“To summarize simply, Mariko is the greatest for so many reasons: her passion, her *chef’s kiss* dance floor management, her professionalism, and the fun she brings. For the longer story: We knew going into our wedding that it was really important to us to have a female DJ (hello underrepresentation), but also that it was really important to work with someone who would have just as much fun as we knew we’d have. We’d contacted Jane at Stylus, who then sent us a number of DJs under her with mixes, among which Mariko was (obviously) a standout. We listened to her wedding mixes and felt like it jived with our tastes, and loved that we became exposed to some new artists and songs. We also liked knowing that Mariko DJs in non-wedding settings too. What really sold us, though, was when we met with Mariko the first time. She is so passionate about what she does. We really wanted to prioritize a packed dance floor above all else, and Mariko immediately picked up on that and threw out some suggestions. More than that, though, we felt that Mariko had a genuine level of investment in us having the best wedding experience (after only having just met us?!), and we couldn’t imagine going with another DJ. The process of getting to the wedding with Mariko was a Type-A person’s dream (and even if you’re not Type A, Mariko is always armed with suggestions): she provided us with a super detailed questionnaire, was insanely responsive to emails, and also offered some thoughts when we asked her to cut some music for us for our entrance and first dance. When we met a couple of weeks before the wedding, Mariko was super detailed and clear about what she needed. She gave us valuable tips and recommendations too! When we saw her on the wedding day we hugged as if we’d been long-time friends, and honestly, it was the perfect way to start off the next phase of the day. Throughout the day, it was clear to us how thoughtfully Mariko created our set lists. She played songs that were very clearly inspired by some of our must plays, did an AMAZING job MCing (to the point where our last song experience remains one of our top moments of the day), and also had so much fun that many of our guests complimented not just her setlist, but also her enjoyment. She’s amazing. Work with her if you have the opportunity!!” -Lauren O. –Wedding Wire, The Knot & Google

DJ: Mariko
Venue: Brotherhood Winery, Washingtonville NY