Category Archives: Pittsburgh Wedding DJ

Friday, June 19, 2009

Emily and Michael (Pittsburgh Doubletree)

As many of you know, planning for a wedding and reception can be extremely difficult. The biggest piece of advice I can offer my clients is to do what comes naturally and to be true to yourself. When you plan a day that is truly a reflection of who you are, planning becomes much easier. I recently had the great pleasure of performing at the reception of Emily & Michael at the Doubletree Hotel in downtown Pittsburgh. Emily & Mike knew exactly what they wanted for their big day and made the choices that best represented their tastes, the results were amazing.

Emily & Mike created an elegant and relaxed reception for around 45 of their closest family and friends. The intimacy of the room and the amount of guests really allowed everyone to have more personal time with the bride and groom. When planning for the wedding we had met at a local Starbucks, the music there became our inspiration for the cocktail hour and dinner.

Once everyone had time to visit, it was time to open the dance floor. Emily & Mike created such a vibe of happiness and joy that everyone in the room could feel their excitement.

Emily’s mother even came up and danced the twist with everyone.

Emily & Mike asked me to make a special announcement and dedication to their good friends, Emily & Nick who were recently engaged.

Emily & Mike’s first dance song was “The Way I Am” by Ingrid Michaelson. I can’t imagine a more appropriate song for them. They are so comfortable in their own skin and were completely genuine about their excitement for their wedding and reception. They chose not to spend time doing a lot of traditional parts of the reception, and instead focused on having fun with their guests.

Watching Emily & Mike’s reaction to their guests, the music and everything else at the reception, it was clear that everything had turned out exactly as they had planned. To me they serve as the perfect example of how to approach the decisions for a wedding. I’m thrilled that I had the chance to get to know them, and that I was able to play a part of making their day so special.

by EricTags: Pittsburgh

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Amber and Josh

It might sound obvious to say that weddings are the ultimate celebration for the families of the bride and groom. What’s not always obvious is HOW different families choose to celebrate. For some people the joy of the wedding focuses on the opportunity to visit and talk with family members and friends. Other families have a more active definition of what it means to celebrate. I say all this to preface my description of the wedding reception of Amber Rafferty and Josh Cooper. The reception was held at the Bessemer Croatian Club in Bessemer, PA – and was the HUGE PARTY type of a CELEBRATION.

I have know Amber & Josh for many years and I was very excited when they asked me to play a part in their special day. They came up with a great selection of artists for me to play during cocktail hour and dinner. They left a lot of freedom for their guests to make requests and for me to keep the dance floor full all night long.

Once the formal festivities were completed it became clear that this group of people were ready to celebrate like crazy and weren’t going to hold back.

Josh had mentioned to me a couple of times when planning the wedding that he wasn’t sure how much he’d be dancing, but he certainly came through and spent most of the evening on the dance floor!

My good friends Andy & Ashley were both in the bridal party and really helped keep the party going. (yes, that’s Ashley upside down!)

Amber and Josh were terrific to work with and I’m thrilled that they had the ultimate party for their reception. I’m sure everyone who attended their reception had an amazing time and had sore feet in the morning.

I always tell clients that their mood will set the tone of their reception and this was clearly the case with Amber and Josh. They were so excited to get to dance and party with their friends and family that everyone in attendance fed off their energy and created a spectacular evening!

by EricTags:

Saturday, January 3, 2009

Mandy and David (Moon Holiday Inn)

I honestly hate it when the wedding season ends. I’m so lucky to spend week after week going to great parties and being part of people’s most special day. I think it’s why it’s taken me so long to wrap up this last post from my last wedding of 2008. The Saturday before Christmas I had the wonderful opportunity to play for the reception of Mandy Muntean & David Kondik at the Holiday Inn in Moon Township. It was a fantastic way to end the year, Mandy and David were really easy going and planned a day that was a great time for everyone.

There’s always a question when you have a wedding so close to the holidays of whether to acknowledge the season or to incorporate it into your big day. I was thrilled that Mandy and David found ways to include some beautiful elements of the Christmas Season while still keeping things very elegant. They also decided to use Christmas music for cocktail hour and dinner which kept the atmosphere festive and fun.

The snowflake ice sculpture on the cookie table was huge!

I had been the disc jockey at Mandy’s sister Amy’s wedding a little over 2 years ago. It was GREAT to be able to see the Muntean family again. They love to party and celebrate!

I always tell people that if the bride and groom dance, EVERYONE will dance. Mandy and David spent LOTS of time on the dance floor and really helped to keep their guests in the party spirit through the night.

David and Mandy were amazingly attentive all evening. It was clear all night how important it was for them to spend time with all their guests and made sure that everyone had a great time. I’m sad to see the wedding season close but I was glad to end the year at such a fantastic reception.

by EricTags:

Thursday, January 1, 2009

2008 Year in Review

by EricTags:

Monday, November 17, 2008

Julia and Daniel (Balaz Eventz)

Last week I had the honor to play at the wedding reception of Julia Wenzelburger & Daniel Danka. The reception was held at Balas Eventz in Ellwood City. Julia and Daniel were a fun, modern couple who were ready to party and dance from the moment we first met.

All of my clients are granted access to a special client area where they can choose the songs for their reception. Julia and Daniel gave me an amazing song list that gave me lots of room to play their most important songs, but also lots of choices to play what kept their guests dancing.

Click here to see the playlist from the reception

I was also hired to make a photo montage that we played at the reception on the big screen. I love getting to know a couple even better by seeing photos of them growing up. Julia and Dan were adorable even as kids!

After everyone had a good cry over the cute baby photos it was time get the dancing started. The bridal party spent most of the evening on the dance floor!

This was the first serious debut of my new light show. More on that in a later post.

I got a little special surprise when I was setting up, turns out the bartender at Balas was my old friend Sy. I played Sy’s wedding over 8 years ago, it was great to catch up with him before the big event!

Julia and Daniel were all over the dance floor all night long, it really helped energize all of their guests. They were so wonderful throughout the entire planning process and during the reception that I was thrilled to help make their day such a wonderful success.

by EricTags:

Friday, October 10, 2008

Tina and Gideon (Willow Pond Farm)

I talk a lot about customization and what a special part that can play in each wedding and reception. I’ll have to say, this past Saturday I was lucky enough to be involved with one of the most unique and customized weddings ever. Tina Palivoda & Gideon Geer were married at Willow Pond Farm in West Alexander, PA and the day was completely filled with special details that made the day one of a kind.

Gideon is a hockey player so his team mates provided the archway for the newlyweds to process down the aisle.

Tina & Gideon’s dogs are a big part of their lives and had to be included in the wedding party…they were so behaved!

Tina & Gideon chose a variety of great music for their ceremony, dinner and dancing. Once again, they were able to use music as another way to share part of their special tastes with their friends and family.

Click here to see the playlist from the reception

There were so many special details everywhere that were so unique, my favorite would be the fact that they actually MADE all the beer and wine that was served to the guests. The labels featured some great images of their dogs too!

Willow Pond Farm was a completely different type of venue for me (if you can’t tell by the photos!). This Bed & Breakfast provided three different locations for the guests to move between. The ceremony was held next to the pond, dinner was then served up in a large white tent. Finally the guests moved over to a large barn for dancing. The weather turned out to be a perfect Fall day and the guests really seem to enjoy the outdoor activities that were provided as entertainment between the ceremony and dinner.

I’ve known Tina for quite a while and was thrilled that she asked me to play a part in her big day. Getting to meet Gideon and the both of their families was so great. It was clear that everyone really enjoyed how much effort they had put into creating an event that would truly be different. Tina & Gideon shattered the mold of the standard wedding and created awesome memories that their friends and families can cherish.

by EricTags:

Category Archives: Pittsburgh Wedding DJ

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