Pittsburgh Wedding DJ for Weddings and Receptions. Disc Jockey in Allegheny County

Monday, August 10, 2009

Christina and Tim (Airport Marriott Reception)

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.

by EricTags: Heather, Pittsburgh, Slideshow, Unique

Sunday, July 19, 2009

Robin and Jason (20th Century Club Reception)

I chose the tag line for my business as “Entertainment for Extraordinary Events” about a year ago. Now while many people have their own idea of what makes an event extraordinary, I clearly had something in mind as well. I recently had the opportunity to play at the wedding of the wonderful Robin Flaus and Jason Scibek at the Twentieth Century Club in Pittsburgh. Every part of the day added up perfectly into something that was truly special.

Robin & Jason combined many custom elements to their day that made it elegant and romantic, while also feeling very modern and fun. The cocktail hour was held in the ballroom and featured wine tasting as well as a wide variety of appetizers. The Twentieth Century Club has a very sophisticated atmosphere and the staff works diligently to tend to the needs of every guest.

I worked with Robin & Jason to make sure that the music would be varied enough to satisfy the needs of their friends and family. Cocktail & dinner music consisted largely of Rat Pack style standards, with a few contemporary artists added in for some variety. Once the dancing started, I was sure to include some modern songs to really get the party going.

After cocktail hour, the guests moved upstairs to the dining room, located on the 3rd Floor of the club. I loved that the bridal table was a large ‘family style’ table where the Bridal party could all sit and have face to face conversations with one another.

While the guests were having their dinner, the ballroom was prepared for the remainder of the evening. The most amazing cookie table I’ve ever seen was set up for the guests to enjoy. There were custom boxes available for the guests to take cookies home with them and they were certainly a HUGE hit with everyone.

Once dinner was completed the guests returned to the ballroom for the cake cutting and dancing. I have to take a moment to mention how terrific it was to work with the talented Tony Urban. It’s so important to hire a photographer who understands how their attitude and commitment will effect the day, and Tony’s work certainly speaks for itself.

When I first met with Robin & Jason they told me how much they loved to go dancing and how excited they were to enjoy themselves on the dance floor. They had lots of other things to do during the reception, but I was pleased to see that they always made time to come back to get some dancing in.

So, what made this event so extraordinary? Was it simply because it was classy and contemporary, elegant and exciting, both serious and yet seriously fun? Well yes, all of those things certainly helped, but mostly it was because of the simple fact they are a reflection of Robin & Jason. Two extraordinary people shared pieces of themselves and put time and effort into creating the day of the their dreams, and it was truly extraordinary.

by EricTags: Cookies, Pittsburgh, Second Sound System, Unique

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Erica and Anthony (Ligonier Country Club Reception)

It never ceases to amaze me that no matter how different every wedding reception is, there is no mistaking the feeling when friends and family pull together to help their loved ones achieve their dream wedding day. This past weekend I performed at the reception of Erica Lynn and Anthony Cebzanov at the Ligonier Country Club in Ligonier, PA. I loved the fact that Erica, Tony, and their families had worked extremely hard to give their guests a special day as well.

Erica’s Mom, Mary, took it upon herself to do all the flowers for the reception hall. The flowers really made the room look beautiful, and the fact that the mother of the bride had taken the time to make each arrangement made the every table look extra special.

Erica and Tony spent a great deal of time choosing the music they wanted played at the reception. They provided me with a wonderful list of music to use during each moment of the evening. It was obvious to me how much consideration they put into their choices and I think they made a wonderful mix that all of their guests enjoyed.

I love it when people find unique and creative ways to make their reception even more fun. Erica and Tony had these wonderful gift bags made up for each of their guests. Inside of each bag was 4 of their favorite treats that represented their hometowns. Better Made Chips from Detroit, Tastykake from Philadelphia, Smiley Cookie from Pittsburgh and a Grilled Stickey from State College. What a delicious idea!

As the night continued, I realized how many of the guests were close friends of Erica and Tony. There were quite a few of Tony’s college friends, and they all joined in a big sing along to the Penn State fight song!

The new Cebzanov’s were referred to me by the wonderful Leah & Joe Fiddler. I had played their wedding way back in September 2005! Leah & Joe helped keep the dance floor moving all night long. It’s great to see how much fun they’re still having being with each other after all this time.

The weather could not have been nicer for the reception, and the Country Club was the perfect venue for everyone to be able to enjoy socializing and dancing. Because the wedding was on July 4th, all the guests gathered outside for a sparkler farewell at the end of the evening. Watching Erica and Tony interact with their guests was my favorite part of the evening. I was amazed by how the newlyweds were able to keep up with everyone who wanted to spend time with them.

Erica and Tony seemed to recognize how rare it would be to have this group of special friends and family members together at one time. Their big day was made even better by seeing all their guests enjoying themselves singing, dancing and reminiscing. They focused their planning efforts on creating wonderfully special moments that they, and their guests, would remember for a lifetime.

by EricTags:

Monday, June 29, 2009

Jenna and Aaron (Pittsburgh Field Club Reception)

There’s a lot of talk about how special the wedding day is to the Bride & Groom, but some people miss the fact that your wedding will have great impact to the families of the newlyweds. This past Saturday I was fortunate to play at the reception of Jenna Fox & Aaron Heffley at the Pittsburgh Field Club in Fox Chapel. From our first meeting it became clear to me how important family would be in every element of their day.

Jenna and Aaron had the most beautiful sunny day for their wedding, which was perfect since their cocktail hour was held in an outdoor area of the Pittsburgh Field Club. Cocktail hour featured two wonderfully talented live musicians, a pianist and flautist from Pittsburgh Music Live.

Jenna worked very closely with her mother, Patti, in the planning of the special and unique elements of the big day. I met a couple of times with Jenna & Patti to talk music and to create a few special key events that made the day extraordinary. They both had terrific ideas for the perfect music to play throughout the entire evening.

The Fox’s found an old VHS tape with a very young Jenna dressed up in her mother’s wedding dress talking about her future wedding plans. In the video young Jenna talked about dancing with her father at her wedding someday. It was a big crowd pleaser as we played this video immediately before Jenna danced with her Dad.

It was wonderful to get to know so many members of both families. It was great to see them work so hard to make everything perfect for Jenna and Aaron. Jenna’s brother Dorian even made a special dedication to the couple that added a great touch to the end of the evening.

A very unique part of the evening was shortly after dinner when Jenna had a special dance honoring the men who mean a lot to her. During the song she was able to dance with her father, brother, a bunch of uncles and her grandfather. It was quite touching and a great way to include even more of the family in the reception.

It was great to see how much fun Jenna’s parents had dancing all night long! I loved seeing how happy they were for their daughter and new son-in-law.

My evening was made even better by the opportunity to work with some of the best vendors in the world. Julie & Gene from the Field Club were the model of perfection, stepping in to help fix any and everything that needed done.

Then, the icing on the cake, was the pleasure of working with some amazing photographer: the one and only Joanne Bartone and her partner Karen. If you visit Joanne’s website, it’s clear to see how she uses her talent and personality to create magical memories. While many photographers aren’t anxious to capture photos at the reception, Joanne and Karen worked their tails off all night long to capture every detail and moment. Oh, and they’re great dancers too!

Jenna and Aaron included their families into many of the details of planning their wedding and reception. In return their families showed their love and respect by doing everything they could to make their day completely fantastic. I think some people are worried to get their families too involved with their special day, but the Fox’s & Heffley’s proved that the day can be even more special when you share all of it with the ones that are closest to you. Congratulations to the NEW Mr. & Mrs. Heffley!

by EricTags: Pittsburgh

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Jenn and Paul (Pittsburgh Golf Club Reception)

Planning a wedding can be a balancing act. I think one of the hardest part of preparing for the reception is finding the balance between what you want and what you think your guests will enjoy. Since I do think that the wedding day should be customized to the wishes of the Bride and Groom, I leave it up to the couple to determine what they believe their guests will enjoy most along with their requests. I was lucky enough to work with a couple who was able to achieve the perfect balance this past Saturday. I performed at the reception of Jenn Lee & Paul McCaffrey at the Pittsburgh Golf Club in Pittsburgh, PA.

Jenn & Paul put forth a great deal of effort to be certain their guests had a great time throughout the entire day. Even though there were close to 200 guests, the newlyweds let their meals wait while they spent time at every table during dinner. It was clear how important it was for them to visit with everyone who was there to share in the celebration. Jenn & Paul had selected a wide variety of music, and I was able to make a playlist that was both elegant and fun for everyone. I can tell when the mix is perfect when I get compliments on the music before we reach the first dance!

If you’ve read some of my other posts, you’ll know how much I love when people come up with special ideas to make their day unique. Everyone made over these cute M&M’s that were available during cocktail hour…

Also, there was a Polaroid camera available with the guestbook so guests could take a snapshot of themselves for Jenn & Paul. What a great idea!

There were quiet a bit of younger people at the reception, so Jenn had requested that we play some music for the kids such as Taylor Swift & The Jonas Brothers. Once again, they had found a way to include everyone in on the fun.

Paul and Jenn knew their guest’s musical tastes extremely well, once the music got going everyone came out and got a little crazy!

Jenn & Paul were so sweet to work with, and their desire to make sure everyone had a great time at the reception was fantastic. They were able to have all the special requests and events that were important to them, but also allowed enough flexibility to ensure that by the end of the day, all of their guests had the most amazing time.

by EricTags: Pittsburgh

Monday, June 22, 2009

Kamela and Casey (Franzee’s Banquet Facility)

Every once in a while my personal life collides with my life as a professional DJ. It’s a great honor when someone who has known me for years asks me to perform as a part of their reception. This past Friday I had the extreme pleasure of playing the reception of Kamela Ferguson & Casey Johnston at Franzee’s Banquet Hall in Ambridge, PA.

During college I acted as a youth leader for a small church in Beaver Falls. Kamela had been a very active member of the group and I was SO excited when she contacted me about her wedding. Having known Kamela for so long I knew that she’d be planning a wedding that would be fun and unique. Kamela & Casey came up with some great music suggestions, including the idea that I play music from the Motown era during cocktail hour and dinner. I could see people singing along from their tables!

Kamela & Casey also had me create a photo montage to play after dinner. All the guests enjoyed seeing the cute images of them as babies and the silly images of them as they grew to become adults. I really enjoyed making this for them, it was great seeing images of Kam during the years since she was just a teenager.

It was also great to see so many familiar faces at the reception from the youth group and church and I was so happy to be there and reunite with everyone. I was able to take this photo of Kamela and her cousin Cheri during the money dance.

Kamela and Casey were the life of the party all night long. They were clearly excited to be with their guests, but you could also see when they looked at each other that they were able to communicate their thoughts to each other with just a glance. I was pleased to see Kamela’s reaction to the music as everyone was dancing. Everyone should get to be this happy at their wedding.

Kamela and Casey were so easy to work with, they gave me a great list of music for their friends and family to enjoy. They even let a few guests sing a song. Wayne and Taylor were both BIG hits!

I can’t say enough how excited I was to be a part of this wedding. Kamela & Casey were surrounded by so many wonderful guests, and everyone really helped step in to make it a fantastic party. While I’d like to deny that I’m old enough to see any of the ‘kids’ from the youth group get married, I’m extremely proud to have seen her grow to become such a wonderful adult and thrilled that she found a terrific guy. The best part of my job is when you can see how much in love two people can truly be.

I wanted to mention that Kamela does a great blog about pretty much everything (as she says – A steaming bowl of entertainment) at My Hatertots, make sure you check it out.

by EricTags: Friends

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