Wedding Lessons Learned: The Host Becomes the Guest!

We've made it through FOUR MONTHS! Thank you to everyone who has listened so far!

On this episode, DJ Josh changes places and becomes the guest on the show. The host? His beautiful wife, Rhoda.

He talks about some of the lessons he has learned from his almost six years of wedding DJ experience. And, as usual, you get a chance to learn fun facts about him as well!

Make sure to click that subscribe button. And if you haven't left a review, I'd appreciate it! I might even read it on a future podcast!

The intro and outro for this Highlight Weddings & Events Podcast was edited and produced by DropHouse Voiceover Production Studio and Tony Tee Neto, Voiceover Artist & Audio Producer. For more info on branding elements, editing, and post-production services, visit http://drophouse.com.

The song used for the intro and outro for this episode is Crush by https://audiohub.com License: CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Transcript

DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:00:00]   Well, hello, everyone. thanks for checking out the podcast again. My name is DJ Josh from Highlight Weddings and Events. And today, I'm going to do things slightly differently. Instead of being the host, the host is going to be my beautiful wife, Rhoda.

Rhoda Woeckener: [00:00:43] Hey, guys!

DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:00:44] Since we are now on episode 17, which is going into the fifth month, I figured that we would switch it up and you guys would find out a little bit more about me and Highlight Weddings and Events and just how you would typically hear it on the podcast.

Rhoda Woeckener: [00:01:01] So today I get to be the interviewer. So Josh, I already know this because we're married. Woohoo! But tell the listeners a little bit about yourself. 

DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:01:12] Well, um, as you said, my name is Josh. I am the owner of Highlight Weddings and Events. I am 38. I am an avid Miami Dolphins. Florida State, and Chicago Cubs fan. And, uh, yeah, I've been a wedding DJ for almost six years now. It'll be six years next month, which is kinda crazy. 

And, I have had a  very eclectic past. I was enlisted in the Air Force. Once I got out, I still didn't know what I wanted to be. I thought I wanted to be a mechanical engineer. Until I found out that I wasn't as good at math as I thought I was. And I also didn't like calculus, which is kind of a prerequisite to be a mechanical engineer. 

After that, I did the retail shuffle for a few years, and then I actually met you. We started dating. And at that point I was a screen printer. And also I worked at Ross as a Loss Prevention Specialist, which was just the fancy term for the person that wears the black invests in the front and greets you.

I then transitioned to working at Sandestin, which is a resort in the area, as a host for a fast dining restaurant during the summer. That transitioned to me being a barista at a coffee shop on Sandestin as well. And then, I was like, "Well, I kind of like this girl a lot, so I should probably do something that's a little bit more serious, more grown up.

So I decided to start working on getting my bachelor's in accounting. In the process of that, I got my realtor's license and I was okay at it, but I didn't really like doing real estate sales. It just didn't really fulfill me. And at that time, you and I both started working as DJ/MCs for a company, shout out to Duane Mayes for recruiting us. That introduced me to the world of weddings. 

After five years, we got the call to serve as missionaries to Hungary in Budapest. As the year came to a conclusion while we were in Hungary, I felt the natural next step would be to start my own wedding and event DJ company. And now I'm here. 

Rhoda Woeckener: [00:03:33] Awesome.

DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:03:33] Almost the first full year of Highlight Weddings and Events. It's been an interesting year, but it's been better than I expected the first year would be. 

Rhoda Woeckener: [00:03:42] So, what excites you about being on a wedding event team? 

DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:03:45] There are a couple of things, actually. One, and this may be kind of cheesy. Every wedding I'm a part of is a reminder of our wedding, which was super awesome. And it's just nice to celebrate love and couples. 

But the other reason I really like to be part of a wedding event team is, even though I am I guess we would call the face of the reception as far as keeping everything moving and transitioning to the different parts, it really is a team effort. It's not just me by myself, obviously. And it depends on there's a coordinator involved. But there's a coordinator that helps to make sure every everyone's where they need to be. And you also have the catering staff and the photographer and the videographer. And if I've worked events with some of the wedding pros in the past, when I get there, I'm like, "Oh yeah, I get to work with, for instance, Michael K Photography," does photography and videography. "I'm going to be working with Sherry Kuhn from Destin To Wed," or just other wedding pros that I know that if they're a part of the wedding event team, it's going to be a solid event. That's what excites me about being a part of the wedding event team. 

Rhoda Woeckener: [00:04:52] Cool. So how can couples working with you make their wedding a highlight?

DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:04:57] I actually realized who my ideal client was when I started in the planning process for Highlight Weddings and Events. I really think that a wedding is so much better when couples are intentional and deliberate about making the wedding about themselves. 

So instead of doing things that they think everybody is expecting them to do. I think it's really cool if they take the time to be like, Oh man, we really want to do this thing. Like for instance, I'll use our wedding as an example, we had a choreographed first stance because you enjoy dancing 

Rhoda Woeckener: [00:05:37] Sure do.

DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:05:37] And you are an exceptional one. I am, unfortunately, not but that was something really unique to us. Also, the dinner part of our wedding turned  into a show. Cause we had like seven different, uh, 

Rhoda Woeckener: [00:05:51] Something like that.

DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:05:52] Seven different singers or couples that came up and performed during our wedding. And that goes back to how we became a couple, because we met at the Beal Street Bottle Club, which is unfortunately no longer in existence. But at the time it was a live jazz and blues spot where some really talented people would always perform. And that was where we first met.

So it really helped to tell our story to guests that may not have known that part about us. 

Rhoda Woeckener: [00:06:20] Yeah. 

DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:06:20] So I really encourage couples, as they're going through the wedding planning process, to think about, "Hey, what are some songs that are really our own that we can incorporate?"

And even if they aren't necessarily used for different formalities, just the fact that you're going to have that as maybe a prelude song or during cocktail hour or dinner, your guests are going to know that that. Is your song. It's not just saying quote, "another wedding" kind of makes it sound bad. There's more thought and guests are going to be able to appreciate that you made it special and you made it unique to you. 

So I think that is something that couples can really make their wedding a highlight. If they really focus on. And this isn't necessarily just about music or the MC portion, but I think in general, if you pick things that are specific to you, like I've heard couples that instead of doing cake one of them did cinnamon rolls because the bride and her grandfather, that was their tradition. Whenever she would go on vacation, she would have cinnamon rolls. Or just different things that really make your wedding your own that's going to not only make it more memorable for you as a couple, but it also make it more memorable for your guests as well. 

Rhoda Woeckener: [00:07:36] How many weddings have you been a part of? 

DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:07:38] I think I'm up to around 65 or 70.

Rhoda Woeckener: [00:07:42] And how many years? 

DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:07:43] In almost six years. So it'll be six years in October. 

Rhoda Woeckener: [00:07:47] Cool. Well, with all that experience, what are some things you've learned? Takeaways. 

DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:07:53] Oh. One? Just because there's a timeline does not mean things are going to happen the way you expect it. And I think you can apply this to the wedding planning process as a whole.

If we've learned anything from this year, COVID-19 really threw a wrench into pretty much everyone's plans. I know from the wedding professional side, a lot of business owners were expecting this year to be best year ever. I think part of it had to do with the 2020 year in it. But yeah, when I talked to several business owners and they were like, "Yeah, this is the most bookings I've ever had."

And then coronavirus happened and that changed things. And I think for me, I've learned that, specific to the wedding itself, sometimes things aren't gonna go as planned. Whether it's because photographs took a little bit longer because the sunset was just so remarkable or something might be delayed a little bit. I've learned that I don't have to necessarily stick strictly to the timeline. If I have to kind of hold the moment or the reception where it is at the certain time. Like for instance, if cocktail hour is going to be extended a little bit. And I've told coordinators this many times. I can keep the vibe going for as long as we need to.

So it's definitely important to have a plan, but sometimes you have to be flexible enough to adjust and take the situation as it is. And be able to make it seem like that was the intention all along. 

And something else that goes along with that, just having grace. Realizing that what was planned is not happening and that's okay. Something else I've learned is sometimes you are, unfortunately, going to mess up. It's never my intention to do something wrong or have something go not as planned. But what I found is that if you realize, "Oh, crap. I screwed up," and you admit it and offer a solution to the problem. I think that most people are going to recognize that, and it helps to kind of dull the sting of whatever happened.

Now that's not to say that you should just mess up because people are going to forgive you. But I think that if you own up to the fact that, "Hey, this is something I did wrong. But I have a solution to the situation or the problem," I think that it goes a long way to show that you really care. Showing that you really care, not just when you make a mistake, but when you are intentional about, oh, just reaching out. 

For instance, with the hurricane that passed through, I've reached out to almost all the couples that I've either worked with on a wedding or have weddings coming up and just been like, "Hey. How have you been? Is everything okay?" And Sally was a category two hurricane, so it wasn't that bad. But there's still always that possibility of something going wrong. And if you show people you care, that really goes a long way with couples as well. 

Rhoda Woeckener: [00:10:55] Absolutely. So how has COVID-19 impacted you personally and in business?

DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:11:01] Well, let's start off with the positive and even business wise, there is some negative, but it's definitely positive as well. I'll be quite honest, because of COVID-19 I am in the best shape that I've ever been. Well, maybe not ever been, but I am in much better shape than I had been for quite some time. 

Because we were on lockdown, I started walking. More to kind of get out of the house, stretch my legs, get some sunshine, but also just to get some exercise. I'd had an issue with my knees, so I hadn't really been doing much of anything lately. And I think actually getting out there and walking and getting moving helped my knee recover.

As sucky as it was to be in a forced pause, I think it was good for most people to just have to kind of do nothing and really get comfortable with who you are. To me, it afforded an opportunity to just look at what I was doing or what I was planning on doing, because obviously I'd just started my company four months before it happened. And then figure out if what I was planning on doing was something that I should continue to do. I did miss out on a lot of referrals for events at the beginning of the year because of COVID. 

Coming out of it I learned about live streaming, which is a service that I offer for ceremonies. And I actually see that having staying power, even after COVID-19, because with a destination wedding not everyone's going to travel either because of COVID due to health concerns or just because they just can't, whether it's not being able to schedule it because of work or they may have already planned a vacation or whatever. I think it allows guests that would be there, but can't to be a part of it. But it also opens up to invite more guests than you normally would for a destination wedding anyway. So if you have a whole bunch of family that, for instance lives in, Indiana or Kentucky, and that's kind of a long haul to get down to Destin, you can be like, "Hey, we're sorry that we're not able to invite you because our guest count is limited but you can still be a part of the ceremony by attending the live stream ceremony." That is something unique that has come out of COVID-19, which I never would have learned about because I started live stream DJing because I didn't have anything really better to do other than starting to record the podcast. Which I'm actually really  proud that I'm at through four months of episodes.

Rhoda Woeckener: [00:13:41] So now that we've gotten to know more about Josh, the wedding pro, let's move on to some fun questions and tidbits. Okay. First one. What is your favorite thing to do on your off time? 

DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:13:52] I'll give you a few favorite things to do when I'm not working. I enjoy working out with my wife because you're awesome. And you have a personal trainer certification, so if I'm not doing things correctly, you will make sure that I correct my form and stuff. 

I also enjoy playing golf. My grandpa was an avid golfer when I was younger and he actually lived on a golf course. So whenever I would go down and visit him over Christmas in South Florida, he would take me out on the golf course. And I've been putting more time in lately. 

But if it's like a off day on the weekend, just hanging out with you and Dunkin. 

Rhoda Woeckener: [00:14:31] Who's Dunkin?

DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:14:32] Oh yeah, that's right. I forgot to introduce Dunkin, my cat. He is a cat that we adopted from a local animal shelter named Socks, which is Save Our Cats and Kittens Shelter. He is post diabetic?

Rhoda Woeckener: [00:14:48] A stinker.

DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:14:49] Well, he is a stinker. Yeah. Yes, he is a stinker.

Rhoda Woeckener: [00:14:52] We love him.

DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:14:53] But he's our cat, and I think we got really lucky that he was available when 

Rhoda Woeckener: [00:14:56] He's such a great cat.

DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:14:57] Yeah, super chill. But sometimes he meows in the middle of the night, which is annoying for you, because I'm a heavy sleeper, but I know you're not, so that's not fun. But yeah, that's kind of what I like to do during my off time.

Rhoda Woeckener: [00:15:12] What's something you hate doing?

DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:15:14] What's something I hate doing? Uh, The dishes. 

Rhoda Woeckener: [00:15:19] Yep. I was about to say. I know that one. Oh, I know. No. 

DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:15:25] Or just cleaning in general. Um, yeah, I just, I'm not a very naturally neat person. You have definitely improved my neatness, though it's still not up to your standard, which I know. But I am not as much of a slob as I used to be.

Rhoda Woeckener: [00:15:45] What is your favorite scent? 

DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:15:47] My favorite scent? Oh geez. I really like vanilla. And maybe that has to do with, because back in middle school, Vanilla Fields was really popular. Girls would wear it. I do not like cinnamon. That is like my least favorite scent or flavor. Those cinnamon discs? They're gross. 

Rhoda Woeckener: [00:16:09] Okay. What freaks you out? 

DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:16:12] What freaks me out? 

Rhoda Woeckener: [00:16:13] Yep. 

DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:16:14] Um, I don't think anything freaks me out, maybe. I don't know. Um, ah, no, I can't think of anything that freaks me out. Maybe like when Dunkin licks my feet, that's kind of weird. 

Rhoda Woeckener: [00:16:28] Ew. If you could have an unlimited supply of one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be?

DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:16:35] Oh, that's, that's see. That's such a layup question though. I would pick money because if you could have an unlimited supply of money, then you could just buy whatever. But if it's not money, and it's not something that you use financially like you could also do like unlimited miles with Delta or something like that.

Unlimited supply of something. Oh man, I guess cheese, because you like cheese. 

Rhoda Woeckener: [00:17:01] I love cheese. Okay. What's something that everyone seems to love that you don't understand. Other than cinnamon

DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:17:08] Uh, pumpkin spice. 

Rhoda Woeckener: [00:17:10] Really?

DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:17:10] Pumpkin spice. Yeah. It's it's I mean, it's okay. I don't hate it as much as I used to, but that's not something that I'm like, "Oh, man. Pumpkin spice is the best  thing ever."

Rhoda Woeckener: [00:17:20] Yes, it is.

DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:17:21] Maybe that and Uggs. Cause those things are ugly. Ugly. 

Rhoda Woeckener: [00:17:27] I have a pair. I like them. 

DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:17:28] Yeah. I know. You don't wear a very often, but we live in Florida.

Rhoda Woeckener: [00:17:31] It's too hot. 

DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:17:32] Yeah. 

Rhoda Woeckener: [00:17:33] Awesome. So last question. How can people get in contact with you if they'd like to find out more about you being a part of their wedding event team?

DJ Josh Woeckener: [00:17:41] Well, the easiest way would be to email me. It's josh@highlightweddingsandevents.com, but you can also find it on Facebook and Instagram. And even Pinterest. We have a few boards that I've put together. But if you want to check out our website, it's www.highlightweddingsandevents.com. Yeah. Or you can call me call or text (850) 665-0055. And I'd be happy to chat, text, email, whatever, if you had any additional questions and I look forward to possibly being a part of your event team. All right. Well that wraps it up. So as always here's to the couples that are planning their wedding and here's to making that wedding 

Rhoda Woeckener: [00:18:28] a highlight.