Sutherland Entertainment

I am giving Sutherland Entertainment 5 stars! After reflecting on our wedding day, I was MORE than satisfied with their DJ services!
Before I rave about how amazing our DJ was, I do want to warn future brides about one thing: Although Spencer (the owner) was very prompt and professional in his emailing, the contract and booking process was a bit confusing. I felt like I was purchasing a bunch of little packages instead of 1 package that included all that I needed. When I was researching for DJ’s, the initial quote I got from Sutherland was in my price range; however, once I already booked with them and signed the contract, Spencer brought up additional things that were needed for our DJ service (for example: extra subwoofers because of our guest count– 250). It would have been nice to know all of the additional requirements up front before I signed anything or paid anything. Throughout the whole process, I ended up making 3 separate payments to them– 2 of which were for later additions. My advice for future couples is to read all emails and contracts very clearly and ALWAYS ask questions. I would also suggest a phone conversation as things tend to get lost in translation through email.
ALL THAT TO SAY, I LOVED OUR DJ, MAT. DJ Mat exceeded my expectations as a wedding DJ. I could not have been happier with his talent. His speaking skills were smooth and flawless. He guided the night with ease and fun! He made a point to come over the head table, introduce himself, and wish us congratulations. He was also dressed very professionally in a tie. He had the dance floor packed by song #2 and nobody left for the rest of the night! I loved every single song he chose and he played almost every song that I put on our list. Not one time did I want to leave the dance floor to sit or talk. I didn’t want it to end! After the wedding, all of our guests were raving about how it was the best dance party/​wedding they had ever been to! Even my wedding coordinator said he was easy and great to work with during the whole night! I was very picky in choosing our wedding DJ since I have seen too many weddings where the DJ is awkward and can really kill the mood, but DJ Mat was absolutely perfect. This is why I am still giving them 5 starts because I had forgotten all the confusion and stress that happened during the booking process; DJ Mat’s performance made every bit worth it.
If you can, request DJ Mat for your Bay Area wedding!

Really glad we went with Sutherland Entertainment for our wedding. Prices were reasonable and Spencer was very responsive to questions via email. DJ Derek was our DJ and he was great — professional, played all our requested songs, and spun a great mix. He made all the announcements we asked him to make but did not try to take over the show. (If you’re looking for a more in-​your-​face DJ/​MC presence, then you should probably specify that ahead of time. We had family members play that role for us so DJ Derek was perfect.) Overall, planning was a breeze, we were happy, guests were happy — 5 stars for Spencer and Derek.

Spencer was great. Quick to respond. And easy to work with during the entire process.
Justin was our musician — acoustic guitar player. And played in our home for a small dinner party. What a difference live music makes. He was fantastic. We communicated prior to the evening. I got a chance to listen to his music. He arrived early, got himself set up, and helped make the night really special. Thank you Justin! We would love to have you back out.

Spencer and his team were great to work with! We got married at Wente Vineyards this past December where Sutherland is a preferred vendor. Spencer was easy to work throughout the whole process. With the music he ensured we felt in control enough of the playlists and song selections while still providing feedback and suggestions given his experience. For the lighting we got married in a wine cave and the amber up lighting he suggested was beautiful and complemented the candlelight. And DJ Derek was fantastic at our wedding — we had a very intimate wedding and he read the crowd and had everyone dancing all night! He took song requests while still ensuring it fit with the overall vibe. Guests came up to us after the wedding to tell us how great he was. Highly recommend!

I am the bride writing this review and Spencer Sutherland made me cry at my wedding on my wedding day, he was so rude. Spencer DJed our wedding. My husband and I spent almost a year picking out our perfect playlist and when our wedding day came, he didn’t even use it. He interrupted my conversations with my guests to tell me that he would not be playing our selected songs because «he knows a crowd and has been doing this a long time». He gave no identity to our group and assumed all crowds were the same. The guests complained about the music not being «us» or fitting the mood which it would have it he gave any individual consideration to us. Not recommended. He did show up on time and bring equipment which is worth a star when you’re a stressed bride.

I just had my wedding with 9÷5÷15 and booked my guitarist and DJ through Sutherland Entertainment. My guitarist was Justin Houchin and my DJ for the evening was DJ Von. Justin was absolutely amazing and very easy to work with. He played the guitar beautifully and helped guide us to picking the best selection of music for the ceremony. DJ Von was the absolute best wedding DJ ever. Our number one goal for our reception was to get everyone on the dance floor and keep them there and DJ Von did just that. He knows how to read the crowd and play the right music at the right time. His MC-​ing is super casual and flows incredibly well with the event. He was extremely helpful during the planning process, very responsive, and made the entire experience so easy. His music selection was perfect — great mix of oldies, trendy music, and a lot of awesome remixes. I highly recommend working with him — it’ll be one of the best decisions you make while planning your event or wedding. Overall my experience with Sutherland Entertainment was the best. You will not regret your decision working with them.

Spencer and his staff are top rate. I could not have asked for better service, coordination, and final presentation than they were able to provide. We utilized a wedding package through Sutherland Entertainment and it was money well spent.
If i could go back, the only change would be to have taken more of Spencer’s advice and added more uplighting in different areas. The lighting, the sound, the performers were all we could ever ask for.
We used the guitarist David and DJ Von Woo. We highly recommend both these two options for anyone’s event.
Thank you so much for making our day even more special!

We had DJ Cody play our wedding a couple of months. He was great and kept everyone dancing. Very professional, played all of the songs we requested, and even worked with our Best Man and Maid of Honor to ensure the A/​V equipment cooperated for their surprise videos during the reception. They also provided the mics for the ceremony and everything went off without a hitch.
Just one star off because some of the initial back and forth with Sutherland Entertainment was a little confusing. A lot of the email responses we received seemed like form-​emails that were copied and pasted and sent off to us. They might have addressed our initial questions somewhere amidst all of the dollar amounts and itemized lists, but sometimes I just wanted a simple answer to «Why is this package more expensive than just buying xyz a la carte?» Also, because of the form-​letter/​template aspect of these emails I didn’t always trust that we were getting the best deal. The emails seemed to be built around up-​selling us and I just wanted an actual human being to tell me whether they honestly believed we NEEDED dancefloor uplighting or not. In the end, we were very happy with how everything turned out, but initially I was put off by how impersonal our interactions were.

We booked Sutherland Entertainment for our October 2015 wedding reception at The Westin St. Francis. We chose Sutherland Entertainment in part because they were a preferred vendor of the St. Francis and because they were highly rated on Unilocal.I can tell you that Spencer did not disappoint, he was responsive, professional, accommodating and very easy to work with. His pricing is fair and competitive. And DJ Cody was fantastic! I had so many guests compliment him, he kept the party going and the music was great! If you need a DJ, then I would highly recommend Sutherland Entertainment, they are the best!

We got married at the Headlands Center for the Arts and Spencer of Sutherland Entertainment was one of their recommended vendors. I spoke with a different DJ before deciding on Sutherland Entertainment for a few reasons. Firstly, he had a discounted package for the Headlands which included everything we needed, including sound in several different locations and music in the bathroom! The other DJ I spoke with didn’t have any experience with the venue, and would have been significantly more expensive because we would have had to pay for everything separately. Secondly, after speaking with Spencer on the phone, I felt completely confident that our wedding would be in good hands… He recommended DJ Cody for our wedding and gave me a run through of how everything would go on our wedding day. He also gave us some different options and helped us decide what would work best for us. One of the options that was offered was to have his team take care of the lighting at the venue. We opted to have them hang bistro lights which looked charming and saved us a lot of time before and after the wedding by not having to do it ourselves! On the day of the wedding DJ Cody was very polite, helpful and professional. Spencer had an option to have acoustic guitar music played during the ceremony, but I really wanted my brother to play the music for our ceremony. Spencer assured me this was no problem, and Cody helped my brother get set up and plugged into his sound system. It was amazing and so personal for me to have my family involved, and I really appreciated their help in making this happen. The music at dinner was perfect, it was loud enough that you could hear it, but not so loud you had to shout to talk over it. He had a «Headlands dinner mix» that was perfect for our venue. I gave Spencer a huge list of songs that my husband and I liked but told him that DJ Cody could pick and choose and just do his thing. I was worried that a lot of our guests wouldn’t dance, but was surprised at how many people were on the floor! Of course it made it that much more fun to hear my jams sprinkled in between his choices! The hubs and I like all kinds of music, and DJ Cody was really good about playing a little bit of everything… there was something for everyone! Overall we were very pleased, and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Sutherland Entertainment and DJ Cody! Thank you gentlemen, for your help and for being a part of our special day!

WOW! Sutherland Entertainment is truly top notch! Being a professional wedding planner in Chicago, I remotely planned my first cousins’ destination wedding as a wedding gift. We chose the beautiful Murrieta’s Well as the location for their celebration, and on the recommendation of the venue, reached out to Sutherland Entertainment. Spencer was incredibly helpful, and provided us with amazing service. Not only did they provide gorgeous live entertainment, and incredible DJ services, they also provided the spectacular event lighting, which really elevated the décor and energy of the space! Everything was handled beautifully and professionally, and we couldn’t be happier with the results!

We had Spencer help guide us to pick a suitable DJ for our wedding in the Bay Area and he was awesome. All of his instructions were clear, detailed and professional. He sent DJ Von for the job and we could not have been happier with that choice. Von was on time, friendly, polite and sweet. Did exactly what we told him, was prepared and everything was seamless. Thank you!

Sadly… when the wedding day was cancelled we lost our deposit. I get this… we signed a contract… but here is a little advice: Order the minimum up front. If you order a subwoofer. or lights… or a photobooth… or anything beyond what you need to order to get him contracted… you will pay for 50% of all of those extras if anything happens. We cancelled 1.5 years in advance… and because we got the extras up front we lost the full $ 1800 deposit. Not even a break for a subwoofer he recommended… extra $ 50 deposit… bye. You just never know… so go into it with open eyes!

AMAZING! If you want people to have fun at your wedding hire Sutherland Entertainment!
We hired Sutherland Entertainment for our April, 2015 wedding after a referral from a friend. It was the BEST decision!!! Spencer was very professional throughout the planning process and gave us much needed guidance. I had some family health problems right before the wedding and he was so supportive and understanding. The online playlist set-​up was easy to use and made picking out our music a breeze. DJ Von was our DJ and he made our wedding day! I had so many guests come up to me at the wedding and weeks after telling me it was the best DJ they’d seen/​heard at a wedding. DJ Von knew how to read the crowd and got everyone dancing. The whole experience was truly incredible and I couldn’t be happier. If you want and amazing DJ experience HIRE Sutherland Entertainment!

Could not be happier about choosing Spencer to DJ our wedding. All of his equipment is state of the art, and his website was so helpful in planning our reception music. He has compiled years of data from the weddings he has worked on what songs get the most people out on the dance floor. So he can help guide you on your music selections based on that information. You don’t need to build a play list either. Just go to his website and there are thousands of songs that you can rate to define your tastes. Then let him work his magic at the reception. Spencer is a true professional who genuinely cares about making your wedding day special. Great guy.

What a pro.
Spencer met with us twice before our wedding at the Brazil Room and we exchanged lots of emails to make sure all the details were perfect. He discussed the pros and cons of the songs we chose for the procession and all the set up details It was obvious from the first meeting that he’s not only musically talented, knowledgeable, and flexible but also very experienced.
The live guitar during the ceremony was gorgeous and he even packed the dance floor at 1pm on a Sunday! All the announcements, first dance, cake cutting, etc. went off without a hitch and we didn’t have to worry about a thing, which is HUGE on your wedding day! Spencer really gets it.

When we needed a DJ for our holiday party I turned to Unilocal and I found Spencer.
He was a pleasure to work with, he was very straight forward and his website was a great help to us when we made our decision.
We told him we wanted a variety and he nailed the music selection and played something that was enjoyable for everyone.
We also had a magician perform at our event and Spencer was able to coordinate and work everything out with the magician so the performance was smooth and flawless.
I really enjoyed having Spencer be a part of our event and I highly recommend him!

Spencer Sutherland was a great choice for our wedding. During the ceremony he played Spanish classics on acoustic guitar which was beautiful and romantic. It really set the mood. He was also our DJ for the reception and kept the party going all night! The venue manager let him play one more song after closing time because people were having so much fun. Although we gave him a request list we told him to play what he thought was best. This was great because the dance floor was filled all night with all ages of people! I still have guests telling me how much fun they had.
I also appreciate his suggestions too. My husband and I planned the wedding ourselves and weren’t sure of details and Spencer was a huge help. I like that he was so detailed and filling out the forms helped us create the flow of the wedding. The whole time he was kind, professional, and flexible. I would definitely recommend Spencer Sutherland to anyone who wants to have a GREAT wedding!

I came across Spencer for my wedding in Aug
The wedding would be in the Bay Area fog
His website was nice
So I didn’t think twice
I bookmarked it, then I went out for a jog
I said, «I have questions — can you answer them, please?»
He gave me advice, and my mind was at ease
Back and forth e-​mails
I know many females
Would be happy that planning could be such a breeze
He made one remark that got me quite teary:
«I’ll have limited time for your many a query»
I was taken aback
But I cut him some slack
Most questions were answered, so I was not feary
Guitar for cocktails — it was quite a good deal
So we hired him and we promised a meal
His prices were fair
And he seemed to care
He’s professional and also knowledgable, I feel
As the day drew closer and my heart was fast-​beating
Spencer and I scheduled a phone meeting
I got no call
He was AWOL
Where was my DJ? Where was this leading?
I was worried because I was waiting so long
He finally said, «Sorry — I got the time wrong!»
OMG, Spence!
I was so tense!
He sent me his timeline — I’ll admit, it was strong
On the wedding day, he was on time and prepared
His coordinator skills, he generously shared
Got all the names right
No cheese that night
No lame jokes, no weird games — we were all spared
For dancing, I’d say the songs started out strong
But then all the oldies went on for too long
People got tired
My friend was inspired
To ask for current music, and she was not wrong
After that, the party was hot — knock on wood!
Dance floor was packed and the music was good
He maintained the flow
Even shy folks let go!
They danced in ways I didn’t know that they could!
My notes said bouquet toss was for girls and guys
During the meeting, I forgot to discuss this *sighs*
He missed it — so sad :(
It’s partly my bad
But I got over it quickly — I cannot tell lies!
Four stars for Spencer — mistakes here and there
But overall, good work — many good traits to share
It’s a tough job
He didn’t dress like a slob
I’m done with my poem. Now, off to my lair!

We hired Spencer to play guitar during our wedding cocktail hour and DJ during the reception.
Spencer listened to what we wanted even for songs not in his library. Before we hired him, he made me a «dinner music sampler» based on what I told him I liked, when I expressed concern about the music. We were really impressed with his doing so.
As to the guitar playing during the cocktail hour, we unfortunately did not get to hear it since we were late to it.
During the reception, Spencer did the minimal amount of talking. Everything went by so quickly the day of the wedding so I can’t really say what was and was not played, but I do know that there were A LOT of people dancing to songs that I never thought I’d see them dance to!!! People seemed to have a great time on the dance floor, which was one of our goals. My guests noted that there was a good variety of music… that Spencer played something for every generation! We only wished we’d been able to dance more! Thanks, Spencer!