Wilmington Weddings Archives - Eric Boneske Photography Wilmington Wedding PhotographerEric Boneske Photography Wilmington Wedding Photographer

Wilmington Wedding Vendor Spotlight: Active Entertainment

Posted on November 28, 2017

by Eric

Wilmington NC is a huge destination wedding spot. So when out-of-town brides and grooms are researching different venues and vendors here it can get overwhelming quickly! It seems that when you google any wedding category, a hundred different names come up, and some I’ve never even heard of before. I am always happy to give out my preferred vendor list when I get to meet couples in person- but I also wanted to take that a step further and interview the real industry leaders here in town. This Vendor Spotlight is with Jay Tatum, owner of Active Entertainment. He and his staff are not only extremely talented DJs, but also great MC’s. And the MC portion of their job is often one of the things people don’t think about when picturing their wedding and especially reception flowing perfectly throughout the night. A DJ can make or break your party- seriously.. I’ve seen ALL types of good and bad!

A few weeks ago Jay and I got up together to put this post together and here is a little bit of our conversation:

EB: Jay, you’ve been doing this DJ thing for a while now… Active Entertainment is a household name in the DJ community here in Wilmington. How did you get you start behind the turntables?

JT: As a child I would spend hours waiting for songs to come on the radio so I could record them onto a cassette tape. Once I had the songs that I wanted, I would take a dual cassette boom box and splice songs together to make my own custom mixes. Although I wasn’t DJing, I use to love watching the reaction of my friends as they listened to my spliced together mixes. By the time I had entered college I had amassed a pretty good size record collection. By chance, my roommate had been offered a job as a bouncer at a brand new dance club. He told the owner that I had a lot of music but I didn’t know how to DJ. Lucky, they took a chance with me and offered me a night which went on to be their busiest night. And as they say… the rest is history.

EB: Weddings are obviously a big part of your business, and you have a number of great DJ’s that work for and with you. If you could tell someone looking to get into the wedding side of the business one thing what would it be?

JT: The best advice I could give another DJ getting into the wedding business is… try and get to know your clients. Each wedding is different. Although the format and the music is similar, each client has different needs. Some might be younger, older, from different states or countries, etc. People just have different needs but if you put in the time to get to know who you are working with, you should knock it out of the park every time.

EB: You’ve got a great family and of course, the Pub Shed in the back yard. When you’re not spinning music what are a few things you guys enjoy doing together?

JT: I think anyone that knows me knows that I am a social person. I love being with my family and friends. We stay really busy just living life but… when I’m not working, I’m thinking about the next city in America or the next country that I haven’t visited yet! My wife and I think it’s very important to try and see this big world we live in. We also think it’s very important to make sure our children see different places, countries, experience different culture, food, etc.

EB: Lastly, I’m sure you hear a lot of similar questions from brides before and after they hire you. If you could sum it up from a DJ’s perspective, what would be some tried and true advice for a couple planning the entertainment piece of their wedding?

JT: When hiring a DJ, it’s okay to give us some music you do and don’t like but also give us creative control to make the party happen. That’s why you hired a professional. Not only do we play music but a good DJ knows how to read a crowd and they also know how to take your guests on a musical journey.

Contact Active Entertainment HERE to check their availability and set up a consultation.

Photo Credit: Millie Holloman Photography

Wilmington Wedding Photography // Lauren and Lars

Posted on October 28, 2016

by Eric

This private residence on Shinn’s Point was the beautiful backdrop for Lauren and Lars’ Wilmington wedding. Both love the water and being surrounded by nature, so this property was the perfect location for them to get married. Special thanks to Do Me A Favor Weddings for the beautiful design and coordination of this day! Lauren and Lars, we wish you ALL the best and it was an honor to spend your wedding day with you!!