Favorite Memory - All of it! 

Mike and Jessica Stanton were married at Aspen Lodge in Estes Park in August.  They mentioned to us that their favorite memory from their wedding reception was "all of it!"   They liked our pricing and how much help we provided to their questions.  Mike and Jessica told us they would recommend us to others and would be a reference for us as well.  

"You guys ROCK!"

Heidi Moore selected Solid Sound Entertainment for her wedding based on our reputation.  Afterwards, she told us how much help we were with organizing during the event.  And here is a direct quote from her evaluation form.

"Thank you for helping everything run so smoothly!  You guys ROCK!"

Heidi Moore, married at Wild Lane Bed and Breakfast, July 19, 2008.

The DJ was friendly

"You were the only DJ that came up to Estes Park that was reasonable.  But I am glad we went with Solid Sound Entertainment.  I really enjoyed the DJ, he was friendly and seemed to enjoy what he was doing.  Our favorite part of the wedding was the limbo."

Kristin Carter, married at the Estes Park Holiday Inn on August 4, 2008

Testimonial from Robyn and Nick, married June 28, 2008

"Dear Scott and Diana,

You both did such a wonderful job at our wedding!  We appreciate all that you did that day as well as helping with the preparation before hand...Thank you so much for not only providing exceptional DJ services at our wedding, but also being a wonderful master of ceremonies.  You exceeded our expectations tenfold and went well above and beyond the call of duty.  We credit you completely for the success of our wedding!  We are so grateful for it and would highly recommend you to anyone getting married in the future."  With sincere gratitude, Mr. and Mrs Nicholas Muylle.

Cocktail Hour Music

Many of our clients enjoy classical music and suggest it for the cocktail hour.  We are happy to accommodate your wishes.  We would however like to make a suggestion.  Classical music is best listened to with attention as it has a variety of soft and louder passages.  When being played during a cocktail hour, the soft passages can not be heard above the conversation and the volume of the more intense passages is often too high for your guests to carry on a pleasant conversation. 

We suggest that you consider light jazz or instrumental versions of contemporary songs.  We can provide pleasant background music without the sleep inducing sounds so often associated with "elevator" music. 

The Love Story Was Awesome!

"Diana and Scott, We had so much fun working with you!  You did a wonderful job in helping us prepare the music and make our wedding day perfect!  My favorite memories are the Love Story which was awesome, and dancing with my friends and family, especially the Money Dance.  Also walking down the aisle to "You and Me song and seeing how everything came together."             Nikki Brosh, The McCreery House, Loveland CO August 12, 2008

 Wedding Tip of the Month

September

Once your start eating your dinner do you want the photographer to take you away so he can take a photo of you with a rainbow in the background? When the dancing is happening, do you want your photographer to clear the dance floor so he/she can stand on a chair in the middle of the dance floor to take a photo of the two of you?  Do you want your photographer to spend an hour (or two or three) taking photos between the ceremony and reception?  I've seen all three of those things happen.  Couples return to cold meals, the guests have nothing to do while the dance floor is cleared for photos, and one couple missed all but the last 1/2 hour of their reception because the photographer spent two and a half hours taking photos. 

This is your reception.  Define in advance what is and isn't acceptable.  If your photos are extremely important to you then let your venue, and entertainment know that you may be temporarily pulled away at times during the reception.On the other hand, if an excellent meal or phenomenal party are more important, then let the photographer know his/her limits.

August

Hire a "day of" wedding coordinator.  Why would we suggest you spend extra money? Robyn M. was assured by the sales department at her wedding venue that their staff would cut and serve her wedding cake as part of their service.  After she and Nick did their ceremonial cake cutting she expected the staff to cut and serve her cake; but they were nowhere to be found.  She was visibly upset as her guests were eager to try the scrumptious looking cake. Diana from Solid Sound Entertainment stepped in, found the staff, and got things moving.  But Diana can't be at every event and not all DJ services have the staff who can or will take those extra little steps.  If Diana can't be at your wedding, save yourself some stress and hire someone to make sure your day goes smoothly. 

July

Be very clear to the Food and Beverage folks about how and when you would like dishes and glasses picked up.  I recently was at a wedding where the bride's mother had prepared herself a plate of appetizers, set it down at her seat, and then momentarily left to say hi to a guest.  When she returned to her seat the staff had already "cleared" her plate because she "was no longer eating it".  They did the same thing to a guest who had set his drink on the stage while he was dancing.  It was still 3/4 full. And how do I know about this?  It was distressing enough to the mother of the bride that she shared it with me. 

While you don't want to have a lot of dirty dishes laying around you also do not want your guests to be upset because their drink or food mysteriously disappeared.  If you are hosting the bar this can kill you financially because your guests are getting new drinks to replace the half full beverage that was cleaned up prematurely. 

Also, establish ahead of time who will be releasing the tables if you are having a buffet rather than a plated meal.  some facilities will release the tables, sometimes it is the caterer and some times it is the entertainer/MC.  It is helpful to the entertainer/MC to know in advance if they will be releasing the tables.

June

Are you planning a formal dance for your first dance? Start with the bride going forwards, not backwards. When the bride starts out going backwards it becomes very easy for her to catch the hem of her dress with the heel of her shoes, even when the dress is bustled.

By the way brides and grooms, have you considered dance classes? In Loveland on Sunday nights, a couple named Judy and Eldon teach dance classes from 5PM to 8PM. The cost is only $3.50 per person. The first hour you learn a new ballroom dance step, the second hour is a country dance, and the third hour is spent on review of previous lessons. Scott and I went to the class on June 15 and picked up some great stuff. We would love to see you there.

If you are looking for something a little more private then give Dave Arns a call. For his contact information check our links page.

From Erin

"Our favorite memory of our wedding was the shoe game!  People are always asking/still talking about it."  Erin Maness

Erin and Chad were married at Wild Basin Lodge on May 25, 2008.

How Assured are You that Your Entertainment Will...

Greet your guests with a warm and welcoming ambience?
Provide fabulous music and master of ceremonies services at a comfortable sound level?
Provide sound free of irritating distortion?
Treat you as a respected client rather than a paycheck?
Keep your guests safety in mind while setting up the equipment?
Set up a system that doesn't have ugly loose wires hanging all over the place?
Dress appropriately for your event? And you decide what appropriate is!

Seeing an entertainment company live is not always easy. We would never invite someone else to come to your party. And so, we cannot invite you to see us at a private function. However, we would love to have you visit us during one of our public events.

We ask you to keep in mind that what you see will not necessarily be the exact performance you envisioned for your party; but, it will be what our current client wants. Each client has their own preferences and we do our best to exceed their expectations. So please come see us at one of the following events:

October 21, 2008 at the Fountains of Loveland.  We will be performing for a fashion show fundraiser for the Children's Advocacy Center.  It will be an evening event but the exact times are not available yet.

October 25, 2008 - Yep, it is once again time for the annual Junior Achievement Boo-a-thon.  This FUNdraising bowling event is a great time for everyone and raises much needed funds to keep JA in the schools.  Time and locations TBA.  And if you don't know what JA is or what we do, give Diana a call at the office.  But be warned, she may talk your head off.  She was a Junior Achiever in high school and now loves being a JA volunteer in the elementary and high schools.

Hiring a DJ or Entertainment

The first thought that comes to most people when they have never hired an entertainment service before is "what do they charge"? It is understandable that you want to know pricing so you can find the service that fits your budget. However, would you call a caterer and ask, "How much do you charge for food?" Of course not, you realize that the caterer will need to know if you want hamburgers and hotdogs, lobster tails and steak, or roast beef and chicken. And how many people you are feeding. It is the same with entertainment services. They need to know the date of your event, the location, time of day, exactly which services you need and any special needs you may have. That is one reason why you really need to speak with an entertainment service before asking about pricing.

You probably have a ton of questions and we’re happy to answer them for you. Of course, if you’ve never hired an entertainment company before you may not know what to ask. Here are a few things to think about.

*What are the results I want from my event?
*What is the age range of my guests and their music preferences?
*What types of music do I NOT want played?
*What is the experience of the entertainer that will be doing my party? Not the company, but the actual person at my party. And can I meet or talk with him or her before I decide which entertainment company to select? (for example, some companies don’t know who your disc jockey will be until the week of your party)
*Does my venue require that my entertainment company have insurance?

Brides, if you would like more to think about Click Here

Why knowing the location is important. Some people are reluctant to give the exact location of their party because they are afraid that if they say, “It’s at the Ultra Expensive Country Club”, the entertainment company will automatically raise the price because of the location. Solid Sound Entertainment does not operate that way. We have been in business since 1979 and we want to continue. The best way to be successful is to treat all our clients honestly and fairly and with excellent customer service. We do want to know the location because if it is in Colorado Springs or Sterling, we are going to charge you mileage we wouldn’t be charging if your event is in Estes Park, Loveland, or Fort Collins. Additionally, most event facilities have a reasonably easy load in with flat surfaces, an elevator, and electricity. But, not all do! If our staff has to hand carry lots of heavy equipment in order to reach their set up site, it will take more time. For sites without electricity we will need to bring our own power source. These circumstances usually result in a small extra fee. If we know this information in advance it will help us give you more accurate pricing.

From Courtney and Travis

"Thank you so so much for being a part of our special day. You two have been so helpful, energetic & a great addition to our day. We appreciate all your hard work and effort in making our day run smoothly."

Courtney and Travis were married June 14, 2008. 

Great Music And...

Several years ago Scott and Diana were performing at Beaver Meadows. As we were setting up our equipment the cake arrived and the delivery person began putting it together. As she finished she realized she had forgotten to bring the cake topper. She said, “Oh well, I’m not going to drive all the way back to Fort Collins just to pick it up and bring it back.” We were shocked.

After she left Diana took one flower from each table centerpiece and made a floral cake topper. (That horticulture class at CSU came in handy after all!) The bride knew that it wasn’t her cake topper; but, the guests had no idea, and the cake fit with the overall décor.

At Solid Sound Entertainment we believe in taking care of our clients and making their event as stress free as possible, even if it means doing something that “is not our job”. We hope your event will trouble free. You can rest easy knowing that our staff not only plays great music; we will take care of you in any way we can.

Do you see the speakers? At Solid Sound Entertainment the guests want to look at you and each other. They are not interested in seeing big ugly black boxes. And yes, there really are great sounding speakers in this photo. We not only make you look good, you will sound wonderful!

2008 Testimonials

A guest visiting our website asked why we do not have any testimonials from prior years.  We have many letters and testimonials since we started providing music and emcee services for weddings.  But the truth is, we are only as good as our last event.  

We have letters, testimonials, and evaluations in our office available for browsing. Almost all of our couples from this past summer have volunteered to be references. If you are seriously interested in our services we are more than happy to share their contact information with you.  We understand how important referrals can be.  On the other hand we respect the time and privacy of our clients.  Therefore, we will provide a limit of three references so that our past clients are not inundated with calls or emails.  Thank you for your understanding.