More Than Just a Wedding with Jennifer Starr

Episode #39: The Heart Behind the Microphone (Featuring Trego the DJ)

• Jennifer Starr

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Episode Show Notes

The Heart Behind the Microphone: A Conversation with Trego the DJ

Behind every unforgettable wedding reception is far more than great music.

In this episode of More Than Just a Wedding, Jennifer sits down with Arizona wedding DJ Andrew "Trego" Trego to talk about what truly creates an incredible wedding experience. From packed dance floors and reading the room to building trust with couples and working alongside planners, Trego shares what separates a good DJ from a great one.

But the conversation quickly becomes something much deeper.

Andrew opens up about the unexpected medical crisis that nearly took his wife's life, the incredible generosity of the wedding community that surrounded his family, and how the experience forever changed the way he views weddings, relationships, and celebrating the people we love.

Whether you're planning your wedding or you're a wedding professional, this episode is a powerful reminder that weddings aren't just events—they're once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to bring people together.

In This Episode

  • Andrew's journey from Disney performer to wedding DJ
  • What actually creates a packed dance floor
  • Why the couple sets the energy for the reception
  • How planners and DJs work together to create an unforgettable experience
  • The qualities that separate a good DJ from a great one
  • Why guest experience should always come before production
  • Andrew's family's incredible liver transplant journey
  • The generosity of the Arizona wedding community
  • Why weddings matter more than we often realize
  • The importance of organ donation and celebrating life's biggest moments

Key Takeaways

  • A packed dance floor starts with the couple.
  • Great wedding professionals care more about people than perfection.
  • The best celebrations prioritize guest experience over expensive extras.
  • Authenticity builds stronger relationships than perfection ever will.
  • Weddings create memories that families carry for a lifetime.

Memorable Quotes

"If you build it, they will come.""We're not just playing music—we're creating memories.""The couple are the guests of honor. We are the hosts.""You're only going to have these people together once in your life."

Connect with Today's Guest

Andrew "Trego" Trego is an Arizona wedding DJ, MC, educator, and entertainer known for creating energetic, guest-focused wedding celebrations that keep dance floors full while helping couples stay fully present on their wedding day.

Connect with Trego:

Enjoying the Podcast?

If you enjoyed this conversation, be sure to subscribe to More Than Just a Wedding so you never miss an episode filled with expert advice, behind-the-scenes insights, and real conversations with the professionals who make weddings unforgettable.

And if you're looking for guidance throughout your own wedding planning journey, learn more about the J. Starr Planning Studio and discover the tools, education, and support that help couples make confident decisions every step of the way.


SPEAKER_01

I'm your host, Jennifer Starr, and this is More Than Just a Wedding, the podcast where we celebrate real people, real moments, and respected budgets. Let's make wedding planning feel a little more human.

SPEAKER_02

All right, welcome everyone to the More Than Just a Wedding podcast. Today I have a very special friend, Andrew Trago.

SPEAKER_03

Hello, thanks for having me on, Jennifer. I'm so excited.

SPEAKER_02

Me too. Known as Trago, the DJ. He is here to share all of his wisdom and knowledge. And um, I'm gonna ask him some fun, getting to know him personal questions too. He's just been so much fun to work with in this industry. Our team has had the opportunity to work with him multiple times, and he always brings the party.

SPEAKER_03

So you are so sweet. I'm gonna call you anytime that I'm sad from now on.

SPEAKER_02

I'm just gonna be like Jennifer, make me feel better. I'll be your hype girl.

SPEAKER_03

Thank you, thank you.

SPEAKER_02

All right. Getting to know you, tell us a little bit about yourself and how you found your way into the industry.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, it was definitely by accident, but I'm so glad that I did. So I grew up as a lifelong performer, singing, dancing, acting, chorus, improv, like you name it, I was in it. And when you're when you're interested in all of it, you kind of gravitate towards musical theater because you have an opportunity to kind of dip your hand in all the buckets and whatnot. So I did that all throughout high school, all throughout college, got my degree at James Madison University in Virginia, kind of close to where I'm from back east.

SPEAKER_02

Where are you from?

SPEAKER_03

I'm originally from Maryland. So I was like two hours away from home. And um, during that time, I'm gonna give you the full version. I don't know if you I'm sorry.

SPEAKER_00

This is for me.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah. And so I was going to school for musical theater, and they drill it in your head. They're like, if you are you're not an actor until you've booked the job. So you're really just somebody who auditions. So I was um doing an entertainment contract for like a national contractor for entertainment in theme parks. And I was working in upstate New York the summer before my senior year. And on one of my days off up in What were you doing? I was doing a rock show where I was actually hosting. It was like one of my first like hosting events. And then they had a kid's show, which was Thomas the Tank Engine, and I was Sir Topham Hat. I had a fat suit the whole nine years. It was so funny. But I worked like a dog. It was a good summer. We did an opening show and a closing show, and then those two shows that I just talked about one, three, and five o'clock Thomas show, and a two, four, and a six for the the Legends of Rock show. So we did eight shows a day. I work six days a week. I work like a dog. But on one of the days off, um, I saw a posting for Disney Cruise Line for an audition up in Toronto. So I was like, oh, like it is super important that I just get in the room and get experience and all this stuff. And I go up there and I have fun and I'm kept to the end, and they give you a little card and they're like, cool, like, see you later. They call me a couple of weeks later and they're like, hey, well, we want to offer you a contract. Will you go around Thanksgiving? And I was like, no, my dad would absolutely kill me. I have to finish school, like whatever. And so they're like, when do you graduate college? And I would go, May. And they're like, great, we'll talk to you in March. And I'm like, sure, Disney Cruise line, talk to you later. Click. They called me March 2nd and they're like, All right, you're graduating. You ready to come? And I was like, okay. Um, so six days after I graduated college, I go up to Toronto for rehearsals, and I did uh two months up there, seven months on the ship, thought I was done with all of it. And then they were like, Because long story, I did not get a great contract. I got like twice a week um for the Caribbean and whatnot. But then they were like, hey, do you want to do two-week cruises out of the Mediterranean? And I was like, Yeah, let's do that. That sounds fun. And I'm glad I did because as I was wrapping up that, I crossed over. The next cast had my wife on it, and we fell in love over the course of like a week and a half.

SPEAKER_02

And she So you were both characters?

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, we were both characters. I don't know.

SPEAKER_02

So tell us your characters.

SPEAKER_03

I can't be too loud because I've got the kid, the kids here, but I was Peter Ban and she was Riponzel. So there you go. Um, and we'll we'll have we don't want the kids to know. Yeah, well, my kids specifically. They're like just at the the fringe of like, you know, figuring out all the things. I feel the domino is about to fall.

SPEAKER_01

But we can't know about mom and dad.

SPEAKER_03

They can't know about it. No, 100%. Um and so yeah, so I so after we met, she wanted to keep working at Disneyland, and I wanted to move to LA to like audition and all that stuff. So I'm auditioning, but I'm like, well, ultimately it's I quickly realized like this auditioning thing, especially for film and television, is like not my jam. And I need to figure out some way of transitioning this into a real career, if not at least a day job. So I wrote down in a notebook in 2014, I go, should I host events for money? question mark. And I just kind of like had that in the back of my head for a while. And then later that year, I found a listing on Craigslist for my former employer that they take raw talent and turn them into professional DJs and MCs through their DJ Academy class. And so I took that at the beginning of 2015. By June of 2015, I was uh DJing my own weddings. I was terrible. I could tell you more about that. It's like so cringe worthy. Like Are you in Arizona now?

SPEAKER_02

Are you in California?

SPEAKER_03

No, we were in California at this point.

SPEAKER_02

Okay.

SPEAKER_03

So I'm holding down, I'm doing all that stuff. I do like a hundred weddings in the first like 15 months or something like that. Absolute workhorse. And then I start working in their front office. I'm in their warehouse, I'm doing sales for them, business development, all types of things, right? My wife and I get married in 2017 out in Temecula. And then in 2018, we move to Arizona because she's from Chandler, and there is a Scottsdale office for my former employer. And the biggest thing that they needed there was how do we take the essence of what this other company was in California and bring it to Arizona? So I become the recruitment and education manager out here in Arizona. Love it. I I did like seven classes in a couple of years. Like it was so, so, so fun. And then, but I'm doing all this back and forth. This is such a long story. I'm so sorry. No, I've enjoyed it. I'm doing all this back and forth to and from California in 2018. In the first 30 weeks that I was out here, I went back 22 of those weeks because I had all these weddings booked. And like I take my job really seriously in terms of like this couple wants me. If I can make it happen, I'm going to make it happen. So I'm driving there and back and there and back. And then back in my head, I'm going, I think I could do this. Like, I never thought I was going to be a business owner, but like I just kind of feel like I'm starting to bring more value to the company than they're bringing to me. And like the the scales are not kind of the same here. Um, I'm sleeping on their the office floor and then getting on the road at like 4 30 in the morning. Like, I'm just absolutely doing dumb stuff, but trying to do it to the betterment of the company and trying to serve my clients and all of that stuff.

SPEAKER_02

And I guess you would do a wedding, you'd go to the office, you'd sleep at the office, and you'd drive home at 4 a.m. Yes. Walk to Arizona.

SPEAKER_03

Yes, that was the move. That was that was the move. It was a lot, but I loved it. And you know, you're young and dumb, and at this point I didn't have kids. And so um, we it was just like a lot of back and forth. It took a couple of years to get my wife on board because, you know, we're expecting a baby and the health insurance and all the things there. I got her on board February 22nd, 2020, on her birthday that year. And I was like, I think that this is the move. Like, let me bet on myself for the family. But they the goal was always to leave at the end of the year and try to pick up like engagement season, like for the following year. And so obviously 2020 happened. I was holding down the office at the former employer, but in November gave my notice and um Segwayed and wonderful people like you and everybody else who we love in the industry were just like, cool, like I guess we'll just send the the people over to this solo op rather than this larger company or whatever.

SPEAKER_02

Um, and it and that was right around when the boom started to happen, too.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah. I mean, I I I got so lucky. I got so lucky, Jennifer. And my dad is a warrior war. So every single couple weeks, he's like, Are you sure you want to do this? I've been watching and the cases of spiked here and the cases of spike, and I'm like, oh my gosh. And I mean, what if we were in an area where they masked up and stayed inside for years? There was that in the country too. You know what I mean? So I got really, really, really lucky.

SPEAKER_02

So well, and Arizona, like, we love to be outside when we can be outside.

SPEAKER_03

Exactly. Exactly. And it worked out, and it's kind of you know, Arizona is like it's really a libertarian state. So it's really a like live and let live and like, you know, do what you want to do type of thing. So it worked out well when they were opening up and whatnot. But I guess I didn't really tell you that, like, I quickly I glazed over this because there was logistics, but I quickly fell in love with weddings, with serving people. That's one thing I think retrospectively I figured out when with my time with Disney was like I got to perform for people and make their day, make their cruise and make their life and all this stuff. So like I was no longer just doing like, you know, a little musical review and then they go their separate ways. I was kind of creating memories for them. And I found that in weddings, you can guide people and make their process easy and make their big day stress-free and be a small part of the next chapter of their lives. And it's just like, oh my gosh. It was like the most like this, this was the perfect opportunity for me, the perfect job. And I just absolutely adored it. So I stopped auditioning within months of uh starting to do weddings. I was like, I just want to serve people and make 200 people dance at a time. I don't want to go to Santa Monica for, you know, a three-second audition. Look, I remember there was one for Taco Bell. It was like, pretend like a monster is chasing you over your shoulder, and you know, they were like, Thank you, next. I was like, I just drove an hour and a half each way, paid for parking. Like, I was like, I'm done with this.

SPEAKER_00

And you get to be you.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

You don't have to be an actor.

SPEAKER_03

Well, and I really struggled with like the acting part of it. You know what I mean? Everything that I had done was like hosting and like different things like that. I did a hosting gig for Nintendo when I was out there, and I love that because I was a version of myself, even when I was a performative version of yourself.

SPEAKER_02

Exactly.

SPEAKER_03

It just turned up to 11. You know what I mean?

SPEAKER_02

So yeah.

SPEAKER_03

That was the longest origin story of all time. No, that's like we're gonna have to make multiple parts for this one.

SPEAKER_02

No, you know what it made me realize is um I never connected the your role as a DJ to like the planner role. Because what we talk about is the um, gosh, the fulfillment that we get for bringing this wedding day to life, and our couples look at us like like and it it's the longer after the wedding, the more impactful I think the gratitude and the feelings, but they'll say, You you gave me the best wedding of my life, you are my person, you protected my experience. And to have that role in someone's life that feels so warm to them is there's no greater feeling. And then when you're describing how you feel as the DJ, I mean, that's similarly the microphones in your hands, like you know, and you are responsible. Sure, we did the planning and the logistics and the design, but you now have to be the voice of the event. And I think the biggest critic that someone has usually when they go to a wedding is how was the DJ? You're gonna know right away they're gonna tell you if the they're gonna tell you if the DJ was bad.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah. That's a big thing. It's like the second question, right? How is the wedding? How is the DJ? It's always the second thing. It is a ton of pressure. And you know, what I used to take on as a burden of my stress and my anxiety and all of that stuff was oh my gosh, if they don't dance, it's my fault. And I still kind of feel that way, but I have put in put more of the focus on the preparation. Have I done everything that I have I could do to get to know the clients, to have the right music at my fingertips, ready to go, kind of think through the big day and all that stuff. Do all your homework, and then you have to put that away and be present. It's the craziest job of all time. It's the best.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, and and weddings are are their breathing, living um circumstances, and there's so many contributors, and we can only control what we can control. Yes, other than that, we have to like ebb and flow and read rooms and read energy. And so, I mean, I'm sure you experience this too. When I'm driving home from a wedding, my decompression is intense. Like I'm just listening to music and starting to process the whole day. And I think, and I know my team does the exact same thing, and and immediately we go to maybe a moment that could have been better. Like immediately.

SPEAKER_03

Of course, of course.

SPEAKER_02

Client facing, they would never in a million years, you know. But I think we, because we care so much, we have to be careful not to spiral in any of the little behind the scenes, you know.

SPEAKER_03

That's such a good point. I've really had to train myself of like if there is that 1% situation that I'm like, that could have been better, whatever. When I go up to the couple at the end and I say, congratulations, and I give them a big hug, I can't lead with that. I can't lead with the oh my gosh, I I missed this moment, or I did, you know what I mean? I have to just be so grateful that they trusted me and lead with that and love on them and then come back home and talk to my wife or talk to back to my other DJ friends and be like, man, I kind of screwed up XYZ, which they would never think about, which all that stuff.

SPEAKER_02

I mean, yeah, I think we feel responsible for everything. And the hardest thing for the planner is that we also feel responsible for the jobs that all of the vendors and the venue did, even though we only have so much control. I mean, if they've taken our recommendations and they've chosen our recommended vendors, the level of confidence we have in that event is so much greater than if they don't.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

But I think our struggle is sometimes if we had a vendor, this was not your wedding, this was another wedding of someone I highly respect and does a phenomenal job, but he he pronounced the name wrong during the grand entrance, you know, which I think has got to be one of the hardest parts. And the next day, like I'm stewing about that, like, God, should I how could I have done better? Like, did he have the phonetic spelling? Should I double check for them right before? And you know, that card's happening.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, yeah. I I could imagine that that would be really exhausting to take on everybody's job for them mentally. Um, but I think you and your team do a really lovely job of leading people, and uh and then there is a moment of like, and then we have to trust you. I mean, especially Alicia and I have done probably 10 weddings together at least. And then I've worked with April and I've worked with Heather, and I've worked with you, and I've worked with Melissa. I feel like it's like, okay, we have our debrief, and then you guys are really good about letting me like go. Whereas other planners might, you know, there's that like you don't want to be neglectful, but you don't want to be overbearing. It's nerd.

SPEAKER_02

We trust our teams for a reason, and we don't want to hinder them by micromanaging their abilities. So let the artist shine, you know.

SPEAKER_03

I always say that a great planner once the reception starts. So I mean, this is the 99.9th step in your job because you've been at it for forever. But when we're crossing the finish line in the reception, I love a wedding planner who almost acts like a stage manager. Okay, we're good on cake because you're considering all these other pieces in place. Do we have photographer, has catering poured champagne, this, that, and the other thing, like all of that stuff. I go back to my actor mentality of I can't be both the actor on stage and the director in-house. Right. Or the stage manager behind the wings or anything like that. So I love, I always say I am not the brains of the operation. I'm just the mouthpiece. Do I need to know what's happening? Yes. Do I need to know why? Do I need to know when? No. Because hopefully you have a great wedding planner who's like, go do it.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah. And that is gonna allow you to shine.

SPEAKER_03

100%. 100%.

SPEAKER_02

Um goodness. We've already gone off topic a few times.

SPEAKER_03

Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_02

This is amazing. All right, let's get to advice. In your opinion, what actually creates a packed dance floor?

SPEAKER_03

Oh, this is such a good question. I'm so glad you asked it. Um, I'm the worst salesperson of all time. And when somebody is like, hey, what are the add-ons that you provide? The moving lights and the cold sparks and the disco balls and all that stuff, do I love that? And do I make more money off of an event for providing that? Yes. But there's no proof that lighting and or production directly causes a better event. The things that you do for free, i.e., the couple on the dance floor, the lights down low, being able to play the music at an appropriate volume, the bar and the photo booth in the same vicinity as the dance floor, like those are tangible. Those are like huge. I mean, everything that I just listed off is the most important thing. I'm sure there's other minutia that I'm not thinking about. But if you want it to be a great dance floor, get your partner out there. And if Bob and Susie want to say goodbye, they can say goodbye to you on the dance floor. Stay out there, send your maid of honor to the bar and ask for another drink on your behalf.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

I think it's huge because there will always be time for that ride out of, you know, and then we had the farewell brunch the next day, or but like we kept the party going in somebody's room later that night, or something like that. But in terms of the party of like whatever how many guests that you have out on the dance floor having fun, creating moments, there's only so much time. And and as there should be. Keep going. Sorry.

SPEAKER_02

I want to, I wanna, you just gave amazing feedback, but I want to break this down to make sure that our listeners really understand what you just said. So I'm gonna repeat what I what I heard. You said number one, the couple dancing themselves. Yes. So the and a packed dance floor requires the couple to be on the dance floor.

SPEAKER_03

Yes, if you build it, they will come 100%.

SPEAKER_02

So that means don't feel like you have to go say goodbye to everyone and leave the dance floor. Don't feel like you have to go to the bar, ask your bridesmates, you too dance. Yes. Okay. Love that. The second one I get real excited about because I think that it's not um, people don't know this enough. Is if your venue allows you the flexibility to have the bar in the same room as the dance floor, oh my goodness gracious, do that. And I've even I've approached venues where it's not their norm, and I respectfully ask them, I understand, um, but would you be open to putting them and they say yeah. I'm not saying every venue will say that, but ask. Yes because they put it, they put it in the in the room and it makes it so much better. And then you also said the photo booth. We don't want the photo booth outside on the patio if we don't have to have it. Keep it in the room.

SPEAKER_03

Yes, ma'am.

SPEAKER_02

Okay. 100%.

SPEAKER_03

Keep the party right there. Yeah. Um lights down, lights down low. Okay. You know, I think a big thing is, you know, making sure that if you're a ballroom, you can drop it down or whatever. Another thing to consider, and this is just kind of free advice, is if you have string lighting, bistro lighting overhead, can that be on a dimmer? I mean, it's like a $25 little gigall that like is just like a switch that will totally change the party. Because let's be honest, the vast majority of people in this world don't want all eyes on them while they're dancing, right? The more ammonity, the better. Um, and so if you can just dim those, I know that it was you know many hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars to get that install overhead, but can we just dim that a little bit? That would be really, really cool.

SPEAKER_02

That's I've never thought of that. That's an excellent point. Add the dimmer switch.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, 100%. I uh I need to get one, but like I will provide it for you. Like, as long as I don't get sued. Um, what else was I gonna say? And then obviously, when selecting uh a uh different when selecting a wedding venue, if music is important, you need to know about volume, they're gonna start getting into the decibel jargon and all of that stuff.

SPEAKER_02

Um, and I know you have been, and I I have such respect for you for this, because it's not an easy thing to do, but I know you have had couples reach out to you for certain venues, and when you know that the venue has noise restrictions, you're very open and honest with them because you feel that it impedes you from doing the best of your ability.

SPEAKER_03

Yes, and it's some of my favorite venues. I will not say explicitly, but the last time that I was outside at one of my favorite venues doing um a wedding outside, the couple knew about the sound ordinance. They wanted more of a cocktail hour vibe in the background, all that stuff. Great, okay, at least we're on the same page and whatever. And when it came time for dancing, I put in my earbuds, these exact ones. I put them in, I just mix, and I do my thing, and they have the wedding that they thought they would, and you know, they ride off into the sunset, whatever. And at the end of the night, I see these people 10 to 15 times a year, the staff members. One of the staff members comes up to me and goes, Is everything okay? You just seemed miserable. And I go, Never again will I be out here because subliminally I wasn't having fun, which is a terrible experience and a product for the couple. And it's also ruining my reputation at this venue. Because do I crush it and hit Grand Slam every time? Not necessarily, but there's a possibility of that. You know, I'm always going to try my best. And so for me to subliminally just kind of like throw up my hands and be like, I'm doing the best I can, and like not really give them the Trago experience, I was like, I can't ruin my reputation and take the short-term money because it's damaging my long-term relationship with the venue, my reputation, if you will.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

Does that make sense?

SPEAKER_02

Oh, goodness. I think that's the part of becoming a seasoned professional is just knowing what you need to do the ability that you are hired to do.

SPEAKER_03

Yes. No, 100%.

SPEAKER_02

We, as collectively as a company, have decided that we only service the greater Phoenix area because that's our relationships, that's um our our backup, our emergency situations. We have each other and we all have families, and it just works really well. Does the idea of destination sound fun? Sure it does. But could we deliver it the same way we know we can deliver here?

SPEAKER_03

I don't know. I think I think that's a really good boundary, and it's a really good um sort of thing because there's gonna be plenty of opportunities, but you have to know which opportunities are for you. And I think one thing that clients don't realize is we are, especially as veterans, as professionals, um, we are interviewing them. So can I do my job to the fullest to be passionate about your big day, to have the buy-in, to serve you. If it's not the case, if I'm not feeling that warm, fuzzy feeling on the consultation, I would love to refer you in another direction because there's great opportunities there. And also, I'm not the cheapest option in the world. I'd rather you save a little money if it's gonna be ultimately background music. This is an opportunity for you to stay within budget and resource that to great signage, to you know, elevated glassware, to whatever, whatever.

SPEAKER_02

So let's, I don't think this was on our question list, but this raises a good question, Trago. Who uh who is best suited for you? Like what couple is your ideal couple? What are they looking for? What are their values? What are they what do they get excited about? What's a good match?

SPEAKER_03

I I'm gonna give you a lot. Okay I would say I love couples who are experienced forward rather than a certain musical like sense forward. You can still be passionate about it, but at the end of the day, I want them to be passionate about bringing their friends and family together for this once-in-a-lifetime celebration. I think the magic of a wedding is having all of those individuals together. Everything else is a bonus, right? Whether it's the cool dress or if it's the cold sparks or whatever that is. Like that's that's all the add-ons. But how you feel, how you made these people feel, feeling like you're living in a nostalgic moment. It's kind of surreal. That's the best thing about weddings because you know everybody here is going to remember this big day and they're gonna appreciate the investment monetarily with their time, with their energy level, with their stress, all of that stuff was all worth it because we got to see grandma dance with the best man. We got these two people who started a business afterwards and they became like their own friends, and they never would have met other than that. So I think that's the very most important thing. I think when people start telling me, you know, how they they want the celebration to go down, I don't know how it's gonna go down. You don't know how it's gonna go down. I need creative freedom to bring this day to life. I would say that's first and foremost. I get a lot of people who are in the hospitality industry, um, I or the medical hospitality, if you will, a lot of nurses, some doctors, stuff like that. I think they understand the fragility of life. And I think that they understand like how important it is to make the most out of life, if you will. Um, a lot of times somebody has some type of Greek life connection back in college just because they want a really good party, is what it seems like. A lot of, you know, professionals, a lot of ambitious people, a lot of business owners, but just people who uh really want to take this opportunity to celebrate life. And I love the aesthetic, and the aesthetic is important, but they're also equally interested in giving their guests a great experience. And I want them to enjoy it. It's a cliche now, but as you've probably seen on social media, that the couple are the guests of honor and we are the hosts of the events, the wedding planner, the DJ, whoever else is touching this big day. We've got you. Download it all onto us and then go enjoy your big day.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah. Love that. Good answer. Good answer.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, the best. Thank you.

SPEAKER_02

Uh, in your opinion, what separates a good DJ from a great DJ?

SPEAKER_03

Oh man. I think being a wedding DJ is an interesting thing because you don't necessarily have to be great in any individual category of DJing, MCing, professionalism, you know, any of that stuff. But you need to be like good at a bunch of random things, right? Getting back to emails, being articulate on the microphone, reading a crowd. I think reading a crowd's a really interesting thing. I would call it applied sociology of like, if I do this, this is how a group of people tends to react to it. Being brutally honest with yourself. Was that a 10 out of 10 reaction, or is there still some meat on the bones? Like, one of my biggest pet peeves is when people post videos of the dance floor, whether it's CJs or other wedding professionals, and people are on the dance floor, but they're not dancing. There's a difference between being on the dance floor and dancing on the dance floor. You know what I mean? Like, I want people out there dancing hard, whether it's shaking their butt, whether it's jumping up and down, whether it's singing at the top of their lungs. I want them to have an emotional response. So I'd say be good at all of these different things, but the biggest experience piece on the day of is gonna be reading that room. That's that's something that we're I'm constantly tinkering with. And those are always the crossroads of I could have done better. I could have done this, I could have done that. You know what I mean? Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

I think from a planner standpoint, for me, it's it's hard, I don't want to say how do I say this the right way?

SPEAKER_03

Please give it to me, Jen.

SPEAKER_02

I want to work with a professional that takes their jobs very seriously. For me, it's are they a good communicator? Are they gonna respond in a timely manner? Are we gonna be on the same page if there's delicate um dynamic that's a little out of the norm, you know? Um so are they gonna they can handle their business appropriately, but then they also have to be a heck of a showman, a heck of a personality, like a great voice. And it is hard, I think, to find both of those. That is why our preferred vendor list is very curated for a reason. Sometimes we have um fun DJs, but they're miserable to work with because they're unreliable, they're unresponsive. I know they're not treating it professional. And I've even had situations where um I had a bigger company I was working with a month before the wedding, the DJ had an opportunity to do a club event, and all of a sudden you had to leave at a certain time for the wedding. And I'm thinking to myself, this is someone's wedding day. We've been talking about this for over a year. What are you talking about?

SPEAKER_01

Yes.

SPEAKER_02

What and that's not uh to me, that's completely unacceptable. So it's really hard to find both. And so you are you're off my friends.

SPEAKER_03

Oh, you're so sweet. I would be a rich, rich man if I knew the fountain where the raw product of great wedding DJs comes from. But it's this unicorn situation of the right person and the right timing and all of these things, and I'm constantly trying to bring up the um like if this was a video game, my score that's the lowest. I'm trying to constantly bring that up while keeping the others high and work on all the things. And I just don't want to be a liability. I don't want my mixing to be a liability. I don't want my MC work to be a liability, my professionalism, my systems, my customer service. I'm constantly just trying to bring it all up. And that's not dissimilar than wedding planners because you guys are the logistical queens, but you're also in the design and the aesthetic and dealing with parents and like it's you have to be so good at so many different things. But what is what's the same with both of those scenarios? It's caring. You just have to care. Oh my goodness. You know, you have to it. This is a customer service job. This is a customer service industry. I might have a mic and I might be spinning music, and you might be creating seating charts and doing all the and sending out invites and doing all the billion things that a planner does, but it's because we want to be there to serve our clients.

SPEAKER_02

But also, I have to tell you, there are some DJs that are great administratively, business-wise, communication-wise. But you give them a microphone and it's awkward.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

So the microphone is huge. The confidence is huge, the voice is huge, the taking command of the room in a way that feels special and not like it's so delicate because you don't want to be overbearing and over the top and ridiculous, and it because you want to make it about the couple too. So I think that is that a natural gift that you have? Have you had to work for that? Because it's not something everybody has.

SPEAKER_03

You're so sweet. I think it's a constant recalibration, and I'm sure I have been too out there before, and I've been too muted in other ways and whatever. I think it's like it really comes down to where your heart is at, and then trying to be brutally honest with yourself of okay, how could I make that better? But and there's a balance too of I don't want to be stiff. I'm not like, you know, a ringside announcer, but I don't want to be a uh talk show host either. It's kind of like this living, breathing thing. And I think the more that you can get buy-in with the couple of I am here for Mike and Molly's big day, I'm here to serve them, and they have this sense of humor, and their family's from the East Coast, so I'm familiar with this culture. And you know, it's almost like you kind of chameleon your way into it. Whereas there's other things, if you're black Thai, it is more formal because I'm in a tuxedo. You know what I mean? Yeah. I don't I don't know if I have an exact like answer for you with that. Uh I would say if anybody has, this is kind of a weird aside, but if anybody has public speaking anxiety, I would always say put on a persona of who you would want to be and channel if you think The Rock is the coolest person in the world, be that person. If you think, you know, Ryan Seacrest or Kevin Hart or Adele or Michelle Obama or whoever you think is like the most articulate, awesome person on the microphone, just do your impersonation of them and it's not going to come off as an impersonation. That is the quickest way to go from not confident to confident because coming through your body, it's not going to seem like it's the rock. It's you're going to take the isms of that person and you're kind of playing a character, if that makes sense.

SPEAKER_02

Here's where your acting, your acting comes into play.

SPEAKER_03

Absolutely. And I don't do that anymore, but when I would teach the class at my um my former employer, I would always be like, who do you think is the coolest person in the world, the most articulate, the most entertaining? What does that look like? And they would go up and it would always be better.

SPEAKER_02

Huh. That's that's that's a great tip.

SPEAKER_03

There you go.

SPEAKER_02

That's why you train DJs too, don't you?

SPEAKER_03

Yes, yes. I don't do it nearly as much anymore. I just kind of like do drop-ins, stuff like that. But um, I love the education piece. The recruiting and the HR and all of that stuff was a little bit for the birds, but once they were in class, like obviously I've got a little bit of personality, so I can hold them captive. But um, yeah, it was the best. And it's I I love this job and I love what it represents, and I love all the things around it. And when I would see people catch fire, like I there are professionals that we both know who came to me and they were a shell of themselves, and I got to see them develop. And I'm I'm sure that's one of the things that I applaud you for with your team, is everybody is just growing and getting better, and you're in the business of not them just becoming a great wedding planner, but them becoming a better person, a more confident person, a better customer service rep, like all of those things.

SPEAKER_02

So it's the best. This industry does you grow personally and professionally pretty simultaneously. Yes, which is great, which is great.

SPEAKER_03

It's the best.

SPEAKER_02

Um, speaking of, you know, getting to know you, so everyone knows you as Trago, which is actually your last name.

SPEAKER_01

My last name.

SPEAKER_02

Trago the DJ. But who is Andrew when the microphone is off?

SPEAKER_03

Man, I've been trying to figure that out for 35 plus years. Um it he is a father, he is a husband, somebody who works really hard, who um probably enjoys an inner personal connection with somebody more than a group. Um, I find myself actually one thing that's interesting about DJs is most all of them are in some way, shape, or form like an introvert. I would call myself like an extroverted introvert where I can get in front of the people and I can do all the things and whatnot. But then when it's alone time, like I would much rather sit down to lunch with Jennifer and just get to know you one-on-one, right? Like the as soon as you start getting into like the group settings, it's kind of like I step back a little bit. Whereas when you put a microphone in my hand or you put me behind the decks or something like that, it's like a job. It's like I am creating, I am filling in a function. Um, so I think that would probably surprise people a little bit. Um, yeah, I feel like right now I told somebody recently I was like, I need more hobbies, but with two small kids, you're like, I guess that will come one day. But um Yeah, I'm sure.

SPEAKER_02

They are your hobbies.

SPEAKER_03

They are they are my hobbies, they're the apple of my eye. Our older one is deep into cheerleading at this time. She's starting to travel around and do all that, and it's amazing seeing her confidence grow. And then we've got the little one who's a year and a half, which is for the record, my least favorite phase to to parent because they're just into everything at all times. But she is the apple of my eye. Oh my gosh. I was I forgot. I remember feeling like, oh my goodness, this kid for the first one, uh, this kid is into everything, but I forgot how freaking cute they are. Like it is. It's it's the best. So it's yeah. I'm just somebody's dad. You know what I mean?

SPEAKER_02

Do you feel a certain pressure when you don't have the microphone in your hand, but you're in the industry, let's say, or even like amongst your your family and friends, do you ever feel a pressure to always be on?

SPEAKER_03

Um, I think my job has created an outlet that I don't need to always be on. Do you know what I mean? The people who really know me, they're I can kind of exercise that through my job and then just be more present. But I I honestly have like this much energy and I have you do you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_02

Like before you were a DJ, this is he was I was annoying.

SPEAKER_03

Like, were you on because you had to okay similarly I thought that was the only acceptable version of myself to to give people.

SPEAKER_02

So similarly, yes, because before I had a wedding planning company, when it was event time, oh my gosh, I had to have the events had to be next. I mean, I'm talking as early as high school. Like I was ridiculous. I had this passion and I had to be that girl. And then now when my kid has a birthday party, I don't have that pressure at all anymore. In fact, I almost want the opposite. I'm like, I don't want the big stuff, I don't want the production, I don't want to spend ridiculous amounts of money. I just want to like enjoy them. So it's a little different, but I get that because you have to find it.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, go ahead. I'm so sorry.

SPEAKER_02

Oh no, just because I get that fulfillment through my job now, whereas early stages, Jennifer was searching for it.

SPEAKER_03

Yes, a hundred percent. And I also yeah, I now that you mention it, there is no worse version of me than when I'm at my kid's friend's birthday party, and I'm like, I just don't want to talk. I just want to be a fly on the wall. Yeah. People ask me about my job, and I'm like, there's really no way to convey to you how awesome it is and how much you should have been there. But like, there's nothing that I can say. I'm like, yeah, it's it's cool that I get to own my own business and provide for my family by taking care of people on one of the coolest days of their lives through music and performance. But that's that's it. That the end. I mean, what am I gonna be? Like, you should have been there when I did this transition, or you should be like, Wait, wait, you know what I mean? It's so, so funny. That I now that I think about that, and you know what? My wife can't stand when people are really weird, just like weird gas station energy, you know what I mean? People come up to you and and like I shut down. Um, this is so awkward. And she's forced to like communicate with them. She's like, get in there.

SPEAKER_02

She has to be that. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

I'm like, I just I was like, see, it's like that old uh uh pitch perfect quote, your weirdness is affecting my vocal cords. That's what happens to me. I was like, I just get away from me.

SPEAKER_02

So it's too much, it's too much. So I feel like you are the hype guy in our industry. I mean, you know, you share a lot on social media, which I think is brilliant. I think it takes a lot of courage. I can tell business owner to business owner that you, I'm assuming so, you put content out there sometimes to attract or repel, which is not an easy thing to do, especially you and I shared before we started that we're both people pleasers or former recovering people pleasers. That's a tough thing. Um the industry perception of you is that you are the hype man. But who hyped you up? Who would you say? Oh who do you go to for your hype when you meet it?

SPEAKER_03

Oh my goodness. That is such a good question. I mean, my family for sure, my friends for sure. I think I my couples, that's one thing. I don't think people realize how much we get from our jobs. You know what I mean? It's not some transaction as in monetary transaction. Right, no, it's way more than that. So much more than that. You know, people are just so kind, our efforts. And, you know, I don't know if you want to get into it with this, but obviously there's been a lot of change in the last year of my life and a lot of stuff that we've had to deal with.

SPEAKER_02

Let's let's go there if you don't mind. Yeah. Let me find that exact question, if that's if that's okay.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, no, totally.

SPEAKER_02

So, and you gave me permission to talk about this. So, but earlier this year, your family walked through a significant, significant season, and your beautiful young sweet wife um had to get a liver transplant.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

And how did like what was that season like for you personally?

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, it was wild. The whole story boiled down is it started with this really aggressive thing. Right after um vacation in September, my wife went from talking to like writhing on the ground, ambulance called, like, what is happening? After about a week in and out of the hospital, feeling like absolute garbage, she gets diagnosed with MS. And then that whole rest of the season, um, she is lethargic in bed, trying to recover. I am wearing all the hats, two little kids, business owner providing for the couples, all the things there, and we're just kind of treading water. It starts to get a little bit better in November. And at the beginning of December, my daughter has her first cheer competition. Um, and it was great. And we kind of are starting to feel like a family, whatever. A day or so after that, my wife comes to me and she goes, I think I overdid it. Like I need to just recover and rest and all those things there. She sleeps for an entire week, basically. I mean, we're talking 20 hours of sleep plus uh a day. And at the end of that week, she comes to me and she goes, I still feel like garbage. Um, have you noticed like my skin is turning yellow and my eyes are turning yellow? I was like, What? No, because you've been asleep. Like, I have no idea. I haven't, I've been just solo parenting, just trying to keep my head above water or whatever. She's like, This isn't good. Our friend Michael is a PA through banner, and he was working at an urgent care um that Saturday morning, and she goes in, gets labs done, and goes back home. I go off to a wedding with Alicia.

SPEAKER_02

It was one of our weddings.

SPEAKER_03

It was yep. I go off to a wedding with Alicia. And but in the back of my mind, I go, this isn't good. I just know this is gonna turn into something else. And so I'm at the wedding, and apparently Michael got a call from Sonoraquest, and they were like, whatever is happening in this girl's life, she needs to get to the hospital right now. I don't know exactly what the number is or what the unit, the measurement is, but a healthy number for this liver enzyme or whatever is 20, and hers was 3,000. So they were like, dude, drop everything and go there. We get coverage for the kids. She is, she's such a badass. She's like, you stay at that wedding, you do everything that you need to, you come right back here and give a sense of normalcy for the for the girls. Like, we will call you if we need you. And once she was at the hospital, I was like, okay. Luckily, I was also with my Yeah, go ahead. I'm sorry.

SPEAKER_02

My just my heart goes out to you because this this particular wedding was also um one of our very dear industry friends. It was her, it was her nephew.

SPEAKER_01

Yes.

SPEAKER_02

Um, so it had another layer of just like that connection to it. Um, you know, when someone, one of our own has a loved one get married, you know, um it's responsibility is always great. But we, you know, we all wanted to show up really well for her as well. And knowing I had Alicia had messaged I I had I had known what was going on a little bit, and and I've seen the video of um I assume it's towards the end of the night when you guys have the CO2 cannons going off, and and you're there and you're being the showman you are, and you're like getting through it, and the dance floor was unbelievable. But in my mind, I knew, oh my gosh, he must have been internally like freaking out, you know?

SPEAKER_03

I think that's one thing where my acting has really helped me is there's there have been incidences where like something is not okay, or God forbid something is happening to the couple, and there's a medical family emergency for a mom or a dad and swept away. Like I've had those types of emergencies and whatnot. And it's like we're gonna make the best out of it right now. Like, I have to have to do that.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, you know what I mean? Um and how amazing that your wife, I mean, it makes sense that she she gets that.

SPEAKER_03

Oh, a hundred percent. She's such a badass, and she's just the strongest person through all of this. So I guess picking that up. So that happened. We got through that day. She had like five days in the hospital, and her enzymes were doing whatever, but she ultimately was like, Hey, like this is the holidays. Like, you're testing me once a day. I will go in every single day and get labs done if you want me to, but can I just go home and be with my family? And they were like, Yeah, sure, no problem. So we do all the holidays. She's not really feeling much better. She's still yellow as can be, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And on January 5th, they call us because the next day we have an appointment set. They're like, hey, just so you know, like we uh are not seeing like a decrease here. We might need to explore other options, i.e., transplant. And like that was some hard news. That was the first time that we heard transplant. We go in the next day, and we should have known that we were in trouble because we were looking for the liver office, but we were showing up at the transplant office, and they were like, no, no, you're at the right place. Come in. And they were like, we don't have any more options. We're trying to diagnose exactly what you have. They come up with autoimmune hepatitis. So her body is just attacking her liver just for funsies. It's doing a great job at it. Um, and so um they're like, you need to walk into the hospital and start being evaluated for this liver transplant because it can take a whole lot of time outpatient, and it also doesn't show to the people who are evaluating you. They're like, oh, well, you did this on like your spare time. You're not in a hospital bed, like, you know, suffering. Glad they did, because 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, they call me on the 9th. I'm about to go out the door for a corporate event. I get a call from her doctor, and they're like, um, we were doing a routine MRI, and her liver is shrinking, which is showing sides of necrosis. The evaluation phase is over. She needs a transplant right now. Thank goodness it happened on a Friday because that's when they evaluate it nationally on who's on the pecking order and all of that stuff. So she is no longer being evaluated. She's moved to ICU because there's a bunch of crazy stuff that happens when you don't have a liver. Um, and she's at the front of the line nationally for this liver. And obviously, there's factors like blood type and size of a human. Like my wife's 120 pounds-ish. You know, she couldn't have my liver, she couldn't have somebody else's liver, you know. So now I'm finally bedside. Like, is everything okay? Because beforehand, I was just the dad who was holding it all down. And we're just bedside, and it's getting really bad. There's, if you look up like ammonia in the brain, brain encephalopathy, like all this stuff, like she slips into a coma. Like, it is not going well. There is something about it though. We had Michael there who was kind of coaching me through all of this. And he was very optimistic and like all of that stuff. And just something told me, don't Google this. Don't Google this, don't talk to chat, like just be present, be a husband. And I'm glad I did because there's there's a lot of people who don't make it out of that stage. Well, she slips into a coma, but that's the first inklings that we hear about this possible match. And there's so much water to go under the bridge with this, but ultimately um she fought and she they pulled her out of the coma like enough to can you track like your eye movement and can you squeeze my hand and stuff like that? She doesn't remember any of this. But um, she does that, and they're like, okay, well, there's not permanent brain damage. Um, so we're going to follow through. I mean, I could tell you so many stories about how she was not the best candidate for this liver. She was too sick to get that transplant. But there was a lot of people um pushing for her. And uh, and she woke up uh on the morning of January 14th with a new liver in her body and not remembering any of it. And every single day from then on, she has just gotten more and more and more and more healthy. And um I should be a widow, were I guess, widower, and um our kids should not have a mom on this planet. Um, and I'm so grateful to the donor and the donor family and just everybody who rallied around us. Like, we don't have my parents live on the East Coast, um, and uh Jesse's family is not really in the picture. And uh the people who were watching our kids were the people in the wedding industry, the people dropping off the food were the people in the wedding industry. Um it's it's crazy. Like the the the generosity of this uh industry is uh really incredible. And um I'm so lucky to be a part of it. Like it's this is the family that we have in Arizona, and uh they really rallied around us. And uh I feel bad for you know, my wife. I feel bad for our kids, I feel bad for the husband that didn't see it coming and all of that. But this is a a happy story, and now we get to pay it forward and you know, to talk to people about how important it is to be a donor and to be a donor, yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, so my um to be let's let's Orion donation is so incredible. And um Adriana on our team donated her kidney to her brother, um and just he's gone on to have such function and such such goodness, and I just that is such a beautiful thing that someone can do. And to think that your wife being as young as she, it's just so unbelievable that you guys went through that.

SPEAKER_03

It was like it it was so surreal. Like it's still surreal, like as a define.

SPEAKER_02

I imagine it is like I don't you it's still fresh. I mean, it's only June. This happened in January.

SPEAKER_03

In January, yeah.

SPEAKER_02

I um I was on the outside looking in, and um the industry were so connected, like I I could talk to other people and and understand what was going on, and I was so um worried about you guys uh as a family, but also just business owner to business owner, and thinking, how is he going to navigate this with the level of responsibility on his shoulders and not wanting to scare his couples? But I mean, how and then it's at a certain point you you did let everyone in. Was that a hard decision to that's a good question?

SPEAKER_03

So the 14th happened when she slipped into a coma, I had my phone in my hand and I had a wedding on the 17th, I had a wedding that Saturday, and I go, Do I tell them that like I can't do this? Because it I would never just say, Hey, like I can't, I can't be your wedding DJ. I'd be like, hey, this is Billy Bob, he's gonna be your DJ, so on and so forth. And I go, what's the difference between telling them on Tuesday and telling them on Friday? If they've got another DJ, they've got another DJ. And I'm so glad that I did because with my sister-in-law also being able to be right by her side, like she just got better and better. And the 15th was better than the 16th, the 16th was better than the 17th. And I talked to Jess and I talked to my sister-in-law, and I go, I don't think I need to be here right now. I think I can do this person's wedding. And um, and we did, and it was awesome. And I told them in retrospect, I was like, Did you know that this was happening? And um, they were like, No, we never would have known. I had two meetings with clients, and um the like word was starting to get out. I was like, I think this is how it started. I'm sorry, Jennifer, for my wheel spinning on how this worked out. But on the 17th, both the photographers who were working that day were not in my close friends on Instagram, which is how I share like my kids' lives and just get like a little bit more raw. It's just like how I keep like the privacy of my kids first and foremost. And and that's kind of that. But neither of them were on Close Friends, and they were both like, How's your wife? What's going on with your wife? What's going on? And I was like, uh, well, she's she's fine now. Like, what okay? And then the next week, I the second planning meeting that I had, the bride gets on the call and goes, My friend goes to the same gym as you and your wife. I saw the GoFundMe app. Like, is she okay? I was like, I can't be trending on this, like, you know, off the beaten path, like newspaper, like whatever. And so that the very next day, I just made the announcement and I was like, hey, this is what's been going on. And in this industry, we are here to protect our clients from the experience. You know, Melissa McCormick-Rant, whose nephew I did at that wedding when all this started to go down, she didn't hear about this until weeks after because I needed to protect her piece. She was allowed to hear about it afterwards, but in that moment, there's too much that goes into it. It's not the time for that. Um and with all of it, I'm constantly evaluating is this something that I need to tell clients, or can I shield them from my stress and anxiety and all of those things to take care of them? Yeah. So it was the first time in my career that I really was like, hey, not everything's perfect. You know what I mean? Um, and the grace and the generosity and the empathy that I felt from my clients was something that I I didn't foresee. And I wish that I didn't, as a people pleaser, I think we anticipate people's reactions so that we can kind of smooth the edges out. Exactly. Yeah. Um, and I wish that I was brave enough in past situations to be more forthright with those things because from what I've learned through this experience, there is not one person that was worried about their wedding over the health of my family and all of that. I really feel the kindness of the people in this industry and the people that I serve and all that, like I took away from the possibility of them being able to exercise those in former situations because everybody passed the vibe check with flying colors on this one. And it's we just I just did another one with Alicia with Austin and Britney, and their um thank you note at the end of the night like had me in tears because they were just you've gone through so much this year, and we didn't feel any of that in our planning process, the day of like you've just fought so hard to be a man of your word and take care of us. And like I was like, that's all I want. I just I just want to take care of you guys, you know.

SPEAKER_02

I think that's a beautiful thing about the industry and what we do is the people that are in it have so much love to give and care. And we wouldn't do this if we didn't have that. It has to be part of our wiring. And when I was really curious with you, like to think was that reciprocated with your client base as well, and it and it was totally, totally.

SPEAKER_03

I mean, you like you think about like the bridezillos, the groomzillas, the momzillos, you think about your whole career, and we've gone we've in encountered those people. And uh nobody showed that side of them, nobody made it about them. I could just be broken and I could just be like, this is what we're going through. And you know, the way that I said it, I was like, hey, this is what's happening in my life, but this only shows the fragility of life and how important these silly celebrations are of love and light and all of those things. Like, it's important to get together, it's important to unify, it's important to make these memories because at the end of the day, a 33-year-old mom who was perfectly healthy, you know, beginning of September, is now fighting for her life. And they said that she was hours away from dying, not like she did not have time. And by all metrics, she should not be here. But through grace, she absolutely is, which is amazing. And it's important to get together. And we know we have so many of those stories. Of we got together, and my parent got sick within weeks or months afterwards and is no longer with us, and the the lasting memories of my wedding will live on. Uh, and it was the perfect kind of conclusion of how to remember this loved one and whatnot. Like it is so beautiful. We fought through, I mean, man, uh what we do, although it's a luxury, although not everybody gets to do it. If you can prioritize uh a celebration, a union in your life, you're gonna be so glad that you did because you're only getting those groups of people together once in your life. So might as well make it awesome.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, that is the truth, my goodness. That's that's that's the whole essence of why it's so important and and why these celebrations matter, and and it's the people. Yeah, it's the people that are in them.

SPEAKER_03

And I I thank you. I mean, I think you know this, but I admire you and your team and the culture that you guys are creating and the level of care. I mean, that is the biggest thing that I would say is synonymous with JSTAR, is like the level of care. Um and I felt so safe to go to Alicia was the only one who knew at that wedding. I was like, hey, I need to download this onto you. She's like, What do you need from me? I was like, absolutely nothing. I just need you to know this, and I need you to know if stuff hits the fan and my assistant takes over as the lead DJ, this is just what happened. Um but we didn't have to do that. And yeah, I always feel supported by you and your team more than just as a professional, as a person executing a job. I feel seen as a person, and I hope that you feel proud of yourself for cultivating a culture in that.

SPEAKER_02

Thank you. And uh and one of my takeaway is through this experience that the vulnerableness that you whether you wanted to or you didn't want to, it all came in, and I hope that you know you feel seen as a person in this industry more so than the guy with the microphone, you know?

SPEAKER_03

I can be both, but yes, I I think it's it's just it's beautiful, and I think like it really segues into how the Gen Z couple wants to be seen and experienced, and they want that authenticity. And will I be the guy with the front-facing camera crying into it and saying that I'm having a bad day? Probably not. That's probably not a part of my journey. But um to if there's something that is important to me as a person, and I think like it's applicable for my clients or the industry to know, I just won't feel as um scared to share it. And like you said, like what I put out for social media and whatnot, obviously there's a bunch of stupid things and there's a bunch of this and that and whatever. But the write-ups are always to attract my people and to repel the people that are are not really there for me.

SPEAKER_02

Well, I mean, I really appreciate you sharing that you know, that season that you went through. And um we can end on two like fun ones and then we have a closing one. Does that work?

SPEAKER_03

Let's do it. That's perfect.

SPEAKER_02

Okay. Um, Trago, what is one song that instantly puts you in a better mood?

SPEAKER_03

I have normally started my sets with September Earth Wind in Fire because um it's my mom's favorite song. So I think like that's a really cool. Like, she took me to see Earth Wind in Fire when I was 15 years old, and it was one of the best concerts that I've ever been to. And then I my favorite song of all time is Pursuit of Happiness, Steve Aoki remix. Um, it's just high energy, just get out on the dance floor. So both of those. But I think one thing that's interesting about wedding DJs who love their job, uh, and this is from a client's perspective. I get a lot of times like, oh, we're gonna pick this song, but you probably hear it all the time or I've never experienced your wedding. Okay. So like I don't want you to pick your songs based off of whether or not you think you want me to think that you're cool or do you know what I mean? Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Like music's personal. It's personal.

SPEAKER_03

Music's personal. Like you're we're here to serve you. And thank goodness I there are millions of songs out there. And all the songs that I play for the most part, I love. So I can hear a billion times in a row and not get sick of it because music dates you back to when you first heard it or you made this connection or you made this memory or whatever. Never think I am the wedding DJ is here to judge you because we're absolutely not. And I know the wedding planner is the same thing. If you want the you know Shivari chairs, yeah, I've seen it a billion times, but they're nice chairs. Get the chairs.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03

You know?

SPEAKER_02

My husband calls them the safari chairs, and it makes me laugh every time. I love that. I don't know. It had like safari chairs. I'm like, printed animal print? What do you um what's one song people would be shocked to learn that you love?

SPEAKER_03

Oh man, that's a good question. Um one song that people would be shocked to know that I love. I mean, I guess like it's kind of a cop out to say September. And it's kind of a bunch of bad rap because there's like wedding photographers and like other people who say like every DJ starts it off. It's a great song. Like, I'm sorry it starts off really chill and it builds and it becomes a party and everybody knows it and people flock to the dance floor. I'm sorry it's a cliche, but um, I mean, I really like all types of songs. The song that came to mind was Die on This Hill by Sienna Um Spiro or something. It's like a new song, but it's like a breakup song. I have this dream one day that I will throw like an industry event or something like that that will be just breakup songs because I never get to play them. You know what I mean? Yeah, you know, not that I'm like promoting like divorce or like breaking up or anything like that, but there's just so many good songs that it's like you just want to scream since you've been gone, like at the top of your lungs. You know what I mean?

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, that's an awesome idea. I love that. Oh my goodness. All right, Trago. So we close out every podcast with one question, and there's no right or wrong answer. Yep. Like the name of the podcast is more than just a wedding. So to you, what does that mean?

SPEAKER_03

Um, more than just a wedding, it's always people. The people are what's important. The union, the you know, celebration of love, the celebration of life. Like, yeah, it's, you know, a pretty white dress, and it's, you know, popping champagne and it's all of those things. But like we were talking about, the fragility of life is so clear in my mind's eye now with everything that it's important to take time, set time and energy and resources aside and celebrate this life. It will just pass you by unless you stop and you are in awe of it and hopefully filled with gratitude.

SPEAKER_02

Yes. Yes, yes, yes. Oh my goodness. Well, thank you, my friend, for your willingness to share today. And thank you for your willingness to share about your family and what you guys have gone through and how it's um, I don't know, just changed your life and the way that you probably look at wedding days now and did before, but probably definitely even more so now. And just really appreciate all that you shared with us today.

SPEAKER_03

Absolutely. Thank you so much for having me. Thank you for making me feel safe enough to share it. Um, and I just appreciate you. You're doing it. You're doing it. Look at you, you got a podcast.

SPEAKER_02

You know, we try.

SPEAKER_03

Let's go.

SPEAKER_02

Um, Trago, if our listeners would like to find out more about you, where can they find you?

SPEAKER_03

TrigotheDJ.com, triggerThe DJ on Instagram, trigo.the dot DJ on uh TikTok. And I think that's it. Slide into the DMs if you have any questions. I love this industry. I always tell people that I have a black belt in a very niche part of your life, that if there's anything that you uh have going on in your head, whether I'm your DJ or not, I would love to share my perspective if you like it. We'll see.

SPEAKER_02

Yes. Yes. All right. Thank you everyone for listening to today's episode. Thank you, Trago.

SPEAKER_00

And um we'll chat again soon. All right.

SPEAKER_01

You've been listening to more than just a wedding with Jennifer Starr. If you enjoyed today's episode, be sure to follow and share it with a friend. Until next time, real people, real moments, respected budgets.