A Wedding Reception That Marched to a Different Beat

The most rewarding thing about weddings is the fact that each one is different from the next. Last night I had the pleasure of being part of Kim and Brian's special day. I can honestly say that when Brian and Kim decided to strike through much of the traditional wedding music, I was a bit skeptical. Most of their requests were "non traditional," and I know it can be very tough to work Metallica and Korn into a normal wedding mix and still keep the party hoppin'. To add to the challenge, the bride and groom decided to make the play list completely closed for the night. No requests. No DJs choice. I knew I was in for a challenge.

As I arrived to the reception location in Mays Landing, I was greeted by many of the guests who have had arrived already. It seemed the ceremony was planned to be on the beach, but mother nature had her own ideas and decided to hit the Garden State with a hail storm. Nevertheless the show went on. I walked in and faded in the cocktail selections. Sinatra however, was no where to be found that night. Guests mingled to the sounds of G Love, Citizen Cope, and Moby. The flow went surprisingly well and before I knew it we were already an hour into the night. On to the introductions...

The lineup was short and  simple enough. It was a small bridal party so the line up was a breeze. The bridal party came into a loop of "Fancy" by Drake, and the bride and groom walked out to "We're Into This Together" by Nine Inch Nails. Both songs musically complimenting each other. Their first dance? "Crash Into Me" by Dave Matthews Band.

Normally, after the first dance I would be prepared to put together a nice dinner mix for the guests as they dine. Tonight, was not going to that kind of night. The first request was for for "Blind" by Korn. This was followed up by "As we Enter" By Damian Marley. Dinner seemed like an afterthought. The intensity continued and I followed up with a few tracks I knew would be crowd pleasers. I pulled all of them right off the bride and groom's play list. The crowd loved it!

As the night progressed, I stuck to the list and stayed the course. To tell the truth, I was happy to play some of the B-Side hits I normally would toss aside for the "popular" wedding songs. There were several highlight songs that I haven't played for years. "The Choice is Yours" by Black Sheep was one of favorites from back in the day. "Hey Ya" by Outkast tipped the party on its side getting the kids, mom, dad, and grandpa "shaking it like a Polaroid picture!"

The garter and bouquet toss was ready to go until the bride told me she lost the bouquet. Me, always being a quick thinker, handed her a plastic candy bag to use as a substitute. It was cooky but throwing a bag of cookies fit perfectly into this anything goes kind of night.

The night was certainly one for the record books. All in all the party rocked with relatively very little downtime. The guests had a great time, and it paid off big time in the end. My clients got the wedding THEY wanted to have!

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Stellar Sound DJs is a mobile DJ company servicing all of South Jersey, Central Jersey, Philadelphia, and Delaware. We pride ourselves on providing the best DJ entertainment for Wedding Receptions, Bar-Bat Mitzvahs, and more. Interested in finding out how Stellar Sound DJs can make your next event a hit? Call us at 800-975-6231 or hit us up on the web www.stellarsounddjs.com.

A Beautiful Fall Wedding

Last night I had the privilege of handling the entertainment portion for Lauren and Michael's wedding at the Woodcrest Country Club with DJs Available Sound and Light. The day was windy, yet sunny and the ceremony took place indoors to beat the wind. Since there were no special music requests, I quickly loaded up my favorite ceremony playlist which included Johnann Pachelbel's "Canon in D Major" and my favorite version of "The Bridal Chorus." The ceremony went beautifully and included the traditional unity candle ceremony. Coctail selections included a fun mix of smooth jazz, new jazz, and chillout.

The party continued into the reception where the bride and groom were brought into "My Hero" by Foo Fighters. Their first dance, "Green Eyes" by Coldplay was the perfect compliment. For the blessing the grooms family gave a traditional Ukrainian blessing. This was immediately followed by a touching toast by the best man and matron of honor.

After dinner was when the real party kicked off. Requests were light so I had the freedom to pull out all my favorite crowd pleasers. Opening the dance floor to Motown always gets the crowd moving.. and it did. The guests were ready to party! The dancing selections went across the musical spectrum and put the crowd into a dancing frenzy. There were several highlights however. Here were a few of the heavy hitters:

Taio Cruiz - Dynamite
Young MC - Bust a Move
Billy Idol - Mony Mony
LMFAO - Party Rock Anthem
Rihanna - Only Girl

The bride and groom omitted the garter portion which seems to be the growing trend. In lieu of throwing the bouquet, the bride decided to give it to her grandmother. This was one of the most touching moments of the night. The last traditional portion of the night, the cake, went smooth and elegantly. They did not smash it and the moment was sealed with a kiss.

After the cake I moved the party into overdrive with a few more dance selections from Rihanna, Beatles, and Foster the People. The party was going so well, I did not want to stop mixing! However, all good things must eventually end and I downshifted the party with Barry White's "Can't Get Enough of Your Love." The last song of the night, "Have I told you lately" by Van Morrison capped the night off perfectly. All in all a wonderful and memorable night.

Beautiful Fall Wedding this Saturday

We're getting set for Lauren and Michael's wedding on Saturday at the Woodcrest Country club. The playlist will include selections from the three "M"s :  Motown, Madonna, and Michael Jackson. The couples chose a great  selection for their first dance; "Green Eyes" by Coldplay. This is one of my favorite songs.

We will be providing some classy stringed music for the ceremony as well. So far the weather should be gorgeous! What a beautiful time of year for a wedding.