Brendan’s Blog - The DJ’s Notes, Real Weddings, and more!

The holiday season has been busy for me, and I almost forgot to post this: Hawthorne Country Club’s annual bridal fair is happening this Sunday from noon to 3. It’s a fantastic show, featuring more than 50 of the area’s best vendors including photographers, florists, travel agents, bakeries and more. Admission is free. Make sure you stop by and say hi!

Hawthorne Country Club is located at 970 Tucker Road, North Dartmouth MA. You can get more info here.

The B-Sharp Entertainment page is now live on Facebook. If you’re reading this, you should absolutely become a fan!

Here’s why: In addition to keeping updated with the latest news about my company and the services I offer, you’ll also find out about upcoming events that will be open to the public, including bridal shows and wedding showcases. I’ll also be posting some additional event photos and videoclips, as well as other information that you may (or may not) find useful.

Here’s the link:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/#/pages/Taunton-MA/B-Sharp-Entertainment/55371553208?ref=ps

Due to some cancellations and one rescheduled event, my services are now available on select dates which were previously reserved by other clients. While I never like to hear that a couple’s marriage will not be taking place as scheduled, I’m happy to report that my services are now available on the following dates:

June 27, 2009 (Saturday)
August 8, 2009 (Saturday)
August 23, 2009 (Sunday)

Looking for other dates? Visit my website at www.southcoastdj.com or give me a call. I’d love to be part of your celebration.

How do you pick a favorite wedding when you get to work for so many great couples? It’s pretty much impossible. However, if I had to come up with a few nominees, I’m confident that Jen & Trevor would make the list. Their wedding reception was perfect.

The reception, at Hawthorne Country Club, was attended by 200 guests. The bride and groom hoped to have lots of time for dancing, and I’m happy to report that the Hawthorne staff timed the cocktail hour and dinner service just right. Some of my selections during dinner included Dean Martin’s “That’s Amore”, Stevie Wonder’s “For Once In My Life”, and Ben Harper’s “Steal My Kisses”.

Once the dancing began, there was no stopping. In fact, we had over three hours of dancing, which gave me plenty of time to please the entire crowd. What made this reception especially fun for me was Jen’s request list - it was four pages long and covered just about every musical genre, and it also included a number of songs that I haven’t played in a number of years. Remember “I Wish” by Skee-Lo? It still keeps the dance floor moving, as does Madonna’s “Lucky Star” and Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody”.

Congratulations, Jen & Trevor!

Wedding Party Introduction Music: “It’s Not Unusual” - Tom Jones
Jen & Trevor’s Introduction Music: “Another One Bites The Dust” - Queen
Jen & Trevor’s First Dance: “Every Time I Close My Eyes” - Babyface
(this really was the first dance - the first song they ever danced to, 13 years ago)

Song played during the Cake Cutting: “Everything” - Michael Buble
Bride/Father Dance: “I Loved Her First” - Heartland
Groom/Mother Dance: “My Special Angel” - Bobby Helms
Last Dance: “Grow Old With You” - Adam Sandler
Farewell Dance: “Save The Last Dance For Me” - Michael Buble

I left the photography to the professionals this time… these shots were provided by Adriano Batti. Check him out at www.photographyboston.com.

A view of the room before guests arrive.

A mailbox served as the holding place for cards, and looked great on the gift table.

The bride and groom during their first dance...

Everyone was ready to party!

This is my favorite picture - it truly captures the moment!

Alicia & Steve’s reception at Bittersweet Farm was one of my favorites this fall. I first met with Alicia and her mom way back in October of 2007, and only got to meet Steve during our final detail meeting in late September. Once I did, I really got a great sense of just how great a couple Alicia & Steve are, which got me even more excited about being part of their wedding day.

Steve is an airline pilot, so they decided to make their introductions unique by donning aviator sunglasses and walking in to Kenny Loggins’ “Danger Zone” from Top Gun. It really helped set the tone for the evening, and everyone loved it. I kept the subtle theme going during right through dinner, by mixing in a few “flight” songs like Sinatra’s “Fly Me To The Moon” and the Michael Buble rendition of “Come Fly With Me”. After dinner, the bride and groom had a wonderful first dance to another Michael Buble song, “Lost”. At their request, I did a custom edit of the song which omitted the first verse, which didn’t really fit the joyous mood of a wedding. Another custom edit was used during the father/daughter dance, as it originally had a segment that didn’t follow the same tempo as the rest of the song.

After parent dances, the dance floor filled as I picked up the tempo and dimmed the lights - and it stayed that way until the very end of the night. Among the floor-packers: “Maniac” (a request from the bride’s sister), “Cotton-Eyed Joe” and Great Big Sea’s “The Old Black Rum” - it turned the dancefloor into one giant folk-dance party. The six-hour reception ended at 10:00 pm with two of my favorite songs from the mid 1990s - Mazzy Star’s “Fade Into You” and Rusted Root’s “Send Me On My Way”.

Congratulations, Alicia & Steve!

Introduction Music: “Green Onions” - Booker T & The MGs
Alicia & Steve’s Introduction Music: “Danger Zone” - Kenny Loggins
Alicia & Steve’s First Dance: “Lost” - Michael Buble
Song played during the Cake Cutting: “L-O-V-E” - Nat King Cole
Bride/Father Dance: “I Wish You Love” - Dean Martin
Groom/Mother Dance: “When You Come Back Down” - Nickel Creek
Last Dance: “Fade Into You” - Mazzy Star
Farewell Song: “Send Me On My Way” - Rusted Root

The Wedding Cake

One of the table settings at Bittersweet Farm

The Candy Buffet - this has become very popular at weddings this year.

The head table. Each table was illuminated with a kerosene lantern.

Slow dancing.

Once the dancefloor was opened, it was standing-room only.

By 9:00 pm, everyone had joined in the fun!

Maureen & Paul had a wonderful wedding celebration at LeBaron Hills Country Club, and I was so happy to be part of their wedding day. I admit that when I first spoke with Maureen on the phone I wasn’t sure what to expect - she and Paul are older than most of the couples I work for - but I paid close attention to what they wanted and the day couldn’t have been better. The reception started at 11:30 with cocktails outside on the patio, followed by dinner in LeBaron Hills’ ballroom. There were plenty of laughs, lots of memories shared, and smiles all around.

Maureen was one of the first to step onto the dance floor after dinner, and the dancing continued throughout the afternoon. Everyone enjoyed my music selections, young and old, and had a wonderful time.

Congratulations, Maureen & Paul!

Introduction Music: “Sing, Sing, Sing” - Benny Goodman
Maureen & Paul’s First Dance: “Could I Have This Dance” - Anne Murray
Song played during the Cake Cutting: “Young At Heart” - Frank Sinatra
Last Dance: “Last Dance” - Donna Summer

The Bride and Groom during their first dance.

More Dancing

The second weekend in October was my busiest, with three weddings taking place. First up was Eric & Becky’s reception at Independence Harbor in Assonet. What a great party! Eric & Becky found me through Dana Pierce, who was outstanding to work with, as always.

Eric & Becky did such a great job with making their day a special one. The reception started with the introductions of their wedding party - the announcements were done by some of their younger family members, and they were perfect! When the bride and groom were introduced, they walked in to overwhelming applause and were smiling right up until the very last dance of the night. Their music selections were very cool - it’s not often that the must-play list that I receive includes “Baby Got Back”, Bust A Move” AND “The Humpty Dance” (and those were just the must-plays!). All of the guests enjoyed the music, including the elderly couple that came out to dance to “Money Ain’t A Thang”. Note to other DJs: Never underestimate your audience!

Congratuations, Eric & Becky!

Wedding Party Introduction Music: “Don’t Stop Believin’” - Journey
Eric & Becky’s Introduction Music: “Mo Money Mo Problems” - Notorious BIG
Eric & Becky’s First Dance: “You And Me” - Lifehouse
Song played during the Cake Cutting: “Baby I Love You” - Aretha Franklin
Bride/Father Dance: “What A Wonderful World” - Louis Armstrong
Groom/Mother Dance: “Can’t Smile Without You” - Barry Manilow
Last Dance: “Ever The Same” - Rob Thomas
Farewell Dance: “Two Tickets To Paradise” - Eddie Money

The Wedding Cake

In addition to featuring wedding pictures of their ancestors, Becky's grandmother's wedding dress was on display.

One of Independence Harbor's elaborate veggie platters.

The dining room. I brought in a couple of red uplights to give the dance floor area some color.

Another packed dance floor = another successful event!

This October has been my busiest month ever, and all of the events I’ve worked have been absolutely spectacular. Now that the month is winding down, I’ll have more time to post about those events and talk about some other exciting things happening over the next few months.

The event I did last night was phenomenal - Jen & Trevor’s wedding reception at Hawthorne Country Club. I’ll have a full recap of it soon, but I wanted to share the email I received from the bride just after noontime today:

Brendan-

Thanks-Jen

I was fortunate to work for TWO wonderful couples during the first week of October; the second wedding of the weekend was Chantelle & Donnie’s ceremony and reception at Lake Pearl Luciano’s in Wrentham. I’ve done a number of events at Lake Pearl, but this was the first where I was providing ceremony music in addition to the reception entertainment.

Chantelle & Donnie hired me in September 2007, and we met again in September of this year to go over all of the details of their wedding day. It was a great meeting - they were really organized with everything so it made getting to know them a lot of fun. I was especially flattered when they told me that I was their favorite vendor to work with; they told me that of all of the vendors they’d hired, I was the only one who seemed truly excited about their wedding day. I admit that I do look forward to my events more than most wedding vendors might. In fact, I’ve worked with plenty of people who treat each event like just another job, while I feel truly privileged to be part of my clients’ special occasions. When I stop enjoying what I do and appreciating the people I get to work for, that’s when I’ll hang up my headphones.

Back to Chantelle & Donnie’s wedding: it started at 1:00 pm with an outdoor ceremony, followed by cocktails and hors d’ouevres in Lake Pearl’s Lounge. Later, guests made their way into the Treetop room and were treated to amazing love story video produced by Richard Kim of KVB Productions. It was my first time working with Richard, but I can tell you this: He’s a class act. I’ve seen lots of photo slideshows, but this presentation was totally different - a 10 minute program including interviews with the bride and groom, talking about how they met, the times they’ve spent together, and when they knew for sure that their relationship was like no other. When the presentation was finished, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. You can view the video here.

After a mid-afternoon meal, the dancing began, with an assortment of great dance songs picked out by the bride and groom. Some of the highlights included Chantelle’s PERFECT lip-sync to “We Are Family” (you would have thought that she was once a member of Sister Sledge), and Donnie’s outstanding dance moves during Run DMC’s “It’s Like That” - it’s Donnie’s most favorite song. We finished off the afternoon with a perfectly choreographed last dance, to Frank Sinatra’s “The Last Dance”. It was a WONDERFUL afternoon!

Congratulations, Chantelle & Donnie!

Introduction Music: “I Feel Good (I Got You)” - James Brown
Chantelle & Donnie’s Introduction Music: “Let’s Get It Started” - Black Eyed Peas
Chantelle & Donnie’s First Dance: “Truly” - Lionel Richie
Last Dance: “The Last Dance” - Frank Sinatra

The Treetop Room at Lake Pearl

The place cards are laid out and ready...

One of the outdoor ceremony locations at Lake Pearl.

Monogrammed cocktail napkins are a great way to personalize your event.

The wedding cake.

The bride and groom sharing a dance.

The view from the DJ booth at 6:00 pm.

In this area, most of the local bridal fairs happen during the months of January and February. That’s why I was happy to hear about LeBaron Hills Country Club’s Bridal Show taking place on Sunday, November 23rd from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm. I’ve really enjoyed my LeBaron Hills events over the course of the past year or so - they’ve made some big improvements in the management of their facility and the waitstaff is always happy to serve you. As soon as I got the call asking me to take part in the show, I didn’t have to think twice about saying yes.

The show will be featuring about two dozen vendors, from DJs to Florists, Bakeries and more; all are top-notch and referred by LeBaron Hills to their clients. Admission is free and cocktails and hors d’ouevres will be served. You can get more information about the show here. I hope to see you there!