Athens DJ – Atlanta Wedding DJs – Sound Insight Productions » Entertainment...by Design

Austin & Heather’s wedding reception at the Georgian Hotel- Athens, GA

I spend a LOT of time at weddings. From first-hand experience, I can attest to the awesome difference a SPECTACULAR vendor makes to your reception celebration. This wedding was a PERFECT example of quality vendors throughout. As is turns out, all of the vendors that made Austin and Heather’s reception so remarkable are all members of the Athens Wedding Professionals. Enjoy some of the pictures (by Courtney Goldman) below:

Venue: Georgian Hotel, Athens GA
Caterer: Trumps Catering
Photographer: Courtney Goldman
Florist: European Floral Design
DJ: David Osborne (Sound Insight Productions)
Lighting Design: Sound Insight Productions
Custom Monogram: Sound Insight Productions

Lighting is big. No…HUGE when considering the overall design of your wedding space. It’s built into our American minds that when you plan a wedding, flowers are part of the budget. Floral arrangements add both personality and color to your reception space, really centering the overall feel of the room.

Think about how large a floral arrangement is – even smaller than the arrangement are the actual flowers, which are only part of the floral design. Now think about the walls, ceiling and floor in the same space. I would wager that that space is exponentially larger than the flowers.

The impact of one light on the wall has a great “bang-for-buck” impact on the ambience of your wedding reception. Coupled with dozens of uplights, maybe a custom monogram, and some additional lighting design, you can imagine the final result: STUNNING. You know all those bridal magazines and reality shows on TLC that make weddings look so “high-end”? The common theme between all of them is well planned lighting. When done very well, it should ENHANCE your reception, never take away from it.

At Sound Insight Productions, we offer a custom approach to lighting design – as unique as the couple getting married. Here’s two examples from a wedding at the State Botanical Gardens in Athens, GA. I (David Osborne) also was the event host and DJ for the evening.

Thanks to my wife, Rachel Osborne of Rachel Osborne Photography for this detail shot of the Botanical Gardens conservatory.

Thanks to Gene Ho, the official photographer at the wedding, of Gene Ho Photography for this stunning shot of the couple surrounded by our lighting! Gorgeous!

There are tons of GREAT venues in Athens, GA for a wedding. Seriously, there’s too many to name. However, there’s just one venue in town that showcases an eco-friendly, luxurious, high-end ambience: Hotel Indigo.

Hotel Indigo is of course 1st a hotel – I’ve had the privilege of staying there myself – super “IKEA”-ish, eco-modern design. I mean, what DJ/lighting-designer wouldn’t love a hotel that features color changing LED lights recessed in the ceiling in lieu of traditional incandescent spots? Such a cool place.

Downstairs in the Hotel is the real gem – the Rialto Room and Lounge area. The Rialto room is a custom built acoustic space that is designed with live performances in mind. The first time I ever worked at Indigo, I found myself right in the “sweet spot” of the room, where all sound seems to be amplified from – again…such a cool place.

In the summer of 2011, I provided chic “downtempo” or urban lounge music as well as a vibrant magenta lighting and a custom monogram to really make the Lounge area even more sublime. The event was the Athens Wedding Professionals summer social, and coincidentally, I was presented with the 2010 member of the year award that evening at Indigo, surrounded by the ambience I helped create

Here’s an image from the design in the lounge

So, a few days ago, I spoke with a potential bride on the phone. According to her, every vendor she met with recommended my DJ services for her Athens, GA wedding. (Photographer, Venue, Caterer, Florist, yes…even another DJ). To me, this is a great sign, because other vendors recognize the quality & value we offer over other companies in our market. Theses vendors are industry professionals who are knee-deep in brides, weddings, and I-do’s at least once-a-week. Plainly, they KNOW weddings.

What’s the problem, then? Well, one question she asked me was, “how many years experience do you have?” This is a completely common question, and I have a pretty respectable answer. I have been in “business” for 7 years, but have been DJing weddings for 10+ years, have been a professional musician for 15+ and an entertainer since I was born. I also KNOW weddings and have worked with couples at every end of the spectrum.

Her response befuddled me just a little….”well, I spoke with another company, and they have their DJ’s categorized into years of experience (10, 15, 20+, etc.) and pricing is reflective of those numbers. Since you are around the 10 year mark, shouldn’t your prices be the same as their lesser experienced DJ’s?”……….I certainly see the logic involved, but it is flawed to the max.

Think of it this way: If you go to a 5-star restaurant, do you prefer the chef with the most experience, or the best quality food? Do you really care how long a painter has been painting, or do you just care how “good” the art is? Mozart was composing at age 5…should we tell him that composers with 30 years experience are better? In a service industry, like event entertainment, I believe the concern (particularly for weddings, which are a once-in-a-lifetime experience) should be on QUALITY and VALUE, not the number of years of experience. Of course, the vendor should have SOME experience, which I believe any quality DJ or entertainer should have from other types of events before ever making themselves available for weddings.

I’m sure for some folks, the only way to find this out for themselves is to “experience” the result at their event. As for me and Sound Insight Productions, we’ll continue to offer fabulous, one-of-a-kind, creative, and FUN entertainment experiences for couples and clients in Athens and Atlanta!