"Daughter of Mine"

John Osberg
Tonight I had the opportunity to DJ for a family friend. I was pleased to be where I had been last week, back at the Eagan Community Center.

This night was special for a number of reasons. First off, it was an absolute pleasure to DJ for a family friend. The bride actually happened to be somebody who had babysat me and my siblings from before I can ever remember. Her father was one of the leaders of my cub scout troop, and even though I didn't stick around long, I remember him helping me build my boxcar. Finally, it was the first time my parents would be able to see what I claim to do every weekend for a living. Mom, Dad, I hope I lived up to your expectations :)

The ceremony was officiated by the bride's father, something that he had never done up until that point. He mentioned that people would always ask and he would politely decline. However, when your daughter asks you a favor, you can't say no. 

During his speech, the bride's fathers started talking about some childhood memories that included a song they used to dance to. It has some beautiful lyrics, and he spoke those out loud to close out his speech. Naturally, my ears perked up and I looked up the song he was speaking about. It was John Mcdermott's "Daughter of Mine" - I saved this song for later as he wrapped up his speech. 

Dances started pretty early, and many guests were still enjoying conversation as I kicked off the open floor. There were a few kids in attendance, so this was a great time to play some Top 40 hits to try and drain the kids a little bit. 

We did the dollar dance about an hour into the dancing, and both the bride and groom had full lines, as it seemed everyone in attendance wanted their chance. Last in the bride's line was of course her father. Of course I thought to myself, "This is the perfect opportunity!" So as he walked up to tap the bride's partner on the shoulder, I faded my current song and faded in "Daughter of Mine." The look on their faces is why I love my job.

"Did you plan this?"

"No, did you plan this?"

Then the both looked at me and smiled as they waltzed to John Mcdemott's song.

The dance continued  with a packed floor right up until midnight. At the end of the night the bride's father came up to me and thanked me for the song and told me he would remember that moment for the rest of his life. I was humbled. It's simple things like this that make me love doing weddings. I'm always looking for an opportunity to make the night that much more special for somebody.

-DJ OZ