Our History
Shawn Plante – Owner
When Instant Request was founded in 1980, owner Shawn Plante had a sincere desire to create an upscale DJ company that was fun yet tasteful. The vision was to provide higher quality service which reflected the importance of a bride’s big day. Shawn DJ’d his first wedding at age 15 at a local country club in Grand Forks. He continued DJing for weddings, school dances and special events for four years before attending Concordia College in Moorhead. During college, Shawn was the executive director of student productions at Concordia, responsible for the audio visual equipment on campus as well as the campus entertainment. Upon graduation with his Business/French/English degrees, he relocated Instant Request to Minneapolis where he felt his vision of an upscale, tasteful and fun DJ service would be a breath of fresh air into the stale wedding DJ scene.
That upscale style launched with some innovative changes. Unlike the existing DJs in the Twin Cities, there would be no cheesy advertising banners hung, DJs would wear black tuxedos, the amount of DJ interaction & music would be customized by the bride and groom and the sound and lighting would of superior quality.
With superior quality its mission, Instant Request invested in one of the very first CD burners which was a huge improvement not only in sound quality but allowed Instant Request DJs to have the largest music library at their fingertips. Shawn recalls that the “The CD burner cost more than a car at that time and blank media cost $14 each! It was a huge risk but we truly wanted to deliver the highest quality service available and our clients were completely blown away with how amazing it was. It was one of the pinnacle moments in our history.” That innovation and commitment to quality can still be seen throughout the company as Instant Request has continually invested in the latest technology and equipment, staying far ahead of its competitors.
Another innovation created to help deliver the customized wedding experience was the development of the online reception planning tool that allowed brides to customize their reception music, crowd participation and other details at their own pace. This software grew into the most detailed, user friendly event planning tool in the industry.
Instant Request has been an innovator in providing LED uplighting to wedding receptions, and has been able to offer it at an unbelievable value. Because of the company’s philanthropic nature and vast inventory of lighting equipment, Instant Request sponsors dozens of non-profit organizations annually, providing them with elaborate lighting for their fundraisers. Their vision to deliver creative lighting designs for weddings was ahead of its time.
Throughout their history, Instant Request has always made it a priority to learn about their brides and grooms, the DJ interaction they envision, and the music they want to hear. Their focus has always been to deliver a professional, unique and individualized service. Their pledge is to always be accommodating, professional and fun but never cheesy. It’s this integrity, innovation and personalized approach that has come to define Instant Request as the most Award-Winning Disc Jockey company in MN.
We look forward to the opportunity to make your day amazing!
Sincerely,
Shawn Plante
