BRENT MONISTERE
DJ MONI ENTERTAINMENT
701-409-0731
https://djmonientertainment.com/
BIO
Hi, I’m Brent Monistere and this is Dj Moni (Mah-knee) Entertainment
Over 2 decades of experience and hundreds of events to include, school dances, karaoke, corporate parties, birthday parties and more. However, weddings are my primary event.
Mississippi, Montana, California and now North Dakota is my final stop in my Air Force career before I retire 20 yrs. active-duty AF.
I’ve worked with many wedding coordinators, photographers, and videographers. This team of vendors are key to ensuring that not only during your wedding day, you get the best experience, but you can also cherish those memories forever after.
FULL TRANSPARENCY
We’re all used to researching reviews and looking for the best service with pretty much any purchase we make. But those products and services have to start somewhere.
I’m no different. I’ve made mistakes too. With that said, I’ve learned from them and my Dj business has only gotten better. With new training I’ve had just a few years ago, I feel unstoppable. With experience, comes wisdom. This also means knowing the difference between being cocky and being confident.
I can assure the reader here my confidence in making your wedding day the best it can be and that is Stress-Free. High quality service is what you get and nothing less.
During our calls, ask me about my less than 5-star reviews. Most people only want to flash their best reviews. We all know that’s not always the case. We have to fail in order to succeed. It’s okay, I encourage you to start the conversation.
WHAT TO EXPECT
Once we book your wedding, I’ll send you Dj planning forms. This will not be the same as the forms you get from your Wedding Planner. But I will reach out to your planner and we’ll share our timelines and make any needed changes.
If you’re not hiring a Wedding Coordinator (WC), I’ll be the one coordinating the day of your wedding. I don’t go to the extent of what a WC would do. I’ll take care of everything from the ceremony to the end of your reception. Just let me know if you have more questions about this.
Then, anywhere from 4 to 6 weeks out, or maybe even 2 weeks, we’ll have a Design Session (DS). This is where we’ll have a Zoom call and I’ll screen share your Timeline and other information. We’ll go over everything and make sure you are happy with the Timeline. You’ll have up to 3 days before your wedding day to when you will no longer be able to make changes to your Planning Forms. Just send me an email or text and I can make those changes for you.
HOW I OPERATE ON WEDDING DAY
Master of Ceremonies (MC)
I stay away from wedding cliches to include but not limited to: “Ladies and Gentlemen,” “happily married,” “newlyweds,” “bride and groom,” “let’s give it up for,” “let’s give a round of applause” and anything else that fits in that category. These cliches have been overused and sound scripted and mechanical. The applause comes with pitch and tone on how I MC. This gives an indirect command to an applause without commanding people to applause such as “let’s give a round of applause.”
For example: Instead of saying “let’s give a round of applause for John and Jane.” Yes, the guests will still applaud but it’s not very personal and I’m ordering them to clap for the couple.
I’ll say: “good evening and welcome to John and Jane’s WEDDING RECEPTION.” Keep in mind I’m not yelling like what all caps may insinuate. As I increase my volume with a smile and enthusiasm, the crowd will automatically respond with an applause.
I talk slower and articulate my speech on the mic. This way everyone gets a chance to hear the announcement. You have to remember people are talking and at some point, I have to interrupt them mid conversation. When I talk slower, this gives the brain a chance to catch up quicker with the full message.
Once the dance floor opens, it’s time to mix. There’s no need to have to speak on the mic as much unless it’s for other formalities such as Garter and Bouquet. However, if you want me on the mic more, let me know during our DS.
Music Choices
This is all up to you. It’s your special day. You decide what genre, must play, play if Possible, and Do Not Play. You have options such as: [Couple’s choice only], [Couple’s choice and Dj’s choice], [Couple’s choice, Dj’s choice and guests’ requests]. Don’t worry, we’ll go over all this during your DS.
Music Transitions
This is a great thing for Dj’s to have in their tool belt but isn’t always necessary. There’s regular fade in/out from song to song. Also, there’s quick mixing or open format.
I use a combination of both. If I get a chance to throw in some sets (quick mix), I’ll do that. If guests are also requesting music, I’ll find a way to build up or down to that request. Sometimes, I may just have to fade in/out to their requests. All of the above works great as long as it keeps the dance floor going. Sometimes I’ll even come out to the floor and dance with couples and their guests. I’ll even take a selfie video and the crowd joins in too.
COCKTAIL HOUR
This is a golden hour for me to communicate with your guests. I’ll go around and chat with small groups, introduce myself and let them know when it will be time to be seated for intros and dinner.
DINNER
If your wedding has a buffet dinner, I’ll step in and invite guests to the buffet. I don’t make announcements calling out tables. This is a mood killer and sounds like a restaurant. I personally approach tables and invite them to the buffet. I’ll announce this beforehand once the intro is done. This keeps the mood set to relax and personal.
TOASTS
Open mic? I would not recommend it but it’s your day and you set the vibe. Keep in mind, people that love to tell too many stories can irritate your guests. As long as they can keep it short and sweet, then it’s more enjoyable. Out of all the open mic experiences I’ve seen, I can only recall one or maybe two that kept their speeches on a short time limit. With that said most speeches go too long. Even though you may enjoy them, your guests may not feel the same.
My recommendation is to keep toasts to Best Man and Maid/Matron of Honor.
It’s okay to add parents but like I said, make sure they don’t get too long winded.
PRICE
Your wedding is an investment, not an expense like groceries or utilities. No, I’m not cheap but if you want cheap, then I may not be a good fit. Yes, I may be on the high end. I’ll put it to you this way; you get what you pay for.
Dj’s have more gear than any other vendor with the exception of the venue itself and the caterers (if separate) which may have to bring their trailers with food. Your venue and caterers combined account for over 70% of your total wedding cost.
On average people invest more on their flowers than their Dj. That’s about 10% of the total wedding cost. Don’t get me wrong, flowers take a lot of preparation with sunlight, humidity, and time of full bloom by wedding day. But the impact is very low on wedding day compared to most other vendors.
Wedding reports from The Knot and WeddingWire state that couples only invest around 5% to 6% of their total wedding costs on a dj. Photographers, videographers and wedding planners sit in the middle around 7% to over 8%
The highest impact on a wedding day is your Dj. We facilitate your timeline events throughout the day. People look to the Dj for questions and the one who has all the answers because he’s the guy with the microphone. Dj’s can also act as your coordinator if you don’t have one. On top of that, we take the longest to setup and teardown and have the most gear. We also handle event oversight throughout your wedding.
An example of this would be ensuring you have a cutting utensil for cake. Also, if the photographer needs you earlier for sunset photos but you originally had your first dance after intros on the timeline, myself and the photographer would approach and bring this to your attention. At that point, we would move your first dance to after toasts.
Now ask yourself, should you be investing more on your flowers or your Dj?
FINAL THOUGHTS
Only commit if you have high expectations. I know you’ll keep shopping around. I’m not the only one who can make your wedding a success. Yes, there are many other phenomenal Dj’s out there that do just as well. With that said, I can only speak for my business and no one else’s. I know for a fact that you’ll get an experience you didn’t know you needed. Videos, pictures and reviews don’t really give the experience justice. You just have to live through it to understand.
Thanks for reading and I’ll hear from you soon!
BRENT MONISTERE
DJ MONI ENTERTAINMENT
701-941-8189
https://djmonientertainment.com/
