Canadian vs American Weddings (Canada Day Special) - Ep #27

Do you know what truly sets Canadian weddings apart from American ones? Spoiler: it’s not just the maple syrup! Join us, Ilya and Nino, as we celebrate Canada Day with a deep dive into the fascinating world of wedding DJing across North America. With Jacques the Duck by our side, we explore the striking contrasts in wedding durations, from Canada’s elaborate 12-hour celebrations to the more concise four-to-six-hour American weddings. We also share insights into unique cultural traditions like Ontario’s “Stag and Doe” events and discuss the varying costs and logistical challenges DJs face in different regions.

Ever wondered why Canadian weddings can stretch into the wee hours while American weddings wrap up right after dinner? Tune in as we recount personal stories and reveal the behind-the-scenes dynamics between DJs, caterers, and service staff dealing with extended timelines and tightly scheduled meals. We also touch on dance floor preferences, the financial landscape for DJs, and how these experiences have shaped our understanding of what makes a wedding truly successful. Get ready for a lively, informative episode packed with anecdotes and expert observations on the diverse wedding traditions across the continent!

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Transcript

Ilia: 0:13

Welcome. Welcome to another episode of the Clever DJ with Ilia and Nino. Happy Canada Day everyone in Canada.

Nino: 0:22

Happy Canada Day. As you can tell, we have our swag on.

Ilia: 0:29

You know, it actually works with our colors. We're blending in with our table. What's his name? Again, I don't know. We didn't give him a name Henry Jacques, we found the name Jacques. That's the closest thing to duck. Jacques, come A the duck, jacques the duck.

Nino: 0:46

So um, this is a special, uh Canadian episode.

Ilia: 0:50

Another special episode. Yes, you know, we are special time, we are very special, super special. This is our uh Canadian special. This is uh, this is uh Canada day. Uh, we went to, uh to the dollar store and we made sure to equip this.

Nino: 1:06

We splurged on the dollars.

Ilia: 1:07

We splurged, we splurged. That was actually from. This was actually from Walmart. This was not cheap. It used to be actually you like the colors. It's all matching, it's all matching.

Nino: 1:19

Matching with our background, everything.

Ilia: 1:22

It's actually. Everything is the same color as the uh the table club I think we should just keep this yeah, I was thinking, but uh, I don't know, maybe it's definitely good for today, it's, it's uh, yeah, it's rematching everything, all right so you can talk.

Nino: 1:36

I'm gonna play with me yeah, you were.

Ilia: 1:38

So I love this thing. The whole time I'm walking behind you in the dollar store and you're like just waving it around. I'm like this guy has like zero self-awareness or he's just enjoying it.

Nino: 1:49

I'm enjoying this. I'm a kid again. I feel like a kid again. For those of you just listening on Spotify, I'm just playing with, like a Wendy, one of those toys that spin around.

Ilia: 2:01

Yeah, you can put it in your lawn too. Yeah, you can actually take that with you.

Ilia: 2:05

that's from me to you, oh, yes, I think I'll feel way better if you take that home um and uh, yeah, so today, because of uh, because it's canada day, we're gonna do, uh, some of the, some of the main differences for wedding DJs in Canada. So the differences between being a DJ in Canada and in America when it comes to weddings, yeah, so what it's like to DJ a wedding in America and what it's like to DJ a wedding in Canada, in terms of some of the main aspects. Now, it wasn't easy to research this, because some things seemed to be a sure thing on some websites and on some threads, whereas somewhere else it was completely dismissed as not being a fact or not being a fact anymore, dismissed as not being a fact or not being a fact anymore. And, yeah, so in some states it may not be very accurate. For example, the price of DJs.

Ilia: 3:13

I'm just going to jump ahead and just say that as an example. And also, you know stuff like Stag and Doze. You know, apparently it's only a certain culture just in Ontario, or mainly in Ontario, not all of Canada. So, yes, there are some nuances here and there. We're not oblivious to that. Yeah, but yeah, let's just have fun with this and see what are the main differences.

Nino: 3:32

So, um, first one, you go for it well, canadian weddings are most definitely longer than US weddings, and I know this for a fact. Like Canadian weddings usually start at 5 pm. Well, the reception starts at. Cocktails will start at 5 pm and then go all the way to one or two o'clock in the morning, depending on the venue. But then you're not even thinking about the ceremony, which starts earlier sometimes. Sometimes it starts at, so you have to take into account your setup time, which is another two hours, so you're starting at one. So sometimes we're out there for 12 hours.

Ilia: 4:16

Yeah, you get there between 12 and 1 pm. Yeah.

Nino: 4:21

First one's there, last one's out For real.

Ilia: 4:25

Even the photographers, like um, you know, the videographers leave kind of like in the middle.

Nino: 4:29

I always envy the videographers and photographers. They're like what time are you guys here? I'm like we're done. When the dancing starts. I'm like, oh, I'm just starting when the dancing starts.

Ilia: 4:39

Right, it's, it's tough I don't get why people don't keep the in some weddings. They do keep them for a while longer Some weddings yeah, there's no way that I'm not keeping my photographer and videographer with me until everyone is gone, right? I mean, I want this documented. That's my wedding.

Nino: 4:56

I think they're trying to just save on, you know, expenses.

Ilia: 4:59

Not saving it.

Nino: 5:00

They're probably keeping them until like maybe 30 minutes into the dancing. I think it's a cultural thing in Europe.

Ilia: 5:06

It's not like that You're going to have pictures and videos and all the whole shebang from before to during to after the wedding, like it's just it's pictures, videos. All that stuff is really important to us. Yeah, so, yeah, so, yeah. So I actually want to touch up on that, because I was shocked when you told me how long a US wedding would last normally. Normally, yes, up to six hours. Four to six hours, that's long already. I actually have a breakdown here. I have a breakdown. I'm going to read it from my phone. There was one here you talk for now. I'm trying to find it.

Nino: 5:49

So basically, US weddings, why am I not in the US right now? I always think this I'm like you guys your dollar is a lot higher and you guys just shorter times of working, right.

Ilia: 6:05

So I'm like look at this so I'm gonna read it from the actual website that's from some. It's some blog uh, event active, I'm sure. Yeah, okay, so, um, most weddings don't last more than six hours. That includes time for the ceremony, reception photos and any special activities. Usually the ceremony lasts about an hour and the remaining four to five hours are saved for the reception. And then you know you can read here they're bringing a cocktail hour, aka picture time one hour. Dance and speeches 30 to 45 minutes. I wish Dinners and dessert one hour. Uh, dance and speeches 30 to 45 minutes. I wish dinners and dessert one hour. Are you kidding me?

Nino: 6:49

yeah, I double, triple it. In the states it's all bang, bang, bang, bang bang. Everything has to be on time, because they're they're strict on uh the times. They're correct me if I'm wrong, but, um, I'm sure a lot of you guys from the states are listening and um, yeah, actually a third of of you guys from the States are listening.

Ilia: 7:09

Yeah, actually a third of our listeners are from the States. Yeah, yeah.

Nino: 7:12

I was actually quite impressed because I thought it would be mostly Canada, mostly Canada, because we are Canadian podcast Some UK.

Ilia: 7:15

But yeah, we have quite a few from the UK, us and Australia, three of the biggest demographics we have, as well as Canada. Not bad, so I would say a fourth, not a third.

Nino: 7:27

A fourth is from the US. You know what? You guys have two-hour dance floors too. I'm like what? Two hours I can just go all out, just bang bang bang and just make the show as a DJ.

Ilia: 7:38

That's awesome, that's like a dream, but as a guest, I like the long weddings.

Nino: 7:44

I enjoy it. Well, it's nice to have short dance floors because you leave them wanting more Right, Especially because here in Canada the dance floors are usually four to five hours At least. So you're doing the long, you're in it for the long hours Five hours.

Ilia: 8:02

Yeah, actually it starts at like nine o'clock. Yeah Ends by one, or yeah Ends by 1, or 2 am Ends by 1 or 2.

Nino: 8:06

So you're there, you're taking them on a journey literally right Up and down, up and down, right.

Ilia: 8:12

Yeah, weddings here are just a big event. They're a different animal.

Nino: 8:26

You've got to be a really good DJ to keep them on the dance floor for the whole time as well, right, I'm sure?

Ilia: 8:29

um, other canadian djs will agree with me. Right, you know, here you are. Yeah, so, like you know, you wrote here 5 pm to 1 am, technically, but that's sometimes you do the ceremony, sometimes you don't. That's what I'm saying, right, yeah, you know what? Let's, let's, um, uh, yours truly here, actually, bartender.

Ilia: 8:45

I was a bartender and I was also a waiter in weddings before I became a dj, because that's how nino and I met, yeah, yeah, and it, uh, it was probably around two or three pm when we were starting, you know, to come out with a food. Sometimes, that's how early the cocktail hour could start. Yeah, sorry, 3 pm, 3.30, not 2. And then usually, like you said, around 4, 3, 5 pm and then sometimes, sometimes and not it wasn't very rare it would last about half an hour to an hour longer because there are so many people and we couldn't get through everyone with the cocktails, with the food, right, right, so you don't even go into the hall until like 7 pm, yeah, 7 or 8 pm then. Then the speeches start. That's two hours. Two hours of speeches, on average an hour and a half to two hours, right, yeah, you're lucky if it's done within 45 minutes to an hour.

Ilia: 9:47

That's almost unheard of no and and then in between, you got to do the food, you got to do the. You know all the courses you got to do the dances too as well, right, and then the dances. Yes, of course, and it just I feel like it's so much harder for for contractors, you know, like the caterers and everyone else, to kind of everyone's under so much stress, because in the kitchen I remember the chef was like, oh man, they're going like on and on with these speeches.

Nino: 10:18

I gotta, I gotta, get this food out I know you're you're a chef, but back in the day was very, very picky when the timing has to be right.

Ilia: 10:26

Well, he was right. But also he had an anger issue. Everyone knew that. If he ever watches, I don't think he will probably call me a prick, but that's his whole problem. It's funny because I understand him, but the level he got so angry I understand him, but the level like he got so angry he would start swearing and he would start just explain how.

Nino: 10:47

you know the coordinators don't know what they're doing. They call it passionate. He's very passionate in his job, right.

Ilia: 10:53

That's what you call it because he didn't work with him. So, yeah, he literally is not, almost not allowed to stay anymore on some weddings because the staff already tells him go home, we can't work with you, right, like like you're too much. So he knows, and he takes his time off, uh, but um, yeah, I don't, I know them, you know, I know how things go. They're still, but I don't, I don't work with them anymore. So it was fun while it lasted, uh, but yeah, I was. I was trying to think would it be easier to have a shorter wedding or a longer one? I'm trying to think, would it be easier to have a shorter wedding or a longer one? I'm trying to think, because there's so many different factors Technically, if it's longer, you have more time to get things done right. Are you good there?

Ilia: 11:33

I'm good, I think my, uh, my tape work was pretty. Yeah, good job, very good. Yeah, the flags might, might fall off. They won't fall off, don't worry about it. But yeah, uh, when you have more time, when you have more time, um, I don't see how that would be harder, but then certain things can get complicated, it can.

Nino: 11:57

I think when you have more time there's more leeway to do things, but when you have time constraints it's a little harder. I would think right, especially if you have to stay on time.

Ilia: 12:11

Yeah, I think it's just more frustrating for people who are waiting for a specific moment of the wedding right, which is usually the food and or the dancing. Yeah, and the drinking. I don't know what it's like in the States, I actually don't know. Do you know about the open bars and like how they close the bar or even if it's not an open bar?

Nino: 12:30

No, not really. Back in the day I heard it was more, it was an open bar, but that was before, so I'm not sure how about now?

Ilia: 12:38

Most of the?

Nino: 12:39

older comments were like that yeah, so I think it is more open bar now.

Ilia: 12:44

Yeah, nowadays.

Ilia: 12:45

So, like 75 to 80% of the people of the weddings. People go to our open bar. Even in the States here, I think it's like 95%, it's even higher the only non-open bar weddings are religious weddings, where they're not allowed to have alcohol. Yeah, yes, dry weddings, yeah, so um, but you know, during a um, during the speeches and also when the food comes out, uh, while the speeches are going like the salads, the first course, they usually close the bar Because they don't want people to get up and go back. Exactly, people get antsy.

Nino: 13:23

Usually they line up for drinks.

Ilia: 13:31

But they make a compromise. They're like you know, you have wine on your table.

Nino: 13:35

Yeah, I think one event.

Ilia: 13:42

They also had whiskey on the table. Oh, that's, that's, wow, just jackpot, right? So? So this way, people weren't actually that as as pissed off. Yeah, I guess having a longer wedding is better in terms of playing things around.

Nino: 13:49

Yeah, it is yeah, it's not great for the vendors, right, they have to work longer hours, but, but as in, in terms of logistics, I think it's. It's not great for the vendors, right, they have to work a longer hours, but but as in, in terms of logistics, I think it's, it's, there's a lot more leeway for longer weddings.

Ilia: 14:02

So just to summarize and this is the biggest point, so that's why we're why we're still talking about it but just to summarize, Canadian weddings from 10 to 12 hours, usually, at least, yeah and um, about four to five hours of dance floor and speeches expect to be sitting for about an hour to an hour and a half for the speeches and very often they're not very interesting, but sometimes they were like super funny and they're like a bunch of actors One uh, one of the uh and writers yeah, One of the one of the uh and writers, yeah, one of the one. The weddings were where we met and oh yeah, it was it was extremely interesting to like.

Ilia: 14:42

I was like let this keep going, like let the show go on.

Nino: 14:46

I was loving the speeches especially when they're when they can crack jokes too. They were amazing I love those.

Ilia: 14:53

Uh, I actually didn't know that sometimes us weddings start dancing before dinner.

Nino: 14:58

You said that I've actually did that. Um, I did wedding back actually two years ago. I did a wedding and we just started dinner and then the coordinator said okay, let's start the dancing. I'm like, huh, I'm like we're gonna start dancing, yeah, just to just to warm them up and then get them dancing already. I'm like, oh, okay, so, and they were up for it, I started to. Sometimes you have to build it up. Were they an american couple? Uh, I think so. It might.

Ilia: 15:28

They might have been, they might have been yeah, but apparently, according to what you wrote, here in the states that's, that's common in the states.

Nino: 15:35

It's common, it it's more common.

Ilia: 15:36

I didn't know that, I did not know that.

Nino: 15:38

But yeah, let us know if you guys have ever done that or if it's common in your area.

Ilia: 15:43

Yeah, you know. If you guys are watching our podcast on YouTube, comment down in the comment section and let us know is anything here different in your state or are there certain points we did not touch on what we would love to learn? Yeah, it was not easy to find this information, to be honest. Um, what else? Uh, okay, that is okay. I feel this one, this is my gripe.

Nino: 16:09

Yeah, same here. This is, oh, man, like this hit me like really close because I I'm so jealous of American DJs, especially when it comes to gear, dj gear, especially when it comes to controllers and stuff, because you guys get it first. Yeah, you get it first. You get it first. I'm like why that's not fair. We don't get it like sometimes six months, eight months, sometimes it's a supply issue, especially when covid was around, right, it was normally, and even even you guys in the states had had problems with getting stuff, but in general, you guys always get it beforehand and I'm like four to six months before we get anything there was so much uh, there was so many times that I I ordered um something online but I wouldn't get it to like, yeah, six months, but I can see, like all the reviews all the reviews.

Nino: 17:09

Are you guys doing it in the states? I'm like, yeah, I already got this. I'm like, what I haven't? It hurts, it hurts.

Ilia: 17:17

It almost makes me want to move to the us bro but, um, one good thing is that I get to kind of watch the reviews and and kind of like, well, you, learn about it.

Nino: 17:29

You have to learn about it before we actually get it. Yeah, make a conformed decision and that's the thing I want to do, the review on it too, as well. So, but I know you love your reviews. Yeah, yeah, I do, I do, but that's my gripe, it hurts that. And then there's a store here, uh, in toronto, that um a big one. We get all of our stuff, we get our american stuff, that we can get it earlier.

Nino: 17:54

Oh, you're talking about that one yes, that one so I go to that one instead of the other one, which is strictly canadian. They have american stuff too they do, but they mostly push, of course, the canadian products right, because it's a canadian company canadian brand right.

Nino: 18:09

So, yeah, it's very rarely readily accessible. So I like to get the american stuff though, because that's the stuff I kind of want. So I go to the other store. It's my go-to store here. I'm not going to say the name, but it's just the way it is. Man, I wish we had better channels of ordering stuff, but yeah, sorry, um, so what else do we have here?

Nino: 18:38

uh, edm, you read that one um, edm, is more widely recognized and appreciated more in europe, which is like the netherlands, sweden, germany generally, than the states and canadian counterparts. Now, even though that um, like house and edm was actually born in chicago, is actually made there. It's more widely, it's just bigger in the in the european countries, and you know this too for a fact.

Ilia: 19:10

Edm was huge where I'm from um, but here in toronto it's it's big too.

Nino: 19:18

There's a huge community for edm huge there is, but that's just now. Yeah, right in in in europe it's always been like huge yeah, ever since the 90s yeah yeah, how long are their dance parties? Man it, it's like all-nighters, right.

Ilia: 19:36

Six hours, six, seven hours, yeah, yeah.

Nino: 19:38

Sometimes eight hours Crazy, and it's sometimes in the morning. People come out at the morning right.

Ilia: 19:45

So you would start around probably. I was going to say nine, but no, I haven't been there in so long. In the evening, early evening hours, yeah, 7 to 8 pm. You would start, yeah, until 1, 2, 3 am. Okay, that's crazy. That's crazy. Can you imagine a dj like how much work that is.

Nino: 20:06

Is it just one? You dj usually, or?

Ilia: 20:09

usually it's one dj, but we also djing uh at least, or where I'm from is very kind of involved with the crowd in terms of like they'll come on. Some DJs are also like performers, like they'll come on the crowd, amongst the crowd, and like start dancing with you you're talking about weddings now yeah, we're still speaking about weddings, so they'll come on the dance floor and they'll dance with you or like do some kind of show or whatever.

Nino: 20:39

Very interactive, right yeah?

Ilia: 20:42

Often there's like dance crews like doing professional dancing just to put on a show and stuff like that. But yeah, it's very different. And no speeches, no speeches, no, no way. Zero speeches, zero speeches, no speeches, no, no way. Zero speeches, zero speeches.

Nino: 20:58

No speeches and then seven eight hour dance floor. Yeah, pretty much.

Ilia: 21:03

So you eat the whole time and you dance the whole time, whatever you choose to do, wow, wow, yeah, that's pretty cool. Yeah, you know, some people might say something, something, but like, generally there's no speeches. Yeah, um, yeah, what else? Oh, this is a big one and and that's that's what we spoke about earlier. It depends on the state. Like mid-atlantic is usually that's where, you know, we're like jealous of that part, because that's where, like you know, around new york and and the area new jersey is really big for high-end weddings that's where you guys make the big bucks.

Ilia: 21:41

So pricing is different between us and canadian djs or companies. An average wedding dj in canada will make 1200 to 1500 dollars uh, canadian dollars uh for a standard wedding, while the same wedding in the us uh, with less hours, way less hours on the job, uh will charge from 3 to 4k and up, um, but this also depends on the state. So, yes, we said new said New York.

Nino: 22:15

New Jersey, california.

Ilia: 22:18

Texas, et cetera, and they demand a higher price point because of higher volume and overall demand. Now again, I went over Reddit. A lot of DJs said we don't make more than $2,500 for a wedding. It's still $1,000 more than we make here and think about it.

Nino: 22:38

It's much shorter. Your dollar is a lot stronger than ours, too, as well.

Ilia: 22:44

We went on a date for Valentine's Day Not Nino and I, my girlfriend and I oh God no, and we just sat by this couple and I forget where I went.

Ilia: 22:58

I went for a moment and then, when I come back, my girlfriend made friends with them and, uh, she, uh, she's like, oh, meet so-and-so. I'm sorry guys, I forget your names. I have them on Instagram, though, and they started telling me how, man, the things they said about Canada in, uh, in comparison in contrast to the U S, how like they come here and they feel like like it's an extremely cheap vacation, uh, yeah, because of, like they said, everything is so much cheaper for them. Where are you from? Again, I forget the state. Oh man, it was the states. It was the state. Yeah, yeah, so they come from the state. Oh man, I can't believe I forget the state. It's from the state. Oh man, I can't forget the state.

Ilia: 23:45

It's actually important to the story and this was recent. This was on valentine's day. That was like this year, like less than six months ago. Wow, yeah, four months ago. So four or five months ago, yeah, so that's crazy. Like they said, everything is much cheaper and because the us versus the canadian dollar right, like it's, you know, it makes sense, but I mean, you yourself just said that the US dollar is stronger right, it's stronger, but right now everything's really like pricey here, yeah, but so, but they're not here to buy a house.

Ilia: 24:10

Yeah, yeah, yeah exactly. And you know what. Even then, I saw what a house costs in. My friend used to live in boca in florida, yeah, and for like three hundred thousand dollars, like a few years ago, you would get like something looks like a mansion yeah, I know, I know you wouldn't get an apartment here for six hundred thousand dollars. Price is like one crazy here now yes, so.

Ilia: 24:36

So you make a lot more money in the us, trust me, a lot more money. As djs at least. You make a lot more money. Yes, in the us for a little time. Yes as well, we're not resentful at all, we promise. We're so jealous, so jealous. All right, two more points, two more interesting points here. Uh, the one we mentioned earlier. Uh, the stag and dough parties. We mentioned that in the intro. Apparently I had no idea. Apparently it's like a major ontario kind of.

Nino: 25:10

So what the stag and those are? Usually they're jack and jills yes, jack and jill so they, they um people get together for the couple to actually raise money for their wedding.

Ilia: 25:20

Through games and stuff like that, yeah.

Nino: 25:23

And entry fees. You have to pay an entry fee to get in. No open bar, yeah, no open bar. You have to pay for everything. So it all contributes to their wedding. So that's pretty much what it is.

Ilia: 25:35

Mainly an Ontario tradition. Not even Canadian Ontario within Canada. Definitely Ontario an Ontario tradition. Not even Canadian Ontario within Canada, definitely not an American tradition. Yeah, so you guys don't have that.

Nino: 25:43

Canadians are nice, we'll help you. We're just nicer with your, with your wedding. You know pay for your wedding, you don't have money for your wedding.

Ilia: 25:50

Eh, eh, no, no, no, I'll get you some money. Here you go. Here you go, here's the money. Oh, it's funny, man, the first time I ever heard about like a stag. Somebody invited me when I just moved here and I was trying to understand what it was. Yeah, and I was like, are you for real? And I just I had no idea that something like that exists. Yeah, yeah, so big difference.

Nino: 26:15

And Stag's. You know Stag and Jack and Jill's. There's always a DJ there too as well. Yeah, and that's the next point, it's worked for us.

Ilia: 26:22

Yeah, some of the best events are Stag and Doze when it comes to, like, wedding related events. Jack and Jill's, yeah. And last one, now, that's something you guys have in the US.

Nino: 26:36

You, if you're from the us, you, if you're very different from us, how we we work here um games yeah, drinking games and that that I know it comes from a lot of the college, college uh days, fraternities like what is that pong? A little beer pong beer so yeah, for sure you guys have stuff like that at your weddings. It's popular, right here.

Ilia: 26:56

So we saw that online. It's not very common at all in Canadian weddings. No, right, like I mean, the only drinking game is going to the open bar and taking shots, and taking shots. So yeah, that's our Old Canada episode. That's our Canadian episode. Yeah, we did it, jacques Jacques the duck did it.

Nino: 27:19

Jacques, jacques the duck, jacques the duck. See you next time. See you, guys in the next one. All right, bye.