Planning a wedding is challenging.  It’s even more so when you’re preparing everything from out of town.  I tend to work with many people who used to call Pittsburgh home, and want to celebrate their big day back in the ‘Burgh.  This weekend I was the DJ for Jennifer Prentice and Steven Derr at the LeMont.  Jen and Steve moved away from Pittsburgh but wanted to have their wedding reception overlooking the 3 rivers of our great city.

One of the reasons Jennifer and Steven chose the LeMont was because of the amazing view.  What a great way to show out of town guests the beauty of the Pittsburgh skyline.

The music was fun and upbeat.  Jen and Steve chose songs from all genres to be sure everyone could enjoy themselves throughout the night.

When it was time to cut the cake, Jennifer and Steve both let each other have it!

Their first dance, to Brad Paisley’s “Then”, was sweet and adorable.

The LeMont is the perfect place for guests to relax, visit, dance, and enjoy the view.

The night ended with all of the newlyweds’ friends and family crowding the dance floor and singing.  It was so much fun to know that so many people came from near and far to join in the celebration of this wonderful couple.  These newlyweds came home to Pittsburgh and gave their guests a day to remember.  Jennifer and Steve are about to travel even further for their honeymoon in Hawaii.

Photographers: The truly spectacular Aly & Derrick Bash of Studio Bash
The pictures above are by DJ Eric Schiemer.  Please visit the photographer’s site to see professional photos from the entire day.

Venue: The LeMont, Pittsburgh, PA

I encourage all of my clients to find clever ways to utilize my presence on their big day.  I love being a wedding DJ, and thoroughly enjoy helping to create special moments for the newlyweds and their guests.  This past weekend I was asked to provide some unique and fun contributions for the wedding of Gwen Zajdel and Steve Majewski, held at the LeMont overlooking Pittsburgh, PA.

I  have to mention how Gwen and Steve used striking fall colors throughout the LeMont, everything looked amazing!  Candy apples as favors was complete genius.

After their grand entrance, Gwen and Steve danced to a special medley of Michael Buble, The Black Eyed Peas AND Frank Sinatra!

During cocktail hour and dinner, guests were entertained by the Hilil String Quartet.  These brothers and sisters have been playing together for over 9 years and performed flawlessly.  (They were also a joy to work with.)  I was blessed to work with 2 other amazingly talented vendors, Dawn from DMB Videography and Dana from Scheller Image and Design.  I can’t say enough about how important it is to hire talented and accommodating vendors like these two.  Their attitude and professionalism kept everything running smoothly while they captured tons of memories for Gwen and Steve to cherish.

Steve, Gwen and I had a great time talking through the music for the reception.  They had a ton of fun ideas including their special first dance medley and a unique take on the Anniversary dance.

After dinner, guests JAMMED the dance floor.  Clearly everyone was there to celebrate!

Sometimes I am asked, “How many songs do you play for dancing?”  The answer depends on how the day is planned and how well everything is executed during the reception.  This couple scheduled an evening with LOTS of time for dancing, and because everything went flawlessly, there was plenty of time for everyone to dance to almost every style of music.  I’m so grateful that Gwen and Steve included me in so many of their plans.  I love getting to work for such fun, creative and detail oriented people.  These love birds are now off for a well earned two week honeymoon in Figi.

Venue: The LeMont, Mount Washington
Photography: Sheller Image and Design
Videography: DMB Videography

Family, or perhaps in this case I should say la famiglia, is one of my favorite parts about DJing at weddings.  The wedding celebration is an opportunity for every relative to do their best to create the perfect day for the bride and groom.  Last night I saw a wonderful example of  the importance of la famiglia at the reception of Heather Wojtowicz and Nicky Papa held at the LeMont overlooking downtown Pittsburgh, PA.

During cocktail hour the flower girls were dancing to the Italian music – too cute for words!

When I first met Heather and Nicky it was clear how much they loved music.  We had a great time coming up with songs to use throughout the reception.  They wanted to make sure everyone had a good time so they told to play anything necessary to keep their friends and family dancing.

Instead of wedding cake, guests were treated to a dessert of tiramisu.  A great twist on an old tradition.

Once the dance floor was open, it was packed with family and friends of all ages!

Heather and Nicky knew the words to every song I played.  I loved watching them both sing along to some old school rap songs.

All of Heather and Nicky’s relatives were so much fun, they made everyone feel like part of la famiglia.  After a wonderfully perfect evening surrounded by their loved ones, the newlyweds are now ready for their Bahamas honeymoon. Congratulations to everyone!

Venue: LeMont, Pittsburgh
Photography: Bellissima Photography
Wedding Coordinator: Ambassador Events

The view of the city is spectacular.  The entire wall is made of windows that showcase Pittsburgh perfectly.  (In honor of breast cancer awareness month the water in the fountain was dyed pink!)

I always love coming here since it was in the LeMont’s restaurant that I proposed to my wife.  When I play here it always brings back great memories.

Kelly and John were so much fun to work with, they had a such a wonderful passion for music and dancing.  They even led a giant train that wound all through the LeMont.

Kelly and her friends took over my microphone to sing!  Everyone was having a blast!

The thing I remember most about Kelly and John will always be how obvious it was that they loved each other.  When they looked at each other it was as if there was no one else around, it was beautiful.
Venue: LeMont, Pittburgh