The B-Sharp Entertainment Blog

Just a quick reminder that Hawthorne Country Club‘s annual bridal show is taking place on January 10, 2010 from Noon to 3pm. Admission is free, and the show features some of Hawthorne’s most recommended vendors. This is a great opportunity to see the latest trends, chat with wedding professionals, and take advantage of special pricing and offers that many exhibitors offer. In short, it’s a great way to start a new year of wedding planning.

Hawthorne Country Club is located at 970 Tucker Road in North Dartmouth MA.

After spending much of the first quarter of 2009 at bridal shows, booking new events and entertaining at a number of other parties, I was thrilled to be back in a more formal setting for my first wedding of the year: Melissa & Michael’s reception at Hawthorne Country Club. They first contacted me in October of last year, and found me based on Hawthorne’s recommendations.

I loved working with Melissa & Mike because they were VERY laid back and not at all nervous about their big day or the planning the led up to it. I meet with lots of brides who carry big accordian-style portfolios stuffed with notes, magazine clippings (“10 things to ask a DJ!”) and pictures of centerpieces, floral arrangements, cakes, and beach ceremony locations, but Melissa didn’t need any of those suggestions. In fact, at our meeting to go over the reception timeline, she had all of the details committed to memory. Impressive!

Although the reception was slated to start at 6:00 pm, a number of guests were already there when I arrived to set up at 4:30. No worries for me – I quickly wheeled in my gear, adjusted my necktie and put on some background music to welcome everyone into the room. Surprisingly, most guests went right to their seats, even though a large table of hors d’ouevres was placed in the center of the dancefloor.

The bride and groom entered the room at approximately 6:30, had a first dance and then sat down for dinner. Once dinner had completed, I led their guests in a quick game that brought a number of attendees to the dancefloor and allowed me to give away their centerpieces in a creative and fun way. Once the dancing began, many of Melissa & Mike’s 150+ guests came right out and enjoyed my mix of classic oldies, current top 40 and some very special requests from the bride and groom. I was thrilled to receive a number of compliments during the reception. One particular comment, from the groom, has stuck with me ever since: “You’re doing a great job… Melissa’s so happy that you remembered everything we talked about during our meeting”.

Congratulations, Melissa & Mike!

Introduction Music: “Rock & Roll Part II” – Gary Glitter
Melissa & Michael’s Intro Music:
“I’m Shipping Up To Boston” – Dropkick Murphys
Melissa & Michael’s First Dance:
“It’s Your Love” – Tim McGraw & Faith Hill
Song played during the cake cutting: “How Sweet It Is” – Michael Buble
Wedding Party Dance: “By Your Side” – Sade
Bride/Father Dance: “I Loved Her First” – Heartland
Last Dance: “Then” – Brad Paisley

The Wedding Cake

First Dance

My event last Saturday night was an 80th birthday party at the Hawthorne Country Club; Hawthorne had referred me to the clients. The evening started at 6:30 with a cocktail hour, and our guest of honor arrived at 7:15 to overwhelming applause (she thought she was going to a dinner/dance). After a toast, dinner and then dessert, the dancing began and continued until the very end of the party. I’m pretty sure I covered just about every style of music – some jazz and standards during cocktail hour, pop favorites during dinner, a few country requests, and some current hits later in the evening. Who would have guessed that our guest of honor would be dancing to “Low” by Flo Rida at 20 minutes to midnight? It was a wonderful party.

If every weekend was like this past weekend, I’d never have any free time. In fact, I spent much of last week just doing prep work for my Saturday and Sunday events (Friday night’s monthly church dance was simple, by comparison).

My Saturday event was an annual party for my friends at Seismic Sound and Electronic Bargains in Brockton. They throw one of the best parties ever, and this was my third consecutive year behind the DJ setup. I love this event for a number of reasons – first, I get to leave my speakers at home. Like last year’s event, we used a Dynacord XA2 concert system that sells for over $20,000 and puts out volume comparable to what you’d hear at some of the world’s best nightclubs. I also love this party because so many of the attendees are DJs and I can be as creative with the music selections as I’d like, provided that the dance floor stays packed. I do lots of work getting ready for this event, including tracking down new mixes of current hits. It takes quite a bit of work to impress a crowd of DJs! The party wrapped up at 1:30 am, and I was home by 2, asleep by 2:05 and up again at 7:00. Time for a Bridal Show! Read more…