sanfrancisco

Raquel's 40th Birthday Party

Raquel's 40th Birthday Party

“Couldn't have asked for a better experience. After a brief conversation with Jamie where we discussed my desires for music genres and goals for the party, Jamie hooked us up with Jackie who was absolutely the perfect fit for our party. She knew the genres I was looking for (cumbia, bachata, etc.) and was able to score a perfect lineup of music that kept us dancing all night. I highly recommend Ceremony DJs” —- Raquel

Lisa Sim and Peter Yang Wedding

Lisa Sim and Peter Yang Wedding

“A DJ, MC and lighting team that elevated our entire wedding program. From the initial inquiry, Jamie was very thorough to understand our wedding theme and expectations. He also provided past insight during our pre-wedding brainstorm to help us plan out the run of show (welcoming cocktails, grand entrance, toasting speeches, first dance and party music). We were not having a ceremony and wanted the reception to be more than the usual open bar + dance floor program. Jamie and Rocky delivered more than just the usual dance floor / club /top 40 music. There was deep consideration for the range of guests (family vs. relatives) to really make the music feel like a soundtrack for all on our special night. The equipment was not only high quality in sound and setup in a true audiophile consideration - there was not a table that was overwhelmed by the speakers placement. Last thing to mention, the communication during the whole process went smoothly. They followed up on our curated playlist suggestions, were punctual with load in/out and partnered well with our day-of coordinator and venue staff. Thanks again Ceremony DJs for making it a memorable wedding and New Years party for all!” - Peter Yang

Camille Cuentas and Patrick Mahar Wedding

Camille Cuentas and Patrick Mahar Wedding

“Jamie was so awesome to work with from the beginning. He met with my husband and I to get a sense of our individual music tastes and to see how he could fuse them together. We appreciate his openness to our requests and understanding of what kind of vibes we wanted to set for our reception. We had a much smaller wedding reception and it still felt like a huge party! The original timeline of events didn't quite go as planned but Jamie was great at going with the flow and reading the crowd to see what was best. Our families love to dance and so 99% of the night consisted of us dancing.” - Camille Cuentas

Margaret Wickham and Dan Parrella Wedding

Margaret Wickham and Dan Parrella Wedding

“We had the pleasure of working with Jackie Sugarlumps for our wedding and were extremely pleased. Jackie met with us more than once to get to know us and guide us through not just the music but also the flow of the whole evening. What we wound up with was a great set list of music and a fun party for everyone - and she made it all very easy for us. Thank you, Jackie!” - Dan Parrella

Yoyo Chan and Kyle Destiche Wedding

Yoyo Chan and Kyle Destiche Wedding

“Jamie is THE BEST!! We couldn't be happier with selecting him as our wedding DJ. The entire experience of working with him was great. He spent lots of time familiarizing himself with the type of music and vibe we were looking for, and the evening was absolute perfection. I also appreciated his ability to cover everything from the ceremony, cocktail hour, dinner, and DANCE PARTY! His collection is diverse (we had everything from Willie Nelson to E40) and he was totally committed to making our vision happen. It also helps he is a totally cool person, accessible and communicative.” - Yoyo Chan

”Jamie was the perfect DJ for our wedding. He has a vast knowledge of music and really cared about the feeling we wanted to present through music. He met with us before the wedding to get an idea of what we wanted and what our guests would like to hear. He delivered above and beyond our expectations, played music that we loved and his timing and professionalism were top notch. Jamie even worked to customize his system to work in our unique venue. Most importantly, Jamie is professional, he cares, and knows what he is doing, which meant he worked independently and didn't take time out of our busy day. The end result was everything we could have hoped for.” - Kyle Destiche

Grace Yau and Devin Riley Wedding

Grace Yau and Devin Riley Wedding

“We hired James to DJ our wedding and he absolutely crushed it. We went in thinking he'd just do our dance music at the reception, but he ended up doing a fantastic job with our ceremony and dinner music as well. He spent a bunch of time with both of us going over our musical backgrounds and sneaking hidden gems from our conversations into his set list. He was hyper-aware to play music that both us and our guests, including family, would enjoy. He transitioned smoothly from more recognizable songs to surprising and fun deeper cuts. James convinced me playing some low-key music during dinner would help set the tone and it was a great call. He played a cool, nonintrusive set during dinner and then blew it away with a bunch of fun dance jams at night. People were getting weird on the dance floor by the end, which is really all we wanted. Don't let Ceremony's rock / indie vibe throw you off either, he was knowledgable in all the genres we talked about, and was very careful to tailor the set to what we wanted most. We mostly went for rap for our dancing and he knocked it out of the park with his set.” - Devin Riley

”So happy with our decision to work with James! He was super attentive to what we wanted and gave great suggestions as well. The most important thing - we danced the night away :)” - Grace Yau

Patrick Malloy and Diego Ruiz Wedding

Patrick Malloy and Diego Ruiz Wedding

“My husband and I had an absolutely amazing experience with Jamie DJing our wedding a couple of weekends ago! We had a good feeling from the beginning - he hosts indie dance nights at a bar near our apartment and his sample playlists perfectly matched our tastes - and he totally exceeded our expectations.

The most important part first: Everyone had an amazing time at the event! Jamie covered the time before our ceremony, flawlessly handled music and audio during the ceremony, and kept the party going from the cocktail hour all the way through last call. He chose the perfect music for all the different parts of the evening, and managed to appeal to all the generations that were there. I knew he would nail it with the indie music, but he also did an amazing job getting up to speed some on some of our lower-brow pop favorites, which our friends loved.

Bigger picture: Jamie went above and beyond to help with our music. We did not have a wedding planner, so were stretched pretty thin at times. A less involved DJ might have all the music you want, but it will end up on you to spend a lot of time choosing exactly which songs you want to hear and when. All we had to do with Jamie was tell him our general concept, pick a few of the important songs, and mark the artists we liked in his catalog, and then he handled it all from there. I'm sure it was a lot of work for him, but we were immensely grateful that he was able to take vague direction from us and create an unforgettable musical experience.

I will be recommending Jamie to anyone I know in the Bay Area who is looking for a DJ! He does a fabulous job and is also a very nice person who is a lot of fun to be around!” - Patrick Malloy

”Jamie did such an amazing job with everything for my wedding a few months ago in San Francisco! He was super easy to communicate with leading up to the event, and did a great job working collaboratively with my husband and I to figure out music that would both feel distinctively like us but also appeal to all our friends and family – he’s so knowledgeable about so many genres, I got the impression he could work with pretty much anyone’s musical taste. He covered everything with day-of set up, did our sound during the ceremony, edited specific verses out of our recessional song – he was willing to step up and do basically anything we asked to help the event run smoothly (a really big deal, as we had no planner and were not familiar with event planning ourselves!). And above all, he did an incredible job getting our reception party started, keeping everyone dancing until it was time to shut down the venue. I’d enthusiastically recommend him and Ceremony DJs to anyone who needed a DJ for any event, and especially a wedding -- his music and all-around service was a huge part of what made the day so special for me, my husband and all our friends and family! (A sample text from a friend the day after about our wedding music: “THAT WAS LITERAL BLISS FOR ME”.)” - Diego Ruiz

Craig Daniel and Rob Delamater Wedding

Craig Daniel and Rob Delamater Wedding

"James DJ'd our wedding reception at the de Young Museum this Summer and it could not have been more perfect. James took the time to really get to know us and our tastes in music (we are both huge music fans) and used that to tailor a set list that both met our expectations but also surprised us and packed a lot of unexpected joy. The dance floor was smoking. Throughout the entire experience James was personable, organized and enthusiastic. He made himself a trusted partner in our wedding plans. Press "play" for James and his deep record collection and knowledge of music. A wonderful fellow." - Craig Daniel

Shayna Rader and Michael DiGrande Wedding

Shayna Rader and Michael DiGrande Wedding

"If you’re looking for a thoughtful, professional, and an unbridled showman—stop reading this review and hire Jamie as your DJ. But if you’re here for the review, I’ll elaborate. Thoughtful – Jamie provides the kind of attention that can’t be replicated. He gets to know you and what your expectations are for your event, and he lets that inform the structure and vibe. For my wedding, we told him to focus on Motown, 60s rock, power-pop and 90s hip-hop. He then worked with us to connect the dots, to experiment in finding a way to make these moods track seamlessly throughout the night. In a way, it felt like we were sculpting the vibe with him, rather than rely on some Spotify algorithm. His encyclopedic knowledge of music is unmatched—he finds a way to suggest things that will surprise you—and is unafraid of getting creative. He brings you into the process because he’s thoughtful in a way most DJs won’t be. Professional – Jamie brings his own gear and he * knows * his gear. He arrives earlier than early and keeps everything above board with venue staff. Jamie may have a laid-back demeanor, but he’s hyper focused on the details (you know, where the devil lives). And when the show’s over? He’s gone. Like a ghost. Our venue staff noted how efficient he is when it comes to set up and teardown. He won’t leave you in the lurch. Jamie’s prepared for every contingency. Showmanship – I’m not a dancer but Jamie had me on the floor all night. It is a non-stop party when he’s spinning. And when the mood changes, he changes with it. When our folks and family got tuckered out, Jamie skewed contemporary, which give our wedding about 5 different lives of its own. The result? We all left exhausted. Jamie had us on our feet all night and kept things moving as the night went on. tl;dr I saw my 62-year old father dance to Lil Jon…and love it. Thank you Jamie. I hope you can give someone else a memory like that." - Michael DiGrande

"Jamie did an absolutely amazing job at our wedding!! We had a pretty specific idea in mind of how we wanted our evening to play out, and some of the genres of music we picked were a bit unfamiliar to him, but he dove headfirst into researching and compiling a fantastic playlistfor us, including some songs I’d never even heard of but totally fit with the vibe. He kept our guests up and out of their seats (even the old folks!) and we got SO many compliments on our music. Jamie is an artist and a veteran of the club circuit in SF, so he puts a lot of thought into curating an entire evening for you and making sure it flows, rather than just taking Top 40 requests all night long. There are plenty of DJs that can do that—if you want something unique and memorable, you should contact Jamie and the team at Ceremony. Worth every penny." - Shayna Rader

Tiffany Ishihara and Josh Compton Wedding

Tiffany Ishihara and Josh Compton Wedding

"Jamie was the DJ at my wedding and I cannot recommend him enough. I should mention that the music at my wedding was the the most important element to my husband and I; Jamie did not disappoint. He has a very extensive knowledge of all types of music and was able to curate a playlist for our very specific request - 1970’s Power Pop. Not only was he able to create a playlist we really loved, but he was super excited about it and made the process very easy. There was never a moment that we had to worry about what was playing. If you want a DJ that will put a lot of thought and energy into your big day, Jamie is the way to go!" - Tiffany Ishihara

Kate Garklavs and Micah Saul Wedding

Kate Garklavs and Micah Saul Wedding

"If you’re looking for a top-notch wedding DJ, look no further: Jamie is capital-A awesome. For years, Jamie hosted Debaser (excellent 90s dance party), and it was through Debaser that I got to know Jamie and his work. When my now-husband and I started planning our wedding, we aligned on what we were looking for in a DJ — someone with impeccable (and broad) musical taste; someone with the emotional IQ to cater to not just the bride/groom’s preferences, but also to honor both extended families’ wishes; and someone who can bring a rockin’ dance party. Jamie exemplifies all of these qualities. He spent several hours with us discussing the sort of mood we wanted to create and how we wanted our reception to evolve; he then translated this vision into a playlist that kept our guests on the dance floor all night (and into the morning). What’s more, he was extremely professional, handling all the tiny details that no bride or groom wants to deal with. You’d be hard pressed to find a better, more intuitive DJ than Jamie. " - Kate Garklavs

"Jamie kicked ass at our wedding ceremony and reception. We'd both known him for years through Debaser and other parties he'd DJ in the Mission, so when we decided we wanted someone for our wedding that'd get our guests to dance their faces off, we knew who to go to. Jamie was amazing to work with. We talked through the general them we were hoping for, he worked with us to come up with our lists of must haves, as well as some secret requests, and was just generally super attentive and responsive. The party, of course, was amazing! Jamie is incredibly good at reading the energy of a room and adapting his set to both feed on and feed that energy. We didn't have an emcee or a day-of planner or anything like that, and Jamie was able to direct the flow of the night using the music he was playing. And yes, we all danced our damn faces off!" - Micah Saul

Addie Evans and Adam Schnirel Wedding

Addie Evans and Adam Schnirel Wedding

"Jamie jammed out our wedding a few years ago and I loved his style. Jamie rocked the dance party and curated the dinner perfectly. I loved that he worked with us to learn our style and mixed the music accordingly. I also was excited that he brought records new and old.If you are looking for a fun DJ and want a custom, hard working, energetic and passionate guy, Jamie is for you!" - Adam Schnirel

Jessica Taich and Josh Levitz Wedding

Jessica Taich and Josh Levitz Wedding

"When planning our wedding we knew that we wanted to have a reception with music we actually loved. But finding a wedding DJ that got our taste was a challenge. We had attended a few of Jamie's Debaser nights at the Knockout and always had so much fun. On a whim we contacted Jamie to see if he would DJ our wedding - and luckily he was interested! We met for drinks and talked about the kind of music and vibe we hoped to have at our wedding reception. Jamie was extremely responsive and very excited to give us our dream party. On the day of the event Jamie was timely and professional and the dance party was incredible. Our friends 3 years later still talk about how Jamie was the best wedding DJ and love to reminisce about the playlist. Jamie and team are hands-on, passionate, and genuinely want you to have the best time at your wedding. We would highly recommend hiring Ceremony DJ's!" - Jess & Josh Levitz