Of all the southern California wedding DJs out there, Deidre and Eric chose me to DJ and MC their DIY backyard wedding in Colton, CA (Reche Canyon) on Saturday, May 12, 2018.

 

DIY Backyard Wedding 1 - San Diego DJ Staci
(c) San Diego DJ Staci
THE LOVE STORY

Deidre & Eric met at the gym in February 2016. Turns out they had been going to the same gym for over 20 years and had never seen each other!!! When Deidre first saw Eric, she thought he was too young, and she told me she’s not into the ‘Mrs. Robinson thing.’ Over the next 6 months the two became closer and eventually started working out together. We all know that when working out with the opposite sex, there is going to be some flirting, but Deidre remained true to her word. Everything changed when Deidre found out that Eric was actually older than her! On August 8, 2016, Eric walked Deidre to her car after their work out…and the rest is history!

Together they enjoy–obviously–working out, camping, hiking, paddle boarding, skiing, and horseback riding. On October 1st, 2017, Eric and Deidre were at the Yard House with her friends & family celebrating her birthday. Suddenly, Eric was down on one knee asking Deidre a very important question! They are planning a cruise to Bermuda for their honeymoon.

 

DIY Backyard Wedding 2 - San Diego DJ Staci
(c) San Diego DJ Staci
THIS DIY BACKYARD WEDDING CEREMONY

Before the ceremony, I played country love songs. The wedding party entered to Shania Twain’s “From This Moment.” The bride entered to “To Make You Feel My Love” by Garth Brooks. After the armed officiant/sheriff had Deidre & Eric kiss at the end of the ceremony, I cued up their recessional “Cowboy Take Me Away” by the Dixie Chicks and the newlyweds walked back up the aisle. About the time they reached the end of the aisle, someone from the crowd crowded out, “You never exchanged rings!!!” Errrrtttttt!!!!! Rewind….Deidre & Eric chuckled then rushed back to the altar. [Side note: DIY your flowers, not your officiant 🙂 Can’t tell you how many amateur officiant’s I see that do things like forgetting to tell the guests to be seated after the bride enters…]

 

DIY Backyard Wedding 3 - San Diego DJ Staci
(c) San Diego DJ Staci
THE RECEPTION

After BBQ and toasts, the newlyweds did their First Dance to Brett Young’s “In Case you Didn’t Know.” I got the dance floor going with a Two Step lesson. After dancing a bit, Eric removed Deidre’s garter to Black Eyed Peas’ “I Gotta Feeling.” We gathered up the single guys and tossed the garter to Montell Jordan’s “This Is How We Do It.” Deidre tossed her bouquet to “Wildflower” by the Jane Dear Girls. I then taught a “Good Time” (Alan Jackson) line dance lesson.

THE PLAYLIST

For the cocktail hour/dinner playlist at this DIY backyard wedding, the bride and groom requested: Blown Away – Carrie Underwood, Chase that Song – Cody Jinks, 80’s Mercedes – Maren Morris, Girl in a Country Song – Maddie and Tae, She Thinks my Tractor’s Sexy – Kenny Chesney, Dirt on my Boots – John Pardi, This One’s For The Girls – Martina McBride, Follow Your Arrow – Kacey Musgraves, Jason Aldean – Tonight Looks Good On You, Jason Aldean – Comin’ In Hot, Luke Bryan – That’s My Kind of Night, Brett Young – In Case You Didn’t Know, Hootie & the Blowfish – Only Wanna Be with You, Dustin Lynch – Hell of a Night, Dustin Lynch – To the Sky, Dustin Lynch – Seein’ Red, Tim McGraw – I Like It, I Love It, LOCASH – I Love This Life, LOCASH – Ring On Every Finger, Kane Brown – What Ifs, Sam Hunt – Take Your Time, Good Girl – Carrie Underwood, My Church – Maren Morris, A Real Fine Place to Start – Sara Evans, Humble and Kind – Tim McGraw, Don’t You Wanna Stay – Jason Aldean and Kelly Clarkson, God Gave Me You – Blake Shelton, When Boy Meets Girl – Terri Clark, and Cowboy Take Me Away – Dixie Chicks.

 

DIY Backyard Wedding 4 - San Diego DJ Staci
(c) San Diego DJ Staci

For dancing, Deidre & Eric requested PG-13 radio edits of 80s, Classic Rock, Disco, Oldies, and Top 40 with a few Hip Hop, Electronic Dance Music, and Country jams mixed in. The must-play songs were just Mama’s Song – Carrie Underwood & Head over Boots – John Pardi. The must-play line dances were God Blessed Texas, Power Jam, Electric Slide, Slappin Leather, Outlaw, Watermelon Crawl, Two Step, Wobble, Cha Cha Slide, & Cupid Shuffle.

Again, I was honored to be the one and only San Diego wedding DJ Deidre and Eric trusted with their big day. Thank you! See more at #EricDDJordan.

SAN DIEGO WEDDING VENDOR LIST

Here is the amazing team of San Diego wedding vendors I had the pleasure of working with on this DIY backyard wedding:

Venue  ➔  private residence in Reche Canyon (Colton, CA)

DJ  ➔  Staci Nichols

Caterer ➔ 2nd to None BBQ

Photographer ➔ friend

Officiant  ➔ Brother-In-Law

Cake Bakery  ➔  DIY