It’s all about you and the party at your wedding reception! Snyder Entertainment can bring the lights, the music, the photobooth, and the energy to keep your guests having fun all night long. We thought you might like to get to know the owner of this fantastic company.
Vendor Category: DJ, Event Lighting, Photo Booths
Company Name: Snyder Entertainment
Owner: Brian Snyder
What made you get started in the wedding industry?
My first career was in radio and I really enjoyed connecting with people on the phones, at concerts, and live promotions in and around town. After my first wedding I quickly realized I could connect with just as many people. My own wedding was really a catalyst for getting more involved with the wedding industry. I was so shocked and surprised how many people were available to sell their services, but only a select few actually took time to tell me why their services were important and why I needed to consider certain items. I cared so much about my own wedding day and frankly, I felt a little helpless after talking to multiple vendors. I knew at that point there was an opportunity to connect with people and bridge the gap of why entertainment and planning is important.
What do you like most about working weddings?
I like so many things from the décor and the ambiance that can be created through event design, lighting design and solid planning. My absolute favorite part ever since 2008 (with the birth of my first daughter) has been the Father/Daughter dance. I enjoy the stories, the special dances they did as kids…I’m pretty much crying as I type these answers. I absolutely love that moment….more importantly, I want to make each one perfect as I know my day is coming!
What’s the craziest thing that has happened to you while working a wedding?
We have had so many crazy things happen that it is always hard to narrow down to just simply one. I do remember very distinctly being at a very classy venue in Nashville with a first class guest list. A “who’s who” if you will of the Nashville area. The groom was a distributor for a large liquor company and it is safe to say that alcohol was not in limited quantities on this particular evening. After a heavy day of “pre-gaming” the ceremony and reception, alcohol decided to make an entrance into the party. Moments before the couple was to be introduced, and I do mean like we are announcing the wedding party and literally moments before we introduce them….the groom gets into a heated verbal argument with an attendee. Things escalated rather quickly and punches among glasses were thrown. Keep in mind, I am announcing the wedding party and I am witnessing an epic fight taking place. As I introduce the final couple, the Maid of Honor and Best Man…the groom throws one more solid punch, straightens his jacket, grabs the hand of his Bride and gives me the “let’s do this” signal. I continued on with the announcements and welcomed them into the reception to a standing ovation. It was the first and only time a groom has ever came into the reception with a black eye. The other guy actually stayed for the event and nothing else was ever said. I asked him what happened and the groom told me that the other guy didn’t like their intro song, laughed and moved on. I have no idea, but the visual is still very real in my head!
What’s the best advice you can give to a bride?
This is tough love, but I do believe this is the best advice I can give. It is possible to out “smart” your own wedding. What I mean by that is that you can use you all of the resources at your fingertips as their intended use, a resource, or you can let them give you the false confidence of being an expert. The event industry is all that we do. This is how we provide for our families, for our futures, and it is what we do on a weekly basis. Getting engaged and then becoming glued to Pinterest and Wedding Magazines over the course of one month does not make an expert.
Hire the planner that you feel confident with and that will execute your desires. Once you do that, communicate your desires and expectations clearly so they can work to achieve those goals. It is hard to have a planner and then have someone checking over all of your steps as you go. Choose a photographer not based on price, but based on style. These pictures will be around for years and years to come and will you really remember if you saved $400 twenty years down the road? Hire experts, professionals who look and feel the part, but more importantly can execute the part. Anyone can sit in a meeting and tell a client what they would like to hear, but can they back it up? Look at their reviews, look at their videos online, look at their social media feed and you should be able to get a really solid idea of the level of service to expect.
What’s your favorite thing to do when you’re not busy with work?
I am obsessed with running ultra long distances races. Locally I have a group of guys I run with on a consistent basis that participate in some of these extreme races with every year. We have completed multiple 50k’s, multiple 50 mile races and preparing for our first ironman. It would be impossible to narrow down to just one, but I would feel as if I cheated those closest to me if I did not let you know I am a BIG believer in spending time with my wife and kids. I have two daughters who light up my life and although they might not recognize today why I enjoy spending time with them, but one day they will and I do not want to look back and think, I should have spent more time.
What’s your favorite food, animal, and color? Why?
I am a pizza guy. My philosophy has always been even bad pizza is still pizza. Maybe it’s the ease, maybe it’s the cheese, but whatever it is, pizza has got me like WHOA! I am a dog guy, I grew up in the country and enjoyed having my dog run around with me on our property…somehow they just know where to go and when to get excited. They make me smile. Color could depend on the day of the week, but generally I tend to lean towards blue and red. Red probably more consistently…it’s the boldness of the color and the intensity. I like to think it is how I see life!