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Toast and Jam DJs
Category: Event Planning & Services DJs DJs [Edit]
2043 W Wabansia AveChicago, IL 60686
Neighborhood: Wicker Park
(773) 687-8833
- Nearest Transit:
-
Damen-O'Hare (Blue Line)
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
138 reviews for Toast and Jam DJs
138 reviews in English
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Review from Matt L.
Crystal Lake, IL
1/16/2012
We saw Toast and Jam at an alternative bridal expo and initially chose another DJ. When things fell through with the first DJ we contacted, they did an awesome job on the business end of working with us so that we could stay on our timeline for vendors. Before the wedding, they were very professional, and did a lot to put our mind at ease after a not-so-positive experience with our first choice.
Our DJ, Dustin Drase, worked with us before the wedding to make sure the logistics were handled properly. He also did a thorough job of finding out about our musical preferences. I'm both relieved and overjoyed to report that he interpreted what we wanted to dance to very, very well.
The night of the wedding, we--and, more important, our guests--had a blast! Dustin did a good job of playing the music me and my wife wanted to hear, while giving enough to keep the over-40 crowd a reason to be around the dance floor. He did an impressive job of reading the mood of the room, as well. There really wasn't a moment where he wasn't involving the people who came to have a good time.
It's a shame that I'll only (hopefully) get married once. If I had any other event where I needed a DJ who could make a party happen, I would not think twice about hiring them. -
Review from Luke S.
1/5/2012 1 Check-in Here
Two Words: Laura Jellum
She is my hero and kept our dance floor rocking from the first dance to the last. I can't tell you how many of my friends complimented us on her. You know it's an awesome party when the groom (me) tears his pants doing the splits with a half hour left in the night. Whoops!
Thanks again to Laura for making our special day even more special! -
Review from Roxanne R.
Chicago, IL
12/9/2011
Why does Toast and Jam have a gazillion 5 star reviews? Because they're excellent!
Kristin was the DJ at our wedding and she is extremely fun to work with. During both of our pre wedding meetings she showed up with so much energy and was extremely fun and nice to work with.
At our wedding she was so nice to our guests, lined everyone up and was great making announcements and coordinating. I'm Filipino so just imagine what kinds of names she had to pronounce but she confirmed with everyone beforehand and pronounced everyone's named perfectly. From the cocktail hour up until open dance she coordinated everything and made sure it all ran smoothly. During the dance session she kept all of our requests coming and the dance floor was never empty. When I would look over at Kristin she was also dancing up a store. We absolutely loved her energy.
We would recommend Toast and Jam to anyone. They're super fun to work with, play great music, and provide an overall excellent service.Listed in: Chicago Budget Conscious…
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Review from Lauren S.
11/13/2011
Pre-Wedding Review: So far, I'm extremely pleased with Toast & Jam! Unlike every other DJ company I spoke with, T&J spoke with me on the phone for 45 minutes to make sure it would be the right fit. I'm an out-of-town bride and nervous about booking the right vendors but T&J has made me feel confident that I got the DJ right!
The one and only reason I haven't given this 5 stars is T&J is fairly expensive but I did re-arrange a few things to make it work with my budget after hearing so many rave reviews.
I'll be sure to update about the services day-of later! -
Review from Jeff S.
Chicago, IL
10/24/2011
Toast & Jam made our wedding 2 nights ago a straight up dance PARTY.
From day #1, T&J was responsive, professional, and informed.
We had two separate consultations with our DJ, MS. JENA NIXON (yes, all caps, cuz she deserves it.), and she meticulously walked us through everything. We hired T&J because we wanted to entrust them with our music, and that's precisely what Jena did. She really took the time to get to know us prior to the wedding, and it was evident when the music started.
Our wedding reception lasted until midnight, and, suffice it say, could have gone until 6am if security wouldn't have kicked us out. She was that outstanding.
Jena, we feel fortunate to have gotten the chance to have you take part in our day; you truly made it memorable to not only us, but ALL of our guests....
When friends and family tell you that your wedding was the best party they've ever been too (and you can tell it's true....), so much of that can be attributed the tunes.
Jena: you brought it, and we thank you forever for making our wedding the best.night.ever.
LOVE! Jeff and Kari Smith -
Review from Kristine L.
Chicago, IL
10/18/2011 1 photo
Kristin Marks of Toast & Jam MADE our wedding night! Seriously... she was a dream to work with and kept the dance floor packed the entire night! We have received countless compliments from our guests on how great our DJ was - from people of all ages. We had a complete blast tearing up the dance floor. I danced so much I kind of feel bad for not schmoozing with our guests more (but just kind of because dancing was so much fun)! Also, Kristin appeared to be having as much fun as us and our guests! Talk about loving her job...
More than just being great on our wedding day, Toast & Jam was fantastic to work with - from start to finish. Easy appointment and payment processes.
During both of our meetings with her prior to the big day, Kristin radiated with enthusiasm and great ideas! Not only did she master our must-play and do-not-play lists, she coached us through the smoothest way to get through all the reception activities (i.e., when to start receiving line, order of cake cutting, bouquet toss, etc). -
Review from Emily C.
Chicago, IL
11/8/2011
I will try not to just reiterate all the previous 5 star reviews, but have to say if you are considering going with T&J, do it! We worked with Carrie for our 10/2011 wedding. She was super receptive to our ideas and had a lot of really good ones to add. We had guests coming up and asking her for the play lists. I was somewhat afraid that because of their uber-hip reputation, we would alienate some of the guests, but never fear, Carrie kept the floor filled with hipsters, mom's, grandmas alike. She did a great job of using our suggestions and integrating hers.
Secondly, not only was the music superb, Carrie was essential in organizing the evening, and even advocated on our behalf when the venue staff tried to rush us. There were some snags with the venue, but because of Carrie's help, I don't think the guests had any idea.
T&J is worth the money. Not only do they know music, but they know weddings, and you will be so thankful to have a T&J there so you can just enjoy the evening. -
Review from Jaisa M.
Chicago, IL
10/26/2011
We hired Toast and Jam and Erica Schwenke to DJ our wedding reception at Cafe Brauer on Oct 1st and it was AWESOME. Erica had the D-floor packed all night, played great music, and was a perfect emcee.
We met with Erica twice before the wedding and each meeting was relaxed, fun, and informative. The first meeting we talked about wedding details and they gave us a huge list of songs as well as a list of songs they DO NOT play which I loved. They clearly understood how to DJ a modern wedding with fun music for everyone while leaving the Chicken Dance and Cha Cha Slide at home. Anyway, the second meeting we gave Erica a list of our current favorite dance songs and went over the timeline of the event and what music we wanted for each dance etc. I want to make sure to point out that we both LOVE dance and pop music and wanted a lot of current hits to be played at our wedding. Current hits as in released that month or week. We sent Erica a list of about 40 songs we really wanted to hear and she said no problem.
The reception was perfect and Erica played a huge role. The cocktail hour music was perfect for the setting and Erica played all the music we requested. During the announcements and speeches Erica was on point. She pronounced everyones names correctly, communicated with those giving speeches, and moved the reception along perfectly.
After our cake cutting we hit the dance floor and it was immediately packed. As I mentioned before, we gave Erica a lot of suggestions, maybe too much. We even told her the first song we wanted to hear which was an upbeat dance song. Well, I have to say that Erica knows better than we do. The first song she played was At Last by Etta James. We said we liked this song but never thought to play it first. Everyone immediately got up and started dancing with us. From then until midnight, the dance floor was packed. Awesome music, great mix of songs, and she was also very professional while dealing with all of the requests from our inebriated guests.
Erica and T and J were awesome to work with and they deserve all of the recognition and positive reviews. We would highly recommend using T and J and Erica to anyone looking to have a fun wedding with a packed dance floor. Thank you Erica and T and J for making our wedding memorable and a total blast! -
Review from Jaina M.
Lexington, MA
10/16/2011
I can't help but join the chorus of praise for Toast and Jam DJ's - even though this review is a little belated as our wedding was 3 months ago. We originally got the name from our photographer, Bethany Fritz, of Maypole Studios. Upon seeing their song list I knew we had to speak with them. We were paired up with DJ Kate Bilinski. We were planning our wedding from Boston, so we only had a phone call to base it on, and we really felt Kate matched our style.
Fast forward to the week before the wedding and Kate and I (my now husband was still in Boston) finally met in person, and we immediately hit it off and spent quite awhile just chit chatting. While I'm sure the rest of their DJs are also fantastic - it really felt like a match made in heaven. We both left the meeting really excited for the big day.
Now, my husband and I are not really into current pop music, but the music throughout the evening was extremely important to us. We wanted to make sure everyone would get a strong sense of our musical identity, but also pick things the guests would enjoy and recognize. During cocktails and dinner, Kate spun a perfect mix of our requests, with our various rock and metal picks. During the dance set, it turned into an oldies and 80s dance party! Not a note of Rihanna or Lady Gaga played, but the dance floor was packed the entire time with everyone having a blast and complimenting our selections. Kate really brought our vision to life and I couldn't imagine it being any more perfect than it was.
As a side note - we attended another wedding dj'ed by Toast and Jam (a friend of ours who booked on our recommendation, though we hadn't had the wedding yet at that point) a couple weeks ago, and it was also an amazing time. They sure know how to keep everyone dancing!
Thank you again, Kate and Toast and Jam!! -
Review from Allison M.
Oak Park, IL
12/8/2011
There are plenty of 5 star reviews here, so I really dont need to delineate all the reasons Toast and Jam is awesome. I am just going to give out a shout out to Dustin who did our wedding. He is just awesome. Great style, so friendly and accommodating, great sense of fun. His music selections ROCKED. All in all, from my experience with Dustin, I honestly don't know why anyone would go with anyone else but T&J.
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Review from Allison G.
Chicago, IL
7/7/2011
HIGHLY recommend Toast & Jam to ANY Bride, Groom, or other party-planner, and a special shout-out to Kate & Rachel, our amazing DJs.
Jason and I were specifically looking for DJs that strayed from overdone, boring wedding songs (ie: Chicken Dance, YMCA, etc). Toast & Jam came up a ton during internet searches and word of mouth, so we booked a consultation. It was "love at first sight" from our first meeting.
We got married July 3, 2011. They rocked the cocktail hour with deep cut soundtracks, indie rock, and classic standards. Then, the dance party...
The dance floor was PACKED! For 3.5 hours. We danced and danced. The staff at my venue danced. They play a wide array of music. 80s, classic rock, rockabilly, old skool hip hop. We had a truly epic ending ..."Bohemian Rhapsody."
Several of my guests said that they had never had so much fun at a wedding before. The words "best wedding ever" came up a lot.
To brides who want a great dj and want to dance the night away...hire them. To my friends whom are planning weddings...selfishly, I want you to hire them. I want more Toast & Jam dance parties! I am even considering a 30th birthday party with them.
Thanks T & J! Special thanks to Kate & Rachel, you are amazing women!Listed in: Wedding Season!
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Review from Leslie P.
Minneapolis, MN
11/22/2011
Toast and Jam Rocks. We had DJ Emily and she was a total pleasure to work with. I could not believe how many of our friends and family stayed until the very end of the reception and the dance floor was packed. Emily met with us and had phone conversations with us multiple times to make sure that she understood the style of music we wanted for cocktail hour, dinner and reception. And she hit the nail right on the head. She did not play one song that I didn't like, and I can't think of any songs that I would rather have had played. Toast and Jam is a phenomenal group to work with. Bravo, ladies!
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Review from James L.
Chicago, IL
11/29/2011
Natalie Clark, Mary Nisi, and the rest of Toast & Jam are like some sort of DJ Super Friends A-Team.
Natalie was awesome at our wedding a few months ago. I've never felt compelled to compliment a couple on their choice of DJ, so was pleasantly surprised when we received so many nice comments during the reception. Hey what can I say, I must have a discerning eye for talent.
Mary Nisi made the rest of the process smooth. Months later, she even helped to recommend a DJ for a friend on the west coast when their first one fell through. That's like shining an emergency DJ bat signal.
With all the wedding costs piling up, we almost went with a another agency that came in slightly cheaper. Very glad we didn't. -
Review from Ali W.
Chicago, IL
8/19/2011
Rachel Hinsdale rocks. We had a daytime wedding with natural light streaming in, which presents a challenge as to whether the dance floor will be packed. Our guests danced their booties off for 3 hours. Our photographer shot maybe 1,000 dance floor photos and they are priceless. Man, woman, child, elder, wacky, straight-laced, ALL got fully on board.
We got two meetings with Rachel, went over our songs & tastes, and she made helpful timeline suggestions too. We wanted to avoid a bunch of the cheesy dances and she ran interference (until we OK'ed an Electric Slide request under pressure).
Funny story -- some of our friends mentioned wanting to hear Run DMC, but they knew she was a good DJ and didn't want to make too many requests. But I went over and asked, and it turns out she already had them cued up for the very next song. Now that is what I call reading the crowd.
One little tip: If you put a song on the no-play list, make sure you're clear it's that one song and not the artist's whole catalog. We crossed "Dancing Queen" off the list and one guest was told I said no ABBA at all. Just a misunderstanding -- make sure you're clear when you mark up their sheet, because she definitely paid very close to attention to it.
Also, can I just say how we take perfect timing for granted? She kicked in every song just at the right time, just like we'd discussed. Hearing our recessional song begin as we kissed . . . that moment the hora gave way to Michael Jackson . . . moments to treasure! :) -
Review from Amanda Z.
5/11/2011 ROTD 7/26/2011
Important to me for our wedding: photography
Important to my (now) husband for our wedding: music
After hearing Toast and Jam tear it up on several occasions at yelp parties and then seeing them create a MASSIVE dance party at my friend's wedding, I knew the choice was going to be pretty easy for us in choosing a wedding DJ. Once my husband saw the "STALE list", he was hooked as well.
But then we met our DJ. And I became convinced that music was MOST important to me too. Why? I'm gonna break it down in list format.
(1) Our DJ's name was Amanda, which is pretty much the greatest name EVER. (I only don't like that name when I also work with someone named Amanda who happens to be short and petite and then I get called "the big Amanda." INAPPROPRIATE COWORKERS.)
(2) Every time we met with Amanda, we had a blast. We would sit there, goofing around, being stupid, and it was fun. Like, not stressful at all. (Anyone who has planned a wedding knows this is CRITICAL.)
(3) She didn't stutter when I told her I wanted to walk back down the aisle to Lionel Richie's "All Night Long." In fact, she encouraged it. (Sadly, that song was vetoed in favor of something a smidge more sentimental. HOWEVER, "All Night Long" did get a special place in our dance party.)
(4) She was great on the email (both in response times and just in demeanor...)
(5) HER NAME WAS FREAKING AMANDA. (It was fate, obviously. That reason bears repeating. It's my list, deal with it.)
(6) She showed up on time, followed through with everything we had discussed, and I didn't have to worry about a thing musically. It was magical.
So yeah. Our wedding turned into an amazing dance party, thanks to Amanda.
Lest I forget, every person with whom we dealt at T&J was friendly, professional and accommodating. This DJ business is a class act. If you want a dance party (and come on, people who don't want a dance party at their wedding clearly suck), BOOK THEM.Listed in: Wedding Shenanigans...
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Review from Ron M.
Chicago, IL
8/30/2011
We had Toast and Jam DJ our wedding and our DJ Jennefa Krupinski was phenomenal! She was so easy to work with before the big day. The music she put together for the cocktail hour was exactly what we were looking for. She coordinated with all the speech makers and was able to adjust on the fly when my father in law had a surprise slide show that he wanted to share with us and our guests.
As for the dancing she was able to keep the floor rocking and the music selection fit the crowd perfectly. T&J is the only DJ you should call for your bid day!!!! -
Review from Michelle A.
Chicago, IL
8/29/2011
Dustin is awesome! He kept all of our guests on the dance floor until the reception was over. The music selection was great -- nothing stale, nothing cheesy. Dustin is very professional, was able to improvise and move parts of the evening around when the schedule was thrown off without guests noticing. We can tell that he loves what he does.
Music was a really big deal to us, so we were glad we booked Toast & Jam a year in advance. When we went to Indie Wed in January, we found out that already had a waiting list for all weekends in August! -
Review from Alexis P.
Chicago, IL
11/2/2011
Oh, Kristin... how can I describe your greatness? Super fun, super easy to work with! Everything was perfect. Kristin made great suggestions about how to make our wedding move along smoothly (re: bridal party intros, cake cutting, bouquet toss, toasts, etc.). Her timing was perfect for the ceremony music, she achieved exactly the classic lounge vibe that we wanted for the cocktail hour and dinner and the dancing was PERFECT - the right mix of all the things we had discussed with Kristin! Truly something for everyone. Everybody had a great time and many commented on how excellent the music was. Thanks, Kristin. You're the best!
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Review from M. M.
Chicago, IL
11/1/2011
Hiring Kristin Marks of Toast and Jam for our wedding was probably the smartest thing I did in all of my planning! We wanted people to have fun and dance all night and Kristin made that happen.
From the very first meeting I knew I wanted Kristin to DJ our wedding. She basically functioned as DJ AND wedding planner, taking me through the ceremony, cocktail hour and reception and giving me ideas of what works and what doesn't. Because of her I had my wedding time line done 3 months in advance and everything flowed super smoothly! Talk about relieving Bridezilla's stress. :)
Kristin suggested using music by Vitamin String Quartet for the ceremony and it turned out awesome. The bridal party walked down the aisle to a string version of "All You Need Is Love," and we had great VSQ music for pre-ceremony and family processional too. I got tons of compliments just on the ceremony music....who ever even notices that?? I didn't get the pleasure of hearing cocktail music but I heard it was great, and the dinner music of course was perfect too. What really blew me away, though, was the reception. OH MY GOODNESS, was it phenomenal. I gave Kristin 5 must plays and she took it from there, and the dance floor was packed all night. Not only were all of our guests dancing, but Kristin was dancing all night as well! She MADE the party. We got so many compliments on the music!
At the end of the night after she'd played the last song, everyone started chanting, "ONE MORE SONG!" I will never forget that and it absolutely made my night to know that everyone was having as much fun as me.
Another DJ from T&J played one of my girlfriend's weddings last fall and she did a wonderful job keeping the party going too. These girls rock! Do yourself a favor and book Toast and Jam for your wedding!! -
Review from Gabrielle B.
Chicago, IL
7/15/2011
I wish I could go to a Toast & Jam party every week!! DJ Laura Jellum from Toast & Jam spun at our wedding at the Modern Wing for both the ceremony and reception and she did an amazing job! Our wedding was a non-stop dance party that we didn't want to end. Everyone was on the dance floor having an amazing time. It was legendary. All of our guests told us later how great the music was. She did a great job of appealing to the tastes of both our younger guests, the older crowd, and the Puerto Ricans, Italians, Jews, etc. of our multicultural reception. Somehow it was all in there and it all blended together perfectly.
Aside from throwing an awesome dance party, Laura & her colleagues at T&J were a pleasure to work with. I was planning my Chicago wedding from the West Coast and they were always accommodating with my hectic schedule. We spoke over the phone before I booked them and we met in person before the wedding. They were really nice and accommodating, especially when I forgot to bring their check like I said I would. They did an amazing job and I hope that I have the opportunity to hire them again for another event! -
Review from Meribeth K.
Chicago, IL
11/13/2011
Toast and Jam is fantastic! We got married on 10/21/11 and rocked the night away with Rachel at A New Leaf. The highest compliment we can bestow is that she absolutely "gets it." From the music selection to her peppy professionalism, we can not say enough great things. We had requested quite a few songs and she accommodated them all. We highly recommend Rachel (and T&J), complete with her skill and contagious smile!
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Review from julie a.
6/2/2011
My friend had them at their wedding, I think that maybe some things were lost in translation as far as how the reception was actually going. One of the bridesmaids had to remind them to move things along.
Regardless, what matters is that its good music, and it was. -
Review from T J.
Chicago, IL
6/30/2011
We got married on June 4th. If we could afford it we would have the same party over and over and over....
We have not one bad thing to say about T&J- in fact we have a MILLION great things to say!!
We had Mary as our DJ and not only was she totally professional- she was so much FUN to work with. These DJ's really know their music- and that is their job. I don't know music very well and that is OK. The point is for the DJ to know the music so they can read the crowd. That is exactly what Mary did. We got so many compliments about her.
The people working at our venue kept saying "We have never had such great music here, ever!" We are still getting phone calls and emails from our guests telling us how much fun they had and how great the music was.
Our dance floor was never even close to empty.
Isn't that what it's all about? Making sure you and your guests have fun?? Well that is exactly what happened.
We are so happy with Toast and Jam and Mary. We couldn't have found anyone better. Our wedding was the best party of our lives and we have honestly gotten so many compliments. I love it.
If you want to have a fun wedding- Do yourself a favor and hire Toast and Jam. -
Review from Sarah R.
Chicago, IL
6/24/2011
Toast and Jam provided the DJ services for my May 21, 2011 wedding and after party. Their music kept everyone on the dance floor and added to an amazing evening.
Thanks Toast and Jam!!! -
Review from Gretchen O.
ASTORIA, NY
5/1/2011
Toast and Jam DJed our wedding, and they were fantastic! We worked with Carrie, who was much cooler than my fiance and me, and very professional. She had thought of every contingency, and asked a lot of questions that helped us think through the particulars of the ceremony.
After the initial meeting, we didn't hear from T&J until two weeks before the wedding. Carrie asked a few more questions about the ceremony, had a quick chat about music, and we were good to go!
Carrie's attention to detail was superlative. The logistics worked perfectly - setup went without a hitch, she knew exactly who was giving a toast and when, she even set up a microphone and a chair so one of my bridesmaids could play a song on her guitar.
To top it off, she had over 5 hours of amazing music that kept the majority of guests dancing all night long! Our families and friends were mingling, everyone had a great time, and my husband and I couldn't have been happier. I got so many compliments, but it was all Carrie - on my end, things were remarkably easy and hands-off.
I would recommend Toast and Jam to anyone looking for a DJ. Check out their website and watch the hokey video that lays out their music selection philosophy, and you'll know you're in good hands. -
Review from Carolyn F.
Chicago, IL
7/26/2011
I think all of these amazing reviews should tell you to look no further. We had Dena Masley as our DJ for our June wedding and she was OUTSTANDING! I remember being on the dance floor, doubled over from so much dancing, but hearing another song I wanted to dance to and not being able to stop! The dance floor was packed, our guests were happy, and it was effortless on our part. We basically gave Dena free reign of the music selections (for the most part) and she definitely didn't disappoint. She also was super attentive throughout the entire night by giving us updates.
I went to another Toast and Jam wedding two weeks later and again....spent the night on the dance floor. Don't look any further. Book them! -
Review from Janna O.
Chicago, IL
10/31/2011
Karin Fjellman dj'd our wedding last weeked. We couldn't be happier! Thanks for making our day perfect! Great job.
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Review from Kat C.
New York, NY
10/5/2011
Toast and Jam completely deserves its 5 star yelp rating. We had the pleasure of working with DJ Laura Jellum for our wedding, and she was fantastic! She was chill and easy to work with, and her music selections were perfect. A lot of our guests are very into music, and they all complimented us on the amazing music -- one friend said it was the best music he had ever heard at a wedding. I agree! Laura played a lot of my favorite indie songs during the dinner hour, and managed to keep a diverse group of people dancing throughout the night. There's not a single thing my husband or I would have changed about the music. Definitely one of the best things about our wedding! I would highly recommend them to anyone looking for a DJ in Chicago.
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Review from Ellen D.
Chicago, IL
6/19/2011
Down-to-earth DJs and an encyclopedic knowledge of all genres of music put Toast and Jam head and shoulders above the rest. Having worked with a number of DJs, including Mary, Dustin and Kristen, this is a team of cool professionals who make sure every event they play at demonstrates the hosts' tastes whether it's Top-40 Radio Anthems, Britpop-Shoegaze or eclectic indie mixes. And while they look like the hippest of hipsters, I've seen 'em all belting out Miley Cyrus and Ke$ha from behind their turntables!
Not only can T&J keep the party rocking, but they make excellent MCs, bringing the guests together for special moments (like first dances and bouquet tosses) without spending half the night cracking corny jokes because they've got a mic. Every DJ is a true professional! -
Review from Kailin H.
Brooklyn, NY
10/5/2011
I first heard about Toast and Jam when I sent out a call for non-lame wedding DJ suggestions over facebook. Three different friends recommended Toast and Jam, and they were the only call I made!
At our wedding this past Saturday, Leslie Stiles kept our dance floor jumping all night long. Our friends didn't want to leave when the music stopped! She was great at reading the energy of the floor, and every song was timed perfectly. We loved Leslie and would recommend Toast and Jam to any and everyone! -
Review from Jenna S.
Chicago, IL
11/14/2010
In the never-ending search for DJs, photographers, caterers, etc., I came across Toast and Jam's reviews on Yelp. I remember then from Yelp Summerfest 2009, so I decided to contact them about DJing for our wedding. My fiance and I were really intrigued and interested in their style, their playlists, their mission and their ideas. I was excited to contact them to check availability for our date.
And then I waited. And waited. And waited. Several days went by with no reply. At all. Kind of unprofessional, considering dates for next summer are filling FAST. Every other vendor I contacted emailed (or called) the same or following business day. Nothing from Toast and Jam.
Fast forward five days. My first e-mail response from my initial website inquiry. Our date is available... yes! I had three business days to e-mail back to "hold" our date and come in for our first consultation. Done and done.
Then I wanted... again. Another four days (plus a weekend). My next e-mail reply reads: "I spoke too soon, your date is unavailable." I can be put on a waiting list. What? Really, really unprofessional. You aren't even aware of your own availability?
Their "waiting list" system is highly ridiculous. Someone can "hold" a date for up to three weeks without even committing. So, I could essentially wait 6-9 weeks to even hear that my name has come up at the top of the waiting list for my date. Since July 9 is clearly a very busy date (even this early), I don't have that kind of time. I need a DJ that is willing to make a commitment when I'm ready to put down money, not some company that will just let people hold dates as long as they please without making a real commitment.
Toast and Jam DJs are fantastic and I am really disappointed we can't hire them for our wedding. However, my entire experience with them has been totally unprofessional and I won't recommend them to anyone in the future.Listed in: Getting Married in Chicago
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Review from Melanie K.
Chicago, IL
12/14/2010
Biggest downside? It doesn't come with a mixtape for me...that girl who wouldn't get off the dance floor.
It must be revealed that this note is not coming from a direct client, but rather a cheerful participant.
T&J provided the sound stylings for a friend's wedding. A wedding that was packed with love and good taste, but was rather small. And as weddings are, diverse in age, taste, and disposition. One might fear that the dance floor would want for dancing.
Not the case.
T&J did a wonderful job catering not only to the musically advanced taste of the radio dj/lawyer groom and education expert/music groupie bride - but also to the diverse crowd of friends and family down to the 2-6 pipsqueaks. That group of 80 easily had enough energy for 200.
Things to note:
- They actually mix their songs together - GASP.
- They listen to suggestions stated and not from the dance floor - GASP.
- Their gal DJs are super cute, funky, cheerful, and down to earth.
- Looking at their bios? An impressive and savvy bunch.
Now excuse me while I go badger colleagues about getting them for our next party.... -
Review from Gabriel S.
Chicago, IL
4/16/2011
Chanting... Lau-ra Jell-um Lau-ra Jell-um Lau-ra Jell-um Lau-ra Jell-um! Say it with me now, Lau-ra Jell-um! Laura and Toast and Jam were outstanding. There is not a whole lot more to say about T&J. If you want a live @$$ party, call T&J. If you want a boring, hokey wedding call everyone else. There are a few areas where you should go big or go home when throwing any party, in particular a wedding. In my book, music is one of those. Our dance floor was packed all night, and Laura even let my harmonica aficionado brother play along with Rosa Parks with the microphone (that was a huge hit at the wedding). T&J blends tons of fun with the right amount of professionalism. From the onset, we knew we made the right decision for our wedding DJ.
LAU-RA JELL-UM! -
Review from Jess S.
Chicago, IL
8/30/2010
I would recommend this crew to any couple, as a guest who thoroughly enjoyed the tunes. The gal who DJ'ed my friend's wedding got it right!
Sweet indie rock during the obligatory reception stuff and awesome soul, R&B and rock & roll from the 50s on up. Everyone was dancing and having a blast.
Hope they're still around when its my big day! -
Review from Craig R.
9/18/2010 1 Check-in Here
We got the one dude from the group picture to DJ for our wedding, Dustin that is. To say the least, would highly recommend the Toast and Jam team to anyone for their event.
It was very easy to work with Dustin from the start. He was quick to respond to all emails and was easy to setup times to meet with despite OUR tough and crappy schedule. He made the time to meet with us, thanks for that Dustin!
Dustin helped us stay on our wedding time line right from the start. He also took our music tastes down to a T, I didn't hear a single song I didn't like the entire night, and we only actually chose 5 or 6 songs that we 'must hear' throughout the night. The dance floor was full almost the entire evening despite a quite diverse age group of 20 year olds up to mid 50s. Everyone had a blast and we were asked multiple times where we found our DJ.
All in all, couldn't have been happier with our choice.
Thanks Dustin and Toast and Jam! -
Review from Thi T.
Chicago, IL
12/1/2010
Dena at Toast and Jam ROCKED our wedding! She was so accommodating while we were making music selections, played all the stuff we wanted during cocktail hour and all our requests during the reception. She worked on the fly and kept our wedding timeline on track. We got so many compliments about the music and the dance floor was rockin' all night! My friends even loved that Dena was having a great time herself - jamming along with the music.
Best pros about Toast and Jam:
- They don't play random requests from guests.
- Their stale list is STALE and that's a good thing.
- Professional and set up was seamless.
- No cheesy announcements; Dena was great about making sure she had all pronunciations for names correct, etc. -
Review from Lisa L.
Chicago, IL
7/14/2011
I guess I'll just get right in line with the hundreds of previous reviewers who LOVE Toast & Jam! In short - they are amazing, they will make your wedding planning easier, and they will have your guests dancing their butts off!!!
My DJ was Dustin, who is such a cool guy. From the first meeting, he completely understood the ambiance I was trying to create, from cocktail hour, to dinner, to the dancing portions of the reception. I received so many compliments from my guests on the music...Dustin had everyone rocking the dance floor all night long!
T&J as a whole is also super organized and responsive to emails, which made working with them very easy. I had a long engagement so my initial meeting was more than a year before our final meeting, yet he had noted all of the details we talked about previously. Love that.
In terms of pricing, T&J was on the higher end of DJs I looked at, but the experience is completely worth the extra hundred or two. Skimp on linens or color printing or something (seriously, no one pays attention to that) and put your money towards a great DJ!!! -
Review from Polishbadger d.
Chicago, IL
10/5/2010
Music. A very important aspect to any social event. Especially at a wedding. We came across Toast and Jam via a recommendation from our wedding venue. We were on the fence about hiring a DJ, just because we have both been to several weddings that the wedding DJ was nothing short of awful. But as soon as we walked into the Toast and Jam office and met Carrie, we knew we were in very good hands.
The ambiance that we wanted was 1920's,30's and 40's music for the cocktail portion of our wedding ( which we had first), then 2 songs to play during the ceremony (one to walk down the aisle and one to walk back up the aisle), and the rest of the evening was tunes from the 1950's 60's 70, a little bit of the 80's and nothing from the 1990's and 2000's.
Carrie executed our wishes perfectly. There was not a single song that we cringed when she started playing it. It was the exact opposite in fact. Our guests were SO excited when they heard an oldie (but goodie).
If you are looking for a legit wedding DJ, that listens to what you want, that does not make awkward announcements and just knows how to have a rocking good time, Toast and Jam is the way to go. -
Review from Jennifer P.
Chicago, IL
6/28/2011
Seriously, these people know what they are doing and you can trust them with playing the music that you want to hear. Kate & Rachel were our DJs at our March wedding & they were awesome! We gave them a whole bunch of music to get to know our taste, as well as a short "must play" list. We let them do their thing for cocktail hour and even though I didn't know much of the music myself, it was still absolutely perfect. They kept the floor packed and so many of our guests stayed to dance who most expected to go home at 9:30! They were very accommodating & knowledgeable. We had a private dance which took a bit longer to get people out than we thought but they stuck around and let us have our own moment, which was amazing of them. Book these DJs and you will not be sorry!
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Review from Kim J.
Chicago, IL
8/29/2010
The fact that there is no love for DJ Leslie Stiles is a crime against nature.
Leslie DJed our August wedding at Salvage One. She was so much fun to work with! (As a side note, I want to be bff with pretty much all of my wedding vendors. Is that weird?) I probably could've sat around and talked music with her for hours at our pre-wedding meetings. We gave her an idea of what we liked (me: indie rock, cheesy hip hop, and 80s pop ,him: funk, jazz, and 70s rock) and let her do her thing.
The result? A kick ass party where everybody was shaking it out on the dance floor until the last song. There was SOMEBODY exclaiming "I love this song!" at least once a song, if not more.
Leslie was also great at accomodating our last minute request - instead of kissing every time someone clinked their glasses (boring), we made people get up and sing a love song if they wanted us to kiss.
Leslie really and truly wanted our day to be awesome, and she totally delivered. Five stars for her!
