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Special Occasions DJ & Lighting Reviews

Special Occasions DJ & Lighting

Special Occasions DJ & Lighting

Brea, CA
4.9 out of 5 rating, 36 Reviews
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Reviews

4.9 out of 5 rating
4.9 out of 5 rating
36 Reviews
98% recommend it
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    4.9 out of 5 rating
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    4.8 out of 5 rating
  • Professionalism
    4.9 out of 5 rating
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    4.9 out of 5 rating
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Awards

36
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2023 Winner
WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards 2014 Winner
  • Nina
    Nina V. Sent on 02/02/2022
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    The best DJ team we could have asked for!

    Our wedding in Cancún, Mexico in 11/2021 was the best week of our lives and the Special Occasions team played a HUGE role in us feeling that way. We SO as one of our first vendors back in 2019. Ajay was such a pleasure to work with - we were nervous about planning a wedding in Mexico and he gave so much helpful first-hand experience which really put us at ease. In addition, Ajay helped us look over our Ryder from our local vendors and help us cut some costs and make sure we had everything we needed to an optimal setup. Due to changes in wedding dates (the usual Covid changes, etc etc), Ajay was not available to DJ our wedding but he highly recommended Aamir.

    Kevin and I cannot say enough wonderful things about Aamir. He was such a professional and really brought the energy to every single event. Each song was perfect for the event. We hosted a Glow after-party and the highlight was seeing Aamir in an all-white track suit - that is commitment. So many of our favorite memories of our wedding have a specific musical memory attached to them and Aamir made that all possible. (Aamir, we’ll never forget the debauchery during Pepas and All I Do is Win.)

    We recommend Special Occasions without reservation and we hope anybody reading this is lucky enough to have them available during their event.

    Much love,
    Kevin and Nina
  • Kush
    Kush S. Sent on 01/24/2022
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    Awesome DJ experience

    SODJLA was fantastic to work with. Super responsive, professional, and helpful throughout our entire wedding planning process. The execution on the day of our wedding events was great. They provided awesome service and I would definitely recommend them!
  • Maziar
    Maziar D. Sent on 09/16/2021
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    Ali was amazing!

    For our Persian-American wedding we hired DJ Ali and he was AMAZING! The genres and ranges (instrumental, big band, Persian, Hip Hop, house, 90s, etc.) he was able to weave into a single day was unbelievable. We had multiple guests ask tell us "this is the best DJ we've ever heard at a wedding" and "we're firing our DJ and hiring this guy" - the proof was that nobody ever left the dancefloor.

    His success during the day's events was due to his exhaustive and meticulous planning. We met on multiple occasions leading up the wedding to discuss the perfect songs for the ceremony, cocktail hour and reception. Ali was also familiar with our Persian traditions which was a bonus.

    Finally, the quality of his equipment was far superior to the venue's. He even helped us pick the perfect extras (up-lighting, photo-booth, etc.) that made the reception space even more special.

    If you are looking for a high-energy MC/DJ for your upcoming event - Ali is the perfect pick!
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  • Sierra
    Sierra B. Sent on 12/29/2022
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    Amazing DJ and Lighting Company!!

    We had such a wonderful experience working with Special Occasions. They are exceptional! Ajay and Sonal were very communicative and professional. They worked with us when our wedding was rescheduled, when their DJs’ schedules changed, and when we had last-minute needs change in order to deliver on every event as we had wanted! Ajay took many phone calls from us at random times throughout the day to make sure everything was arranged for our events. Between his SODJLA blog and his advice over the phone he was almost like an advisor on the side for aspects of our wedding that weren’t even DJ related! Aamir mixed music for our Sangeet and it was incredible. Ajay was our DJ for the Sangeet and he was amazing! The whole night the dance floor was full and he knows how to get the party started and keep it going! Ali was our DJ on our wedding day and everyone loved his energy. Our wedding was a multi-cultural wedding and Ali knew how to get ALL of our guests involved in the Baraat. Prior to our events we had a call with Ali to discuss our day-of music for ceremonies and all of the music was played exactly how we had envisioned and described! This team knows how to DJ and keep everyone entertained throughout all of the events. We would highly, highly recommend the Special Occasions team!
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    Bansari Sent on 02/06/2022
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    Above and beyond!

    We got married in June 2021 and used special occasions DJ for a mobile DJ, Photo Booth, lighting, and Dhol player. They were extremely profession and a pleasure to work with! They went above and beyond making sure we could print our pictures from our Photo Booth. This was a last minute request that we were so happy they could accomplish. They also did a great job DJing the baraat, everyone had a blast!!! I would highly recommend them to any of our friends!!!
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    Nishtha P. Sent on 08/25/2021
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    Get ready to RAGE

    There is no one better than Ali and Praneel. If there is one thing I kept hearing from guests weeks after our wedding, its that the music was absolute FIRE.
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    Mk Bu Sent on 09/28/2019
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    Amazing Wedding DJ!

    Ajay and the Special Occasions team did an amazing job providing DJ services for our fusion Indian American wedding reception. Leading up to our day, Ajay and his team were the utmost professionals in discussing with us our music tastes, our vision for the reception, and a clear timeline for the order of events. During our reception, Ajay was awesome at MCing smoothly, and was adaptive with last-minute changes to our timeline without missing a beat. As a DJ, Ajay is really skilled at keeping everyone engaged and having fun on the dance floor all night. So many of our guests commented on how fun the music was, even describing him as the "best wedding DJ" they’d heard, without the typical lull in dancing that we’ve all seen at most weddings. Overall we had an awesome experience working with Ajay and would definitely go with him again.
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    Heena D. Sent on 03/06/2019
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    Amazing!

    We hired Special occasions DJ Praneel and Dhol Player Malinder for our wedding & reception. We had originally spoken to Malinder and we instantly fell in love with her! She's very kind and knew exactly what we were looking for and was very knowledgable when it came to the music we wanted. My husband is a DJ, so finding the right DJ was his number #1 priority. We had a call with Praneel and spoke to him for a bit and knew he was going to be perfect! Malinder and Praneel were super professional and efficient. Our family and friends loved both of them! We highly recommend them. If you want a great party, you won't be disappointed!
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    Sunil Sent on 03/31/2017
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    I hired Special Occasion's for my brother's wedding reception this past weekend and have absolutely nothing, but all around good things to say about them! Services that we used were DJ, Sound, Lighting, and MC.

    Ajay, has been a big help to us in making my brother's event a special night. He went out of his way to contact me while he was overseas to make sure I could get a phone call scheduled to talk about the event and in a timely manner had given me an estimate/quote. Whatever vision you have, he can make it happen. I appreciate all that he has done and for making sure the event was perfect even on the day of by coming in with his team to the venue.

    Preet - was the MC for the night and I highly recommend everyone to choose him!!!! He is an amazing MC that knows how to get the guests ready and pumped up for grand entrances. He has the best personality and energy for these types of events, yet also very calming in just letting me know not to stress out and that everything will be just fine! He kept the night going and easily flowing, with the given timeline. He played the right music at the right time keeping the vibes perfect all night!!!

    Overall, an amazing company and team that will make your night a special night to remember and lots of memories to cherish. Very professional yet very funny group of guys, which makes it 10 times easier and enjoyable to work with. I will def be coming back to them for my wedding next year!!! Thank you so much to the SODJ team for everything!
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    Anand Sent on 02/13/2017
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    At the last minute, on the night before my Dads birthday, we realized we needed a DJ. I called Special Occasions and asked for help. Bhavin was very understanding and helpful and even though it was the night before, was able to get a DJ for me and still accommodate my already tight budget within 15 min of my call. We went through the program and my songs I needed. The next day they arrived well ahead of schedule and setup everything. They even helped me with my decorations. When the event started I needed more help with my slideshow and they took care of that too. Bhavin and Preet did a great job DJing and got the crowd involved. They even helped me during my speech. The ideas I had during the party, they put forth much better ideas from their decades of experience. When people weren't Dancing, especially the older crowd, they got them to get on the dance floor and the older crowd danced til the end. Everyone loved them. They made our event Into a party. I couldn't have done it without them. Thank you guys for all your help. You went above and beyond.
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    Dede Sent on 02/04/2015
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    We are very happy with Ajay's professionalism. We held our reception at Noor's Pasadena and he rocked the party with his collection. If you are reading this review to find the good DJ don't look further !! Trust me I've asked the impossible and he has delivered and met the challenges. We asked him for the most traditional south indian music called the "nadaswaram" and he had it!! & he had a good collection of mainstream/ bollywood music, which was perfect for our fusion wedding =D. I would recommend Ajay for all your events he has a very positive vibration that can kick start a party!
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    Sheena Sent on 12/17/2014
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    Special Occasions were the last vendors we signed. And boy, were they a brilliant find!!

    We found them online and were only able to communicate with them via email as we were based out of India at the time. Ajay was so helpful and kind enough to arrange a few Skype sessions with us so that we were able to discuss things with him and get to know each other. Since my husband is American and I am Indian by heritage, it was important that our DJ/MC was able to bridge the gap between cultures and bring everyone together.

    Ajay and Chirag DJ'ed at our wedding reception. They were both fantastic!! The music was amazing throughout; it was everything we had asked for. Our brief was fully understood and executed perfectly. Ajay got everybody on the dance floor, there was never a dull moment all night! He was also a great MC, funny and entertaining, livening up the atmosphere from the very start to the end. Together, both Ajay and Chirag brought two different cultures together with a night of complete entertainment and fabulous music. We had so many guests tell us afterwards that it was the best wedding they had ever been to and some tell us that they had never danced so much in their entire lives! My husband and I also hardly left the dance floor as Ajay and Chirag continued to blow us away with one amazing song after the other. They are fully responsible for making our wedding reception an unforgettable evening for everyone and for keeping the party going non-stop. (Ajay also conducted a little 'how to Bollywood dance' session that almost everyone participated in and enjoyed thoroughly, myself included!!)

    I could go on and on about how great they were but I will be here for hours. These guys were amazing at every stage; from being so helpful and accommodating at the planning stages to the actual amazing wedding reception party. I cannot recommend them enough! Look no further, they are brilliant and will not disappoint!!

    - Sheena and Travis Murray
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    Erin Sent on 08/21/2014
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    BY FAR the best choice I made for my wedding. Bhavin was a killer MC and the dj BLEW MY MIND. We had no less than 70 people come up to us during and after the wedding and tell us it was the absolute best music they have ever experienced at a wedding. So many people asked for the playlist - I wish I could take credit for it!! Nobody was in their seat once the dancing started (and people started dancing before dinner was served - it was that good!). It was exactly what I wanted for my wedding. Highly, highly recommended.
  • User1712450 Sent on 07/14/2014
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    My parents and I worked with Parag (who was the DJ for our event) and Ajay (our initial contact). Both were incredibly professional, thoughtful and accommodating. They created tracks for my family's dance performances before the event and truly listened to our song requests and vision for the event. The lighting was spectacular and all in all, a very classy event. We had an overall older crowd, but we wanted to keep an energetic, relaxed atmosphere. They helped us create just that without yelling at the crowd! We strongly recommend them!
  • User1516119 Sent on 01/23/2014
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    Chirag and Bhavin were awesome! The lighting was amazing and they really kept the momentum and flow the entire night! So many of my guests have commented on how great these two were! They were extremely professional but fun, funny but not cheesy, and extremely nice! They even took the time to set all the equipment just right. Some of my engaged friends either asked them or have asked me for the information as they plan their own weddings. These guys are awesome and know exactly how to keep a party going!
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    Alpa Sent on 11/18/2013
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    Special Occasions truly did an amazing job at my wedding. Not only did they keep people on the dance floor but they did an awesome job with the lighting for the reception. They gave me a customized look which made all the difference. My family were blown away and we would recommend them to anyone.
  • User1429597 Sent on 11/09/2013
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    Excellent and honest people to work with. The possibilities were endless with the planning for my wedding. I particularly appreciated the meetings held with the kind dj's to run through the entire program. Very professional and FUN group of dj's.
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    Raajeev Sent on 11/05/2013
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    I would DEFINITELY recommend Special Occasions. Worked with Parag...he just gets it. He knows how to get people on the dance floor. I've been to a lot of events where Parag is the DJ and I have been to a lot of events with random DJs. There are times when these random DJs will play songs that the crowd doesn't prefer which would then empty out the dancefloor. Not the case with Parag. I have also seen a couple of events where these random DJ may mess up (i.e., sound turns off during someones performance, mic turned off for a brief second)…not saying it happens often..but those things just don't happen with Parag.

    Special Occasions was literally on the top of my priority list when we first started our Wedding Planning and was the first vendor I contacted. They took care of everything I could think of, and things I didnt think of. So happy I went with them!
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    Ashneel Sent on 11/29/2012
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    Til this day, one of the things that our guests keep raving about is how well Parag managed the event and how superior his mixing/song selection skills are. Parag is a true professional and he delivers as promised!
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    Nisha Sent on 11/20/2012
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    Parag was amazing! He accommodated any requests we had and kept our guests engaged and entertained. Very professional!
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    Shivani Sent on 12/02/2012
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    Ajay and his team are the best thing that you can do for any party/wedding! We had 7 days of events, and he did our lighting and DJ'ed all of these events.EVERYTHING WAS OFF THE HOOK! Ajay went above and beyond. I remember he said to me, "its my job to make sure that you are happy with everything, so I'm happy to help with whatever." And he did exactly this! Everyone at our parties danced up a storm to his mixes. Several people have told me that our parties were awesome and that they had so much fun. My response? "It's all Ajay!" Ajay met with us whenever we needed to. He even suggested that we do a voiceover for our reception grand entrance, and helped to facilitate it. And even after the wedding, he helped me pick out the songs for our video. From the very beginning to now, Ajay has been the bomb! I am definitely going to have him do the lighting and DJ for any future parties that I have! I cant thank him enough for his hard work, dedication, MC'ing, baraat dance step teaching, etc.
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    Samir Sent on 02/24/2013
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    Parag is a fantastic DJ and event planner! He provided music entertainment, MCing, photobooth set up, lighting, plasma TV flatscreens, AND assisted in planning my reception program. His music selection was impeccable, he knew how to engage the crowd through the mic and song selection, and his professionalism is unparalleled. Our guests enthusiastically commented multiple times during and after the event on the DJ's choice of music, and the elegant decor/lighting that Parag arranged. Parag and his team are hassle free and very reasonable in pricing relative to their competitors.

    He is hands down the best DJ/event planner I have ever worked with!
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    Sunil Sent on 09/14/2011
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    Parag did an absolutely incredible job at our wedding. We have lost count of the number of people who have raved about the music that night, and we have never seen that many people consistently stay on the dance floor past 1 am! Every time people tried to leave the dance floor to talk to others at the wedding, Parag would throw on a jam that would make the whole crowd race back to the dance floor.

    Aside from the young people who were in awe, all of the aunties and uncles absolutely enjoyed the music as well. Parag was especially great during the baraat when he got the whole crowd into it in the beginning before stepping back at just the right time. It doesn't matter where your wedding is or what kind of crowd you have, all you have to do is tell Parag what you're looking for and he will make it a special night!
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    Susan Sent on 12/01/2010
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    Parag Shah was my DJ and lighting guy for my wedding and I really couldn't have asked for more. He was very professional during our planning meetings and was so helpful, especially for a last minute wedding planning bride who didn't know exactly what I wanted. For lighting ideas, he came up with really great ideas and showed me lots of previous events he's done. At the end, he captured the exact mood I was going for. For music, he had great tools we were able to utilize to pick out exactly the songs I wanted to play throughout the whole reception. He was also able to accomodate random requests I kept making just hours before our event. The mood of our reception was awesome and I keep getting compliments on how great out DJ was! Thanks Parag!
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    Tejal Sent on 06/24/2010
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    Ajay from Special Occasions DJ is amazing. He was alway accesible for questions, super organized and most importantly kept 300+ people on the dance floor the entire night our wedding. All of our guests were raving about how great he is. I am looking forward to working with him again on other family events.
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