Mobile DJ Expands Wedding Reception Options

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Raymond Phillips is looking to close the gaps in his 2015 schedule and to providing couples preparing to get married a memorable wedding reception that balances fun with professionalism.

Mobile DJ and karaoke host Raymond Phillips has found weddings to be one of his most anticipated gigs. In fact, the only people looking forward to the reception more than Phillips are probably the bride and groom. His operation, Raymond Phillips Sight & Sound Entertainment, has grown steadily in recent years, and he is ready in 2015 to take wedding receptions to a new level.

In addition to dance floor lighting and an extensive music library that stretches back to the 1940s, Phillips employs a number of subtle elements that make a wedding reception unique and memorable. With stage lighting and uplighting, Phillips can create an ambiance that compliments the décor and color pallet selected by the couple. Another special touch is the projection of the newlyweds’ monogram on the wall or floor. To include the wedding party in a hands-on activity that makes its own fun, Phillips can bring his photo booth.

In 2015, he hopes to incorporate projected slide shows into more receptions. Working with a couple in the summer of 2014 who had taken vows in a private ceremony in the Bahamas, Phillips realized that most of the people at the reception held in PA had not been able to share that experience. Phillips surprised the couple by acquiring and assembling photos from their wedding into a montage that was shown during the cocktail and dinner hour.

Everybody who didn’t make it to the islands got to see the wedding,” Phillips related. The bride was thrilled, and Phillips knew that he’d scored a hit worth repeating.

Phillips likes to meet with the bride and groom at least twice prior to wedding day to discuss technical options for the reception and to go over the program, which can incorporate both traditional elements and new ideas brought to him by the bride and groom. “I’ll meet with them even more if needed,” Phillips stated.

Ask the seasoned emcee and music buff what he finds so compelling about wedding parties, and Phillips answers, “Seeing the bride have a good time because of the work I’ve put into it. When the bride and groom are ready to leave the reception and tell me that I made their day, that makes my day too.”

Phillips’ office tells the story of a man raised on a large variety of music who loves sharing it with other people. While the portable equipment that he uses for wedding receptions and at taverns and other public functions is state-of-the-art and computer-generated, his bookshelves at home are packed tightly with old vinyl records and classic stereo equipment with which he can’t bare to part.

His vast knowledge and background as a lifetime fan of dance, rock and country music comes in handy when he is offering suggestions to the bride and groom or assessing a crowd that, as he puts it, “ranges from grandparents who like the oldies to teenagers who want the latest hits.” Phillips did his homework last summer in preparation for a 50-year class reunion, sparking many memories among the group of seniors. Several of them told him that they had long forgotten many of the songs he played for them.

While he excels at wedding receptions, Phillips is just as comfortable playing music outdoors at community festivals or hosting karaoke in a corner bar, where he can also play videos for patrons. He admits that his favorite public crowds are those who anticipate and enjoy a wide variety of music.

As his reputation as a dependable, professional and talented entertainer grows, Phillips is often booking gigs a year in advance. His current goal is to fill what gaps remain on his 2015 calendar with both wedding parties and karaoke gigs. He can be contacted on Facebook at Raymond C. Phillips or at www.rayztoons.com.

Phillips is a graduate of Tunkhannock Area High School and a resident of Beaumont in Wyoming County.

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