Whether it’s an energetic dance floor or a chill and intimate vibe, Absolute Entertainment drives your wedding day to match every expectation
Image courtesy of Absolute Entertainment
When you think of your ideal wedding reception, what do you picture? Is every guest out of their seat, dancing to a high energy soundtrack that shakes the walls? Or is everyone mingling with each other, enjoying cigars or photo booths with your favorite songs setting the mood?
Whatever your vision may be, the DJs and MCs at BOLI Preferred Vendor Absolute Entertainment are ready to bring your party to life. And with decades of experience (and 4 BOLI Diamond Awards) under their belt, they’re the masters at guiding your day to match your every expectation.
“You want to focus on things you really care about the most.” – Absolute Entertainment
With all the wedding inspo out there, how do you decide what’s best for you? “I think having a realistic expectation is one of the most important things to understand,” said Cenzo Kaufmann, General Manager and DJ with Absolute Entertainment. “If a couple has an expectation of a packed dance floor the entire time, there are a lot of different variables that can aid that vision as opposed to work against that vision.”
Image courtesy of Absolute Entertainment
“I find that many brides and grooms put so much pressure on themselves with all these different forms of entertainment because they want their wedding to be great,” he continued. “If your biggest priority is the dancing, then less is more sometimes. You want to focus on things that you really care about the most.”
“One of the things that I say to clients is, “stay with your vision,’” added Terrence Legrady, Sales Director and MC with Absolute. “If you have a clear, concise vision of what you want for your wedding, try not to defer from that as you see what everyone else is doing. Does it fit your vision for your wedding? If it doesn’t, do not buy it.”
Image courtesy of Absolute Entertainment
“Every single decision that is made for your reception falls on the shoulders of your entertainment.” – Absolute Entertainment
There’s no shortage of companies marketing themselves as wedding pros. How important is it to hire someone who’s been in the industry for a while? “I find a lot of people who are inexperienced tend to be what I call ‘yes-men,’” said Cenzo. “They’re focused on doing exactly what the bride and groom think they want, when realistically, this is their first wedding, and sometimes don’t know what they exactly want. They don’t know what makes the difference between a good wedding and a great wedding, and that is where an experienced entertainment company comes into play. We want every wedding to be fantastic, something that people are going to remember.”
“Half the time, I’ll have an idea that may enhance the couple’s vision for a particular moment, or how to assist in structuring a more efficient timeline that I’ll run past the bride and groom. At the end of the day it’s their wedding and we will do what they want, but I feel like I’m doing them an injustice if I don’t give them my best advice,” he continued. “It’s the difference between knowing how to guide and coach a couple through the big day versus just being the ‘yes’ man, and experience gives you that.”
Image courtesy of Absolute Entertainment
Terrence agreed. “Every single decision that is made for your reception falls on the shoulders of your entertainment,” he added. “That is why we need to interject sometimes and say ‘we’re happy to do whatever you’d like, but if you wouldn’t mind our educated option on this,’ and thankfully our brides and grooms say ‘we didn’t know that. Thank you for explaining it to us.’”
“Every bride and groom wants to celebrate differently.” – Absolute Entertainment
It may be tempting to match a trend you see on TikTok, or take the advice of your best friend that got married last year, but Terrence and Cenzo caution against those impulses. “The overwhelming majority of clients these days are going straight to social media for everything,” said Terrence. “Every bride and groom wants to celebrate differently, so you should be seeking your entertainment’s opinion on certain things that are going to enhance your overall experience.”
He gave a valuable example. “You may be seeking the advice from another bride who only had 10 people in her bridal party, whereas you have 20 people in your bridal party. Trust your entertainment company so you can really choose something that is specific to you and makes sense for your wedding.”
Image courtesy of Absolute Entertainment
“Using vendors that know the venue inside and out is paramount.” – Absolute Entertainment
Terrence and Cenzo also recommended sticking with a venue’s preferred vendor list. “Every venue operates a little bit differently,” Cenzo said. “Working with the recommended vendors just makes it a well-oiled machine as opposed to a situation where your maitre d’ wastes time babysitting your entertainers when that time can be better spent attending to you and your guests. Everything should be efficient, and working with recommended vendors really aids in that.”
“When we walk into a venue where we work all the time, the maitre d’ walks over and hugs us and the bride and groom see that,” Terrence added. “It’s basically an extension of our family, and they see how well we work together. I can literally finish the maitre d’s sentences and vice versa.”
Image courtesy of Absolute Entertainment
“There’s also certain variables from place to place, like having to manage two separate rooms,” he continued. “Or, numerous venues where we don’t have access to elevator service and we have to lug all of our equipment upstairs. If you’re a vendor who has never been to that particular venue and you haven’t allotted time to do that, you’re going to be late for someone’s biggest day of their lives. Using vendors that know the venue inside and out is paramount.”
“It’s all about keeping you immersed.” – Absolute Entertainment
To allow guest requests, or not to allow guest requests – it’s a common conundrum, and Absolute’s answer is nuanced. “It’s entirely up to the bride and groom,” Terrence said. “You’ve taken the time to curate a playlist with your entertainment, you trust that they’re experienced, and you trust that they have the ability to read your crowd. But If you’ve got great energy on the dance floor and it’s broken by a request, it takes a long time to get that energy back.”
“It’s our job to manage the psyches of hundreds of people, and there’s a science that goes into that,” Cenzo continued. “A set list is always done on the fly because you have to read the crowd and see what works. I’ve implemented a brutally honest ‘yes-no-maybe’ approach to requests. When a guest comes up and asks for a song, I’ll say either yes, it’s definitely going to come on at some point, no means don’t try asking again, and maybe means I’m going to try my best to squeeze it in.”
Image courtesy of Absolute Entertainment
If you want to allow requests from your guests, Terrence added an important caveat. “Do not ask your DJ to come over to the bride and groom and get their approval! The last thing you want is your MC running over to you throughout the evening asking you multiple questions that should not pertain to you. You should be in the moment with all of your friends and family, and you should not have to make a single decision on your wedding day. That should have been done during the communication and planning process.”
“It’s all about keeping you immersed,” Cenzo added.
Terrence, Cenzo, and the entire team at Absolute Entertainment want to wish you a very happy and healthy holiday season!