Red Letter Events was assigned the theme “Winter Desert” for the inaugural show in Tacoma. It was our challenge to create a vignette that incorporated these two opposing themes. To do this, we used rustic and organic elements like burlap, twine, wood, sand, moss and succulent plants. We also used snow and cool blue lighting, as well as blue napkins and ribbon, and brown and blue fonts in the paperie.

We want to give a big ‘thank you’ to our vignette partners, Trendy Event Rentals, Burning Cupcakes, Valerie’s Invites, AA Party Rentals and Mercer Island Florist for all of the time and materials you put into this event.

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We’re taking you Behind the Veil with some of the Puget Sound’s best wedding and event venues and vendors. This ongoing series of personal interviews will be both entertaining and informative. Who are the real people behind these great companies and why should you put them on your ‘must-contact‘ list? Join us as we answer that very important question for you.

In this edition of Behind the Veil, we interview Generation X Productions. GenXpro are business partners Jered and Ollie. We sat down with Ollie recently to talk about what it means to him and Jered to be professional DJ’s, and about their partnership.

Red Letter Events: When and how did you get started as professional DJ’s?

Ollie: I remember a friend showing me a video when I was 16 years old (12 years ago,”1999″) of a DJ performing in Europe, as I watched the camera pan from just viewing this unknown DJ to the crowd he was playing for. I was utterly amazed at how this one person was influencing thousands of people with his music. “There must have been 20,000 people”, my friend said with excitement. The next day my friend and I purchased DJ equipment to learn how he was mixing music so flawlessly and by pure curiosity. After 6 months of frustration with the learning curve it takes and little-to-no mentoring to guide us, we gave up and just left them to gather dust. It was 6-12 months after giving up that I was at a family friend’s party and I was able to watch a local DJ live for hours play around on his equipment. That’s when I decided to give it another try. As most DJ’s can agree, the learning process that it takes can be long and annoying, especially to your friends as it’s not always the most pleasant sounding. After three and a half years, I had put out multiple CD mixes and was planning events for larger crowds. I met my business partner Jered in helping him with an event and from there Jered & myself were a part of many small to large events in the Kitsap Peninsula Area. We were addicted to say it simply – anything to do with music, events and promotion we wanted to be apart of.

Jered’s background is in audio engineering at the Art Institute in Seattle. He had worked with large and small concerts with all kinds of bands when I met him in 2003. His attention to detail and acoustics were new to me and so we were able to teach each other everything we had learned. We started accumulating equipment over the years from running events and got asked to DJ a friend’s wedding. Jered & I never thought that we would DJ for weddings and had no idea what it entailed. After DJ’n our first wedding we were surprised that the Bride and Groom and many guests complimented us, especially as we stuck it out through all the rain, and that we did a great job. I think that is when we decided to start offering to DJ’n weddings for friends and family and quickly fell in love with all the unique things weddings had to offer. Jered & I established our DJ company, Generation X Productions and are coming up on our 4th year. We have DJ’d over 250 weddings now and love what we do.

RLE: What/who have been your influences in music and your business?

Ollie: Well, I’d have to say it started with my father as he collected all kinds of music and had the same appreciation for its empowering effect on people as I do. Some of my inspirations would be close friends that helped me through all the learning curves, Jacob Meiers (DJ MBM), Matt Graham (Ticus), Jeff Bergerson & many others. Some of the big names in the DJ industry would be DJ Tiesto, Paul Van Dyke, Cosmic Gate, Trance Control and many others. As for business, it starts with my Mom and her dedication and hard work towards her dreams in her medical practice, compassion and honesty are very important in today’s business world and she made sure I never forgot those principles.

RLE: How do you get ready for a wedding? Do you listen to music? What are you listening to?

Ollie: We allow lots of extra time on our way to an event as it’s a sure way to eliminate any surprises earlier on so our clients never need to worry. Jered and I listen to all kinds of music as we have come to appreciate all the different styles, since that is what is expected from a wedding DJ.

RLE: What is the biggest misconception that brides have before they meet with you for the first time?

Ollie: The biggest misconception that we run into is the difference between a DJ playing music at their wedding or having a professional DJ company that helps with planning, day-of coordination of the Ceremony and Reception, keeping the flow and being very professional. DJ’s have an incredible amount of control at a wedding and can really affect its overall outcome and success. Lots of our clients are amazed as we walk them through our planners at the amount of details that weddings can have.

RLE: What is something unique you do that you are extra proud of?

Ollie: When we first started Generation X Productions, we purchased a very unique Laser Lighting effect. It turns a room into a night’s sky with stars and a nice blue cloud that moves and it’s really like dancing under the stars. Another thing we have noticed in this industry is that most professional DJ services are not upfront with their prices and we wanted to be different. So we decided to – our clients know if we are in their budget and it saves us a lot of time as we can focus more on how we can contribute to their special day and less on selling what we think we are worth.

RLE: What is your favorite memory from a wedding you worked – good, bad or funny?

Ollie: Well hopefully someone will read this and put it into a movie as it was one of the funniest things I’ve experienced in this business. We were at a golf course setup outside, under a large covered area finishing up an awesome wedding! The father of the bride let us know of a grand getaway that was on its way for the bride and groom. As soon as he said “helicopter”, we asked if we could play “Ride Of The Valkyries” as they boarded and flew away. For anyone that knows this song it’s a classical song that is played in movies during epic scenes. As the helicopter landed about 400 ft away on a nearby green we turned our speakers to face it, all the guests headed out to give a great farewell to the wedded couple. The bride and groom took awhile packing everything they needed and as soon as we saw them head to the helicopter we started playing the song. It was epic! Everyone laughed as they started towards the helicopter. What happened next was unbelievable – all of the huge sprinklers started going off hitting all of the guests and the helicopter. Panic quickly set in – everyone was running back to us and we kept the music going, as they ran back to us more sprinklers came on hitting them every step of the way back. By the time everyone had got to us they were all soaked and all laughing hysterically. The golf course staff could not turn off the sprinklers as they were on timers and the greens keepers for the golf course had already left for the evening. Eventually the banquet staff had to park golf carts in front of the huge sprinklers so the helicopter could take off safely. Haha!

RLE: What is your philosophy when working with couples?

Ollie: Our Philosophy in working with couples is that we want to compliment their style with the music choices, flow of the evening and overall wedding. We tell our clients that they are the boss and that we are there to do exactly what they have envisioned. It’s important for DJ’s to understand that at a wedding, it’s not about how good the DJ is and his abilities, but how good they can use their abilities to make sure the bride and groom have the most fun they have ever had. It’s a celebration that we don’t take lightly – our focus is to keep the spot light on the bride and groom and not on us. Our goal is to get hugs from our clients as we know that we were apart of one of the most important day of their lives and we always try to exceed the expectations of what is expected from someone showing up to play music.

RLE: What are some questions that brides should ask when interviewing DJs?

Ollie: There are many but here are some of the most important ones that are asked when meeting a Professional DJ Company:

• Are you the DJ that will be at my wedding? If not, will I be able to meet them before I book with your company?
• How long have you been in business and could I read some recommendations of some of your past clients?
• Do you have a contract or agreement; are you insured and do you have a business license?
• Are there any extra costs with equipment and meetings of what we have gone over?
• Do you drink or take smoke breaks at weddings? (We never do)
• Do you provide both MC & DJ services? (They should)
• Do you have backups in place for unforeseen circumstances? (Most companies don’t like this question)
• Do you use professional grade equipment, microphones and speakers? (Just gage how they respond, if they are confident,then you’re OK)
• Do you charge for setup & take-down and how early do you show up on the day of the wedding? (No charge & 1-1.5 hours is recommended)
• What do you wear at weddings and are there any options?

There are many more questions but these are the most common.

RLE: Can you briefly describe your services and relative prices?

Ollie: As we are upfront with our prices and know most of the really professional DJ companies in the Seattle area and are also on the same level of professionalism as we are, I’d say we are competitively priced. Generation X Productions services all of Western Washington, as we have worked at most venues we have detailed layouts and planners that guide us to do exactly what our clients have envisioned. From Weddings, Birthdays, Corporate Functions and everything in between GenXpro excels with our vast knowledge of equipment, music, talent and experience. We always guarantee an owner at every wedding to ensure quality and always provide 2 people on the day of your wedding to cover the Master of Ceremonies (MC) and DJ service. Always professional, on time and above all else, always trying to exceed our clients expectations.

We chose to go Behind the Veil with GenXpro because we like the way they treat their clients, we love the work they do and we appreciate they way they treat other wedding and event vendors. Regardless of how you find a wedding or event vendor, we always recommend that you personally interview them before signing a contract. You should be able to count on a quality referral from your wedding and event planner, but you should always take the time to ensure that you like and trust a vendor yourself.

Colin Cowie is a fantastic event designer – I sincerely admire and appreciate his beautiful and detailed work! I’m sure many of you have seen Colin’s show, “Get Married with Colin Cowie” on Lifetime.

I found an elegant and inspiring photo of a reception on Colin’s website today to share with you. This French style reception is located outdoors in a beautiful tent that has been set up with sheer tulle walls and a drop ceiling to cover all of the poles and electrical wires. The tulle walls allow a more intimate feeling within the tent, while also allowing shadows of the landscaping to filter through.

The chandeliers add such a beautiful ambiance to the tent, providing a small amount of light and sparkle, while drawing your eyes upward – and creating a sense of balance of dark and light colors. Also the dark metal on the chandeliers coordinates well with the dark wooden chairs, and is a great contrast with the white and ivory flowers and table cloths. The hanging crystals soften the look of the metal, and make the chandeliers appear more feminine in style.

An interesting effect that Colin created is an under glow coming from the table cloths, by putting lighting under the tables. This has added a significant amount of lighting to the space, where it would have been quite dark without it. This adds an entirely new element to a dimly lit tent reception.

Ivory pillar candles adorn the table, sitting on top of dark bronze metal pillar holders. Each long table includes two large pedestal flower arrangements, and three small clustered flower arrangements all in neutral colors of soft antique peach/pink, white and ivory.

Overall, the beautiful décor and unique lighting elements have made this French style wedding reception one worthy of sharing with you.