Thats What Friends Are For

The age of 25 brings with it types of friendships that have never been presented before. At this point, I am now four years out of college, and quite embedded in my profession and the wedding industry. Coincidentally, I am at the age where a lot of my friends are getting married and need help planning their weddings. Because of what I do, I am in a unique position - I can not only help them plan and connect them with other professionals, but I can also DJ their reception myself.

Some friends are closer than others, so there are times I am invited to the wedding as a guest, but even when I am offered the opportunity to enjoy the other side, I still want everything to go perfectly for them. So I typically don’t fully enjoy myself because I’m constantly offering to help. I would never let a friend make a bad decision when it comes to their wedding, as I have friends that would never let me make a bad investment, or allow me to do my taxes incorrectly. As a person embedded in this industry, how could I not want to offer my opinion and help? Sometimes it is more enjoyable for me to actually work a friends wedding, because I am not only in control - so that I can ensure they have a great time - I also have the chance to show my peers what I can do.

In October, I had the opportunity to DJ my friends wedding at Constatters in Northeast Philadelphia. Mark and Ashley are great people. Mark is the type of guy who wears his heart on his sleeve and will always be honest with you. He wanted nothing more than to have a great party with a packed dance floor. But Mark also has musical tastes that don't normally work well for a wedding, for example, House of Pain, Beastie Boys and Black Sheep.

My challenge was not only to play his style of music, but also allow his guests to have a great time. I knew right away that the majority of the people attending would not pack the dance floor to, "Put on Your Kickin Shoes," by House of Pain. So as the dancing portion of the reception started I made it a point to read the crowd deeper than I ever have - this gave me the opportunity to dabble a bit in his style of music, while continuing to play more popular songs. Before I knew it, everyone was on the dance floor having a great time and it occurred to me that no matter what I played they would continue to enjoy themselves. At that point, the gloves came off and I proceeded to really show off my talent of scratching, mixing and cutting.

I will never forget the look on some of my peers faces after I’d mix a song in and they’d glance at each other in amazement, almost as if they were secretly trying to figure out how I was taking different songs and mixing them together so perfectly. As the wedding concluded, everyone that attended made a point to tell me what a great time the wedding was. Not only was I successful in my job as a DJ, but also in my job as a friend. The guests danced and had a great time and I was able to help my friends have the wedding of their dreams. But hey, that’s what friends are for, right?

-Matt