Joel and I worked together on Lewis and Kelley’s wedding in January. He was really great to work with! Joel kept the music going all night long and I don’t think there was anyone in the place who didn’t hit the dance floor at some point. When choosing a DJ, it is really important to make sure they will be able to provide the music that you want and stay away from the music that you don’t. Recently I talked with Joel about what he provides for your wedding day and a little bit more about him.

What inspired you to start Greenbelt DJ?

In my mid-20  all my friends began to get married. Being a DJ as my hobby, I already had all the equipment and music so I volunteered to DJ their weddings for free. I received great feedback from my friends and their guests. So, I bought several new sound systems and lights. Greenbelt DJ took off like a rocket.

What do you enjoy most about your job?

Until 2006, providing DJ services was just a long-time hobby while attending UT and later while I was a teacher for Austin ISD. I had always dreamed of losing the day job and working as a full time DJ, but I never thought it would be possible to earn a good income from being a wedding DJ. I also enjoy the business side of the job, getting to work from home during the week and at beautiful venues on the weekends.

How long have you been DJ-ing?

I started DJing in high school. In the mid-1990s, I moved to Austin to go to college and noticed all the DJ here used turntables to mix dance music. I spent thousands of hours in my 20s practicing and playing at house parties. It seemed I might be wasting my time and would need to grow up – but now the practice has paid off!

Will you always be at the event or do you have other DJs and assistants?

If I tell customers that I am available to DJ their events and they sign up, I will be there. Whether I am sick or not, rain or shine. If I am already booked, then I do have other skilled DJs that pick up gigs for Greenbelt DJ. But, our availability and which DJ will be made clear at the beginning of our first conversation.

What services do you provide? Is it possible for guests to request songs? If you don’t have a song a bride and groom are interested in can you get it?

Greenbelt DJ provides DJ and Emcee services for approximately 200 weddings per year in the Austin area. We provide ceremony, cocktail, and dance music.

Guests can request songs at the event, and we will likely have it with us. If not, we bring Internet access with us to each event and will download it for your guest for free. Any song that a bride and groom request that is not in our music library, we will acquire unless it is something extremely rare and cannot be found on the web.

Is there anything else you would like for people to know about Greenbelt DJ?

There are 5-star reviews about Greenbelt DJ all over the Internet, including WeddingWire.com, BestAustinWeddings.com, Yelp.com, TheKnot.com, and more. We make it our mission to return all phone and email messages within an hour.

Make sure to check out Joel’s website!

I have been friends with Margaret and Trey for a while and I was really excited when they asked me to film their wedding. It took place on a beautiful (but very chilly!) January afternoon. It is always so much fun to get to be a part of friend’s weddings. Aimee from Clink Events coordinated the day and made sure everything was perfect. Ashley Garmon was the photographer, you can see the fabulous images on her blog. Best wishes Margaret and Trey!

Videography is often not something at the very top of the priority list for brides and grooms. Of course I am biased because it is my profession, but even if it wasn’t I can’t stress enough how important I think it is! I love to look at the photographs from weddings I have filmed because it is interesting to see what the wedding looked and felt like through the lens of the photographers camera. Many times, it seems as though their photos and my videos have conveyed very different emotions. Plus, how fun will it be to look back on your wedding video with your children and grandchildren! Below is a video featuring a couple talking about why they wish they hired a videographer for their wedding. I thought they had some really good things to say – please take a look!

Kelley and Lewis live in San Francisco (one of my favorite cities!) so we hadn’t met until their wedding day. They were absolutely wonderful! Kelley played a little practical joke on Lewis for their first look – you will see it in the beginning of their preview. He was totally caught off guard! Their wedding ceremony was absolutely beautiful and followed by a reception at the Intercontinental Hotel in downtown Austin. I don’t think there was anyone in the place who didn’t hit the dance floor at some point in the night. Congratulations Kelley and Lewis!