Best mates Richard and Dave hired me to DJ at their joint 40th Birthday Party with music from the 90's to roll back the years to their University Days.

The first time I've visited the venue as a DJ and to provide a Disco with some very positive feedback from the venue staff.

You know its been a good night when you should have finished at 12am and its now 1.30am and the party is still going on at South Northumberland Cricket Club in Gosforth Newcastle .

A double celebration for mates Dave and Rich celebrating 40 years.

Rolling back the music to the 90's with many classics from 1993 through to 1999 in the mix.

Another Ian helping out with a few tunes on the guitar with lyrics from whatever and wherever.

​ Top Night!
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#NorthEastDJ #NewcastleDJ

​The fabulous Newton Hall, Bold, Romantic & Fantastical was chosen as the dream destination for the wedding of Glen and Angela.

A wedding uniquely crafted with the couple who had some clear ideas on what they wanted for their special day from the arrival of their first guests to the last guests leaving at Midnight.

Carefully selected music throughout the day, an edited recessional song for maximum impact, a grand unveiling and welcome song as their guests entered the wedding breakfast, a special mention for absent loved ones in a toast from the Bride's sister, a fun wedding quiz which found out just how much the guests knew the couple.

Moving into the evening the cake cutting, a bouquet toss and a first dance while dancing on the clouds and a diverse array of songs chosen by the guests culminating in a big finish.

Super day for a fab couple. Many congratulations to the brand new Mr & Mrs Lowes.

Top marks to the Newton Hall team and a special mention to Ian the MC who did a magnificent job welcoming the guests and helping the day run smoothly.
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#NorthEastWeddingDJ #NewtonHallWeddingDJ #NorthumberlandWeddingDJ

Many congratulations to Andy and Laura who chose The Treehouse at The Alnwick Garden for their wedding.

A 5 O'clock wedding with an early set up a played through from the prelude till just after midnight so I could justify the chosen last song of the night ... Shakin Stevens Merry Christmas Everyone well it is December.

A very slick operation to keep the celebration running and turn the venue round from ceremony to wedding breakfast to evening party in double quick time.

A magical setting for any wedding and it certainly didn't disappoint.

​A super wedding with some fantastic moments.

"Cannot recommend Ian highly enough. He obviously loves what he does and it really shows. He was absolutely fantastic at our Wedding yesterday and has been so helpful throughout the entire planning process. Thank you so much!" Laura Holland

Congratulations to the brand new Mr & Mrs Holland.
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#AlnwickTreeHouseWeddings #AlnwickWeddingDJ #NorthumberlandWeddingDJ #NorthEastWeddingDJ

​Steve and Laura picked the fabulous Le Petit Chateau as their dream wedding venue and it never fails to impress. A superb wedding venue located at Otterburn.
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Jason Mraz First Dance and Bill Medley to finish with Steve Earle's Galway Girl as an encore finishing the night in style, after a couple of earlier plays .. well it was Laura's favourite tune.


An eclectic mix of music including a bundle of requests meant the dancefloor was a hive of activity from the off.

Another fabulous wedding for a lovely couple.Congratulations to the new Mr and Mrs Routledge.
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#NorthumberlandWeddingDJ #NorthEastWeddingDJ #OtterburnWeddingDJ#LePetitChateauWedding

Congratulations to Justin and Claire on their marriage.

They chose the superb Newton Hall, Bold, Romantic & Fantastical the dream destination for their wedding celebration.

Everything was planned in advance with this lovely couple to ensure their wedding music was just the way they wanted it.

​I prepared the playlists for their daytime wedding music as well as DJing at their evening wedding reception

A reluctant first dance but finally chose Gloria Gaynor's version of Can't take my eyes of you to dance on the clouds to.

My last wedding of the year at Newton Hall so i added a bit of Christmas sparkle with some snowflake gobo projection.

"What can I say Ian you were absolutely amazing!! Would highly recommend if you are looking for a DJ for whatever the occasion you need to use Ian. He has been awesome from start to end such a gent and THE best DJ I have ever seen. Thanks again Ian" Claire Jamieson

​All the very best to the new Mr & Mrs Jamieson.

#NewtonHallWeddingDJ #WeddingDJAlnwick #WeddingDJNorthEast #WeddingDJNorthumberland

​Congratulations to the new Mr & Mrs Gregory who chose Wylam Brewery for their Wedding Reception and Evening Celebration Party.

As part of the service I offer as a Wedding DJ I met with Neil and Faye in advance of their wedding to discuss their music requirements and the organisation of their spotlight moments.

An unforgettable first dance to a cover of Queen's You're my best friend.

Some unbelievable singing talent on display with one of the guests belting out some tunes with the highlight being the Neil the groom taking centre stage with the microphone..

A minimal set up with the use of the in-house audio and lighting with the addition of some up-lighters for added ambience.

Massive thanks to Tom the sound and lighting engineer who did an absolutely top job.

A cracking night all round.

#WylamBreweryWeddings #NewcastleWeddingDJ #NorthEastWeddingDJ

It was that time again for the Bedlington Vipers Annual Fundraiser.

After a successful event back in 2018 I was kindly asked back to once again DJ this event and provide the Disco.

A lot of thought and effort went into the event to ensure the night was a success. A range of interactive games enjoyed by the parents and kids alike, heads and tails, play your cards right and a decider of paper, scissors and rock.

A huge raffle with some great raffle prizes donated by local businesses and a charity auction with some cracking bids.

As always a tremendous night and a significant sum of money raised by the parents and friends of the Vipers Football Team.

Congratulations to the organisers for putting on such a cracking event. Musical accompaniment from yours truly.

#NorthumberlandDJHire #HireDJNorthumberland #EventDJNorthumberland

Jamie and Amy chose @kirkleyhall as the venue for their wedding celebration.

The groom, best man and groomsman all choosing to wear a traditional kilt and why not given there was a large Scots contingent at the wedding from Jamie's Homeland in this Anglo-Scots Union.

Little Alfie also joined in with his kilt too and loving his Audi A3 with the Just Married sign and cans on the back .. so cute.

A First Dance to Perfect by Ed Sheeran and Beyonce preceded by a cake cutting with U2 and A Beautiful Day providing the backdrop.

The dancing was off to an early start with a mix of current charts, indie and clubland classics and cheese with a few controversial Scots anthems thrown into the mix.

A special request to play a song so the guests could do the "Slosh" and Daniel Boone Beautiful Sunday was the song requested.

I provided and IPad with carefully selected playlists agreed with the couple to cater for the daytime music needs. The couple had booked a pianist for the wedding ceremony and wedding breakfast.

Congratulations to the new Mrs and Mrs Lowe and all the very best for your future together. 

#NorthEastWeddingDJ #NorthumberlandWeddingDJ#KirkleyHallWeddingDJ #WeddingDJNorthumberland#WeddingDJNorthEast

I had the pleasure of being selected as the Wedding DJ by Chris and Rebecca for their Wedding Celebration at Crook Hall and Gardens in Durham City in County Durham.

A wedding meeting several weeks before the wedding allowed me to get a clear idea of the Bride and Groom's hopes and expectations for their wedding.

Together we created a plan reflecting the music choices and key spotlight moments with a timeline set against it.

The planning is always an important part of ensuring you have a successful wedding reception, without this too much is left to chance on the most important day of your life.

As hoped for this was an an absolutely top drawer wedding party for Chris and Rebecca at the quirky Crook Hall and Gardens tucked away in Durham City Centre.

Kicking the night off with the beheading of the caterpillar wedding cakes a particular favourite of mine.

A First Dance to Frankie Valli and the original version of Can't Take My Eyes Off You got the night off to a great start and it just took off from there.

A good mix of tunes in line with the Bride and Groom's wishes incorporating some classic rock, 90's pop, indie, some dance classics and the best of the current hits.
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Many congratulations to the brand new Mr & Mrs Liddle who are off to a fantastic honeymoon destination on Monday.

Alex and Kirstie took full advantage of the fantastic February weather to hold their wedding ceremony outside on the decking at the amazingly quirky and unique Alnwick Treehouse.

Kirstie's processional song was the ever popular John Legend All of Me and Kirstie and Alex left the ceremony as a married couple to Beba Rexha and Florida Georgia Line's Meant to Be.

This wedding had a distinctly international feel with many of Alex's friends and family travelling from Romania to see his marriage to English Rose Kirstie.

Drinks reception and canape's were served in the potting shed and on the decking as guests enjoyed the weather and the views.

The guests moved into the Treehouse for the wedding breakfast to return to the potting shed later for the evening Wedding Reception.

A First Dance to Darius Rucker and a blend of Romanian, Latin, R&B and pop dominated the evening party taking in lots of requests along the way.

Another awesome wedding celebration with yours truly providing the music from the start till the end along with the Master of Ceremony Services and managing three separate set ups in a virtually seamless transition.

Congratulations and all the very best to a fabulous couple Alex and Kirstie

Kat and Mikayla travelled to Le Petit Chateau in Otterburn Northumberland to tie the knot and celebrate their marriage.

A double bouquet toss from the beautiful brides followed by a choreographed First Dance to Pink's Raise Your Glass.

An eclectic mix of music throughout the night and plenty of requests from the guest who were all up for a party.

Fabulous celebration and many congratulations to Kat and Mikayla.

As a Wedding DJ I just love weddings like this where the guests are really up for a party.

Mikayla had this to say:

"Ian was absolutely amazing and had the dance floor busy all night. Played something for everyone and got in all of our key songs. Could not recommend highly enough. Thank you for helping to make our day so special!"


 

Stephen and Bethan chose As You Like It in Jesmond, Newcastle as the venue for their wedding and evening wedding reception.

A first dance to James Arthur and Anne-Marie Rewrte the Stars kicked the night off which also included a Cake Cutting and Bouquet Toss.

As a Wedding DJ you never quite know what songs will really resonate with the guest well for Bethan and Steve the real winners were the party dance action songs.

Lots of requests and a night full or upbeat cheesy songs were the order of the night.

A fab night was had by all.

Congratulations to the brand new Mr and Mrs Ouetting.

Bethan and Steve had this to say:

"We had our wedding on Wednesday at as you like it and ian was amazing.. couldn't do enough from start to finish..Nothing was a problem. so easy going our guests loved him. played requests straight away and made our night so fun! everyone was up dancing and enjoying themselves thanks to ian! anyone looking for a wedding or party/events dj hes your man! he even took loads of photos as well bless him! highly recommend"

Ben and Katherine had a mixed group of guests of all ages and wanted a good variety of music to cater for everyone’s tastes.

Some of the guests were staying overnight at the venue and hotels close by others were travelling home. 
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They chose the Fig House at Middleton Lodge Estate near Richmond.

I put together playlists for the drinks reception and wedding breakfast.

The couple chose some of their own music and invited their guests to put forward some suggestion as well.

It turned out to be an absolutely fantastic night from the First Dance never a moment when the Dance-floor wasn't bouncing.

Lou Reed's Perfect Day was appropriately chosen as the song for the first dance.

A bit of all sorts including the weirdest wedding request ever bearing in mind its nowhere near Halloween ... Bobby Picket and the Monster Mash which surprisingly lots of people danced too.

There were also lashings of cheese the perfect complement to the wedding breakfast and evening buffet.

On the Do Not Play list a few wedding favourites 

Pharrell Williams - Happy, John Legend, Bruno Mars, James Arthur, Ed Sheeran, Shut up and Dance,  Fast car, Maroon 5 and the Macarena
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Many congratulations to Mr and Mrs Hodgkinson.

As a professional Wedding DJ with over 20 years experience I thought I would provide you with a tip of the day to make sure you have a fantastic wedding.I’ve presided over hundreds of weddings over the years and I was reflecting on how things have changed.
There are now lots more different types of venues available from castles to country manors, from barns and marquees from hotels to specific functions suites and many in between, all of varying shapes and sizes.
In line with the choice of venues there are now more things on offer to keep your guests entertained throughout the wedding from photo booths to roulette wheels, from caricaturists to table magic, from candy carts to chocolate fountains and many more besides.
Now whilst I’m sure all of these have their place, there is also a danger that these water down the main event and rather than enhance the day actually act as a distraction to it.
If you want a packed dance floor you need to focus your guests attention in the room where the music is.
If you are offering a range of other activities it will take your guests away from the room where you want to focus your party.
Consider how the venue is configured, what additional entertainment you really want and where this is located. Think about where the bar is located compared to the room where the music and dancing takes place. If the bar and entertainment is elsewhere it will mean your guests will gravitate towards it and away from the party.
The day is all about two people, it’s about the Bride and Groom, if you want your guests to be on the dance floor, then if that’s where the Bride and Groom can be found, then it will come as no surprise that that's where your guests will be too.

As a professional DJ with over 20 years experience I thought I would provide you with a tip of the day to help you get the right DJ for your wedding.

There are lots of DJ's out there and the prices vary significantly.

If you believe that all DJ's are the same and that the only difference is the price then let me enlighten you ... this is not true.

If you want a quality DJ for your Wedding Day it's unlikely that you will be able to secure their service for the lowest price.

DJ's are no different to most things in life, if you want quality it is likely that you will have to pay for it.
Don't just employ a DJ on the basis of their price.

And don't be fooled by the claims a DJ makes on their marketing materials.

I spotted this one recently. A DJ claimed that he was "the number 1 Wedding and Party DJ" and low and behold two weeks later he declared he had done his "First ever party".

So be wary.

Meet with the DJ first before you book them.

Quiz them about their experience, their approach, ask to see feedback from previous customers and find out how their involvement will enhance your wedding day.

Your wedding is one of the most important days of your life.

If you're looking to book a DJ focus on quality and not the lowest price.

I was asked to DJ at this event for over 100 business and MP guests at the Sage in Gateshead for Foundation Futures to help raise funds for a new Mini Bus to support this outstanding organisation.
 
They had never put on an event like this before and MP Ian Mearns compered the evening.
 
Foundation Futures are a specialist teaching service working with the most at risk, most vulnerable and most disadvantaged young people in NE secondary schools. Many of them are excluded from school, some are at risk of becoming so. All of them are full of untapped potential but have faced deprivation and poverty of expectation. Many if not all have suffered some kind of abuse or neglect. They work long term with them 2 days a week for a full academic year. They expose them to activities, visits and opportunities they would never normally have access to. Throughout they work on their social, emotional and behavioural difficulties and are consistent, and sometimes very tough.

The event was to showcase this approach. It’s to galvanise the local business community in the spirit of helping each other find those reliable young people to staff their businesses and bridge the skills gap.

It’s to showcase these young people’s potential and help others understand that instead of shaking their heads and turning away there are things that everyone can do to reduce the problems these young people suffer and cause.

It was also an attempt to raise £10,000 to buy a new mini bus as the one they use at the moment won’t pass its next MOT!

I offered my services and set about supporting the delivery of the whole event, liaising directly with the Sage at Gateshead to agree the set up area, access and parking arrangements. This included a site visit and arranging early access to reduce the inconvenience to the guests and disruption to the event.

A great night was had by all and significant funds were raised towards this very worthwhile cause.

"Just a quick note to thank you once more for your time and the entertainment. You nailed it! The perfect end to the evening" - Phil - Foundation Futures, Fundraising Evening at Sage Gateshead

"Ian Conway is a top bloke. His disco is just fantastic. He knows how to play to the crowd and please his audience. Professional and reliable and utterly great value. What a nice man. He played at our charity fundraiser for Foundation Futures #championingfutures event at Sage Gateshead and did a great job. I would highly recommend him! Thanks Ian" - Sue Gorton-Davison, Foundation Futures

As a professional DJ with over 20 years experience I thought it might be helpful if I offered a few tips to help you get the right DJ for your wedding.This is the ninth in my series of bite sized tips which will look carefully at the music you choose for your wedding ceremony.

The wedding ceremony music is normally made up of three distinct parts:

• Processional music to walk up the aisle too. Normally quite a calm piece of music that is elegant and contains a message of lasting love.
• Background music while signing the register. Often this is where the other tunes you considered as your processional music can be played. Again these are usually quite calm with messages of love.
• Recessional music to walk back out too as a married couple. This is normally upbeat and celebratory to reflect the occasion.

When choosing your music think carefully about songs that carry an appropriate message and importantly are songs that have some significance to you both as a couple.

Listen carefully to the songs you select as it is important to remember particularly with the processional and recessional songs that it is extremely unlikely that the whole song will be played.
Make sure you are clear on which version of the song you would like as there are often many versions of the same song.

The best you might hope for would be around a minute or so of the song.

Think about your venue and the time you have and how the music you have chosen fits so the right part of song is played at the right time.

Songs with a long introduction before the melody and lyrics kick in might need to be edited so that the right part of the song is played e.g. whilst walking up the aisle.

In terms of the recessional song it is likely that you will want this to kick in immediately at the first chorus and again some editing may be required.

A professional DJ can cue your songs at the right part in a live environment and ensure the song is played at the right time and even if the DJ isn’t going to be present during the ceremony ask if they can edit the music for you.

Finally if you aren't engaging a Professional DJ or musician for your ceremony music double check you have the music in the right format for the venues play out system, make sure you know who is going to press the button to start and stop the music and finally make sure they know their cue.