As an Alexandria, MN Wedding DJ, I get to play some incredible venues. Ted & Nathalie’s wedding on Sunday, August 31, 2025, might top them all. It was Labor Day weekend, and it ranks in my top three weddings of all time.
The celebration took place at the family’s cottage on Little Lake Darling. That cottage has belonged to the family for more than 90 years. It has hosted generations, yet this was the first family wedding in its history.
Planning a Lakeside Wedding From Out of State
Our story started a year earlier. I met with Ted, Nathalie, and their family at the cottage to talk about their vision. They wanted a big tent, lots of color, and the most fun party the cottage had ever seen.
Planning was not simple, because the family lives in Colorado, Texas, and Missouri. As a result, they leaned on local expertise. They hired Alexandria wedding coordinator Karla of Sota Weddings and Events, and they trusted us with the lighting and entertainment.
Over several planning meetings, we focused on logistics of lighting, sound and power. The cottage driveway is narrow and steeply downhill. Therefore, we planned for guest visibility after dark while still giving the space real character. We also mapped out the speakers and dance floor. That matters on a lake surrounded by residential homes. Sound placement has to be precise, and that is where an experienced DJ makes the difference. During the family’s mid-summer trip, we finalized every detail.
Labor Day Weekend Kicks Off at Zorbaz
Before we knew it, Labor Day weekend arrived. I stayed in Alexandria all weekend, because I was already playing my summer residency at Zorbaz on the Lake! Alexandria’s biggest party spot.
On Saturday, the family came to Zorbaz for the groom’s dinner. Many wedding guests then stayed and partied with me late into the night. Consequently, the celebration was already rolling before the wedding day began.
Building a Lakeside Party: Minnesota Wedding DJ Setup
Photo: Jess McDole
After over a year of planning and working together it was time to put all the pieces in place! As an Alexandria, MN wedding DJ we work hard to meet our clients needs. For this wedding, we had a lot to set up. Inside the tent, we built our usual DJ booth, speakers, and dance floor lighting system. We also added tent lighting. During dinner and speeches, it glowed warm white so guests could see as the sun set. Later, it shifted into color-immersive lighting for the dance.
Outside the tent, we hung disco balls in trees around the property. One hung directly over the ceremony space. We provided a professional PA system, a wireless microphone, a stand, and music for the ceremony. We also provided a battery powered sound system for a live musician during cocktail hour.
A Ceremony Overlooking the Lake
Photo: Jess McDole
Photo: DJ MN Events
The ceremony was beautiful. It took place right where the grass meets the rocks and the water, overlooking Little Lake Darling. Ted & Nathalie also added some non-traditional touches. A disco ball spun overhead, and the couple’s uncles served as the flower guys. After the pronouncement, the newlyweds skipped back down the aisle, and cocktail hour began.
Live Acoustic Music at Cocktail Hour
Photo: Jess McDole
During cocktail hour, we set up a second PA system on the opposite end of the property. Something that many people don’t realize is that we can provide solo acoustic guitar for cocktail hour. It adds a really fun live music element to the day. Though most know him as “DJ” Mike Nelson, he really can do it all. Mike performed a solo acoustic set featuring covers of Sam Smith, Jack Johnson, The Red Clay Strays, Frank Sinatra, and several of the customers favorite acts.
Grand Entrance and Tent Lighting: An Alexandria Wedding DJ’s View
Photo: Jess McDole
As the MC, we gathered guests to their seats for to start dinner service. Once guests were seated in the tent it was time to hype them up and welcome Ted & Nathalie into their reception. It was electric. Once guests were seated we welcomed them to the lake. None of the 200 wedding guests, family members, or wedding party live in Minnesota. In fact, many were visiting for the first time. It was incredibly special. We also got very lucky because the weather was 75, sunny and completely perfect.
Photo: Jess McDole
During dinner, we kept the music upbeat while guests enjoyed fresh wood-fired pizza from The Back 40 Farm. After dinner, guests enjoyed toasts and speeches, which were a mix of emotional and hilarious. All while enjoying the beautiful sunset over the lake.
Photo: Jess McDole
Here is what guests probably didn’t notice. Tent lighting is one of the most overlooked parts of planning, and it’s easy to understand why. Couples plan in daylight, when sun pours through the tent walls and everything looks bright. After sunset, the same tent is very dark. And many people often underestimate how much lighting it takes to provide adequate ambient light.
Thankfully, this was one of our most important subjects during the planning phase. We were ready to meet the moment, when the sun went down, our lights kept the visibility. Inside the tent, we used 12 wireless LED fixtures fixed to the base of the roof, aimed to the ceiling. By positioning them this way we were able to bounce the light off the ceiling which diffuse hash beams of light and filled the space with a soft, even glow. We also created created a slow moving starry effect on the ceiling with our moving head dance light fixtures to add texture to the space.
The result was ambient lighting that complemented the sunset outside. Guests could see each other, and everyone could see the speakers during the toasts. Best of all, the tent looked incredible.
Lighting the Night With 100+ Lights
Photo: DJ MN Events
As dusk fell, it was our turn to surprise the guests. We scattered our uplights around the property, to light up the tent, trees, bushes, and buildings around the property in vibrant color. Between the tent and around the property, we used over 100 lighting fixtures. The result was a vibrant, colorful, and very immersive scene. It created a fun and colorful atmosphere but was also carefully planned. Because there was very limited lighting around the property, our lighting was placed strategically to ensure walking paths around the property were well lit to ensure the safety of all guests. Who says safety can’t be fun?
A Choreographed First Dance: Alexandria Wedding Moments
Photo: Jess McDole
After the toasts were completed, we took a 15 minute break to allow guests to visit the bar, the bathroom, and socialize, while we moved a few tables to open up the dance floor. Once tables were clear and the floor was swept, it was time to gather the crowd around the dance floor and welcome Ted and Nathalie to celebrate their first dance as a married couple. As a Alexandria, MN wedding DJ, I always like to get the crowd around the dance floor so the photographer has a sea of family and friends behind the couple. Fun fact: Nathalie is a competitive ballroom dancer, and she choreographed their first dance herself. It was fun, silly, and completely them. See the video below for the surprise ending. They also chose to have the father/daughter and mother/son dance together to Sweet Child ‘O Mine.
The Dance Party: Disco, Funk, and Feel-Good Classics
Photo: Jess McDole
After the formal traditional dances, it was the moment everyone had been waiting for, the dance party. We got the party started with the snowball dance, which really built up the excitement. Then we started mixing in familiar favorites and classic wedding hits. In all my years as an Alexandria, MN wedding DJ, this wedding dance might have been the best of all-time. Everyone danced. Even people who don’t usually dance joined in, according to many family members. The dance floor was packed all night. Exactly why the couple chose to partner with DJ MN Events. They knew we would deliver an unforgettable party.
Photo: Jess McDole
The playlist mixed 70s, 80s, disco, and funk remixes with wedding classics, indie favorites, and a little EDM. The couple really like Chappell Roan, ABBA, Beyonce, Dolly Parton, and Shakira. DJ Mike Nelson mixed, scratched, and created on-the-fly mashups and blended those genres and decades together live, to make sure every generation could enjoy the party. We worked together with Ted and Nathalie to make sure we played their favorites and read the vibe of the crowd to keep the party going all night. It pays to have an experienced professional Alexandria, MN wedding DJ.
Immersive Lighting and CO2 on the Dance Floor
Photo: Jess McDole
When the dance began, the tent stopped feeling like a tent. We provided very immersive lighting production. Our moving head lights swept color across the ceiling and the crowd. What started as a warm white light during dinner transformed into a saturated and color soaked dance party. Showering vibrant beams of light over every guest. Within minutes, the whole space felt like a private dance club right on the lake. As one of the best Alexandria, MN wedding DJ’s, we always work to exceed our clients expectations.
Photo: Jess McDole
Just as the guest thought it couldn’t get any better, we gave the bride and groom our secret weapon, the CO2 Cannon! We primed the crowd with a very hyped EDM build up, and once the drop hit, Ted and Nathalie covered the dance floor in a cold and refreshing white cloud of CO2! Every blast rolled through the beams of our lights as the crowd pumped their glow sticks through the air. As always, the crowd loved every second of it. Not only does it build energy in the room, each blast of CO2 introduces a wave of very cold air. Which is very refreshing to the crowds sweating on the dance floor. During the course of the night, we emptied two full tanks of CO2.
A Send-Off on the Lady of the Lakes
Photo: Jess McDole
At 11 p.m., it was time for a proper send-off. The couple had planned something special aboard the Lady of the Lakes, which I’m told is the oldest boat on the Alexandria chain of lakes. We lined guests up to form a tunnel for the couple to run through, and our lights lit the way. Then they said goodbye and paddled off into an open, starry sky.
In Their Words
“He was a terrific MC and entertained and engaged our guests. Everyone felt included and participated. Not a single person was sitting during the dance! … Many of our guests commented that he was, hands down, the best DJ they have ever heard. … If you want big fun energy and a sure thing for entertainment and lighting, go with DJ Mike!”
-Hilary L. (Mother of the Bride)
Alexandria MN Wedding DJ: Ted & Nathalie’s Lakeside Wedding on Lake Darling
Filmed and edited by DJ MN Events, a professional Minnesota wedding DJ service
Why Couples Choose an Alexandria, MN Wedding DJ
This wedding was perfect in every way. The couple, the family, the friends, the weather, and the location all came together. It may be the most perfect wedding of my entire career.
Alexandria is a major summer wedding destination, and I know it well. I’ve been performing here since 2007 and DJing weddings here since 2008. I’ve played at Carlos Creek Winery, Gathered Oaks, and Crooked Willow several times each. That experience matters, whether the setting is a winery, a barn, or a family cottage on the lake. If you’re planning a wedding in Alexandria or anywhere in the Lakes Area, we’d love to talk. [Reach out here to check our availability for your date.]
Coordination by Karla of Sota Weddings and Events. Photography by Jess McDole.
Meet “DJ” Mike Nelson
Mike Nelson is the owner and founder of DJ MN Events in Minneapolis. His career started right out of high school in 2005, working weekend gigs for a local DJ company. Over the next decade, he built a name in nightclubs across Fargo, St. Cloud, and Minneapolis — opening for acts like Three 6 Mafia and Machine Gun Kelly, DJing for Red Bull, and spending years as a Celebrity Guest DJ aboard Royal Caribbean. He’s since performed for Nike during Super Bowl LII and brands like Target, all while keeping weddings a constant focus every summer. Today, Mike brings that same nightclub-level production to weddings across Minnesota, backed by 8 WeddingWire Couples’ Choice Awards since 2017. [Learn more about Mike and DJ MN Events →]
