My second Memorial Day weekend wedding was Kirsten & Mike’s reception at LeBaron Hills Country Club in Lakeville. I love working there because it’s very close to my office. However, they always seem to have a new manager there each year. I’m happy to report that the current manager, Andrew, does a fantastic job and is super-easy to work with.
Kirsten and Mike were referred to me by Dana Pierce; they were planning their wedding from out-of-town, and were very specific about what they wanted from their DJ: great personality, no cheese, and lots of lighting. Kirsten’s from the New York/New Jersey area and has experience as an event planner, so she was expecting me to bring 110% to her reception. I do that for all of my clients, so I was definitely up for the assignment. And from start to finish, this one was perfect.
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I had two weddings to DJ over Memorial Day weekend – the first was Katie & Norm’s outstanding reception at Quidnessett Country Club in North Kingstown, RI. This was my first time doing a wedding at Quidnessett, and everything about this reception was fantastic. For me, the hardest part was making sure that I got the bride’s name right. I was the DJ at her sister Kerri’s wedding in 2006, so it would have been very easy to slip up when making announcements or introductions.
The introductions went fine and were followed by a first dance, a few toasts to the bride and groom, and then a slideshow that featured the newlyweds before and after they met. It was a nice touch. After dinner, the dancefloor quickly filled with Katie & Norm’s family and friends, and they kept dancing right up until midnight.
Katie & Norm’s First Dance: “Someone Like You” – Van Morrison
Song played during the cake cutting: “How Sweet It Is” – James Taylor
Bride/Father Dance: “I Loved Her First” – Heartland
Groom/Mother Dance: “Though The Years” – Kenny Rogers
Last Dance: “Crazy Love” – Van Morisson & Ray Charles
Farewell Song: “Save The Last Dance For Me” – Michael Buble
Here’s the view from the reception room at Quidnessett – what a gorgeous day!
The bride and groom during their first dance:
Some of the many dancers:
My Friday night event was a summer-themed dance for the 8th grade class at Milton Academy. Although it was a cold and rainy day (and not at all summer-like), the 40 students in the class didn’t let that hamper their spirits. In fact, this group was probably the most polite group of students that I’ve ever worked for (the dance was organized by the parents’ association, but at the request of the kids, the parents weren’t allowed to stick around while the dance was taking place). The dance absolutely rocked. In addition to current hits, the future class of 2012 enjoyed a “Sweet Caroline” sing-along, a musical-chairs game, and a few older songs that were requested by the students – “Love Is A Battlefield”, “This Is How We Do It” and “Ants Marching”.
This was my first time working at Milton Academy, but I hope that I get asked back in the future. It was a great night!
I’ve been working on a number of projects lately and haven’t had much time to post here, but whenever I get busy with things, it’s generally a good sign. For example:
- I’ve been remixing a number of popular party songs to make them more dancefloor-friendly. When you’ve been playing some of the same songs over and over for 20 years, it’s nice to have a new rendition of a time-tested classic to play. I never like to change what makes a song popular or fun, so I only make subtle changes, like a different introduction. It freshens things up and keeps the energy moving on the dance floor.
- I’ve been moving over to a new event planning system. If you’re one of my clients, you’ll soon see some really exciting and new features when you access your event details online. Unfortunately, the switchover isn’t a one-click process for me, so I’ve been doing a lot of typing, moving everyone’s event details from the current system to the new one.
- I’ve expanded my light show. Although I don’t use it at every event (and very rarely at weddings), it’s fantastic. I’m planning to to use it at a school dance that I’m working tomorrow night.
One more thing to note – Congratulations to Mike & Kristie McLaughlin, whose wedding I attended last weekend in West Bridgewater. I’ve known them for years, and it was a wonderful celebration.
