Nov 29

Written by: Bill McElree
Monday, November 29, 2010 7:50:49 PM 

I worked an amazing wedding Saturday night. Julia was a waitress at the Sudbury Holiday Inn Restaurant where I meet my clients. For the past ten years, off and on, she saw me sit with hundreds of clients to plan their weddings. In fact I’m sure she could do the presentation herself! She saw brides and grooms, mothers and fathers and family MC’s discover how my role is more than that of "just a DJ".

Julia met her husband as she was finishing high school. They had this funny little habit of accidentally dressing the same when they went out on dates. Too cute! They probably listened to me when, in another life, I was a radio announcer for fifteen years. The station I was working had “Unchained Melody” by the Righteous Brothers in the playlist and it makes me wonder if I once played it for them not knowing it would one day be their first dance as husband and wife.

About the time Julia was at Laurentian University, working towards her Bachelor of Education, my world was changing too. I traveled to Las Vegas, Chicago, L.A., Sacramento, Kentucky, Florida and often to Toronto for DJ conventions, seminars and workshops. Not only did I learn new ways of pursuing my passion for serving my clients, but I also found new reasons why:

Weddings are important.

The oath that two people take on that day is important and it took rubbing shoulders with some of the best wedding entertainers to learn how to bring that out.

Jeremy is Julia’s husband, an amazing guy and very funny. When we first met he was on his way to becoming a police officer, but life has its way of making plans for you. Today, he’s a miner - which is a pretty good occupation when you live in the nickel capital of the world. He seems pretty happy with his lot. I have a diploma in Radio Broadcasting and planned to end my days in the broadcast industry. Since then, I have pursued a degree in computer science and, to pay for it, started a company called Absolute Entertainment DJ/MC Services.  I rediscovered a career I already loved. Adding a certification to the Wedding Planning Institute of Canada further entrenched the direction my life has now taken and, like Jeremy, I am pretty happy with my choices.

Some time during the night, Julia stopped by the DJ booth to say hello. All day, I was wondering how she would see her own wedding reception, having seen me perform dozens of times when she worked functions at the hotel. “The most beautiful day I could imagine!” she exclaimed. This was her wedding. All that we had planned made it uniquely hers. And it’s one I will never forget - mostly for the thank you during their speech when Jeremy said “He helped make this day our own special day. Not only is he our DJ, but he’s our friend. Thanks a lot, Bill.”

The floor was packed during their last dance.