Norm and Michelle Hall, co-owners of KBEW Dance DJ’s, have been deejaying together since 1995.

What is it like to work in the wedding industry with your spouse? 

Deejays Norm and Michelle Hall, who navigate ceremonies and receptions in perfect harmony, say it is a joy.

“We love it because we can do it together,” Michelle says.

Of course, the co-owners of KBEW Dance DJ’s offer their services for more than just weddings.

Norm started deejaying in the early 90s, and Michelle joined him in 1995. Since then, the Halls have manned the sound system for weddings, funerals, and everything in between. Their resume spans teen dances, demolition derbies, city-sponsored events, car shows, Halloween parties, birthday parties and anniversaries.

As Michelle summarizes, “We’ve been everywhere.”

The couple estimates they have deejayed at least 500 weddings - some of which were unplanned gigs.

Norm and Michelle chuckle as they recall one family wedding in particular. They were invited as guests, not as deejays, but they brought their computer with them ‘just in case.’

As it turns out, their services were needed.

“The night before the wedding, they didn’t know what the music would be,” Michelle recalls. She and Norm scrambled to piece together a sound system and select ceremony music the morning of the wedding.

“We pulled it off, but we got even with them. When they left for the recessional, we played ‘Another One Bites the Dust,'” Michelle laughs.  

Unusual circumstances aside, music selection usually comes down to the individual taste of the couple.

“There are so many personalities – you just have to be flexible,” Michelle says.

“Even during the dance, we can read the crowd,” Norm adds. “If they’re loving it, you can tell.” 

Over the years, Norm and Michelle have even learned to read the newlyweds’ relationship through their first dance.

“If the bride and groom sing to each other during their first dance, you know it’s right,” Norm observes.

Norm himself decided things were ‘right’ with Michelle about 25 years ago. He proposed to her at the Fairgrounds in typical deejay fashion – over a microphone, while he was emceeing a talent show at the Grandstand.

“I never thought about it until afterward, but if she said, ‘No,’ I would’ve had to move to a different state,” he laughs.

Luckily, Michelle said ‘Yes,’ and they were married on a snowy day at Blue Earth’s Episcopal Church on Feb. 15, 1997.

The reception was held at Hamilton Hall, and, of course, the Halls – who had been deejaying together for about two years at this point - were heavily involved in the reception’s musical entertainment.

Technically, the couple deejayed their own wedding. They used KBEW Dance DJ’s equipment, and Norm selected the reception music himself. The Halls entrusted a substitute deejay to play the music during the reception, however.

Around the time that they got married, Norm and Michelle remember lugging huge speakers and CDs to events. Apart from technology, they say they have also seen several wedding customs come and go.

“We’ve been doing this so long, the traditions are coming back,” Michelle says. For example, East Chain’s Reindeer Dance – where guests hoist reception chairs over their heads – has made a comeback recently.

The Halls have paid particular attention to the comings and goings of reception games, which they often have a hand in organizing as deejays. One game has remained popular ever since Norm and Michelle first tried it out: the reception hall scavenger hunt.

Contestants line up in chairs on the dance floor, and, musical chairs style, chairs are gradually removed from the floor. Contestants are charged with finding a particular item, and they have to be quick about it if they want to claim a chair in the next round of the game.

Belts, dollar bills, pictures, and even toilet paper are all fair game as scavenger hunt items.

“It does get competitive,” Michelle says.

Other games require supplies. As such, the Halls come to wedding gigs equipped with hula hoops, limbo sticks, blow-up guitars, glow sticks, and more.

Norm and Michelle are also prepared to play no games at all – they assess the crowd to see whether games would liven the reception up, or if the guests would rather dance the night away.

In more recent years, Norm and Michelle have often been asked to supervise the music not just for the reception, but for the ceremony as well.

“Most weddings now are all-inclusive,” Michelle observes. “We are there from the rehearsal to the last dance. It’s not just a four hour dance.” 

She suspects the shift is due to the fact that fewer couples are getting married in churches. Instead, couples are opting for weddings in barns, outside, or in other venues which do not come equipped with a sound system.

Norm says he actually enjoys being involved in the event from start to finish.

“It gives us the opportunity to feel out the personalities of the bride and groom, and give them the music they like,” he explains.

However, pulling off a beautiful wedding ceremony can be stressful.

“The bride and groom want a perfect event, so we sweat at the beginning. The ceremony, for sure – we want that to be perfect,” Michelle says. “But sometimes, there’s nothing you can do.” 

Weather is the most common culprit. When a cloud appears on the horizon during an outdoor ceremony, sometimes the only thing left to do is silently urge the officiant to talk faster.

Wind, meanwhile, can wreak havoc on sound systems.

Nonetheless, Michelle insists, “You’ve got to make it work for (the couple). It’s all about them – and that’s how we want it.” 

The Halls have built lasting connections with some of their clients. They recall one family, for instance, for whom they have deejayed 12 or 13 weddings over the years.

“For me, personally, there’s a lot of great memories,” Norm reflects. He says he considers a reception successful if he and Michelle receive hugs and ‘thank-yous’ from the newlyweds afterwards.

“We take pride in knowing we’re a part of their memories,” he says. “Our slogan is ‘Memories to last a lifetime.'”