When he was only 14 years old, Andrew was chosen to be a part of a Southern Dutchess Chamber of Commerce community program that allowed him to be an intern at the radio station on the weekends. He learned tricks of the trade from Terry Donovan, like how to articulate his words by reading the paper out loud with a pen in his mouth. By the time he was 16, Andrew was getting up at the crack of dawn for a 6am radio show on K104 where he was known as the DJ Andrew Enriquez.
As if that doesn't make him qualified enough to dish out advice on DJ'ing, Andrew and his lovely wife just planned their own Hudson Valley wedding at the Grandview in Poughkeepsie on June 26th, 2010!
Jeff and I invited him out for a celebratory lunch to find out a wedding insider's experience planning a wedding in the Hudson Valley...
"What was it like planning your own Hudson Valley wedding?" I ask Andrew.
"Picking our introduction song was HARD!" Andrew laughs. "I was a really difficult client. We didn't want any of the 'same old' cliché songs; I gave our DJ a list of 15 songs for dinner that he never played. Songs with lyrics and meaning like 'Make You Feel My Love' by Adele and 'First Time' by Lifehouse."
"So what was your introduction song? 'God Is a DJ?'" I smile and nudge Jeff.
Andrew grins. "LMFAO, 'Shots.' It's my jam. I do the Shots dance."
"What advice would you give to someone trying to find a DJ for their wedding?" Jeff asks.
"Make sure you find a DJ who reflects your style as a couple," Andrew says. "Heather and I were more NY style fist-pumping, partiers...not Snookie Jersey Shore style." He grins, cutting off the verbal jab Jeff was about to deliver.
"We really geared our wedding towards the music...After the toasts it was mostly current songs. I told our DJ that I'd slit my wrists if he played 'Dancing Queen.'"
Andrew says it is important to build a rapport with your DJ on a very close personal level. "When I meet with my clients they are my friend first and a client second. We text or email all the time. I even play kickball with some of them."
"Make sure you feel comfortable with your DJ," Andrew recommends. "You don't want to worry on your wedding day. Meet them."
Somehow we end up chatting about Chelsea Clinton's recent wedding in the Hudson Valley. Jeff and Andrew start trading jibes and engaging in the "cool dude talk" that was responsible for their instant connection years ago.
"Yeah, I want to do the Clinton wedding." Jeff puts on his best President Clinton voice, "Sure, Bill, you can use my microphone. But I'm cleaning it afterwards."
"Settle down, boys," I say. "I'm trying to do an interview here!" 
"Ask the DJ, 'Why are you doing this? Why are you doing weddings?'" Andrew says.
The response a DJ gives to this question tells you a lot. You want someone at your wedding who loves what they do. "I'm not just going to hit play on an iPod. I've really got to be into it."
"How many DJs do you have working with you now?" Jeff asks.
Andrew answers that he has four teams of DJs. "I don't want to lose personal touch with my clients," he says. "I really have fun doing it."
"I know." I smile and shake my head. "I saw that photo of you dancing on top of the sub-woofer."
Andrew laughs.
"Andrew, what's something people don't know about you?" I ask.
Andrew thinks for a moment. "One time when I was ten years old I got suspended from riding the school bus for shooting rubber bands at girls' butts," he says. "My parents made me pay a taxi cab driver to drop me off at school, with my own money. One day the taxi forgot to pick me up at 3 o'clock and I had to stay there until 5pm."
"Did you tip the cab driver, Andrew?" Jeff asks.
"I don't remember." Andrew grins. "But I learned my lesson: stay out of trouble and keep your nose clean."
I think about 16 year old Andrew getting up before the sun on a Saturday morning when the other kids were just heading for bed. "Sounds like your parents taught you a lot. You've got a serious side I never realized before."
Andrew smiles comfortably. "I like to goof around a lot and make fun of myself. My brother-in-law and I built a marshmallow launcher out of PVC piping and a gas grill button igniter and used Aquanet as the launching agent ."
"Ah, a fellow pyromaniac." Jeff practically high-fives Andrew across the restaurant table.
"I'm a big kid at heart," Andrew admits. "But I know when I have to be grounded, especially in business."
Andrew's Wedding Planning Advice
"What advice would you give to someone planning a wedding?" I ask.
"Pull out the Bride and Groom card and USE IT," he says firmly. "It's your day. Do what you want! If someone tries to sell you something you don't want, they aren't right for you."
If you're getting overwhelmed by guests trying to talk to you on your wedding day, come over to the DJ and take a break.
"I see so many of my couples standing at their sweetheart table and they're bombarded," Andrew says. "I tell them to come over and hang out with us. Your guests will think you're doing some business stuff and they'll leave you alone."
Take a step back and savor it.
Andrew smiles and looks up, remembering his own wedding day. "See all the people there that day just for you. There's so much adrenaline, you don't even need booze! They are there for YOU. It's powerful and it takes your breath away."
Andrew Nikola is the owner of Enriquez Entertainment, the Hudson Valley's most dynamic DJs. He is a proud member of the Dutchess County Regional Chamber of Commerce and one of the Greater Southern Dutchess Chamber of Commerce's "Forty Under 40" rising stars in the community.
-
Great article, I agree you have to enjoy anything you do including dj'ing weddings!
Two reasons why - it's important to the couple and for the DJ - it's hard work! so you better enjoy it.
I really like to get to know my clients on personal level first as well before talking business.
It's all about having the right personality!
P.S. I always play and mix songs my client's ask for because it's there big day, not mine!
That's my formula to success - ask for a playlist and play exactly that! Always works. 100% success rate.
