Today we meet Glenn from G&M DJ’s who is Australia’s first and only member of the prestigious Wedding Entertainment Directors Guild (WED Guild). After extensive experience in the industry he spent time in the USA, honing his skills in seven key areas, to provide the highest level of service. Glenn and his wife Miranda, the other half of G&M DJ’s, pride themselves on their ‘ability to transform your typical wedding reception into an extraordinarily memorable celebration’.
Please introduce yourself.
I’m the owner (along with my wife Miranda) of G&M DJs. We provide Master of Ceremonies services and DJs for weddings primarily, but also other events. We’ve been doing this for over 13 years.
What put you on the career path of providing wedding entertainment?
I started working as a DJ part time as a way to supplement my full-time income, however as time moved on I saw that this is where my passion was. Within a few years, we were operating the business as our full-time income and have never looked back.
What does your induction into the Wedding Entertainers Directors Guild mean to you?
It’s essentially the crowning jewel among a host of other awards. The Wedding Entertainment Directors Guild (WED Guild®) membership approval process is so in depth and time consuming, that some have likened it to a PHD in our industry. It is however not the end of the line by any means. Part of being involved with the WED Guild® is that I must undergo continuous training and improvement. It is quite an honour to be the first Australian to be accepted and a wonderful recognition of the high standards we set for ourselves with regards to the quality service we like to provide our clients.
What is the aim of this Guild?
The WED Guild® is all about providing peace of mind to those looking to hire a Master of Ceremonies or DJ for their wedding. When you hire an official Wedding Entertainment Director™ you know that you have hired somebody who has met certain criteria and has the ability to reallyj take your wedding to a whole new level. Planning a wedding is such a daunting task, so having a highly trained expert on your team is always a benefit.
You also provide a Master of Ceremonies service to the bridal couple. How does this fit in with the entertainment aspect of your business?
A quality Master of Ceremonies can add so much value to a wedding reception. Our role as the Master of Ceremonies works in conjunction with the DJ entertainment aspect of our business. These services complement each other and can also be separated when need be. For example, I often work solely as the MC when our clients have hired a band to provide the entertainment.
What else do you offer the bride and groom that sets you apart?
One of the biggest distinctions between us and many other entertainment providers is that we offer a separate DJ and MC service. I have seen many other DJ companies offering a “1 person does it all” type service and I feel that this does their clients a disservice.
In effect, a true Master of Ceremonies is so much more than what most people experience when the have a family member or friend take on the role. The MC should act as the glue that keeps the event flowing. Liaising between the entertainment, the catering, photographer, videographer, decorator, transport, guests and the Bride & Groom so that the event is a success so that the couple can enjoy such a momentous occasion without worrying that everything will go well. It is often an overlooked aspect of a wedding that ends up being dumped on someone with no experience, which is a shame considering the huge impact that the MC can have. Which other wedding service can honestly say that they can add fun to a wedding reception, and who doesn’t want their wedding to be fun.
We also offer a huge array of lighting and special effects. The ability to theme entire rooms using colours is wonderful, as is creating special effects such as dancing on a cloud. Another popular service we offer is custom monogram lights. Using lighting and special effects is a wonderfully cost effective way to personalise a wedding reception and WOW guests.
Our relationships with entertainers around the world allows us to stay at the forefront of industry developments. We have a few other secret services which are closely protected that we share with our clients which can really take their weddings to a level which is beyond belief.
What particularly appeals to you about your job?
Being able to be a part of someone’s wedding is a true blessing. I love helping couples realise ways to make their wedding stand out and be memorable for all the right reasons. There are so many moments that bring me joy, whether it’s the physical reaction where a bride instantly de-stresses on her wedding day when they see me, or the pure joy when they walk into their reception and see their dreams have become a reality, to the hugs and kisses at the end of the night after they have had the night of their lives. There is not much I don’t love about my job really.
What areas of Australia do you cover?
Although we are based in Brisbane, I can cover any area of Australia and beyond. As Australia’s only Wedding Entertainment Director™ we service all over Australia and beyond, with enquiries coming in for a few destination weddings in the Pacific islands as well. I love to travel so I’m always happy to help any wedding, no matter where it is.
What do you like to do in your free time?
Due to the nature and extent of the services we provide, I don’t get a lot of free time. When I do get free time, I love spending that precious time with my kids. I also enjoy swimming, cycling, running and going to the movies.
You are having a dinner with any guests you’d like to invite. Who would they be, and why?
First would definitely be my wife, Miranda who is the greatest person in the world to me and is the backbone of our success. The rest of the guests would be every bride and groom I’ve had the honour of providing my MC services for over the years. I love hearing all about their adventures since their weddings and hearing how their families have grown. It would be a big dinner party I guess.
How can brides and grooms contact you?
We have all the usual contact options, such as our website www.weddingdjbrisbane.com.au, my email [email protected], on Facebook at www.facebook.com/gmsolutionsdjs, however we love to talk with couples about their wedding either on the phone 1300 736 233 or in person where possible.
Thank you Glenn – I can see how there is so much more to providing entertainment and MC services than I thought! Lots of information here for us to consider when booking our wedding entertainment and MC.
Images courtesy of Focus Films
Image of bride in sparkly dress courtesy of G&M DJ’s
Image of Glenn by Infinite Images
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