Friday night, Hoher Darsberg. The last wedding has just wrapped up, and I already know: tomorrow it's straight on to the next one. This time to the Rheingau, up to Burg Schwarzenstein, about 45 minutes west of Frankfurt. A double weekend, one of the last of the season.
And then this: on Friday I realise the hard drive with all my music isn't in the car. For a DJ that's about as bad as a chef turning up to work without knives. My daughter Sophia brought it over to me. Little hero, true original. Without her, this post would be a lot shorter.
01Saturday morning: breakfast, car packed, off to the Rheingau
After breakfast I load my Passat to the roof. Speakers, DJ booth, lighting, battery lamps, cables, the big disco ball. To be fair, the car has been too small for my gear for a while, but somehow it always fits. Then off towards Geisenheim, up onto the Johannisberg.
At the top, that view. Vineyards as far as the eye can see, the Rhine down below. For a moment you forget you're actually here to work.
02First time in the castle restaurant
I've played Burg Schwarzenstein a few times before, but always in the brasserie. This time the party was in the castle restaurant, and I saw the room for the first time that day. Gorgeous, big arched windows, views across the valley. But smaller than I had pictured it.
So I re-planned on site. I had my big lighting rig with me, but left a lot of the effects in the car. In a room like that they quickly feel like too much, and fog or haze, which you need to even see light beams, wasn't allowed. I focused on warm ambient lighting and on the one thing the couple had specifically asked for: a big disco ball.
03How I got this wedding
I was booked on the recommendation of my colleague DJ Lubo from my network. Recommendations like that are the biggest compliment for me. The couple, Anna and Henry, were from Frankfurt and brought a fantastic crowd: lovely friends and a really warm family.
We first met in a personal video call. They're both very busy and were sitting in the office, so we simply met online. Anna and Henry had a good gut feeling straight away, and I think their yes came within two hours. After that I put everything in a contract.
A few weeks before the wedding I also send every couple my online music questionnaire, a little app I built myself. It doesn't replace the personal conversation, it's an extra so I get to know the music taste of the couple and their guests even better: what they listen to, what their guests party to and what must never be played. With these two it was clear fast: lots of ABBA, plus singalong hits from Kelly Clarkson, Katy Perry and of course Taylor Swift. The groom is more into festival vibes like Avicii and Calvin Harris.
04Champagne, jazz and four courses
The day first belonged to a jazz band. They played classics and jazz during the champagne reception, dinner and dessert, and also accompanied the cake cutting in the afternoon. Burg Schwarzenstein served a four course menu at one long table under grapevines and crystal chandeliers. I love that split. The band does the day, I do the night.
05My energy curve for four and a half hours
Then came the blue hour, the lights went on and the dance floor was mine. At the start I want to get every generation on board. So out came the 70s and 80s classics: I Will Survive, September, Whitney Houston, It's Raining Men, Summer of 69. They mix beautifully into Mamma Mia, and just like that ABBA was in the game.
From there it moved step by step towards singalong hits and festival sound. Over the years you develop a feel for when to push and when to let people catch their breath. That night everything just worked. Every chorus landed.
In between I dropped an 80s set: Maniac, Take On Me, Footloose and of course Queen. It works surprisingly well for young and old, because the younger crowd listens to a lot of 80s these days too. What I barely played: the 90s. Apart from Britney Spears and the Backstreet Boys I left them out almost completely that night. I just felt they wouldn't land. I feel the vibe on the dance floor and know exactly when to play what.
06“Play something for the guys”
My favourite moment of the night: right next door, the late night currywurst station was set up. Of course all the guys were hungry, and suddenly the dance floor was pretty much all women. A young woman comes up to me and says: “Play something for the guys so they come back in.”
I already had the next song lined up: Hey Brother by Avicii. The first bars play, she looks at me sceptically: “Hm, that's not really working.” I just say: “Wait for it, there's more coming.” Less than a minute later the guys were back on the dance floor, going all in on the song. Moments like that are exactly why I do this.
072:50 am: Angels to close
Officially the party was meant to end at half past two. But the energy was so strong that I told the couple: let's take the last 20 minutes too. At Burg Schwarzenstein everything ends at three, all guests have to be out by then, it's in the contract. Until then we wanted to use every minute.
I made a short announcement, Anna and Henry danced once more to their very own closing song, and as an encore came Angels. Lots of guests were from Munich, where Angels is the ultimate last song, everyone knows it from Oktoberfest. At ten to three there was huge applause. It was so cool. Such a fun night.
08The part nobody sees
Saying goodbye to the couple was quick, because everyone had to be out by three. And then comes the hardest part of the day: packing down. Coiling cables properly, stowing the battery lamps the right way so before the next gig I only have to unload and charge. Loading the car in the cold, completely sweaty, piece by piece, until everything fits into the Passat again. Hardly anyone sees it, but it's as much part of the job as the best drop.
The good thing about the night: the motorway is empty. From Burg Schwarzenstein I'm home in just over an hour. Arrived, lay down, asleep.
09And on Sunday?
Sunday carries on, just quieter. I edit the photos from the venue for posts like this one and for my Instagram stories. As a wedding DJ, social media simply matters these days. And in between I already had the first calls with couples asking about 2027 and even 2028.
The weekends over the last months were often tough, with two or three weddings back to back. Now the season is slowly winding down, with just a few weddings left until the end of the year. But nights like this one at Burg Schwarzenstein remind me why I love doing this so much.
10Quick questions
Do you DJ other weddings in the Rheingau too?
Yes. I play weddings all over the Rheingau, in Wiesbaden, Mainz and Frankfurt. I've been at Burg Schwarzenstein several times, in the brasserie and in the castle restaurant.
How do you get to know our music?
First in a personal get to know you call, happily on video. A few weeks before the wedding you also get my online music questionnaire for favourite songs, your guests and no gos. On the night itself, I feel the vibe on the dance floor. All in English if you like.
Do you also play together with a band?
Yes, gladly. Just like here at Burg Schwarzenstein: the band covers the reception and dinner, I take over the party.
Do you bring lights and a disco ball?
Yes. I adapt the lighting to the room on site. Warm ambient lighting is often the nicer choice than a big light show, especially when haze isn't allowed.