OVERALL: No-frills musician/DJ/MC. We booked him for live ukulele for the ceremony, DJ/MC for the reception, and all sound/audio/video throughout the event. Exactly what we needed for a family-friendly lunch time wedding. Responsive, profession...al, accommodating, and easy to work with. He is also the owner of his company, so he is in control of his schedule. Highly recommend him!
PLANNING PHASE: We were recommended to Gary through a friend who had worked with him for their wedding the year before. Four months before the wedding day, our original plan for live music did not go through, so I felt pressed for time to find a musician/DJ. I gave him a call, explained my situation, and he calmly walked me through all of my options, tailoring as needed based on my budget. He also mentioned that he would be able to do all sound and AV, which was perfect because we were planning for a photo slideshow. His pricing packages are very straightforward, and by the end of the call, I knew exactly what he would be able to provide. We booked him within the day for live ukulele for the ceremony, DJ/MC for the reception, and all sound/audio/video throughout the event. As a follow up, he sent us a sheet to fill out for any specific songs that we wanted, which was very helpful for our planning (e.g. processional song, recessional song, first dance song, father daughter dance song, BGM genre, etc).
ON OUR WEDDING DAY, Ceremony: Gary had set himself up toward the back of our ceremony. His ukulele blended in so nicely with our set up and the scene, that it felt like it was meant to be there. I say this because some musicians like to hog attention, but Gary made sure to provide the perfect amount of music for enjoyment and BGM, without standing out. This meant a lot!
ON OUR WEDDING DAY, Reception: Gary deeply understands the flow of a wedding, so we were listening for his voice as a queue for guidance around when to switch gears for the next activity. As you would for any MC, if you have any particular requests around particularly wording, I would let him know beforehand. For example, for the bouquet toss, we wanted him to ask for “unmarried” ladies, rather than “single“ ladies, to come to the dance floor, so we asked him to do that. Also, we didn’t have a dance hour, but I had asked him beforehand to tailor the music to be more upbeat in case people start gathering toward the dance floor, and he did that flawlessly.
We hope to have the opportunity to work with Gary again in the future!