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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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A few months ago I was fortunate enough to purchase an extremely compact data/video projector for an extremely reasonable price. I had the intention of using it to play video footage that I occasionally get asked to present at my client’s events. Read the rest of this entry »

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It’s a sad fact of my industry that there are many operators who don’t seem to place much importance on the appearance of their equipment relative to the celebration and the venue. I attend weddings all over the country (and a few overseas) and I see how much effort Read the rest of this entry »

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The purchase of a new Honda EU10i portable inverter generator (known in America as the Honda EU1000i) now offers the ability for me to supply music and announcements virtually anywhere. Read the rest of this entry »

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Many of you will have seen this already, but it’s such a fun clip that I thought I’d link it for your enjoyment once more. I do love it when couples put some preparation into creating something fun and memorable for their reception. Enjoy!
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Here’s a tip for you to help with planning your wedding ceremony, whether it’s in a church, marquee or garden. Signing the wedding register in New Zealand (unless it’s been partly completed in advance) usually takes 5 minutes or more. That’s Read the rest of this entry »

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Can you meet with the DJ personally?

Does the DJ you’re considering tell you anything about themselves in their website or advertising, or are you hiring an unknown? Most people would like to know a little about the person who will be entertaining at their event, particularly if it’s a wedding, and a face to face meeting is the best way Read the rest of this entry »

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This is an incredibly novel concept. The amount of work and planning that must have gone into this is frightening, but I have to admit that it’s totally memorable. Read the rest of this entry »

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Take a look!

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For the most part, I talk with my clients about their celebration and how I can offer ways to help bring it to life while making it unique and fun. I don’t talk much about my DJ gear as it’s really only a tool I use to provide my service and deliver my entertainment, but it’s worth mentioning a few things about it.

Over the years I’ve worked very hard at making sure my DJ equipment fits several important criteria. Read the rest of this entry »

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One of the questions I occasionally get asked by prospective clients is if they can come to one of my events to watch me work. Although I’d love to have my work observed and would love to be able to demonstrate what I can do to help make a wedding or corporate event really special, I obviously can’t invite people to somebody else’s wedding or celebration.

There are other factors too. The entertainment I offer is personally crafted to each client and Read the rest of this entry »

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Valentines Day, the most romantic day of the year and this year one that I got to spend helping Jan and Cath celebrate their civil union wedding. It was a lovely ceremony at Old St Pauls in Thorndon, Wellington, which I provided music for. We all then moved on to the James Cook Hotel Grand Chancellor for the reception. I was the Master of Ceremonies and played the first few tracks before handing over to Nudge dance band. It was a great day and Jan and Cath were lots of fun.

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It’s been the season for gorgeous, sunny Hawkes Bay weddings. In the last few months, I’ve been fortunate enough to be involved with couples and their guests at The Mission Estate Winery, Church Road Winery, Te Awa Winery, Elephant Hill Winery and the Old Church Restaurant. Please click on the links to view pictures.

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Well it’s true to say that the wedding season is underway once more and what a spectacular start! Chris & Che’s stunning wedding at Stoneridge in Queenstown was lavish, spectacular and great fun, with music from both myself and iconic New Zealand band The Feelers. Jon & Denise’s wedding was just as memorable, out at the impressive Castaways in Waiuku on a very energising, blustery day. Following on from that was a fantastic article in the Dominion Post about planning company and corporate events.

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On Friday 5th September I’m excited and very honoured to be the DJ and MC for Classic Hits FM’s complete classic wedding giveaway. Read all about the competition, the contestants and the winners (Tamar & Glenn) here.

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Some people ask why I like do work so often as a wedding DJ. It’s because I truly want people to have an incredibly great wedding day. I want to be the person who takes the entire burden off their shoulders, who makes things go smoothly, who helps them avoid mistakes and create memories that Read the rest of this entry »

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