Brendan’s Blog

My wedding this weekend was at Plimoth Plantation, and was a referral from my friend Kim Heidke at Candid Casuals Photography. Kim’s one of my favorite people to work with, so when she refers a couple to me I know even before I speak with them that they’re just as much fun as she is. Colleen and Ryan were no exception!

Although I arrived early to set up, many of the guests were already on-site and were enjoying the warm weather and scenic grounds. After a cocktail hour, dinner and parent dances, I opened the dance floor with a Joan Osborne rendition of “At Last” and then segued into an assortment of floor-fillers and dance party classics. As the night went on, the energy level in the room continued to rise, as did the number of guest requests - everything from “Disco Inferno” to the Outfield’s “Your Love”, “Soulja Boy” and Gwen Stefani’s “Hollaback Girl”. The evening ended with two big sing-a-longs: Billy Joel’s “Piano Man”, and a song on the bride’s “must play” list, “I Want It That Way” by the Backstreet Boys (the crowd’s reaction to this one really surprised me… they LOVED it).

I really didn’t want this party to end.

Introduction Music: “The Final Countdown” - Europe
Bride & Groom’s Introduction: “Theme from ‘Rocky’” - Bill Conti
Colleen & Ryan’s First Dance: “You’ve Got A Way” - Shania Twain
Song played during the Cake Cutting: “Love And Marriage” - Frank Sinatra
Bride/Father Dance: “Daughter Of Mine” - John McDermott
Groom/Mother Dance: “A Song For My Son” - Donna Lee Honeywell
Last Dance: “Last Dance” - Donna Summer

Gainsborough Hall at Plimoth Plantation - it’s beautiful.

The view from just outside the room:

Another packed dance floor!

The second wedding that I had last weekend was Amie & Aaron’s reception at Bittersweet Farm in Westport. As I’ve mentioned in this blog before, I love working at Bittersweet - the staff is always helpful and the food is amazing. Plus, the atmosphere is really unique compared to what you’ll find at most of the other banquet facilities in that area. Amie & Aaron hired me fairly recently - less than six months ago. Her dad encouraged her to meet with me after visiting Apponequet.com, a website that I put together many years ago to help my fellow high school classmates keep in touch.

The wedding guests arrived to the event a bit early, but I also arrive early and was ready to go well before my scheduled start time. Despite the early arrival, most of Amie and Aaron’s 125 guests stayed right until the very end of the reception. Both the bride and groom are into country music, so my song selections included more country songs than I’d normally play. Everyone loved it, whether they were dancing to “Friends In Low Places” or “Honky Tonk Badonkadonk”. It was an outstanding event, and a terrific finish to a busy weekend!

Introduction Music: “Zoot Suit Riot” - Cherry Poppin Daddies
Amie & Aaron’s First Dance: “Me And You” - Kenny Chesney
Song played during the cake cutting: “How Sweet It Is” - James Taylor
Bride/Father Dance: “My Wish” - Rascal Flatts
Groom/Mother Dance: “You Needed Me” - Anne Murray
Last Dance: “I Could Not Ask For More” - Sara Evans

A new option at Bittersweet Farm: Your initials carved in fruit.

My setup - great sound in a very small space!

The dancefloor, as seen from my corner of the room:

Margie & Chuck’s wedding on Saturday was fantastic, although it required lots of preparation on my part. In addition to handling the music for dinner and dancing, Margie called me the week before the wedding and asked if I’d be interested in playing the piano during their cocktail hour as well. Always eager to share my talents, I accepted the invitation. I’ve been playing by ear since age 5 and took lessons until I was 13, but I’ve only recently started offering live piano music along with my DJ services. At some point I’ll have some samples of my playing available on my website.

The reception took place at the Wellesley Country Club, and it was an outstanding event from every perspective. The skies were sunny and clear, and the atmosphere was formal yet fun. The cocktail hour took place outdoors on the patio, where Margie & Chuck’s 240 guests enjoyed drinks and the sounds of my piano music coming from the adjacent club room. Later, we all made our way upstairs to Wellesley’s ballroom. The room itself only seats 200, so some of the guests were seated under a tent on the attached deck. This is where more preparation was involved - I used my wireless sound system on the deck, so that the guests there would be able to hear my announcements and the toasts by the best man and maid of honor. It worked beautifully.

The introductions also required some practice (one of the bridesmaids has a five-syllable last name and was impressed that I had nailed it without her assistance). After a delicious dinner, the dance floor quickly filled - this was definitely a party crowd! Margie and Chuck left for a short time to take some pictures, but when they returned they found almost every one of their guests dancing and ready to welcome them back. At the end of the night, Margie summed up her thoughts in three words - “We loved it!”.

Introduction Music: “Sweet Caroline” - Neil Diamond
Margie & Chuck’s First Dance:
“Speak Softly Love (Love Theme from ‘The Godfather’) - Andy Williams
Margie’s Dance with her brothers:
“Over The Rainbow/What A Wonderful World” - Israel Kamakawiwo’ole
Chuck’s Dance with his daughter: “Forever Young” - Stoney LaRue
Groom/Mother Dance: “Young At Heart” - Frank Sinatra
Last Dance: “Turn Your Lights Down Low” - Bob Marley

The reception featured a subtle Red Sox theme. Each table was named for a player:

Here’s the deck area - it was a gorgeous day!

Here’s my setup, ready to go:

Here’s the dance floor - make room!

I made a trip up to Tewksbury for last Saturday’s event, a surprise 60th birthday party. The celebration was kept secret right up until the guest of honor arrived at the venue, so from a party planning standpoint, it was a success on every level. More than 70 guests joined the guest of honor and his family for a night of food, drinks, dancing and karaoke, and everyone had a great time. My music selections included lots of party favorites (”Mony Mony”, “Shout”, etc.), some traditional Irish and Scottish music (”Black Velvet Band” and “Scotland The Brave” - both were guest requests), and plenty of danceable rock classics, including “Livin’ On A Prayer” and “You Shook Me All Night Long”. A highlight of the night was a group lip-sync to “Paradise By The Dashboard Light” - from what I’ve heard, it’s not the first time this group has gathered on the dance floor to mime the Meat Loaf classic.

David and the other attendees all had an unforgettable evening, as did the two party crashers who mistakenly thought they were at a singles’ night. I guess the “David Through The Decades” banners, giant video slideshow and birthday cake weren’t enough of a clue that they were in the wrong place.

Happy Birthday, David!