Personalize Your Reception

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This past weekend, I had the pleasure of DJ’ing a wedding chalked full of personal touches that displayed the bride and groom’s outgoing, fun-loving personalities.

My Thoughts…When planning your wedding, do not worry about what other people expect or what is conventional. Don’t be afraid to add a little flair to your special day.

For starters, their first dance was choreographed to Ray LaMontagne’s “You are the Best Thing.” The groom twirled his bride around the dance floor and hammed it up for the guests. Everyone loved it. You could feel the energy in the room building as everyone anxiously awaited to see what was going to happen next… as the groom dipped the bride and I faded out the music and mixed in “Weapon of Choice” by Fatboy Slim. On the far side of the dance floor, the father of the bride began to move around slowly as if to break into dance at any minute as the song began to build. At the same time, the bride (on the other side of the dance floor) also began pacing the dance floor. After the 30 second intro, the father of the bride and the bride began dancing ala Christopher Walken in the “Weapon of Choice” music video. The room erupted with applause and I knew right away this was going to be a fun bunch. From here, we faded into the more traditional “What a Wonderful World” by Louis Armstrong as the groom and his mother joined the bride and father of the bride on the dance floor.

I was told ahead of time that the bride and groom and their friends had a lot of “song routines”. “You’ll see what we mean,” they said. I had no idea what I was in store for. First up, “Time Warp” from the Rocky Horror Picture Show, by special request from the bride. The entire dance floor filled as the song began and everyone took their place as if this was a well rehearsed Broadway show. Everyone in the room was grinning from ear to ear as they “performed” synchronized movements to the song. It was a blast!

Throughout the evening, the group continued to participate in other group dances, including a hilarious dance to The Pointer Sisters “Jump (For My Love) in which members of the bridal party took turns jumping into an imaginary double Dutch jump roping scenario. Again, it was a blast for everyone involved.

Because they planned a night that was customized to their specific tastes, the couple and all of their guests will definitely look back at that night as one they will never forget. They were not concerned about convention. They wanted to have a fun, memorable, and unique wedding reception and they most definitely did. I can honestly say that it was one of the most fun wedding receptions I have ever been a part of.

Grandmother Nails It

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Venue: Holiday Inn Chicago Mart Plaza on 7.25.09

The food was great! Outstanding views from the 15th floor reception hall.

As DJs, we see many different events and a few crazy things now and then. After looking at the job sheet for Saturday, I noticed the bride’s grandmother was scheduled to sing. The bride wanted the singing to take place after the mother/son dance and I was slightly concerned about how well this would go over. In the beginning of the evening, the grandmother stopped by the DJ booth to express how nervous she felt. When the time came, I gave her a proper introduction, and she calmly made her way to center stage on the dance floor. What happened next blew us all away. She started with a 5 minute heartfelt monologue that explained what she was singing and why. She was outstanding! Even before the singing began, she had the crowd laughing one minute and tearing up the next.

Finally, the singing began and she nailed it! The entire room was on the verge of tears and disbelief. Her singing was absolutely breathtaking. She finished and the room was mesmerized.  A split second of silence was followed by a standing ovation. The bride and groom (still in tears) met her halfway for hugs.

The rest of the evening was wonderful. The family was great and they danced all night long