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Lake DJ Reviews

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Reviews

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43 Reviews
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93% Recommended by couples

Awards

43
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2018 Winner
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2017 Winner
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2015 Winner
  • Hilary
    Hilary T. Sent on 01/03/2020
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    Lake DJ is the best!

    We hired Derek and his team for our wedding and boy, did we get it right! From start to finish, Derek was clear, responsive, and such a delight. He spent more than an hour with us at our pre-wedding meeting about 5 months ahead of time, and worked with us over email on a couple requests (including a surprise for my husband that we successfully pulled off!) He was an excellent MC who kept the night fun and flowing, and he also kept the dance floor full, which was really important to us. The Photo Booth and book that we got to take home THAT NIGHT were the icing on the cake :)

    The other thing I'll say about Derek is how prepared and flexible he is. We experienced some totally crazy weather on our wedding day (it snowed!) and we were changing plans a few hours beforehand. Derek was ready for indoor, outdoor, whatever we needed, and he had backups of all of our Ceremony songs in case our Acoustic Duo couldn't use their equipment. We were in such good hands with him and didn't have to worry about a thing!

    We love Derek and the Lake DJ team, and recommend them hands down!
  • Stephnaie
    Stephnaie Sent on 09/28/2019
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    It was so much fun!

    Lake DJ is great. Derek kept the flow of my wedding going and he communicated with us. He was quick with emails. He was able to keep all of my guests on the dance floor until the end. His wife did the photo booth which was also a big hit.
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    Monique Sent on 10/04/2018
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    Best DJ in the Lake Tahoe area hands down. He is so accommodating and makes the process extremely easy. He did a great job knowing the crowd and he kept the party on-time. He had every song I requested and played them all. He went above and beyond by bringing my husband and me a drink while we were finishing up with photos. Everyone was giving my compliments on how great he was. Just a really awesome guy. Hire him!
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  • M
    Myrabelle Sent on 09/27/2017
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    Derek has an amazing photo booth. Book him and the booth to have a fun wedding! He was the best and his colleagues were also great! He is a must have at a wedding. He made my wedding amazing!
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    Christina Sent on 08/13/2017
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    Derek wa the best DJ from the ceremony and reception we couldn't have asked for a better DJ! He was so accommodating and every moment of the way he was asking us what we needed or if we wanted to change anything he was super flexible and made recommendations! If you have a wedding in the Lake Tahoe area hire Derek he is the best!! Our friends and families kept raving about how wonderful he was several days after the wedding!!!
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    Krista Sent on 07/25/2017
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    Hire Derek!! He is AMAZING. Not only did he keep all the guests on the dance floor ALL night, but he was able to round up my wild wedding party full of crazies with a huge smile on his face! Prior to wedding day, Derek was quick to answer the phone and answer my questions, I also spoke with his wife on one phone call and had an amazing conversation, she was calm and mellow and really was interested in what I was saying. A TON of my wedding guests said that Derek was one of the best DJS they have seen/heard at a wedding! THANK YOU, Derek, for being sooo amazing.
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    Kristine Sent on 07/23/2017
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    Derek is awesome! He just DJ my wedding a couple of weeks ago and he was fantastic. He was great on keeping the wedding going and not get sidetracked by other things going on. He was funny and had a great sense of humor and played great music!
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    Valerie Sent on 07/11/2017
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    Derek was absolutely amazing. He was always readily available to answer any questions. He is genuine, charismatic and made our wedding day so so special. He really knows how to get the guests on the dance floor! Thank you for keeping me calm and reminding me that our wedding day is about US and following through with every little detail. I'd recommend Derek and his wife to anyone. Thank you one million times!
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    Amanda Sent on 08/14/2017
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    We hired Derek to be the DJ at my daughter and son in laws wedding in Lake Tahoe, June of 2017.

    Derek was absolutely fabulous in every aspect of being our DJ, from doing the pre ceremony songs, to the wedding and post wedding walk, the entrance songs which were different for every person coming in to the reception and most importantly the reception and all that goes with being an awesome DJ. He has the best personality and was so easy to work with, which was key considering we weren't right in the area.

    He was the best at keeping everything rolling, making sure the bride and the groom were always satisfied with the music that he was playing, did every song that they requested and had all of our guests out on the dance floor the entire night. We not only had him at the wedding and the reception but he came to our afterparty and played for another 3 hours for our guests. Since it was a destination wedding for 90% of our guests, we wanted to make sure they had a great time after traveling from many different locations and they did just that. We received so many compliments on what a great DJ Derek was and everything we asked for he accommodated us without any problems. I would highly recommend have Derek and Lake DJ at your function or your wedding/reception if you are in that area.

    He is absolutely amazing and we couldn't have asked for a better DJ to be at the wedding.
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    Allison Sent on 09/26/2016
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    Derek is so fantastic! When we met with him for our wedding planning and it felt like he was reading my mind! So excited to have him DJ our wedding this winter!
  • J
    Jessica Sent on 11/14/2016
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    Derek was incredible! We were from out of town and were having to do everything over email. He edited a song for me that meant a lot and that turned out perfect! He was perfect at making the ceremony flow into the reception. He made everyone feel comfortable and was just an amazing human to work with. He was very upbeat and friendly. He kept everything professional but very comfortable for my guests as well as my husband and I. There were so many special memories on our day and Derek was the perfect narrator for each and every part.
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    Jessie Sent on 11/16/2016
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    We booked Derek for our wedding on October 23, 2016 in South Lake Tahoe. Going in we had no idea what to expect, as we had never met Derek in person. We live in the Chicago area and his communication through e-mails was unreal. He was able to create a solid playlist from our music preferences, keep the crowd dancing, and be mindful of the bride and grooms music choices.

    My wife and I have attended upwards of 50 weddings during our time together and he was hands down the best we have heard. Highly highly recommended.
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    Kathi Sent on 08/21/2016
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    Derek and his wife Vicki from Lake DJ Entertainment was AMAZING! He responded to all our emails in a timely fashion, and seriously knew his stuff. He was on task on the day of the wedding: he made the reception SO fun, he played our song list and kept our guests dancing! He even kept reminding me to EAT. There is so much happening on that day, and he and Vicki kept everything rolling right on time and with good energy. He also received many compliments from our guests!
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    Meghan Sent on 09/06/2016
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    Derek and Vicki provided DJ/MC and photo booth services for our wedding at Heavenly Lakeview Lodge on August 12th, 2016. They are amazing!! I highly recommend their services. We truly could not have asked for a better wedding and that was hugely thanks to Lake DJ.

    Derek is such a pro and a really cool guy. He made the entire evening run so smoothly and everyone had a blast! It was a destination wedding with 50 guests. He kept the energy high and dance floor full. Not only was he wonderful on the day of, but he was so helpful and responsive during the planning as well. He even did a few edits for our special songs which turned out perfect!

    Everyone loved the photo booth! We debated whether to have one or not since the wedding was going to be on the small side, but I am so glad we did! They had so many cool props and created a wonderful scrapbook of all the photos with messages from our guests. The print off was even customized to match our color scheme. Vicki is a sweetheart and did a great job running it!

    Derek and Vicki are awesome people and I cannot thank them enough for making our wedding so spectacular!
  • J
    Jessica Sent on 05/11/2016
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    We couldn't be happier with Lake DJ! Everything was perfect for our big day! The photobooth was a HUGE hit with our guests. Derek was very helpful in finding background music for my Grandfather to sing a Frank Sinatra song to as our last dance as well. Oh! And the Emulator transparent DJ screen was mind blowing!
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    Allison Sent on 05/24/2016
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    My husband and I were so happy with hiring Lake DJ for our wedding. Derek is absolutely amazing and isn't just a great DJ! Right after the ceremony he came over to us, congratulated us and asked if he could grab us a drink from the bar, which was much appreciated. He was an excellent MC and made sure we stayed on track with the night's timeline. His music selection was perfect the whole night and he kept people dancing. We also added the photo booth to our package which was a great decision. They had tons of props and at the end of the night we were handed a thumb drive and a photo album with all the pictures and some very cute touches by his wife with stickers and sayings. We also got 2 CDs with the songs from the ceremony, our first dance and some others key songs from the night! Derek was so easy to work with and hiring him was one of the best choices we made. You will not regret having Lake DJ at your wedding!
  • Danielle
    Danielle Sent on 07/07/2016
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    Derek should be your choice for DJ at your wedding. His professionalism and level of service were so far beyond what we had hoped that it blew us away. We had been having a horrible time with our other vendors, and were at the point of just eloping if anything else went wrong prior to meeting with the DJ. Communication was effortless, and felt so from the very first meeting, where our half hour discussion extended to two hours before anyone realized it. At the wedding, he played all our varied songs in a flowing manner, worked in requests from our wedding guests, kept the party on schedule to hit all our activities, and even helped the bride sneak in a bagpiper to surprise the groom! All the guests loved him, and have discussed using him for their future weddings. Derek was really able to keep the focus on the wedding couple, without leaving anyone out of the party. At the end, we were given a mix of all the songs played at the ceremony and reception in order, for us to enjoy and relive the moments. His wife was even one of our photographers. Derek was the best choice we made with the event!
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    Wendy Sent on 10/28/2015
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    Derek Tarpey of Lake DJ served as MC and DJ at our daughter’s recent wedding at the West Shore Cafe & Inn. Derek was amazing!!! Our wedding planner was thrilled to hear he was doing the sound system for the ceremony and reception, telling us “he’s the best.” Every positive thing other reviewers have commented on was true for us, too. His demeanor was casually elegant and dynamic, never corny or overwhelming. He ran the entire reception with confidence and sensitivity to the energy of our guests. The music he chose reflected our daughter and son-in-law’s expressed preferences, and he magically paced the evening so that the dance floor was filled from start to finish! Most of all, his solicitous care for the comfort and joy of the bride and groom was truly a blessing. We are beyond grateful to Derek and his assistant for making the wedding a wonderful experience for all!
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    Julie Sent on 09/19/2015
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    Derek was seriously the best! He was really fun to work with! He basically took care of running the entire wedding, which was very relaxing for us! He was very flexible and was happy to make any changes as the night went on. He kept the party going when necessary but didn't talk too much. He really made the night special for us and even gave us CDs of our wedding songs at the end of the night.
    I highly recommend Derek to anyone looking for a DJ for their wedding because he is a great master of ceremony and DJ!
  • User2178560 Sent on 06/14/2015
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    The BEST! He pretty much ran our entire wedding since our coordinator was seriously lacking. He didn't care about last minute changes and was always very responsive and helpful. He and his wife were so nice, fun and made the wedding amazing! He even asked me if it was OK to play certain artists I originally said no to but people kept requesting before playing them! He didn't talk too much but just enough to keep the flow of the wedding going. He books up crazy fast so contact him ASAP!
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    Stephanie Sent on 07/30/2017
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    Derek was the 1st vendor we met (so easy to meet up w/him btw). It was a destination wedding for us. We found him on Yelp-5 stars. We were blown away!! His accent is awesome for MC-ing, he's super friendly, affordable, & has many years of experience in Tahoe (very familiar w/ venues & vendors)! He preemptively answered all our Qs. He had song lists & genre selections & said he could get any song/we could send him any song. We trusted him so much after our 20ish min first meeting we asked for suggestions on other vendors.. He told us our photographers - Matt & Tara Theilen (AMAZING). The two of them were our favorite vendors of our wedding! He was very responsive via email, offered ideas for transitions/timeline/suggested good points to have our photographers shoot photos. He offered advice on things i.e type of dance floor we should get, if/how we should let guests request songs (we did it on our RSVPs - everyone's happy, it's just one song, and we can screen them for ones we didn't like). He did sound/music for the ceremony, cocktail hour, dinner & party. Our ceremony was on a pier, dinner inside, dancing outside. He provided our officiant w/ equipment & did the sound in these various locations perfectly! He really took an interest in making sure he had the proper versions of songs i.e one I found on you tube for the walk down the aisle & he cleaned it up so it sounded perfect. He verified genre/style we were looking for for our ceremony seating/background (Hawaiian music). He researched & bought a CD to play! He followed our songs lists perfectly/filled in with a similar style. He didn't play anything on our do not play list. Special event songs were flawless i.e. cake cutting & a special mix we made to a choreographed dance. Fun extra - he has an emulator - mixes music & he can watch the crowd response at the same time. It had a function where you can write your names in glowy font - great for photos! . He even gave us a CD of our songs! LOVED HIM!!
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    Jackie Sent on 03/17/2015
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    We had no fewer than 50 people come up to us during and after our wedding and tell us that our DJ and photobooth were the best that they had ever seen at a wedding. Derek and Vicki from Lake DJ provided both of those services for our wedding. Every single part of the interaction with Derek leading up to our wedding day was wonderful and he never made me feel stupid or ridiculous for asking millions of questions along the way. When I asked him if he had a pin light that we could rent for our wedding cake, he said he did but we couldn't rent it - he would just throw it in as part of his services - and on the day of our wedding the pin light was there and beautifully set yp to illuminate our cake. Derek's equipment is stellar, the emulator is awesome, and his mc'ing skills are off the charts. He kept our dance floor completely packed all night and he kept the evening flowing flawlessly. We even had time to eat at our own wedding because of Derek's ability to time everything perfectly! Vicki was so sweet and ran the photobooth so well, making sure that our guests' photos made it into the photo scrap book that they provided. Their prop collection is more awesome than I can even describe and many of our guests agreed that they had never seen better props for a photobooth. We could not have been happier with every part of Lake DJ's services and we would recommend them to absolutely everyone. Thank you so much, Derek and Vicki, for making our wedding so fun and memorable and we truly heart you both!
  • User1817826 Sent on 09/18/2014
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    Derek was simply amazing. We actually never met before the wedding, but every vendor I spoke to in Lake Tahoe said that Derek was the best in town. I can say without a doubt that they were all right! I reserved Derek's services and made requests via email as we were coming from out of town. We had a custom cut song for our first dance and some fairly obscure song requests for both the ceremony and reception. Everything went perfectly. Derek also handled a few "surprises" planned by our friends and manage to rework the schedule to accommodate sunset pictures and cake cutting without any disruption to the flow of the wedding. We also reserved the photobooth service with the DJ services. This was an amazing addition. We ended up with a scrapbook full of notes and silly pictures of our friends instead of a traditional guest book. With just a rough timeline and a rather unusual list of song requests, he made the whole ceremony and reception run smoothly. He really was a wedding coordinator/DJ/host/calm moral support all-in-one on our wedding day.
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    Michelle Sent on 11/17/2014
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    Derek was a pleasure to work with. He is fun and very responsive to all of your needs. He coordinates with all of the vendors to ensure that everything runs smoothly and keeps the music going all night long! I would recommend him and his wife ANYTIME!
  • Joseph
    Joseph Sent on 09/10/2014
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    We had the pleasure of working with Derek and his wife for our wedding, and we are exceptionally happy with our choice to go with them. We met Derek at a bridal show and were immediately impressed by his personality, technology, and willingness to run the show during our wedding. As anybody who has put on a wedding would know, stress levels are high and any timing issues can be disastrous. Luckily for us Derek communicated with our photographers, caterers, etc to ensure that the night ran smoothly and that any delay was unnoticeable by our guests. As a DJ, Derek did an awesome job picking music for the entire night off of just a few songs that we gave him for reference. We also had a friend sing our first dance and Derek helped find the karaoke version of the song and provided the microphone for him to sing, which went above and beyond what i had expected. My wife and I enthusiastically recommend Derek for any event and will look forward to contacting him again in the future if we have another event like this.

    Thank you so much!
    Michelle & Joseph
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