I absolutely love being a wedding DJ.  I love it even more when my clients get me involved in ways to make their day special.  Sometimes I hear from people who feel they need “just a DJ”, and typically I’m not a great match for them.  Instead, my clients are those who recognize ways I can help make their day run smoothly.  Just yesterday I was able to play several different roles at the ceremony and reception of Amanda Reistadtler and Jonathan Newcomer at Greystone Fields in Gibsonia, PA.

I was able to provide music for the Ceremony on what I think might have been the most beautiful day of the year.

Amanda and Jonathan provided me with a great song list to use throughout the day.  They were so kind to their guests to allow a few of the “do no play” selections to be heard. Then they even danced to them!  Awesome!

Amanda provided me with a CD of her singing a song as a surprise to Jonathan.  They danced to it right after their first dance, what a romantic gift.

A special thanks to the amazing team at Weddings By Heather who referred Jonathan’s mother to me.  Heather’s work, attitude, and passion for weddings inspires me every time we work together.

Once the sun went down, the dance floor went wild!

Amanda and Jonathan spent the entire evening dancing, laughing and having a great time.  I had the best time getting to know them.

The Newcomers also hired me to create a photo montage of their childhood photos to display throughout the reception.  It’s always a treat to see photos of my clients’ lives leading up to this special day.  I’m so thankful that Amanda and Jonathan took full advantage of my services, and that everything they had planned worked so incredibly well.  The happy couple is now ready for some relaxation on a wonderful honeymoon in Mexico.

Venue: Greystone Fields
Photography: WeddingsbyHeather

The Renaissance Hotel is a spectacular place for a reception.  The view of the city from the ballroom is simply breathtaking, and their attention to every detail is simply perfect.

Once again, I had the chance to work with Heather of Weddings By Heather.  She is so great at capturing wonderful moments.

As you can tell by these photos, Maria and Steve’s wedding was one crazy fun party.

Maria and Steve were kind enough to write me a fantastic reference after their wedding.  I feature it on my testimonials page because it so perfectly addresses the important concerns potential clients have. I have such a wonderful time at this reception, I was glad to get know this sweet and wonderful couple.

Location: Pittsburgh Renaissance Hotel
Photographer: Weddings By Heather

I was extremely happy to hear that one of my clients from 2009 were going to have their wedding featured in the 2010 wedding edition of Pittsburgh Magazine.  Karen Kurey & Jeremy Rocco had an amazing reception held at the Sheraton in Station Square.  It was so much fun working with them to create such a beautiful, unique and wildly fun evening.  The photos featured in the magazine were taken by none other than the amazingly talented Heather Lahtinen of Weddings By Heather.  Because Heather’s work is so spectacular, she has two weddings featured in this special issue.  You can see more of Karen & Jeremy’s beautiful wedding photos at Heather’s website.

You can get a look at the article on the Pittsburgh Magazine website.

Reception planning usually starts with choosing the right venue. Throughout Western Pennsylvania there are literally thousands of places where you can choose to celebrate, socialize and party the night away. As with most wedding details, it’s SO important to choose a place that represents who you are as a couple. Recently I performed at the reception of Erin McTeague and Matt Hungerman at the PPG Aquarium, located at the Pittsburgh Zoo.

The aquarium creates a unique atmosphere for the reception that is far from typical. During cocktail hour guests were able to enjoy their appetizers while having full access to the exhibits. The guests were then seated on the lower level for dinner and dancing. The staff at the Aquarium is top notch and really helped keeping everything on track throughout the evening.

Erin & Matt put great care in selecting the music for the entire reception. The music was varied, but perfectly reflected their taste and style.

Once again I had the pleasure of working with one and only Weddings By Heather. Immediately after the formal introductions, All the guests posed for a picture on the dance floor while Heather was up on the second floor balcony. What a tremendous keepsake!

The aquarium offers a very special setting for an intimate reception. There was a surprisingly nice amount of room for dancing once it was time to open the dance floor. Erin & Matt’s guests were extremely friendly and warm. Everyone had a great time dancing, singing and being a bit silly!

Matt’s friend even took the mic to sing The Jackson 5′s “ABC”!

Finding the right location for your reception can be crucial to the success of your wedding. Erin & Matt chose the venue that worked perfectly for them on every level. The guests had a rare opportunity to spend so much time in a different and fun environment while getting to celebrate with the newlyweds. Erin & Matt spent a lot of time on the dance floor and enjoying every moment of their big day, I was certainly thrilled to work with them to create a reception that was so special!

Venue: Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium
Photography: Weddings By Heather
Do you like the video montage above? Download a full resolution copy here.

As many of you know from reading my blog, I’m a HUGE fan of the extra details a bride and groom include on their wedding day to make it even more unique and special. While most weddings and receptions are full of special traditions, I find that the customized elements are what people remember and talk about most. While this can add extra work to the planning and organizing of the day, the results can be spectacular. I can honestly say, I have never met anyone more up to this task then Christina Ciavarra & Tim Weir. I had the honor of being a part of a very customized and elegant reception this past Saturday at the Pittsburgh Airport Marriott.

Christina & Tim took full advantage of the opportunity to create a day that their friends and family will be talking about for years to come. They had a logo created using their last initial and used it in various ways throughout the venue. Christina even made her own cake topper out of crystals, and the staff at the Marriott hung a special light to add extra sparkle.

From the first time we met, Christina & Tim knew they wanted a slideshow to play at the reception during cocktail hour. We decided it would be ideal to play both in the entry to the ballroom on a flat panel monitor AND projected on the big screen provided by the Marriott. I LOVE creating these montages for my clients. The guests always surround and watch them over and over.

I love the sign they placed at the front of the picture table… it said “Happily Ever After, all because two people fell in love”

Christina and Tim allowed me a lot of freedom to develop a playlist that would match their style and the vibe they wanted sustained throughout the reception. I was able to create a hip, stylish collection of modern, swing, and country music that worked perfectly for cocktail and dinner. Once the dance floor opened, people were dancing to music from every genre possible. There was so much energy in the room, I could have played all night long.

Dinner featured various food stations scattered across the room. My favorite had to be the Mashed Potato Martini Bar. Talk about unique!

Other custom elements Christina & Tim included was a giant photo booth, and having their logo shining down on the dance floor. LOVE THIS!

Christina’s 83 year old grandmother was a dancing machine all night long!

What’s this? Could it be the incomparable Heather of WeddingsbyHeather? Oh yes, she took a break from working her tail off to dance to “Dancing Queen”. Special thanks to her partner and hubby Craig… working with them makes my entire job ‘easy peasy’

Christina and Tim were a ton of fun to work with, and getting to know them so well really helped me to determine what they were looking for without them having to spend a lot of time trying to spell everything out for me. While Christina & Tim added a lot of flair to their reception, they were able to stay focused on the important elements of the day… friends, family and their love for each other. The rest was icing on the cake (or bacon bits on the martini glass of mashed potatoes?)

Seriously, knowing how detail oriented Christina & Tim were about their day makes me excited that they chose me to play a port of what was an exceptional, and extaordinarily fun evening.

Venue: Pittsburgh Airport Marriott
Photography: Heather Lahtinen
Do you like the video montage above? Download a full resolution copy here.

This Saturday I had the pleasure of DJing a wedding with the extremely talented Heather Lahtinen of Weddings By Heather. I was about to write a long winded post about Heather’s passion, quality, personality and overall awesomeness… but you know what they say about 1,000 words and a picture.

So instead, check out Heather’s amazing photos and then hire her IMMEDIATELY for your wedding.