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

Every once in a while I get the privilege of working for a couple who really goes above and beyond to put their own unique “stamp” on their wedding day. These receptions sometimes require a little more planning and coordination on my part, but they’re always worth the extra effort because they’re sure to be remembered in the years that follow. One of the first really unique receptions for me took place back in 2003 at the Red Lion Inn in Cohasset; it featured a game of “Cranium” led by the bride and groom and played by all of their guests, followed by a karaoke sing-a-long. Another memorable reception was Caryn & Sean’s wedding last October; I wrote about it in this post.

This year’s most memorable reception just might be Keith & Stacey’s celebration at the Old Yarmouth Inn in Yarmouthport, MA. When they first hired me back in September of 2007, I had no idea just how much I’d enjoy working for them. That’s partially because we never met in person before they decided to hire me. They had found me on the Massachusetts Online Wedding Guide, enjoyed some of my early blog posts, and spoke with me on the phone only once or twice before signing a contract. When I did finally meet them in January, it was at a bridal show - they took a drive down to Dartmouth to see me and check out some of the other vendors, even though I’m pretty sure they had already booked all of the important ones by then.

When we met again in September to go over all of the details for their reception, the one thing I heard pretty frequently was that “…we want to do something different”. For starters, that meant providing ceremony music in a really small chapel with no electrical service:

It also meant that the bride and groom would be serving Hostess cupcakes in lieu of a traditional wedding cake:

And it meant that the dancing would be taking place in the Old Yarmouth Inn’s bar area, which is about as big as my living room. No complaints from me about that - I love being able to say that the dance floor was packed from the moment Keith & Stacey started their first dance:

After that first dance, everyone took their seats in the dining room, where we were treated to a number of toasts and lots of singing. Note to future clients: if you tell me you’d like your guests to sing a song with lyrics that include the word “love” in order to see you kiss your new husband or wife, there will be more singing and laughter than you could ever expect.

Speaking of singing and laughter, Keith and his co-workers put together a vocal tribute to the bride in the months leading up to the wedding. This included the groom serenading his new wife with a rendition of Sonny & Cher’s “I Got You Babe”.

You’re probably wondering about the woman in costume… that’s Keith’s co-worker, Denise. Denise paid tribute to Keith & Stacey with her parodies to songs from “The Sound Of Music”, because Keith claims to be an expert on all things Do-Re-Mi. I knew about the songs - I had sent her the instrumental tracks prior to the wedding. However, I don’t think anyone expected the Austrian attire.

Before and after the musical tribute, Keith & Stacey’s guests filled the dance floor while I supplied a variety of party hits. Among the requests: “My Humps”, “Super Freak”, Danity Kane’s “Damaged”, and “Baby Got Back”.

Needless to say, Keith & Stacey’s wedding reception will definitely be one that their guests and I will never forget.

Congratulations, Keith & Stacey!

Introduction Music: “I’m Shipping Up To Boston” - Dropkick Murphys
Keith & Stacey’s Introduction Music:
“You’re The First, The Last, My Everything” - Barry White
Keith & Stacey’s First Dance: “Let’s Stay Together” - Al Green
Song played during the cake cutting: “How Sweet It Is” - Michael Buble
Bride/Father and Groom/Mother Dance: “What A Wonderful World” - Louis Armstrong

My first September 2008 wedding was for Lisa & Edgar; Lisa’s mom had hired me and I didn’t meet with them until a few weeks before the big day, but I really enjoyed that meeting and knew when I left that their reception was going to be a great time. And despite having to make a last-minute change of plans due to weather, Lisa was in GREAT spirits. The original plan was to have a beach wedding ceremony at Falmouth’s Menauhant Beach. Unfortunately, the remains of Hurricane Hanna were heading up the east coast - not a good combination. So, a late decision was made to have the ceremony in the reception room at Coonamessett Inn.

Lisa & Edgar gave me carte blanche to select their ceremony music, so I picked some traditional classical pieces for the processional. For the recessional, I chose a song off of Lisa’s request list - “Signed, Sealed, Delivered” by Stevie Wonder. It turned out to be a great choice - so good that when I checked in with Lisa later in the afternoon, she immediately told me that I made her whole day with that one song. Perfect timing!

After introductions, the bride and groom took to the dance floor to Santana’s “Love Of My Life”. It did take some time for the dance floor to fill after food had been served, but that’s no fault of the DJ - the bar was a popular hangout spot that afternoon. To bring his friends back around, Edgar called his friends over to the dancefloor for a ’special announcement’ (based on the hype, you might have thought he was giving away a new car, a la “My Super Sweet 16′). The special announcement was that everyone needed to dance - and they did, from the first note of Kid Rock’s “All Summer Long” to the very last song of the afternoon.

Congratulations, Lisa & Edgar!

Introduction & First Dance: “Love Of My Life” - Santana feat. Dave Matthews
Song played during the Cake Cutting: “When I’m 64″ - The Beatles
Bride/Father Dance: “My Girl” - The Temptations
Groom/Mother Dance: “In My Life” - The Beatles

Table number one

The Wedding Cake had a distinct Cape Cod design.

The breakout Conga line.

Dancing during the 'Sweet Caroline' sing-a-long.

The newlyweds - VERY happy with their DJ!