to choose from, but I’m like, no, no, no. That one’s behind glass. There’s a moment. I’m going to use that one later.

And in my head, I had planned, but you know, yo but that night, boy, it s you’re right. It’s like i log a few hours running a

Right. So before we go any further, can you just please introduce yourself to the listeners? Sure. My name is Dominic Fournier. I am half of the wedding duo. My wife, Serena, is a wedding planner. So, which I always have to remember that when we work together, we don’t always work together. This weekend I’m in Dallas and then I’m in, St.

Augustine, Florida, actually, for two weddings and back to back weekends. But she’s not going with me. But we work together a lot. And I always forget the guests don’t know we’re married. And I guarantee you there have been guests that have said, The DJ’s kind of handsy with the plan. I’m like, ah, I forget, keep your hands in your pocket dj.

But, but we do, we do a lot of weddings together. We do weddings separate. We do a lot of, so, social media content. we also have a podcast. We don’t have as many episodes. I think we went over, just, just went over 80. So we’re not the lofty 140 plus as you have, but 1 41 with me, maybe I, I think 1 43.

Oh, okay. Well, you go, I’ll round out the 1 44 then. But we do, we still have our business down in San Antonio. We have five DJs and three planners. And they’re just doing their thing. We have management down there. but we now have property up here right outside of Columbus, because at some point I don’t want to time out, you know, nobody wants to be like the old DJ.

We’re like, who wants the wobble? You know? So what did we, what’s the next step? And my wife always wanted a venue. And so we’re like, okay, so we’re, it’s kind of a starter venue. We don’t know if we’re going to build, but we’re kind of renovating right now, but it’s very exciting, but we’re still doing weddings all the time.

It’s our bread and butter. Just as a side note to that. Are there decibel levels where you’re, decibel level ordinances where you’re at? we’re pretty remote. We’re not in the city. We’re about, you know, it’s 20 minutes before you start getting into proper Columbus. we’re north of the city. So, but it’s a great question because there’s times where people say like, Oh, we’re going to do a backyard wedding.

And we had that whole, whole podcast dedicated to backyard weddings. And it’s, that’s a thing you better invite the neighbors. Cause they will screw up your party or just, yeah, the noise ordinance, or you got to have it shut down at a certain time, people think like, nah, it’ll be fine. I’m like crossing your fingers and hoping is not a good policy to go off of.

Right. But, but we don’t have one here now. Okay, cool. So, Dominic, was it always the plan to build a massive social media following to promote your wedding planning and DJ businesses? Exactly what the plan. I mean, I knew TikTok right away was going to go nuts. No, of course not. it was funny because we were, it was the year, when the world cup was Postponed a little bit.

It was like COVID, all the COVID stuff. And I was watching, you know, on the sidelines, they have the little, screen that flips between sponsors and it was Coca Cola, which is pretty common. Adidas. It was a soccer tournament. So Adidas is a big hitter and then tick tock. And I’m like, Oh, tick tock, got in there.

And then it went Coca Cola, Adidas, tick tock, Coca Cola. I’m like, how is tick tock in there? And it was really new. It’s a couple of years old with the juggernaut. And so my wife’s like, we should start when I’m like, okay. So she just told me one day, Hey, where the wedding do it now? I’m like, what are we?

Okay. So she’s behind the scenes. She does all the editing and stuff. I’m just a goofball dancing monkey out front. But you know, like we said, like we just started trying stuff out and seeing what works. We did a little bit of like a husband and wife working together thing. We did a little bit of DJ thing.

And then we started doing the music thing. And oh, that’s really where it, you know, we got some traction because the brides, like most brides were like, oh my God, I’m engaged. What the heck do I do now? Right? It’s just a lot. The music is just one of those things. And even if they’re really into music, right, it can be hard to narrow it down because they’ve got so many songs bounce around their head.

So we just started saying like, Hey, let’s look at this genre. Like this one, let me break down the songs. And, man, it’s just, boy, it hit a nerve with the brides and, and the moms and the grooms occasionally, but, and other people in the industry. So it’s been really, really a fun ride to see people like really appreciate the, you know, the.

The nuances to each song and each spot of that song in the wedding. Yeah, it’s interesting when I’m Going into all these facebook groups about wedding planning and the brides are in there and it seems like every single day There’s 10 posts. What what music do you play for walking down the aisle? Yeah, and that’s every day that same question gets asked so I can see people reaching out to you Hey, what do you think for a country entrance or whatever it is?

Yeah, so much that I get occasionally the third request and I go, okay, but that video alone has 1000 comments. but I mean, if I, when I hit one, I have notes in my phone, right? Where I have a note app and I just like, oh, that’s a good one. I put it in there and I, you know, I get around to it and I’ll listen to it.

Try to time it up, but people think you just do a video. It’s like, Oh, it just took a couple minutes. Like, Oh my God, you know how much was on the editing floor before I finally got that finished product. But yeah, but my wife does all my editing, so I’m, I’m lucky. And that the other half of the deal, even though it’s my face, usually out there, she’s the one making the magic happen.

Yeah. The stories we could tell even for podcasts. Okay. You’re, you’re recording a 40 minute podcast, but then you’re doing two hours of editing just to make it sound right and look good. And yeah, exactly. It’s funny. So how has the success of the wedding duel impacted your approach to DJing and your business?

You know, it’s a great question because much like any of us, you have your, your tricks or your, your things that you, you do that kind of make you. Unique in the industry because you’re always trying to find something that separates you from the pack, right? I mean, like, for me, look, I’m wearing merch, wearing my merch just for you, DJ merch, but it’s, you know, I had things that I would do and I was like, I would keep the cars close to the best because I didn’t want the other DJs in town stealing my ideas or whatever.

So I was slow to get to the point where I’m like, you know what, let’s just raise the bar. Like, and if I have a great idea that some bride in Missouri can see it and suggest that that his or her DJ, right. And he or she incorporates it and says, oh, that’s a great trick. Right. And now he’s raising the game.

, I used to think like, I’m not going to be DJing their wedding. But now, like, people ask me to travel. The first one was in New York and they go, can you come to New York to my wedding? I’m like, wait, you want me to, you can’t find a DJ in New York? And I was in San Antonio at the time.

And I’m like, I mean, I guess, but, so it was, it was this opening of this door, like, wow, we can, We could take the wedding to out of Texas. Cause that’s how it started. They were like, you’re in Texas. I go, wait, where are you in Texas? Cause this is a big state. And then it just started. We kind of changed our, our, our business format a little bit and gosh, it’s just been just revolutionized how we, how we’ve been DJing, but that was the big thing.

It was like, just like sharing my tips and tricks just to say, my experience to somebody who might be new. I don’t want anybody to screw up somebody’s wedding, right? And not that they screwed up, but just like put this quiver in your arrow in your quiver and see if it, you know, maybe you’ll use it at some point.

Well, I think that too, that, you know, I think of DJ Eric Rhodes, him doing the mixes. And if you’re going to do that exact same thing. You’re just repeating him. You, you have to create your own unique style, your own unique tips. I, I remember once, it even could have been you guys doing a grand entrance where it was outside and they just had a freestanding, drapes that they just opened up and then that way the bride could actually enter into something.

I thought, wow, what a. Fantastic idea. That is, yeah, it’s just coming up with those unique ideas. And you guys are doing awesome at that. And you know what, if somebody benefits from that, you’re just upping the ante of the DJ industry and the wedding industry, as far as I’m concerned. Yeah. And for as much as social media has its challenges, you know, and some of those Facebook, some people can be, it can be pretty harsh in the comment section.

And so that’s a thing for sure. But if you’re trying to plan your wedding, I mean, one of the questions people ask is like. What’s everybody else doing? Because if you’ve been to a like a dozen or Baker’s dozen weddings in your life, that’s a lot for somebody not in the industry, right?

But that’s a small sample size. I mean, we see that many in a month, right? So. Why would you not want to? Just like, ’cause you’ll look at 15 things like, Nope, nope, never. Why would you ever, and you see one, you’d be like, oh wait, okay, now this one, this one’s got some merit. And maybe you tweak it a little bit to what fits your wedding and your personality.

But, but gosh, to put , like the sampling you can get of just all the things, the guest books, the signing tables, the songs. I mean, it’s really great just to brainstorm through that stuff. that’s like fantastic. And I’m just a part of that, like throwing out ideas that I’ve seen. Some of them I came up with a lot of them is just like something I’ve seen.

I’m like, Oh, and a bride brought to me and I’m like, Oh, we got it. I got to do a tick tock on this, or I got to do a video on this., exactly. And it’s sharing that knowledge. I know a DJ recently mentioned, going around to all of the tables at the wedding and getting their

picture taken with those guests. So now you have those valuable moments. Some people love that. Some people hate it, but then she said, why not? As they get up and taking their pictures, have everybody go to the dance floor. Now you got a group photo with everybody in it. And I thought, wow, what an awesome idea that is.

And then guess what? They’re already on the dance floor. Dancing starts. Yeah, I mean, any trick that can get people out on the dance floor because it’s, it’s again, it’s like, I’ve got my own way that I like to do it, but I’ve heard other people suggest other ways. I’m like, it’s your day. You tell me what you want, but if you trust me and you trust me.

To do what works well for me, then that’s, but that’s a balancing act that you have to do with every one of your vendors. I think as a couple, for sure. Absolutely. And it’s good that you get the perspective of the planner as well as the DJ, because sometimes there’s a lot of rift between the two.

Yeah, it is. Cause I don’t always have a planner and when I don’t. It oftentimes falls on me as the DJ to grab the reins and be like, you know, because before I make an introduction or anything, I want to make sure my photographer set, make sure my videographer set, make sure the couple and the wedding party are set.

Make sure dad knows if he’s getting a blessing or a welcome 10 seconds after we get in the room. If he’s outside, or in the bathroom, that’s how the DJ, a good DJ, a wedding DJ, that’s how they think. But the planner takes carry some of that load. So if they’re not there, I got to do it.

But then when they are there, it’s like, yeah, you’re right. I mean, I really try to stay in my lane and appreciate, but I also, when I find a planner, the first time I’m go up, I’m like, so I don’t always have one of you. And when I do, I kind of do it. So if I get in your lane, please tell me. It’s your show.

And most of them are like, Oh no, it’s teamwork. I’m like, that’s great. But sometimes they’re like, yeah, I’ll tell you when to do. I’m like, okay, but you’re right. You got to work with the people there. It’s all about the couple. And it’s not about, you don’t want the personalities and conflicts as vendors.

God, no, that’s the worst. You never want couples to know about that. Funny. You mentioned being married to. A wedding planner. Cause like I said, my wife is a planner and, that’s where the bride timing, her entrance with the song kind of came from because they’re very a tight.

Most of the planners, right. They’re very structured. They’ve got a timeline. And when it’s time to start, start the song DJ, that’s the one for the parents. Go send the parents. Okay. That’s the one for the wedding party. Go send the wedding party and then switch to the bride’s entrance. That’s her song. Go open the doors, get her up there.

And the bride behind the doors has 18 months of anticipation and the doors open and she’s like, What was happening was, and this was for years, the doors would open. I’d start the song, the doors would open, the bride would sprint up there because she’s so anxious. And she got there and the, you know, the officiant starts were gathered here today and they’re looking at me to fade the music down.

I’m like, wait, we didn’t even get to the lyrics, let alone the chorus, which is what she liked about the song, which is why we spent 20 minutes out of our hour meeting. Picking that song, like figuring out that song and you barely got a fraction of it. So I was like, let’s just wait, like, wait, there’s a reason why the music gets scary before the shark pops out of the water, which is maybe not a great example, but, but you get the idea.

Like you want to build that anticipation. And then when the song hits that crescendo and the door swing open and there she is in that dress with the hair and makeup and the bouquet and the shoes and all the things you’ve been planning for 18 months. It’s like you time it with the music. Oh my gosh. It just was a whole nother level of another memory, a core memory.

You can put in your, Rolodex, as you play back the memory, the wedding in your head. And it’s just so powerful. But when I started doing the videos, I’m like, will it translate? And it really does. It really goes over the media for sure. That’s such a great tip because yeah, they’re nervous, you know, they’ve never been married before and then now you’re hitting this climax.

Oh, let’s go. Yeah. And for them to be told, , because they lean on the vendors most for the most part. And like I said, when the door opens and the planner who they’ve been working with for months. Says that you go, you know, they’re like, okay, got it. And they want to be, you know, making sure we don’t waste time and all the thing and all the planning, but I’m like, okay, but now that you’re there, like, let’s just make that moment.

It’s, it’s literally seconds. You’re talking about, but just wait, add another minute onto the ceremony by timing that entrance. I’m really glad it caught on because it just makes those moments so much more magical. And it’s one of the most important moments. Oh, for sure. They’re, they’re going to remember that they’re going to remember that moment.

It’s the reveal. It’s the big moment. Like that’s when you make your appearance. That’s a great transition into what are some of the biggest trends that you’re seeing at weddings in particular, you know music as well well, that’s definitely the big one And I guarantee there’s DJs all over the country.

They’re like their bride says there’s this guy that I does these videos things like yes I know I’m so I apologize to all DJs out there if you had to have your bride tell you there’s this guy I have to talk that does these stuff like sorry, but like I said, it’s just a I just plant the idea. It’s up to them to want to use it or not.

But recently I started doing more videos where the groom gets a song, right? Because everybody else says it’s all about the bride. It’s all about the bride. And of course that’s because she’s going to all the meetings. You know, she’s the one making a lot of decisions because a lot of us, our gender, we’re like, what, what, what are the linens?

She’s like, whatever you want, babe. Like it’s, you know, But when the day comes, they’re still all in, right? They’re still there and half of the guests for the most part ish are there because they know him. They don’t know her or they maybe they know her through him, but It’s his family. That’s like a huge percentage of the guests, right?

So let’s have him make a moment too. And, but because some people say, Oh, the grooms is going to be up there. He’s already going to be up there. I’m like, Oh, they’re fishing and can just be up there. But the groom, let the groom go down the aisle. And even if he’s shy, he doesn’t have to have a big, like, we dance down the aisle, like a goofball.

That’s what I did. But I don’t think it was surprising, but yeah, I’m a goofball, but to have a moment, either sentimental. Or emotional or whatever, or a song that like fits his personality or their relationship. Oh my gosh, I love it. And then the groomsman can come out with him. So it doesn’t have to be just him. If he’s like, don’t make me come out by myself.

My favorite way to start the groom and the officiant shoulder to shoulder, walking out and then just two steps behind him. Best man, two steps behind him. Other groomsman, groomsman, groomsman, or whatever the order is. Just like ducks in a row, right? Because it’s like they come out to a very male centric or groom.

Focus song. He gets up front, doesn’t about face, gives the bro hugs. They line up and they’re like, and then we switched to the song for the bridesmaids made because the guys were just told to dress like the person next door, right? They’re like, I don’t know. This is the suit. They told me to get, but the girls were like, they have their own dress, the hair and makeup, the flowers, the shoes, everything was meticulously spent hours picking out.

So it’s like they want, they can have their own moment too. But man, I love it when the guys have their own song and the groom gets one in particularly, man, it’s good. Yeah. So I have to ask then how many WWE entrances for the grooms have you done? Not as many. I mean, when they’re going into the room, like for introductions into the reception, it gets a little bit more Sunday, Sunday, Sunday.

 But it’s funny, even like something outside the box where it’s like, maybe. He loved Top Gun and you come out to the, you know, the, the anthem, the all the guys have their Ray Bans on or something. I mean, something, right. It’s something. And when they get up there, they can take them off and put them away for pictures, whatever.

But that’s a really cool entrance. Maybe they love Lord of the Rings and they can walk it out to concerning hobbits, which is that beautiful, beautiful instrumental. So it doesn’t need to be all big or anything, but, but that’s fantastic. Or even if they’re like, I hear this a lot. Oh, with a groom, my, my fiance is really into classic rock.

And I told him there’s no way we’re doing that. Right. But I’m like, yeah, there’s instrumental covers. I have this gorgeous, I think it’s the United guitar players. I’m sure you’re familiar, faithfully by journey. Yep. Beautiful cover. And immediately anybody that knows that song, which should be everybody.

I think, right. It’s like bam, bam, bam, bam. It’s perfectly fitting for the ceremony. And it’s beautiful. Anybody that knows that it’d be like, wait, what is this journey? Right. But instantly they know it. And it’s, it’s a great way to bring in his music tastes without derailing. The flow or the the mood you’re going for, right?

I I totally agree even I can’t remember the the name of the group. I think it’s Apocalypta, but they do a cover of the metallica song. Nothing else matters Yes, nothing else matters And it’s like okay if you’re if you’re a hard rocker Why not have this as part of your walking down the aisle?

Oh my god fits because it’s so I would say If ever there’s a day that’s about the two of you, it’s your wedding day. Like, I mean, I would love it if everybody was able to put the blinders on and just look at each other and say, what do we want to do? But, you know, there’s all the noise from social media, from your cousin.

Why would you ever? And I’m like, okay. You’d like, thank you, cousin. That’s not your day. It’s my day. But there are ways to incorporate, especially music, the vitamin string quartet. They were like, to me, the trendsetters that I started. Finding their music and saying like, and they’ve covered everything. They have, they did a whole album on the cure and my chemical romance.

I mean, it’s crazy. Ozzy Osbourne, but their cover, the one that really hit me initially was their cover of sweet child of mine. No, yeah. Sweet child of mine. And it just, the strings match that song so wonderfully. And your grandma would be like, Oh, this is pretty. And your friends are like, is this G and R?

Like they, cause it’s just really, it’s the most ideal. Middle ground where, you know, it’s just perfect. And so, I mean, it’s out there. If you have a song you really like, or an artist you really like. Do a quick search, type in the word instrumental behind it and see what comes up or reach out to Matthew.

He’s got all these things already ready, queued up for you. So going off of that, do you have any suggestions on making your wedding unique on, as far as the perspective of the DJ? Yeah. So speaking of movies, right? I would say like a great movie is even better with a great soundtrack, right? I mean, and there’s soundtracks out there that I mean, gosh, just interstellar, like recently one comes to mind, which is like a soundtrack was so good.

But over the years. Last of the Mohegans, Titanic, Star Wars, Harry Potter, all the big hitters like that, right? They’re all got these great, amazing soundtracks, and they took a great movie and just took it to another level, right? As a DJ, we provide the soundtrack to your wedding day, right? So that, we’re like a, from the beginning to the end, there’s very little times as a DJ I’m like, Must have music playing at all times, I don’t like silence.

Unless the best man, or the maid of honor or somebody’s on the mic. There’s background music playing the whole time. So I look at the wedding, ready for this Matthew? This is my whole, it’s my whole thought here. I almost look at your wedding like a, like a play in four acts, right? Act one is a ceremony. Act two is cocktail.

Act three is dinner and act four is dancing. And the music can be different for that whole thing. So you can take people on a journey with that. All the instrumental ones we just talked about as the prelude music as the guests arrive. You can have music playing there. This beautiful, beautiful instrumental.

And then the ceremony music is usually similar when you go to the cocktail hour, especially if it’s a different space, right? Because their ceremonies over here, they go onto the patio for cocktail hour, let’s say. And I usually suggest like, let’s do some, some crooners, some rat pack vibe, right? because there’s nothing cooler when your friends that are usually in, you know, that dirty Aerosmith shirt with the hole in the pit, but they’re all dressed up, right?

And they got a cocktail, you got Sinatra playing in the background, I should put my pinky up. I got Sinatra playing, right? As they drink their beverage. And then maybe as you go inside. Maybe then you change up for dinner. Maybe then you bring in some, maybe some top 40, some current artists. Maybe you do like an eight, maybe some Fleetwood Mac, maybe some Jason Mraz, maybe some blue blaze in there, just something, a different vibe there.

Right. And then you open the dance floor and of course then it’s going to be loud and party music. It’s going to be epic. So it’s almost like you can just change the vibe. Throughout the whole night with the music as the backdrop. Yeah, I’m going to get on a soapbox because I’ve been on this for a little while where the 90s I was playing John Coltrane.

And when I go to a wedding and I hear that jazz music, it just curdles my stomach. And I’d love to hear that. You know, even if you’re into EDM, maybe you have a tropical house stirring cocktail. It doesn’t have to be, you know, Tiesto’s banger that’s popular right now. You could have that nice music. yeah, I’m, I’m, I’m 100 percent on board with what you’re saying.

You, you gotta, you gotta entertain your guests. But again, I always, at the beginning and end of every meeting, I was like, it’s your day. So I don’t want to like talk you into or out of anything, but because I was in Texas for almost a decade, right. And you know, they’re like, what are you into country?

And so there was open to close wall to wall. It was a heavy on the country and that’s fine. But if they’re all in hats and boots and belt buckles. I mean, they’re like boole. Who, like Canadian crooner? No. Okay, let’s go back to Neon Moon, I guess. But , but it’s, I, it’s, it’s your day. It’s your vibe. It’s cool if you want that different to change the atmosphere, but if you pick that barn style and they like that boot, the bride has boots under the dress.

Yeah. Do country. There’s nothing wrong with that. If that’s your, if that’s your thing, like go for it. And, and going off of that, ’cause I’m, I DJ to Montana, so I had those weddings as well. What type of country is it Texas country? Is it row country? Is it Waylon Jennings? I mean, there’s that, that spectrum.

Any type of music, you, you have to know what what to play. Oh, I remember very clearly when, because I was in Northern California, DJ’d out there for a lot of years, and then when I went to Texas, I was woefully under-prepared for the country and the Latin music. My playlists were limited. And then, somebody was like, they, my first conversation, well, we’d like more Texas country.

We like red dirt. We don’t like Nashville country or new country. We like old country. I’m like, what are all these categories of country? yeah, I got smart fast for sure. let’s go into transition a little bit into more of the business side. What advice would you give to aspiring DJs that are looking to build their successful career in the industry?

Yeah. So I think a very common natural transition into the wedding world as a DJ. Is you were in the club doing club stuff, right? It depends on the club, right? And if you’re, but sometimes I have a DJ friend who’s like, yeah, the club was like, they gave me 50 bucks and two beers.

I wasn’t going to drink because he’s not a drinker. I’m like, it’s fun and it’s great. And if you love it. You know, by all means, but not all clubs like that. I’m just saying he was like working at this local bar and grill. That’s what he was doing. That’s what he got paid. But he was like, I’ve made a career out of doing weddings, right?

Cause people have a budget for wedding. They nest egg for wedding. It’s a bigger event. There’s a lot more pressure, you know? and I even tell my team, like, if you screw up a corporate Christmas party, they just don’t hire you next year. You got one shot at a wedding, right? You better be on your a game and you better be, have all your T’s crossed and your dyes dotted and be prepared for anything that could come your way.

So there’s a lot, you got to take it very seriously. That’s the first thing. But. The club is not a wedding. I mean, you have four generations at a wedding, all walks of life and potentially at the end of the night, all types of music, right? If you’re in a country club or dance hall in Texas, it’s going to be country all night.

If you’re in an R and B club, same thing. That’s what they’re going to expect. You have the 20 somethings in there, right? Single you have, I’m trying to get the flower girl and grandma and everybody in between on the dance floor at some point at a wedding. So it’s just not go into it knowing you’re going to be playing dancing queen.

And I want to dance with somebody and the wobble. People ask me sometimes, like why do you always play September by Earth, Wind and Fire? I go, what do you think? I listen to The Wobble on the drive home. It’s not about me. I’m playing to the masses. And there are songs like those that just have hit multiple generations.

Oh my gosh. Those are like gems for a wedding because grandma knows it. The flower girl knows it. Everybody knows it. It’s, and it’s great. Again, you don’t have to do it. You can do whatever you want, but, but man, they’re just wedding staples, right. And I, I think that, you know, as couples get younger, maybe some of it fades out.

But like you said, some of them are classics, you know, maybe now it’s the pit bulls of the younger generations where, yeah, he has so many great party songs. They’re played at every wedding because they’re known to get everybody out on the dance floor. Yeah. And the other thing I see a lot with a new DJ, is.

When you open the dance floor and again, it depends on the dance floor. There’s nights where you have an hour and a half of open dancing and there’s nights where I have four and a half hours. So I’m going to approach those differently, right? You got to like, you got to pace yourself because people don’t always go to the club for four and a half hours.

So, you know, you got, if you want people dancing at the end, you can’t play all the bangers right out front, trying to get the dance floor going. You got to like. Wait for it. And even if you have an hour and a half, if you were to look at the arc of my dance floor, right, I usually start with some of the really multi generational things that everybody knows.

And then maybe a half hour, 45 minutes in, maybe before doing the bouquet or the guard around the anniversary dance. I’m like, thank you everybody for participating. And now let’s get back after it. Now I’m going to do a much more current set because by that point, their friends have had a little more to drink.

It’s a little darker because daylight is like my white whale. I’m like, curse you. It’s gotta be dark. People like cockroaches. If the bright lights are too bright or the windows are open, they scatter. It’s gotta get dark and then they come out to play. Right. So I always do my first sets, really some timeless music that everybody knows.

And then I’ll start to get a little bit more. Current and then if they want to get gangster crunk or really R& B or really dance music or shake their booty music That’s gonna be a little bit later when maybe your parents or that generation. Maybe they’ve taken off some of them But even if they’re there You know, maybe they’ll dance to it.

Maybe they won’t, but there’s music from all those ages, every era that has something of that era, you know, you can fit it all in there, old and young. And just so I always take them on a journey, right? And then that very last song of the night as well. I come back around to a very timeless classic song because I want to write everybody back out for that last song, whether it’s a sweet Caroline or,don’t stop believing or friends in low places, whatever it is.

Because then suddenly you look on the dance floor, you go, I didn’t realize there was this many people still here, but yeah, you want them out there for that. Thank you. Good night and end it on a high note rather than just like where Peter’s out and people just leave and you don’t, you have to like own that party and you have to take them on that journey and you guide that ship all the way from the beginning to the end.

Just like the love story. If they want bright side, don’t open bright side, say bright side for later when they’re ready for it. That’s where you have that epic moment. Yes. So, so many great tips there. I, yeah, you’re not a jukebox. You’re not a playlist. It’s, it’s changing around your playlist to, to meet what the dancers are doing.

Yeah. It’s, it’s reading the room. So many, so many things to consider as the DJs. And you know, another thing real quick, if you have, if I have time to squeeze it in, you gotta be a good MC. I mean, that’s like part of the, that’s part of the shtick when you’re, when you’re the wedding DJ. Cause that’s another thing.

That’s the thing. I think, I think people have a hard time when they transfer from a club to a wedding is. Oh, I’m not talking on the mic and I’m like, no, no, that’s. That’s part of the, that’s part of the job there, right? But I, if they give me a song, like I always try to ask them, like, you know, I want to get their list of songs, but I want to know the must plays.

And if they have one, there’s like four or five that are must plays. I want to know why like, Oh, me and my dad, that’s our song for years. He’s always, even if it’s not like their first date, like the bride and dad, that not that song. I just mean like, there was a silly song that he always has some dance routine to every family party, whatever it is, or maybe the groom and his baseball team, the bride and her sorority, whatever it is, I want to know.

What’s the backstory? Because for me, I’m going to be like, all right, where’s the, where’s the softball team? Let’s get them out there with the Brad. Come on. And you start that song and they’re like, and they’re like, they’re having their glory days relive with that crew people. And that will energize a dance floor that maybe needs a bit of a, you know, like hit them again with some energy.

I want to know the song and I want to know why, because I’m going to use that as I MC. And it’s another great little tool to get some energy on the dance floor. If you need it. That’s a great tip so with regards to social media what tips I would say the most important thing You’d probably say would be consistency.

Of course not giving up. Keep going. Is there any social media tips? I would that you would give to the DJ’s Yeah. it doesn’t have to be just music, first of all, because the brides that follow us, they follow. I mean, I’ve got an unfair advantage. Like I said, my wife’s a planner, so I can lean on that. But if you watch, if I’m at a wedding and I see something, especially something unique, a really cute signing table.

I saw one recently, they had bottles of wine and people were signing the bottle of wine, but it wasn’t just the bottle of wine. The first one said one year, second one said five year, 10 year, 15 year, 20 year. I mean, they were going to open that bottle of wine on that anniversary. Great. And the guests would sign and write something sweet.

Such a great idea. You know who wants to know that? Every bride planning their wedding wants to see it. Whether they do it or not, they just want to see it and be like, Okay. Even if it’s just like, that’s unique, right? So, and I take it like a beginning, middle and end. Just like when you’re little, right? You tell a story, right?

There’s a beginning, there’s a middle and end. The beginning, I was like, I spin it around. I show my face because people recognize, they know when I pop up on their thing now. Oh, it’s going to be a wedding thing. What’s dominant going to tell us, right? So because you got to put your face, it’s like you’re, it’s like you’re advertising yourself.

So I started on my face. I say, oh my gosh, cute guest book alert. You got to see this. Pause it, flip my camera around, show them. And then later at the end, once it was signed, because at the beginning there was nobody that signed it, right? And then at the end, I’m walking past it at one point and I get it right then.

Don’t think, oh, I got to come back and get this. Because you’ll forget. Somebody will pack it up at the night. It’ll be gone and you’ll miss it. So I came through during cocktail hour, and I saw enough people had signed it. I’m like, Oh my gosh, check it out. Look how great it looks. I turned one of the bottles.

and it was like, you could hear the Dan of the people talking in the background. So it was like this beautiful, just me in an empty room. And then all the people in the background, as it was signed. It’s a quick video. it was just the perfect little and just get the content because later you can put it together and something fancy, but just get it.

Just get the content. I think that’s a really important thing to what I’m getting out of that is it doesn’t include any people. So if you have a couple or guests that don’t want to be on a very popular social media account. These are tips that you’re giving your couples that don’t have anybody in them, except for yourself.

So that’s something that you could share to the world and it’s a great tip. Yeah. And I mean, there’s ones that I do here with this backdrop where it’s a question somebody asked her, it’s a song I really wanted to break down. Right. And that’s great. I mean, you could do those too.

I see some people on there doing their social media. I’m like, what? Look behind you clean up, put your clothes away, close the dresser doors, something, have a spot in your home that has good lighting, good sound. It looks really professional. And you can do your at home ones there. You’re just answering questions and you know, all the questions the couples are going to ask because you do these consultations all the time.

And so answer the questions, answer the questions that you could ask on every consultation, write them down. I have those in my book notes too, because somebody will ask me, Hey, somebody just said, does the bride do the flower girls go down the aisle to the same song as the bride? I’m like, great question.

And I could talk all day on that, but I’m like, yes and no. And I broke it down. I just posted that video. I was in different, I was outside in the snow. Cause I want to have a different background, but I do ones at the event and then I do ones at home and they’re different. But if it’s something that’s at the event.

A floor layout where the dance floor is. Where’s the dj? Where’s the sweetheart table versus a head table versus a king’s table versus a horseshoe table The brides want to know all of that. So just do it. You’re a professional in the wedding industry It doesn’t have to be music. Oh great tips. Thanks. So if you’re a wedding DJ, make sure that you’re taking these tips up and creating content.

I think one of the best tips is create more than you absorb because then you’re getting your name out there. So what’s next for the wedding duo? Are there any exciting projects or ventures that you’re working on? Yeah, well, I mentioned we got out here into Ohio and it’s snowing so heavily right now. I can’t even tell you, but we didn’t get this in Texas.

That’s for sure. But we have a venue here. We’re trying to get off the ground. But the main thing, if you have couples out there looking for music, it’s similar to what you do, but a little bit different. But we have a membership now that you can sign up for that. and it’s not just music, but it’s, we have modules.

We call them where it’s, you download our app. We have an app. It’s Pretty quick. We’re a pretty big deal now, Matthew. But you download the app and it’s just a lot of answers in there because you can go to social media, but it’s just hard. If you’re looking for that song, you are in love by Taylor Swift when the bride goes down the aisle, you can find it, but you got to scroll through just thousands of videos on our page just to find that one.

So they’re organized. They’re organized as here’s bridal. If you’re looking for the bridal entrance, if you’re looking for introduction into the, into the reception, first dance, last dance, or just songs in general to play. there it’s in there and just questions to a lot of your answers. So, that’s like our newest thing.

And we’re always slapping out more social media. We have a podcast too. Awesome. So is there something that we missed today that you wanted to share with everybody? Oh gosh, we covered a lot of grounds. I think, if we’re talking to a wedding professional in the industry, like in something similar role that I do, it’s hard to like check your ego sometimes, right?

Like they want to do something different than what, how you do it. That’s not how I do it, but all of us can learn a new trick. Right? So. If somebody comes to me and the bride’s like, I really want to do it like this. I’m like, we can do that for sure.

That’s how I always started. And I’m like, but it might be a little smoother if we just, just tweak it just so that it’s, cause I’m always looking at the flow. I’m always looking at what’s going to derail the momentum or even like putting the cake in the middle of like, we’re going to dance a while. Then we’re going to do the cake.

Okay. But that’s going to, that’s going to D that’s going to derail the party. Everyone’s going to sit and eat cake. And what I, because the dance floor runs on momentum, right? Like I want to keep that going. So maybe if they don’t care, we can say, can we do the cake earlier? Like at the end of dinner, cut the cake and they go, I don’t care.

Like you, if you don’t care, I would love it there. And they’re like, that’s a great idea. Cause you’re right. I want people on the dance floor. Like, yeah, once they’re there, anything that’ll take them off, we’ll do so. So, but you can suggest things, but if they’re hell bent on it, like just. Roll with it. You never know.

You might find something just like actually that worked really well. Not the cake I’m just saying like there might be something that you’re like, huh? I would have never thought but chalk it up to experience and it might even be something that you incorporate Talking to your couples going forward. So just it’s really hard and whatever you’re into Whatever your category is playing or photographer, whatever if somebody else has a way that’s suggesting do it just you know Go with it.

I think sometimes We’re not, we’re not always right. I think what, what, what is that? Whatcha talking about? Maddie? We’re always right. and, and like you said, the planners type A and the DJs type A. So yeah, there’s some, yeah, sometimes. Yeah. So where can listeners connect with you and, and find you online if they’ve been living under a rock for the last two years?

Well, if TikTok is still around, we are at Wedding Duo on TikTok, on Instagram. We are the wedding duo. Our, our webpage is. the wedding duo. co not. com or we’ve lost a lot of business looking at that with the extra M on there, but they wanted so much money for. com. Like how many people are trying to buy the wedding duo.

com, but anyway, we’re the wedding duo. co. You can email us at hello at the wedding duo. com. yeah. And our podcast is the wedding duo podcast where, you know, if you’re looking to steal ideas, you know, that all of us out there in the industry, boy, if you want to get some tips and tricks. Look at the people that are doing it and yeah, best ideas are stolen, right?

I guess that’s the greatest form of flattery is being copied, as they say. I got over that thing, by the way. I show my cards now. I’m like, here are all my cards. Feel free. Take any good idea and run with it. I think that comes with age. I feel the same way as well. One other thing too, I want to mention is I saw on your site that you offer a vendor consultations too.

So if you have a wedding pro, you can definitely reach out to Dominic and Serena just to, you know, talk business and, get things figured out. Yeah. The one we’ve done the most with vendors. I’m glad you brought that up is, social media. We’ve really started our speaking circuit where I was in Nashville recently.

I’m going to Florida again for the, a big catering conference where I’ll be down there talking about social media because everybody’s just like, Oh, how do you do it? I’m like, and again, it’s not, there’s no rocket science. It’s just, but there are a lot of tips and tricks that we incorporate that I would love to share.

So yeah, set up a consultation with us. We’d love to share what you do. Awesome. Thank you so much, Dominic, for being on the show today. Much appreciated. Thanks for the invite. It was fun. And thanks everybody for listening. Have a great day.