We're in the midst of another busy spring wedding season here in Charleston, and as always I've fallen a little behind in my blog entries. Mackenzee & Adam are a couple I won't soon forget. They were one of the funnest clients I've had recently, and I would call them a "textbook" client. You are probably asking yourself, "Why is Mike talking about textbooks, he's a wedding DJ, not a teacher?" :) Well, I'll explain that in a few. Mackenzee & Adam originally booked me back in the spring of 2018 while living in the northern Virginia area.  By the end of the summer, they would relocate to the Charleston area for work purposes. I ended up meeting Mackenzee & Adam back in October and I could tell within a few minutes that they were really into their music. They wanted a completely different vibe and feel with the music for their Charleston wedding. The customization of a couple's wedding playlist is one of my biggest mantras and one of the big draws for couple's in securing me to be their wedding DJ.  In becoming one of the best Charleston Wedding DJs, it's been a recurring theme that  a lot of couples do not want their wedding to sound like the wedding they went to last weekend or last year.

Being one of the best Charleston Wedding DJs has become a very rewarding passion of mine over the years.  When a bride and groom hire me to be the DJ at their wedding, they are inviting me to be a part of one of the most special days of their lives. Out of respect for my clients, I'll never look at their wedding day as a "gig", but instead a day in their lives that I curate a soundtrack of music that fits their likes and allows for the creation of lasting memories for them and their family and guests.  Millie & Adam found me online last year from Virginia.  When Millie sent her signed contract over, I saw that her and Adam were going to be married at Brookland Plantation.  Truth be told, I had to do a quick Google search to see where Brookland Plantation was located.  Located on St Pierre Creek,  Brookland Plantation sits on Edisto Island, and at one time was a part of Millie's family, when Dr. Charles and Betty Wannamaker purchased the land in 1968.  During Millie's upbringing, her and her family would frequent Brookland Plantation for recreation, making for lasting memories on those family trips.  It was during those early years that Millie formed those hopes and dreams in her mind that she would have her wedding at Brookland Plantation when she met the man of her dreams.

As one of the top Charleston wedding DJs, it tends to be a pretty rare occurrance that I leave the greater Charleston area for a wedding.  While I've been known to travel up the Carolina coast to Georgetown and Myrtle Beach, as well as south along the coast to Beaufort and Hilton Head, I tend to stay in Charleston, as that's where most of my clients are having their weddings. This was until earlier this year.  :) Luciana & Ty had contacted me earlier this year about being the DJ for their wedding ceremony and reception up in Murrell's Inlet.  Murrell's Inlet is about 97 miles from my home, and roughly 15 miles from the downtown area of Myrtle Beach.  In some of my first correspondance with Luciana, she said she had read over my blog and really liked some of the content I had produced.  With as hard as I work on this content, I was completely tickled by her words about my blog.  Up until this point, I might have only had one compliment on my blogging, and actually back when that occurred, I was not nearly as active as I am now.  What's that old saying? "Flattery will get you everywhere." I think that's how that saying goes. Well, flattery got me to drive all the way up to Wachesaw Plantation for Luciana & Ty.   Be sure to read on to see how their beautiful wedding ceremony went outside on a crisp November day up against the Waccamaw River, as well as their very fun wedding reception with a lot of dancing.

Through the power of internet web search and one of my best friend's (Google), Christy's mother found me last summer and inquired about my services. Christy and Clayton had met here in Charleston while the both of them were in college. Christy had been attending the College Of Charleston, and Clayton was attending the Citadel. After graduation, they moved to Atlanta, and that is actually where they are living currently. They had their wedding ceremony at the Summerall Chapel, which is on the campus of the Citadel on the afternoon of Saturday, April 21, and I had the pleasure of being their DJ for their cocktail hour and wedding reception. Their wedding reception was held at Marion's In The French Quarter, which is located at 159 East Bay Street. It had been a while since I had been to Marion's, but it didn't take me long to remember what a beautiful place it is to hold a Charleston wedding reception or private event. Marion's literally is right smack dab in the middle of the historic downtown Charleston district. It's just a quick walk away from the beautiful Charleston harbor, and those famous cobblestone streets that tell you that you are in Charleston. Read on for some of the great songs that Christy & Clayton chose for their playlist,

Since I've got a bit of relaxing downtime on this Memorial Day weekend, I thought I would catch up on a few blogs from some of my 2018 spring weddings here in Charleston. Becky and Josh were married at the lovely Hyatt House in the heart of the Charleston Historic District at 560 King St back on April 14. I was the DJ for their wedding ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception. I met Becky and Josh, along with Becky's mother back in January. I knew from the some of the comments made during our first meeting that we were going to be putting together a playlist that was quite a bit different that what you hear at most other Charleston weddings. But, as the old saying goes: "Different is good." How was the music going to be different?" Well, I knew when her mom said she liked Led Zeppelin and Alice In Chains that things were going to be dramatically different. :) With bands like that, I definitely knew there was going to be some classic rock thrown into the mix at some point. You'll want to read on and see what they added to their Charleston wedding playlist.

You know it used to be that Charleston's busiest wedding season would encompass the month's of April, May, and part of June, and then pick back up in the second half of September, go through October, and most of November. Maybe it's all the accolades that our beautiful city has received over the past several years from the likes of Conde Nast and other travel magazines that have allowed Charleston to grow into the Number 2 wedding destination in the country. I think it's our reasonably good weather all year round (except for the Great Snowstorm Of 2018 to start the year) that makes Charleston a place where you can plan a wedding all 12 months of the year. For my first wedding on the schedule for 2018, I travel outside of Charleston up off Exit 194 off I-26 west of Summerville. Medicine Wind Farm is a rather large (nearly 50 acre) farm and event center that provides the perfect setting and backdrop for a farm-styled wedding. This was actually my first time doing a wedding out at Medicine Wind Farm, and I must say it was a great departure from the hustle and bustle of weddings that are closer to the city of Charleston. For those brides and grooms looking for more of a rustic, country styled wedding, Medicine Wind Farm offered a real laid-back feel that was very relaxing. 

Casey found me online back in the spring of this year by way of recommendation from one of her professional wedding planner friends who lived out of state and who had scoured the internet looking for one of Charleston's top wedding DJs. When we spoke on the phone briefly, she had told me what she did not want and within minutes of our conversation, I knew we were going to work very well together. Casey has a career that has her overseas a lot, so we had to wait until August to actually meet face to face, at which time I also got to meet her fiancee Brad during a site survey at the luxurious Dewberry hotel. The Dewberry Hotel is a 5 star luxury hotel that opened in the summer of 2016 at 334 Meeting Street. The old FBI Federal building had been gutted and completely remodeled by Dewberry Capital, which was started in the late 1980s by John Dewberry. There was no stone left unturned in the development of the Dewberry, as the once dull federal government building was transformed into a world class 5 star luxury hotel, in an absolutely perfectly location. If you are interested in incorporating a bit of luxury into your wedding day, then I highly recommend you take a look at The Dewberry In Charleston. At the time I am writing this blog post, it was reported by the local media that the developers of the Dewberry were on their way of potentially winning a small battle with the city that would allow them to open a roof-top bar. If The Dewberry were able to open this roof-top bar, it would add another area to hold a luxury wedding ceremony in Charleston.

Charleston, SC is a top wedding destination in the country and for the matter, the world, for a wide variety of reasons. The accolades that the city has received have caused a tremendous growth in the amount of destination weddings being held in and around Charleston. Some brides and grooms come down here for the rich historical backdrop that the Holy City provides. Some brides and grooms come down here for the close proximity to the water in combination with the beautiful plantations that the area has. When you combine its rich history, Southern charm, exceptional food, and seasonal weather year-round, it's hard not to want to get married here in charming Charleston. If all of this is not enough to get you to book your flight right now and begin planning your Charleston wedding, how about one more thing? Would you believe that "music" is what brings some couples to the Holy City? Well, at least that's the draw that Erin & Alex had in coming here and getting married on a cool and blustery Veterans Day.

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.