Happy Veterans Day Weekend! As I write this post, the temperatures here in the Charleston area are in the lower 40s with some breezy and gusty winds this morning. It sure is feeling more and more fall-like than it has in recent weeks. Thank you to all the men and women who have served our country and continue to serve this country today and give us the freedom to have these beautiful weddings all over the Lowcountry. It sure has been a great Fall wedding season for Mike Bills Entertainment and I am still catching up on some blogs from some of my events and one of those posts was a recap of Katie & Ricky's beautiful day over at the absolutely gorgeous Creek Club At Ion back on October 1, 2017.  If you just got engaged and are looking for a venue, I strongly encourage you to check out the Creek Club At Ion. It's waterfront location right on the creek provides one of the beautiful backdrops out of all the wedding venues in the Charleston area. There is a luxurious lawn that overlooks the creek where Katie & Ricky had their wedding ceremony. Music for their wedding ceremony was performed by Carolina Trio. Mike Bills Entertainment provided the sound and PA for the ceremony.  It was a beautiful afternoon for an outdoor ceremony, we just had a cold front pass ushering the first hint of Fall. The humidity was lower and there was a bit of a gentle Fall breeze.  Please read as we go into a little more detail of their playlist selection.

There is no doubt about it. Charleston remains a stronghold at the number 2 spot in the country for destination weddings. Maybe it was because a bride and groom met each other here at the College Of Charleston  and wanted to come back and experience it's rich history, beautiful beaches, and excellent menu of fine restaurants. Maybe a bride used to travel here as a young girl with her family and remembered just how beautiful the city was and wanted to get married here? Whatever the reason, brides and grooms from all over the United States continue to flock to Charleston for it's romantic scenery and history. Kara & Ian were one of those couples who chose to get married down here in Charleston. They found Mike Bills Entertainment back in the early summer of 2016 shortly after getting engaged. They were married on Sunday, October 8, 2017 at the Historic Rice Mill. They currently reside in the greater Washington DC area and had guests coming down from the DC area, New York, and all over different parts of the country. For early October (even in Charleston), the weather was really very warm and humid with a heat index of 97. It felt more like August, but after a lovely ceremony with those harbor breezes that provide refreshing breezes to wedding guests, we quickly inside for a great cocktial hour, dinner, and an amazing night of dancing, fun, and memories.

Variety is the spice of life. I like a little variety when it comes to DJing weddings here in lovely Charleston. My aim as a professional wedding DJ has always been to help couples create their own personal soundtrack for their wedding day. This day (which is the biggest of their lives) should include music solely about them. I met Kate with her mom back in June and they introduced me to a new and quiet place to meet clients over in the Mt Pleasant area. Vintage Coffee Cafe During our initial meeting Kate briefly mentioned that her and Jon would want to hear a tropical house playlist during their cocktail hour after their ceremony at Coleman Hall & Chapel in Mt Pleasant. At the time, I took notes, but it wasn't until I met Jon with Kate in early September at one of our consultations that I learned a little more about tropical house. I've always been a big fan of house music, as Charleston used to have a pretty nice house music scene with some great DJs spinning all sorts of house at various areas around downtown Charleston. I knew there were many different sub-genres of house, I am just glad that Kate & Jon allowed me to get more acquainted with the tropical house genre. These are some of the tracks that got played during their Sunday, October 15, 2017 wedding and some I will be adding into my future cocktail hour playlists and receptions.

Katie & Paul were married back on September 23rd and had their wedding reception at the Francis Marion Hotel inside the Gold Ballroom. They are one of the many, many destination wedding couples who choose Charleston's history and beauty for the backdrop of their most special and important day. Katie grew up in North Carolina and says she used to come here for family trips, so she knows the beauty and charm of Charleston. Paul grew up in the Chicago area. Currently, they reside out in Arizona as Katie proudly serves our country in the United States Air Force. After you doing so many weddings, you thought I had seen it all. After the first dances on Saturday, Katie's father did a quick welcome speech and at the end of it thanked all the men and women who were present as guests serving in the military, which was about 1/3 of the guests. After the mention of the service men and women, there was a standing ovation and tremendous applause. Mike Bills Entertainment has always been a professional wedding DJ company in the Charleston, SC area who is proud to support our active duty military. The Gold Ballroom at the Francis Marion Hotel created an atmosphere of elegance for the entire evening. Also, a tremendous thank you to the staff at the Francis Marion Hotel for making the entire evening run very smoothly.

Goldbug Island is a beautiful wedding venue owned by the East Cooper Outboard Motor Club. Goldbug Island As you are travelling up Ben Sawyer Blvd toward the Ben Sawyer Bridge and Sullivan's Island, you need to slow down or you might just miss the turn off to Goldbug. Goldbug Island has a gorgeous view of the Intracoastal Waterway right near Sullivan's Island. That view of the waterway served as the backdrop to the wonderful summer wedding ceremony of Elayna & Thomas back on Saturday, July 8, 2017. Elayna & Thomas found me back in the spring, and as the weeks and months approached and I began to gather and assemble all the music for their playlist, it was very apparent they were seriously into their music.  When a couple is really into their music as much as Elayna & Thomas were, their playlist selections become the soundtrack to the biggest day of their lives.  Planning the perfect playlist is really easy. Be sure to check back over my complete blog for more ideas about wowing your guests with your very own perfect playlist.

Melissa & Brock were an incredibly beautiful couple coming to Charleston from the Midwest; across the river in Illinois near Saint Louis. We had been talking since about February when they booked me, and after my first phone conversation with Melissa, I could tell she was excited about her and Brock coming down to the Charleston area (Folly Beach) for their wedding and to start their new life together. As the months passed, I began reviewing their playlist selections and I could tell that they were a couple very much into their musical choices, and I was really looking forward to playing it all for them. The weather had been iffy in the days leading up to their wedding day on June 22. Even though it's been said many many many times that rain on your wedding day is a sign of good luck to come, I'm fairly certain that nothing was going to take the smile off of Melissa's and Brock's face. One of the things that I like to think separates me from the other DJ services is my strong desire to meet a bride and groom before their wedding day. Perhaps this can be done through a Skype or Facetime early on, but for destination couples, I always try to coordinate a quick meet and greet sometime in the days leading up to their wedding day. This is especially the case with destination couples, but I believe that meeting a DJ should be one of the things you should plan on doing when you pull into town and begin setting up your schedule in the days leading up to your wedding day. From the beginning, it's something that I have always felt should be done before a wedding and to this date, I have met every single couple to date prior to their wedding.

During the engagement season of early 2016, I received an inquiry to my website from a talent agency in the Saint Louis, Missouri area. This agency was seeking a professional wedding DJ for a wedding to be held in Charleston in September of 2016.  That wedding would be Maria + Charlie's most special day here in the Holy City. Maria + Charlie came to me by way of my website during the post Christmas rush usually seen right after the New Year. They were coming to Charleston from the Midwest around the St Louis area. During the weekend of February 13, 2016, I had the pleasure of meeting Maria + Charlie, as well as Maria's mother and Klimmy Klipsch of the award-winning luxury wedding design company, Kate + Co out of the St Louis area. We met for coffee down at the East Bay Meeting House. Maria + Charlie wanted to use the lovely and historical Governor Thomas Bennett House as the backdrop for their wedding ceremony and reception. Located at 69 Barre St, the Governor Thomas Bennett House is actually owned by Roper St Francis Hospital and is home to many weddings and events throughout the year.  

Most modern brides and grooms find me by way of my professionally designed website. Some couples will find me by way of a vendor referral or even a referral of a venue.  How about a groom actually seeing me in action at one of my weddings from a few years prior?  When I originally received an inquiry from Angelica's mother, it was discussed that she had found me on Google. When I eventually met Angelica & Jordan in the months leading up to their wedding, Jordan had told me he seen me at one of my weddings from 2014. That wedding would be an amazing celebration from a destination wedding couple from Philadelphia, Reese & Courtney, and would become one of the most memorable weddings of all of 2014. Apparently, Jordan was working part time for one of the premier catering companies in the area and saw me DJ. When I found this out, I was quite humbled that I hadmade that type of impression. To have made such an impact such an someone that they would make a mental note to hire me to be their DJ a full 2 years after seeing me in action was quite the compliment. Angelica & Jordan's  amazing wedding reception at the Historic Rice Mill would occur on July 2, 2016, which would kick off the beginning of an incredible 4th of July weekend 

Back on May 2, 2016, I met with Sarah & Ryan at the lovely Historic Rice Mill for the final walk-through and rehearsal for their upcoming wedding on Cinco de Mayo, 2016.  One of the things I absolutely love about the Historic Rice Mill is the layout. You've got the ceremony location conveniently located right outside on the water. As the ceremony wraps out, you can then move inside for cocktails and dinner.  As Thursday, May 5 arrived, the day was absolutely gorgeous, but there was a bit of a breeze at the time of the ceremony being right on the water. The Historic Rice Mill is one of the most beautiful wedding locations in Charleston, because of it's close proximity to the water. Book your wedding ceremony and reception and be prepared for the best views of those amazing sunsets in Charleston.  A little background information. Ryan is a member of the United States Navy and I am proud to show my appreciation for his service to our country by providing all Active Duty members of the military a 10% discount for all of my services. It's the least that I can do for the men and women that give me the freedom to do something I truly love. You'll want to read on for more of the musical details of Sarah & Ryan's beautiful evening at the Historic Rice Mill.

If you are just finding this blog, you might be interested in knowing that Charleston, SC has blossomed into one of the top wedding destinations over the years. David & Michelle came to me by internet referral back in March of 2015.  Mike Bills Entertainment has spared no expense on it's website, which has allowed modern brides and grooms like David & Michelle (who were located just outside the Washington DC area) to find me and hire me to be their wedding DJ.  I've always been one of those wedding DJs who learned to cater to destination brides and grooms.  They would choose the lovely Carriage House at Magnolia Plantation as the backdrop for their special day, all the while staying in a lovely beach house over on Folly Beach for the days leading up to their big day. Yes, you can actually get married on a plantation while staying at the beach, as lots of couples have done this.  For more information on some of the most beautiful beaches around Charleston, be sure to click the preceding link. David & Michelle had a wonderful taste in music,  and loved the complete latitude that I provide to my clients as it pertains to the selection of the music during their wedding ceremony and reception.