I knew I was in for a fun evening when I saw Carlee and Rob’s custom cake topper featuring a bride dragging her groom away from his videogames and Dr. Pepper cans!

Due to hectic schedules, Carlee and I did most of the planning online and through Skype.  It worked out great as she was able to let me know what special songs they wanted to use throughout the evening to make the day perfect.

Carlee and Rob had wonderful first dance after dinner.  I loved seeing this quiet moment between the two of them.

An extra bonus for me was getting to see Carlee’s father and stepmother.  Cy and Joni used to work with me at one of my earliest DJ gigs, and I even DJ’d their wedding, right at the same golf club over 11 years ago!

After all the visting and catching up, it was time to celebrate!

I’m grateful to Carlee and Rob for choosing me as their DJ.  They were so relaxed and fun to work with, and their day truly reflected all their hard work.  They had a wonderful celebration that they’ll never forget as they start a new chapter in their lives.

No matter when you get married…they will come.  People LOVE to join the wedding celebration.  It doesn’t matter when or where you hold it, your friends and family will be there.  This was certainly the case for Dottie Dutchesne and Daniel Miller when they said their vows on a beautiful Monday afternoon at Shakespeare’s in Ellwood City, PA.  Around 250 came from all over to be a part of their perfect day.

What can you say about Shakespeare’s?  Clearly it’s the best castle in Western PA!  A wonderful venue for a fairytale wedding.

Dottie and Daniel were married on the balcony.  I was able to provide music and sound for the ceremony. I love the chance to play a part in the entire day.

When I met with the couple, we had a great time talking about music and finding ways to include a wide variety (including Hanson) into the festivities.

After a wild introduction featuring some awesome rap tunes, Dottie and Daniel had their first dance to Keith Urban’s “I Wanna Be Your Everything”.

The recent heatwave we’ve been having gave way on this Monday to a wonderfully cool and breezy day.  The guests were able to dance & party and then go relax on a cool summer evening.

Dottie and Dan had to extend their evening since so many guests were still enjoying themselves.  Their guests didn’t seem to mind, or perhaps were even enjoying the fact that it was a Monday evening.  These newlyweds took a day that most people dread and turned it into a day that their guests will never forget.   Now they get to spend this Tuesday preparing for their getaway honeymoon to St. Croix.

Photography: The Amazing PhotosByNick
Venue: Shakespeare’s Castle

I make a big deal about the importance of including your own tastes into your wedding and reception. Everyone deserves to have a day that is truly unique. I’m just amazed at originality of the wedding I just performed for Dawn Ruby & John Lonzenski. The ceremony and reception were both held at Olde Stonewall Golf Club in Ellwood City. Since the castle is also referred to as Shakespeare’s, Dawn & John decided it would be fun to have a theme wedding and go for broke. Although they aren’t typically “into” the whole renaissance scene, they made their day special by making it fun and stylish.

This chocolate cake was truly amazing!

This was an intimate celebration with about 40 of the newlyweds friends and family, Dawn’s mother did a great job making choices for cocktail hour and dinner that were able to be enjoyed by everyone.
Dawn & John picked a great selection of oldies and 80′s music for the dancing portion that really got people up and having fun.

Click here to see the playlist from the reception

Dawn’s grandparents, Norman & Cleora, were celebrating their 70th wedding anniversary, Norman spent a lot of time dancing!

Since Dawn & John were married about 1:30, this was an early reception with dinner served around 3:30. They really planned things out well so that their guests were not left with hours and hours with nothing to do. When I had met with John I had made a comment about the fact that sometimes people aren’t up for dancing while it’s still light outside, but clearly I had nothing to worry about. Around 5:00 I “opened the dance floor” and everyone was up and celebrating!

I always hope that people can learn from people like Dawn & John. Not that everyone should have a renaissance theme wedding, but that it’s important to find the fun on your wedding day. Most people find that their wedding day passes by very quickly, and it seems silly to me to waste any moment of it. Dawn & John found so many special ways to make their day memorable, fun and beautiful. They were so genuinely sweet and wonderful to work with, I’m glad they chose to let me be a part of it!

Venue: Olde Stonewall Golf Club in Ellwood City
Photographer: Stanley Studios

This past Saturday I played at the reception of Amie Hack and Greg Donahue at the Olde Stonewall Golf Club in Ellwood City. It was a beautiful day for them to get married on the deck overlooking the golf course.

Amie and Greg totally understood how to make their day unique, and really applied their ideas in a variety of unique and fun ways. They included some live music in their day as well as hiring my services. They had a harpist and violinist for their ceremony which was beautiful. Amie’s 88 year old grandfather, Ray, performed songs during the Anniversary dance while her father Dennis accompanied him on the guitar. Then as a special surprise, Johnny Cash showed up! (ok, it was actually Pastor Rick Roberts from the ceremony) Johnny (Rick) had a whole band with him and entertained everyone with selections including “Jackson” and “Ring of Fire”.

I got a chance to entertain everyone too. Amie and Greg gave allowed me to do whatever I needed to keep the dancefloor busy. We covered a lot of ground from Rock to Rap and everyone seemed to have a fantastic time dancing.

Click here to see the playlist from the reception

The day was packed full of such great and memorable events that I’m sure everyone will be talking about this reception for years to come. My favorite moment was watching the newlyweds dance their first dance which they had worked out some special choreography to make it special, it was a sweet moment where you could just see how much they belong together. The entire evening went really smoothly, but even I felt that it went by really fast. Amie and Greg were a complete joy to work with, and both of them and their families went out of their way to make me feel comfortable and appreciated. I’m so glad I was able to help them create a day that went so perfectly.

Venue: Olde Stonewall Golf Club in Ellwood City
Photographer: Diane Adrian Photography