{Wedding Planning Inspiration} Blogs

When I got engaged to Jason last February, I went directly to the book store and bought every single wedding magazine and wedding planning book that I could grab. Isn't that what you are supposed to do? As I got into them, I realize that it was pretty fun looking at them and yeah I saw a few things that I could maybe possibly get excited about. The truth was I couldn't see Jason (the hubby) and myself in ANY of them. For as long as we have been dating I never realized that we had grown our own style together. That style was what I imagined our wedding was going to be. Once I realize this the magazines seemed kind of different to me. As soon as I seemed to loose my creative steam I noticed a feature in one of the magazines that had a photo of a chick with hot pink hair and tattoos called "The Rock and Roll Bride". UH. HELLO GIRL CRUSH.

After I logged onto her ever amazing blog that she has EXPLODED all over the world, I was hooked. From her site I came across some equally fantastic blogs that I have to give some love to if not to just give em a shout out but with some small teensy bit of hope that you will clicky click on them and check em out for yourself. Mine and Jason's wedding would not have been what it was without these amazing women and their shouting-from-the-rooftop-for-all-brides-to-be-themselves blogs. I would see a post and my wheels would just spin and turn to where at one point towards the end of the planning I actually had to stop looking at the blogs because I was getting too many ideas! HAHA! 

Do yourself a favor and check these blogs out. Engaged? Single? Gay? Already married? Do it anyway. They cover all of it and more.....

RockNRollBride - speaks for itself. just amazing. i have wasted hours lemme tell you.

Hi-Fi Weddings -  Girl crush above and beyond!!! Ashley has created a site dedicated to weddings and the music behind it. Im upset about two things. 1) That I did not come up with this idea 2) That she does not live closer for me to check out her and her husbands record store and for us to grab a beer. No fair :) She and her husband also underwent a renovation of their 100 freaking year old house back in 2006 and I loved watching the progress. www.therealverticalhouse.com 

Broke Ass Bride - The title had me at hello. Super super fun and wonderful. Covers all things wedding and how to not be afraid to go after what you want and realizing your do NOT have to pay a fortune for your wedding. 

Style Me Pretty - If you love DIY weddings, inspiration boards and featured photographers then check it out. Adorbs. 

The Wedding Chicks - The site just makes me upset. Every time I go to it now, I see something that I want to do SO bad. Amazing photo shoot ideas and they have a wedding chicks SHOP that you can create custom tees and totes for the entire bridal party! Plus they have a DIY section for free downloads! SCORE!

Offbeat Bride - I am still addicted to this one because not only do they profile newlyweds, they profile couples that celebrate anniversaries and even have a sister site called Off Beat Mom! 

Bowie Bride - The girl crush's continues. This girl not only started off her wedding with a group shot of tequila but her and her now husband created their own last name together. Oh. and she had bruises on her legs that she proudly displayed with her knee length wedding dress that was just amazing. (The bruise thing is a personal love of mine. Im always sporting bruises)

Grey Likes Weddings - This site is amazing with the pictures. Every single post is just stunning. Plus you can look up real weddings by their color and style to get ideas for your own!

Ruffled Blog - This is where I just exploded with DIY details and ideas. They even give you ways to recycle your wedding! LOVE. 

Green Wedding Shoes - This blog is for the modern bride with a traditional twist..if that makes sense. They break down the weddings into beach, vintage, barn etc...love love love. 

Peonies and Polaroids - Simple and elegant. The writing on this blog is effortless.

Project Wedding - IDEA OVERLOAD. BE PREPARED. It is just ridiculous in such a good way. 

Bridal Musings - This blog hooked me with the pink typewriter that is smack in the beginning when you log on. I am jealous and want one immediately. Once I got past that, I saw that this site was chock full of wedding fun. 

A Beautiful Mess - Elsie has style that makes me want to burn my wardrobe and start over. That is all. (She just got married herself and all of her bridesmaids had different colors (BRIGHT COLORS) of stockings....aw!) Following her wedding planning that coincided with my own was very inspiring and helpful. 

Love and Lavender - The weddings that are featured on here are just loverly. Always popped with color and uniqueness. Worth the click. 

The Knotty Bride - This site highlights all stages of photo shoots for weddings...engagements, day off, fashion and even boudoir! Picture lust 100%

The Loveliest Day - Melissa has organized an amazing blog and has so many different categories to search through I can't say I haven't wasted a few hours on it. Just saying. 

xoxo

Pearl

Scratch DJ's vs. Digital DJ's

I was 18 years old and it was around 2:00 am in a dark radio station studio where I first learned how to "scratch" a record. The DJ that taught me was an underground DJ and probably the coolest guy ever. Since then I have done it a handful of times, whenever opportunity presented itself. I will be honest..those few times I had done it...i felt straight up like a bad ass. Just like this guy...

Well...not just like that guy. I have a lot of catch up to do to be that awesome.With myself being a Digital DJ, I mix everything right on my laptop. Is this as cool? Depends on who you ask. Does it do the same effect? Depends on who you are talking to. This is what I personally use....

Megaseg is a DJ software specifically for Mac. I have used Digilink (good times, AC, good times) Mobile DJ Pro, Virtual DJ and PCDJ. I switched over to my MacBook Pro a year ago and I am still learning the new software. Every time I turn around there is a fun new button! This works for me and to be honest, I am more confident with the digital mixing. I can only say that because that is what I was trained on, what I know the most. Another pro to being a Digital DJ is the style is more appropriate for events such as weddings and parties. You can still get fancy with the mixing and help the music flow as smooth as possible. Scratch DJ's are amazing for clubs and night spots. They can take a couple songs and smoosh them together and the dancefloor just eats it up. I have noticed that for weddings and parties that the mindset of the crowd is more to sing along and dance with the music they already know. People like to hear what they heard on the radio or on the download they have on their Ipod. Does that make sense? That is the easiest way I can set us apart without making one out to be better than the other because that is not what I want to come across.

Im just saying, a DJ is a DJ. We all are there for the same reason and we all can bring something to the table that others cannot. I honestly wish I was a DJ back in the 50's and 60's and spin vinyl over at the local high school for their weekly sock hop. How fun would THAT be?

xoxo 

Pearl

The down and dirty on my love/hate relationship with my equipment.

My equipment…Where to begin? 

What is fun is that I can actually say “Remember when we used to lug around those heavy cd cases and needed a HUGE truck/van to haul the equipment in and minimum two people to load/unload?”  It makes me appreciate the fact that I can haul my equipment in a 1999 Toyota Camry. (Temporary vehicle you understand…my new whip will be unveiled in a VERY short amount of time. Be excited.) Because my system is on a smaller scale does NOT compromise its quality. My basic setup complies of a 1500 American Audio amplifier, a sweet Radio Shack soundboard, two Phonic power speakers, an assortment of wireless mics and my two laptops (one PC and one Mac) with external hard drives. I have further options such as a 20’ truss system with as many lights as any small underground club would EVER need with, digital karaoke system with screens, a back-up system with extra soundboards, microphones, cables and my defective amp that I am probably subconsciously keeping for sentimental purposes because it gave me so much grief and I learned how to basically take apart an amp and put one back together. (Sigh. Good times.) Basically, I am admitting that I am a “digital DJ”.  This means is basically two things. 1) I can have access to all my music at my fingertips as well as download any song I don’t have. Easy squeezy. 2) MUCH less set up/break down time. Once I am set up (usually about 30 minutes or less) I can test everything and adjust what needs to be adjusted well before any guest comes in. It works out best for everyone. 

I honestly have a love/hate relationship with my equipment. My equipment is complied of a series of experiments of “This works, that doesn’t”. I’m seriously still learning even after all this time. I have always been the one to get my hands dirty and haul my equipment around, throwing up 75 pound speakers on tripods like they were nothing, breaking heels, sweating in dresses, hiding chords, analyzing a room to make sure what is coming out of my speakers sounds as amazing as possible and at the end of it being exhausted and completely on a “high” from another amazing event. I worked hard to get my equipment to where I am…somewhat confident. Wait. Somewhat confident? Yes. That is correct. I am saying, I can do better. I can constantly improve my sound, my skill and my image. Believe it or not, people come up to my booth all the time asking what I am “packing” equipment-wise. I know that there are better speakers out there, better equipment. But there is only one of me. All I can do is keep on keeping on and prove myself to my clients. At the end of the day, they are all that matters. Meanwhile, I will still keep lugging around my equipment and loving every second of it <3

Theme Nights

I have had my fair share of DJing in bars/nightclubs. I can honestly tell you I have seen pretty much all there is to see in those atmospheres! Through the good times and bad it all boils down to one thing: bringing in as many people as possible, to dance as much as possible and to have as much fun as possible. The managers mainly want to bring in crowds and offer something that other nightspots don't. With that being said, I am dedicating this blog to a little thing we in the industry call "Theme Nights". I have grown to realize that you have to have some sort of "theme", a reason for people to pick YOUR bar/club. I have come across and even made up a few of my own that are a freaking blast......

1. The classic: Beach/Luau Theme- this one is TOO easy and may even be on the safe side for club owners. Ways to make it your own may be to have incentives for everyone who comes in...sell leis for a buck and give the money to a local charity, anyone wearing a Jimmy Buffet shirt gets a free margarita, or even thrown in some hula dancers and maybe a bikini contest! I have even seen those cut out character stand ups for photo ops that make for some funny moments. 
2. A Night In Paris - This works more for restaurants/upscale wine bars. Throw up some white twinkle lights, drippy candles, sell roses at the door, and have free wine and cheese samplings. Ive seen one place do this once a year and GIVE AWAY A TRIP TO PARIS as a door prize! Um. Hello? Wouldnt you go?
3. Toga Party - Nuff' said. They only end in the word "awesome".
4. Ladies Night - You can do so much with this. Drink specials, free admission, dance contest to "break the tension"with all the guys standing along the wall, and maybe even throw in free giveaways for local spas and lingerie stores. 
5. Decade Night: 70's, 80's and 90's  - These are too much fun. You can have costume contests, trivia nights, themed drink specials named after Molly Ringwald and Run-DMC. Besides...the music? Just plays itself..every decade is pure gold. 
6. Christmas In July - I have ALWAYS wanted a bar to do this! Ugly sweater contest! Photobooth with Santa! Spiked Eggnogg! If its a nightclub or bar, you can always have sexy ladies dress up like elves and have a contest where you sing dirty Christmas Carols. Waive admission and have people bring toys to donate to the CHKD. So easy and SO FUN. 
7. Pajama Party  - I have seen this done a million times. You know why? It is brilliant. Perfect for the club/bar scene. Girls only show up to show off and guys only show up to...well...duh. Contests, drink giveaways, pillow fights and beds strewn about would be an easy thing. 
8. Pirates Night - This could basically be a huge drinking game for a bar. Have rules like "Request a rum and coke in a pirate voice and get it for free" or have pirate hats thrown everywhere with fake jewelry and gold and have anyone who wear a hat or jewelry gets to request a song from the DJ or half off their appetizers. Get some character pirates and have them go around passing out shots. When I went on a cruise with my family this past fall, there were these character actors there dressed like pirates and some guy doing karaoke. It was a freaking blast. 
9. Support the Troops Night - This would be a packed house if a bar around Hampton Roads did this. Have all active military get in free with their uniforms, any guy or girl wearing military garb would get half priced admission. Discounts on drinks. Do raffle prizes and all proceeds go to support our troops! 
10. Last but certainly not least.....KARAOKE - I mean come on. Who doesn't like a good karaoke night? With the right amount of alcohol, the good times are had by all. The comedy writes itself. 

These are of course just a few ideas. Have you been to any fun theme nights? What are your favorite?

XOXO

Pearl

Welcome to my little blog!

Here I will post all my events that I have had the privilege to DJ, some wedding and event planning advice that I have come across in the world of blogging and experience alone, highlight some AMAZING people that I have come to respect and just can't refer enough and last, but not least, my adventures in being a DJ. I have loved every second in the past 9 years and can't wait to share all the great times I plan on having with it in the future. (PS...thanks for checking out my BRAND NEW WEBSITE!!!!!!! I know you did bc thats the only way you were able to find the new blog...sneaky sneaky!)

XOXO

Pearl