DJ Richard Mills

Once again I’m honoured to be the Master of Ceremonies at Auckland’s premier wedding event for the year, the Grand Wedding Show at Sky City. Additionally I’ll be co-hosting a seminar with Auckland MC and DJ Nick Logan called ‘Improve-a-Groom’ and following on from the success of last year, I’ll once again run my popular seminar ‘Wedding Speeches Made Easy’. I hope to see you there!

Richard Mills, Master of Ceremonies at the Grand Wedding Show, Sky City Bridal Fashion Parade.

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For most of the 25 years I’ve been entertaining as a DJ, I’ve played music that I feel will fit the night, the mood and the crowd. Recently I realised that my perception of older songs is likely to be quite different to that of the guests at my events, especially with older music and older guests. What if the feel the older guests will have is substantially different to how the music makes me feel? How can I get a better understanding of how the older songs I’m playing will make my older guests feel? Read the rest of this entry »

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I’ve had the incredible Martin Acrobat lights as part of my equipment for several years now and still find them to be the most remarkable, effective and versatile lighting effect for mobile DJs on the market. They aren’t without their challenges though and one of the problems I had from the outset was the original Martin Acrobat bracket. The problem with the original bracket is Read the rest of this entry »

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Most people don’t ask a Florist “how much for flowers for my wedding?” without discussing what it is they actually have in mind. It doesn’t make sense to ask a Lawyer for a rate for his/her service without sitting down and discussing your case. You’d probably not ask a builder for a quote without talking about what it is you want to build. Strangely though, wedding MCs and DJs often get pressed by couples to offer a quote without the benefit of a consultation. Read the rest of this entry »

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For the last 19 years I’ve been fortunate enough to be the resident DJ at one of Ohakune’s most beloved venues and accommodations spots, the Turoa Ski Lodge. Over the years I’ve driven up to the mountain, worked either Friday and Saturday, or just Saturday nights and enjoyed skiing when the weather permitted. Read the rest of this entry »

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Increasingly I’m being hired by companies in the capacity of presenter for a variety of events. In recent months I’ve been the Master of Ceremonies (MC) at Silverstream Retreat for the Hutt Valley Chamber of Commerce Business Excellence Awards night, a movie preview for Toshiba where they launched their range of new tablets and performance laptops a couple of Wellington Audio Association meetings. Read the rest of this entry »

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Hiring an average mobile DJ to entertain at your wedding in early 1987 (when I started) typically cost around $400.00. According to the Reserve Bank’s inflation calculator, $400 in wages would be the equivilant of $933.33 in quarter 4 of 2010. This means that based on inflation alone, any mobile DJ providing the same meagre level of service should now be charging over $930. Read the rest of this entry »

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During a recent thread on a New Zealand wedding forum, contributor Hayhay made the following comment about a DJ in Hawkes Bay;

My SIL used xyz – he was very good, but he did have a very big obvious logo on his booth, which really stuck out to DH and I!

In my opinion this is a big no-no Read the rest of this entry »

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Choosing a first dance song can be a real challenge for many couples. If you are having difficulty deciding on a first dance, here’s a fun idea to add a little bit of mystique to your reception and involve your guests in one of the major elements. Read the rest of this entry »

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Thanks to all of my past clients for allowing me to be a part of your special events. Here’s what you’ve been saying about DJ Richard after your events:

We just wanted to send a quick email to say thanks again for all your help Read the rest of this entry »

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The final wedding of the 2009/2010 season was Robert & Ruth’s lavish ceremony and reception at the glorious and prestigious Huka Lodge in Taupo. Since 1936 Huka Lodge has played host to a remarkable list of notable people including Read the rest of this entry »

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A change of plans for one couple has made for a possible great piece of news for others. A couple who booked me to entertain at their wedding on 26th February 2011 have had to reschedule their date.

What this means of course is that I am now available to entertain on this key date in the wedding calendar. Please contact me quickly to secure your booking if you’re still looking at getting some quality entertainment at your beautiful wedding.

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Today I received an email that made me happy to be of assistance. It read;

Hi Richard
Thank you so much for your tips on being a wedding MC. I am writing you from Nairobi Kenya and will be MC at my very 1st event on the 20th of October (the day after tomorrow!!). I have just embarked on a career as an event and wedding planner and this is my first gig as a wedding MC.

I have not attended any wedding receptions (I usually just show up for the booze)so I had no idea what a wedding MC does. Most other sites wont tell you anything of substance and will shoo you off to buy this or that. Amongst all other websites yours is the most helpful so far and i would like to thank you for availing this information to us
Warm Regards
Caroline

Thank you for your email Caroline and I’m sure you’ll make a fine MC.

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There is a lot of cross over and no clear demarcation point between the DJ and DJ/MC roles. The skills and wedding experience that a good professional mobile DJ has puts them in an ideal position to move into the MC role.

As for my service, I don’t charge out my MC duties as an extra. My fee is my fee and I do all the planning for every wedding as if I were the MC, so even if the MC on the night panics or falls ill and pulls out (as has happened twice now), I can step in seamlessly and nobody is any the wiser.

I know who the VIP guests are, what their names are, where they are sitting and what their relationship is to the couple. I know who will be speaking and in which order and whether there are any important anniversaries or birthdays to honour and acknowledge. I know (and have prepared) the run-sheet for the day, so I know what needs to happen at what time and I know the dynamics of the crowd and the venue. I liaise with the venue and other on-site event vendors. I often assist the MC when I’ve not been booked for the duty.

I am qualified to do this work. I attend international DJ and MC seminars, workshops and trade shows. I am a regular and long-standing contributor to DJ and MC forums and I purchase materials to constantly train and improve my service.

Being a really good MC is a hard, hard job and it takes a lot of practice, rehearsal and training. On top of that it requires a top understanding of wedding reception etiquette, run-sheet preparation, name mastery and pronunciation. It requires the ability to relate to people in a friendly, polite, approachable and competent manner and to control the flow of the reception, eliminating problems before they occur and facilitating the creation of great memories.

It’s a big job. An honourable job. One to not take lightly.

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As I write this, I’m sitting on a Boeing 737-300 on the Tarmac in Wellington. In a few minutes I’ll be in the air, on my way up to Auckland, to once again work as Master of Ceremonies for the Grand Wedding Show’s Bridal Fashion Parades.

Lisa Charteris (the creator and owner of the show), really does produce probably the finest wedding show in New Zealand, and this Spring it was a sell-out, with no remaining space for additional exhibitors. Visit the website, http://www.weddingshow.co.nz for more info.

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Ben & Jennifer's Guard of Honour at Pukehou Church in Hawkes Bay

Picture the moment.

Your celebrant smiles broadly and introduces you proudly to all of your friends and family as newly-weds. Applause breaks out, your chosen recessional music plays and you walk down the aisle as a married couple, followed by your wedding party, family and guests.

It’s a wonderful moment, and one that probably hasn’t factored too highly in your planning, as it’s a given that it will be both emotional and exciting. What could possibly go wrong? What could need to be considered in advance? Read the rest of this entry »

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This is NOT me!

One of the most common requests from any mobile MC & DJ’s prospective clients is the question asking for a quote for a price for a 4 or 5 hour wedding entertainment package. In my early years as a mobile DJ, this wasn’t a problem, because I really didn’t do much more than turn up on the day and play music for that time frame. I may have found out a few basic details, such as the timing of the finish of dinner and the first dance song, but that was about it. Read the rest of this entry »

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About 15 years ago, I was like most DJs in my market. I only charged around $500 for an event and other than finding out the most basic details, such as the venue and start/finish times, I really did no show preparation at all. For weddings, I’d know the couple’s first names and the song that they wanted for their first dance, but that’s all. Read the rest of this entry »

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I’ve seen a lot of these fake microphones popping up again, so I thought I’d post this as it’s good consumer advice. It also applies to the Sennheiser brand and presumably others, although I don’t have pictorial evidence of them. Read the rest of this entry »

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I was reading comments from a British DJ on a UK DJ forum today. At the last wedding he entertained, he was getting ready to play the first dance for the Bride & Groom. He got the song queued up, prepared the following song also, checked that the couple were ready to go, then announced the first dance. Read the rest of this entry »

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I’ve had a spate of enquiries lately from couples wanting a quote before talking or meeting with me. I find this very difficult because my service isn’t a ‘five hours’ type of service by any measure. I’m often on site from a couple of hours before the ceremony until half an hour after the finish of the reception. 14 hour days aren’t uncommon. Price isn’t an easy thing to discuss without an understanding of value. Read the rest of this entry »

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Last night, my fellow Hutt City Chamber of Commerce members and I gathered at Petone’s old Empire Hotel in Jackson Street. Although I’d heard it had been refurbished, I was still not expecting much, as for many years it had languished Read the rest of this entry »

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Jonathan Saunders from Sutton, United Kingdom asked me on my Facebook page the following in response to this post;

2 questions for you Richard.
1. What age do you see yourself DJing till?
2. Do you think if you didn’t look like an Hollywood actor, Read the rest of this entry »

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It’s this time of year when I’m putting the final touches on the last couple of weddings for the season. I like to take stock of the memories of the celebrations past, the wonderful people I’ve met and the enjoyment I’ve helped create. I think about what I’ve learned, what I could have done better and what went very well. Read the rest of this entry »

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Every now and then I’m genuinely pleased that I’ve paid attention to the little things that sometimes go wrong at weddings.

Take today for example. Read the rest of this entry »

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The first quarter of 2010 has been incredible for me. I’ve enjoyed DJ and MC work literally all over the country and have clocked up some astonishing kilometres in my car.

Because I need to take my gear with me, it’s most convenient to drive to my events. When choosing a vehicle for my work, I had to take this into consideration. Read the rest of this entry »

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In a recent blog post, Andy Sernovitz said the following:

We’ve been hosting our email with the same company for 10 years. It’s been rock-solid, with the occasional problem Read the rest of this entry »

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What a fascinating season year it’s been already been. I’ve been fortunate enough to entertain clients and their guests in some of the country’s most beautiful locations and there’s more still to come before winter hits.
Read the rest of this entry »

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For the second consecutive year, I’m honoured and extremely proud to have been nominated as a finalist in the 2010 Corporate Events Guide People’s Choice Awards in the classification “Best Nationwide DJs & MCs.

I was delighted to win this accolade last year, thanks to the support and wonderful comments from my previous clients and other event professionals who I had worked with over the year.

Please vote for me- the button is below.

Corporate Events Guide Peoples Choice Awards Nomination for Entertainer DJ

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