vendor reviews: disc jockeys

A & M Sounds' strives to set themselves apart from the rest, for London brides

Reviewing Adrian Peters, Owner of A & M Sounds Disc Jockey Service

Through his professional disc jockey services company, A & M Sounds, Adrian Peters has become a familiar face at community and charity events as well as at about ninety London area weddings each year. Adrian provides the sound for all sizes of events, not because it's his job, but because it's his passion. "We strive to set ourselves apart from the rest," he explains to couples (words you can only hope to hear from that one guy who will control the mood of your guest list for about six hours!).

Adrian has decades of experience, demands high levels of knowledge and ability from his employees, and says he will do everything in his power to make your wedding music perfect. Since he's a popular face at London weddings as well as countless community and charity events, staff at The Ring sat down with A & M Sounds to find out what they have in store for London brides this year...

A history lesson

Adrian's twenty plus years in disc jockeying started, where some of the best DJs do - in high school. Adrian started out playing tunes for rowdy teenage crowds on the old school turntable systems. Since those so-called 'old days', his skills and equipment have evolved and adapted to meet the trends and technology required for today's weddings. Creating his own disc jockey service company seemed like a natural progression for Adrian.

Since his solo days, Adrian has not only built his own disc jockey service, but he's personally hired and trained three additional DJs to help him cover the roughly ninety weddings A & M Sounds services each year. "My DJs have worked with me for ten years and have countless references to back them up... I insist they know the current top 100 songs and classics from past decades and that they're always appropriately dressed, don't smoke or drink on the job, and conduct themselves in an extremely professional manner."

If you plan to book to A & M Sounds for both a Stag & Doe, as well as your wedding, Adrian says he'll send you the same DJ to both functions to ensure he's familiar with your family and friends, and the type of crowd that will be at your wedding. Between himself and his staff, Adrian does only three bookings per evening. That means that if you have a date in mind, it's best to book as soon as possible, "We only do three bookings per night but I do this intentionally. If I expand more than that, I wouldn't be able to spend as much time on each event. It's about quality, not quantity for me."

Setting the musical stage

With over 18,000 songs on location at any wedding, you can be assured that your A & M Sounds DJ is coming prepared to your wedding day. They carry a high-end library of music that is always up to date with the most current hits, as well as the the classic party tunes from the past five decades. "We always go early to the location to set-up our equipment. We'll never be setting up as guests are there," explains Adrian. He wants to put the most professional face forward and your guests will only notice the DJ when appropriate. "People want to hear the music, they don't necessarily want to listen to the DJ carry on all evening." Adrian says that if you require assistance with the Master of Ceremony tasks, they can certainly take over but if not, you won't have to worry about your DJ stealing the microphone for his own purposes all evening.

A helping hand

Sometimes it's hard to even get a human being to answer the phone when calling around for information. At A & M Sounds, you won't have this problem. Adrian is your contact throughout the entire process from the first call to discuss your wedding day details, to the actual wedding and even after. Adrian follows up after each wedding that A & M Sounds does to ensure that the couple was completely satisfied with their services and that everything went well. Adrian also likes to offer his help with any general planning issues that you may be having. He'll offer some advice if you ask him or if he feels it would be helpful to you.

Equipped to do the job right

Great intentions and huge music database aside, the music at your wedding won't be perfect unless it sounds perfect. Isn't that what it's all about? Adrian has equipped his company with five different types of speakers, each with a backup set in case of problems. Each set is used for various types of locations, depending on factors such as size, acoustics, indoor, outdoor, etc. Adrian says that if he doesn't already know the hall, he will go and scope it out before hand so he knows how to set up the system so each guest will have the best seat in the house for listening.

It's best to go over all the details possible with any potential DJ that may be doing your wedding... Adrian's experience gives him the advantage of knowing how to deal with almost any situation that may arise, "Make sure you have a power supply for any music, microphone or lighting that you want... trust me!" Adrian told us a story about a couple that had an indoor reception in a hall where the power was lost because of an accident. Luckily, Adrian had a friend nearby who loaned him a generator so the music could be played all evening.

How it's done

If you're interested in speaking with A & M Sounds about your wedding, you'll first want to contact Adrian. He knows how important your music is to you. Unfortunately, he notes, some couples don't realize this until after their big day. "When no one is enjoying the expensive late night buffet because they've all left early, ask yourself how much your DJ cost you."

But finding a DJ that's right for you, isn't always as easy as it sounds. Adrian makes his own FAQs (frequently asked questions) sheet available to couples who contact him. The FAQs are designed to help them ask the right questions, measure the level of professionalism and help shed light on whether the potential DJ is a good fit for you and your event. He brings up points such as sound quality, and the difference between a CD (1411 kilobytes of sound) and an mp3 (128 kilobytes of sound) and which pieces of equipment will be sure to fill your reception space the best way possible. "The DJ needs to know how to fill the space with sound. A & M will make sure that you have what you need and explain why you need it.... Think of extra speakers and other equipment like coats of paint. It's one verses two coats. One gives minimal coverage while two finishes the job."

Adrian typically meets with each couple before the wedding to build a rapport with you and discuss your preferences. He can also set up your entire booking over email or the phone if you cannot meet in person or these options are more convenient. From that first meeting on, he'll discuss details with you about your plan for the evening, what is to happen when, specifics of the location and of course, your music choices.

A & M Sounds does have pres-set wedding packages, but Adrian stresses that he can customize them for you, because he prefers discussing what services you would like to see at your wedding and then developing a package based on your particular needs, not his. Options that will affect the price of your services would include needing ceremony music in addition to the traditional reception music, cordless microphones, remote locations, MC services, etc.

For a standard wedding, Adrian says that you're price will usually start at $650, with an average price being about $770 for seven hours of music. If you have a specific budget to work within, Adrian says to give him a call so that he can walk you through your options.

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• A & M Sounds Disc Jockey Service is a member of AVLA (Audio-Video Licensing Agency Inc. and CDJA (Canadian Disc Jockey Association).

• Adrian is a member of the St. Thomas Chamber of Commerce and does many of their large sound events such as the United Way Roast, Heart and Stroke Foundation Chilli Cook-off, Rotary Club Tour of Homes, Home Builders' awards, St. Anne's Wine and Cheese Ladies Night Out, MS Walk, MADD Walk, Crime Stoppers Bail or Jail and more.

• It is crucial to book early with A & M Sounds since they only have limited spots available. Some brides are now booking as early as 2 years in advance as they realize the important role that a good DJ plays in a successful reception.

• If you are booking last minute, A & M may still have an opening and will do their best to accommodate you, if possible.

• A $200 non-refundable deposit will secure your wedding date on the A & M Sounds event calendar, with the balance due the week before the wedding.

• Adrian or one of his DJs will have over 18,000 songs with them at your wedding location.

• If you're looking for DJ services and more, Adrian can help you with booking a live band as well. Or for the truly unique, he can also book comedians, magicians or just about any entertainer you'd like.

Inotherwords...

"Adrian's participation and performance was... in a word... super! My wife and I had never met or knew Adrian before we started planning for our daughter's wedding. We were referred to him by a couple different sources. As many people go through, you want your day to be special and have the guests enjoy it. And enjoy it they did! Ample time before the wedding allowed for us to choose the music for the different dances (father/daughter dance, etc.) and it all was done and timed great. The ceremony music was of our choosing and Adrian provided it or played music we had and asked to be played. The timing of the ceremony music was great. He assisted the bridesmaids and the bride and myself in the hallway prior to coming down the aisle to insure perfect timing. The reception music was of his choosing. The idea was to provide a fun crowd with some good 'get on the floor' dance music and have fun. Our guests all mentioned the fact that there was people on the dance floor from the first song to the last song of the night. Fast songs and slow songs blended together nicely and seemed seamless. The guests responded and participated. Our close friends made a point about telling us what a good time they had and our photographer commented 'I have been to a lot of weddings and Christmas parties... if he has them up already, your gonna have a great night'. But I think the best compliment came from the girl at the front desk the next morning when she said, 'Although there was another wedding here last night, you folks sounded like you were having a lot more fun'. A night to remember indeed. Would we use his services again?... absolutely!" - Pat & Tammy Pinnoy, St. Thomas

Contacting A & M Sounds...

If you'd like to speak with Adrian Peters or his staff at A & M Sounds about your wedding music needs, you can give them a call at 519-773-2685. You can also email any questions or inquiries to amsounds20@yahoo.ca. They are located at RR #3 in St. Thomas. A & M Sounds has a brand new website, check it out at www.amsoundsdj.com!

- The Staff at TheWeddingRing.ca

* Prices are all approximate and are subject to change and verification by authorized staff and management of A & M Sounds Disc Jockey Service.