Priory

There’s something electric about weddings in late fall here in Western PA—the crisp air, the early sunsets, and the way venues seem to glow just a little more warmly. Jacqueline and Alek couldn’t have chosen a better place to celebrate than The Grand Hall at the Priory, one of Pittsburgh’s most breathtaking reception spaces. With its soaring ceilings, historic architecture, and room for a couple hundred guests to spread out, it’s the kind of place that instantly sets the tone for a classic, joy-filled celebration.

From the moment guests arrived, it was clear that everyone came ready to party. Cocktail hour was buzzing, helped along by a playlist filled with smooth jazz, crooner classics, and timeless oldies that drifted through the space. It was the perfect setup for what was ahead. And once the grand entrance kicked off the reception, the energy only kept building. Jacqueline and Alek then dazzled everyone with an epic first dance featuring lots of twirls and dips! This was clearly going to be a night to remember!

Dinner flowed with a beautiful mix of string arrangements and acoustic love songs that kept the mood warm and romantic. But the moment the last plates were cleared, three full hours of dancing began—and the dance floor never emptied. That’s one of my favorite parts of DJing at The Priory: the room is big enough to hold a huge crowd, but intimate enough that everyone feels like part of the action. With a playlist pulling from every genre imaginable—Motown, disco, 80s pop, early-2000s throwbacks, hip-hop, club hits, rock favorites, and all the feel-good staples—it was the kind of night where no matter your age or your taste, you had a song to go wild for.

By the time we hit the final stretch of the night, the crowd was even louder and more energized than when we started. They packed in shoulder-to-shoulder for slow classics, screamed every word to pop anthems, and fully committed to the last-chance dance moments. And then, in perfect fashion, everyone gathered around Jacqueline and Alek for their final songs—ending the night on a high before they headed off to start their next adventure together in Costa Rica.

It’s nights like this that remind me why I love what I do. When a couple trusts me with their soundtrack—and brings a crowd that’s ready to celebrate—it doesn’t just make for a great party. It makes for a night nobody forgets.

Types of Music Played Throughout the Wedding

Cocktails
– Jazz and swing
– Crooner classics
– Light oldies and feel-good timeless favorites

Dinner
– String quartet covers of pop and indie songs

Dancing
– Motown and soul classics
– Disco and 70s favorites
– 80s and 90s pop/rock
– Early-2000s pop and hip-hop
– Modern club and dance hits
– Latin and international dance tracks
– High-energy pop anthems
– Slow classics for crowd-gathering moments

Lauren and Robert’s wedding at The Grand Hall at the Priory was one of those days where everything just flowed beautifully. From the moment guests arrived, the whole day felt carefully thought out yet never rushed. They managed to fit in so many special moments without ever losing the chance to enjoy it all.

The Grand Hall was the perfect backdrop – elegant, timeless, and filled with excitement from their 130 guests. After dinner, Lauren and Robert pulled off one of the most fun wedding traditions I’ve seen: they dashed to every single table in the room to get a photo with each group. The whole thing took less than three minutes, and the room was full of laughter and cheers as people scrambled into place for their photo moment.

Their first dance was choreographed and looked amazing – you could tell they had put in time and effort to make it shine, and everyone loved it. Later in the evening, the dance floor opened and guests were able to enjoy the music for almost four hours straight. With that much time, I was able to fit in tons of requests and play a huge variety of music – everything from classic singalongs and oldies to 90s pop, rock anthems, R&B, and current hits. It was the kind of night where everyone got to hear something they loved.

One of the highlights of the night was how much fun guests had with the Photo Booth. People couldn’t get enough, snapping silly, sweet, and creative pictures all night long. Between that, the table dash, and all the dancing, there was never a dull moment.

As the night wrapped up, everyone surrounded Lauren and Robert for a final singalong of “Take Me Home, Country Roads.” It was the perfect ending – heartfelt, joyful, and unforgettable. I loved being their DJ and helping being a part of such an amazing celebration.

Some weddings are beautiful. Some are fun. And then there are weddings like Amy and Kevin’s—where every moment feels like an unforgettable celebration of love, family, and joy. Held at the stunning Grand Hall at the Priory, their wedding was the kind of event that leaves you smiling long after the last song has played.

For starters, can we talk about the Grand Hall? This venue is simply breathtaking, with its cathedral ceilings, historic charm, and intimate ambiance. Everything about the decor—from the elegant lighting to the tasteful seasonal touches—was a testament to Amy’s incredible attention to detail.

But what truly made the day magical were all the special touches that reflected Amy and Kevin’s personalities and the people they love most. One of the sweetest surprises was the appearance of their fur baby, Reggie. After the ceremony, Reggie made a grand entrance! He was even featured on their wedding cake! Talk about a show-stealing pup.

Amy and Kevin also shared their love with those closest to them in other special ways. During their first dance to “Don’t Fade” by Vance Joy, they invited two couples who were celebrating anniversaries to join them on the dance floor. It was a touching moment that perfectly captured their thoughtfulness and generosity. Later in the evening, they included a sisters’ dance where Amy and Kevin danced with their sisters, encouraging everyone else to grab theirs and join in the dance.

The dance floor saw everything from the throwback swagger of “Return of the Mack” to the high-energy beats of Rihanna’s “We Found Love”. There were singalongs, some serious dance moves, and plenty of laughter.

When the night wound down with Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s “Murder on the Dancefloor” and (of course) N’Sync’s “Bye Bye Bye,” the whole room was buzzing with joy. Watching Amy and Kevin surrounded by their favorite people, you couldn’t help but feel the love that brought them all together.

Amy and Kevin’s wedding was a celebration of all the things that matter most: family, friends, and the memories we make with the people we love. It was an honor to be a part of their big day, and I’m so grateful to have witnessed all the moments that made it so special.

Here’s to a lifetime of love, laughter, and puppy cuddles for Amy, Kevin, and Reggie!

I believe one of the hardest things for a couple do to on their wedding day is to be able to relax, enjoy themselves, and actually live in the moment.  It’s entirely too easy to get caught up in all the action, worry about the details and stress about the scheduled events and miss out on just having a good time.  Jessica and Ryan did an amazing job avoiding this problem and were able to make the most of every second during their wonderful celebration held at the Grand Hall at the Priory.

The Grand Hall is probably one of the most appropriately named venues in all of Pittsburgh.  Everything looked incredibly stunning and was the perfect location for Jess and Ryan’s guests to enjoy an evening of fun and dancing.  All of their guests had plenty of time and lots of room for an amazing dance party!

Finding the right venue for your reception can be very challenging.  Pittsburgh offers many uniquely styled locations based on your tastes and style.  I believe Brittany and Michael made the perfect choice for their elegant celebration held at Pittsburgh’s Grand Hall at the Priory.  Their friends and family gathered on a beautiful spring day to spend time and party with the newlyweds.

I’m always very excited to play my first wedding of every year.  I can’t imagine a more perfect couple to kick off 2014 than Paige and Evan.  Their fun, relaxed attitude made for a fantastic and elegant reception at Pittsburgh’s Grand Hall at the Priory.

The Grand Hall is one of Pittsburgh’s most stunning venues and it was a fantastic choice for Paige and Evan’s reception.  There was plenty of room for everyone to enjoy themselves throughout the entire celebration.

The newlyweds allowed lots of flexibility when it came to the music for the evening.  This made it possible to include a wide variety of music for all of their guests to enjoy.  After a full evening of dancing and celebrating, Paige and Evan are now headed off for their honeymoon in sunny California.

One of my favorite parts of every wedding is getting to meet the couple and their families.  It’s fun to see how family members join in to help make the day perfect.  Joelle and Jamie were sure to include special elements at their reception that would be memorable for everyone.

Pittsburgh’s Grand Hall at the Priory looked amazing as guests enjoyed an evening of celebration.  The newlyweds chose many unique and fun songs to be included throughout the evening, including a collection of Haitian songs which were a big hit with all the guests.

Not only were Joelle and Jamie a fantastically fun couple to work with, they are genuinely sweet people who come from wonderful families.  After the newlyweds takes a couple of weeks to enjoy the success of their wedding day, they’ll be heading off on a unique honeymoon, traveling to various locations up and down the East Coast.

I’ll start this post by stating the obvious.  I love music.  I’m sure one of the main things that have kept me loving my job as a PIttsburgh DJ is how much I enjoy listening to and playing new music.  Since I welcome input from every couple to make sure the music for their celebration is a reflection of their tastes, I’m fortunate to be exposed to new music that I may have never discovered on my own.  I was pointed towards tons of great music for the reception of Bailey Flask and Tom Kapfer, held on a beautiful November Saturday at the Grand Hall at the Priory in Pittsburgh, PA

The Grand Hall is a stunning venue that is hard to beat.  Not only did the ballroom look amazing as usual, but Bailey and Tom also had added some special touches that you’d never see anywhere else.  The newlyweds provided song suggestions for cocktails and dinner that were fresh and unique.  I had a great time pulling together their playlist and hearing some new music that I know I’ll be keeping in my repetoire.

The end of the evening always comes too soon, and this celebration was no exception.  Bailey and Tom were able to exit their reception with the knowledge that their input on the music helped make the day a perfect match for their friends, family and themselves.  Their guests sent them off with a sparkler farewell as the newlyweds began their honeymoon in San Francisco.

What a perfect way to start a new year!  Last evening I had the amazing opportunity to DJ at the wedding of Jena Brook and Matthew Hutchison, held in the Grand Hall at the Priory.  Jena and Matt are both Captains in the military.  Jena is recently back from a tour of Iraq while her new husband was stationed in Afghanistan.  It’s such a great honor to be involved with military weddings. Not only do I have tremendous respect for the these men and women, but these are people who seriously know how to celebrate!

Located on the North Side of Pittsburgh, The Priory is a stunning reception venue.  After their grand entrance, Jena and Matthew had their first dance.

I see a lot of unique cake toppers, but I’ve never seen anything as customized as this!

Jena and Matthew were fun and relaxed about their music choices.  They gave me the freedom to figure out what was going to keep everyone on the dance floor.  Throughout the evening the music included everything from oldies, Motown, top 40, and rock.

Once dinner was finished it was time to dance…

and dance…

and dance!

At the end of the evening the guests surrounded Jena and Matthew for the final song.  It was obvious how happy everyone was for the newlyweds.

I love to entertain our service men and women, and it was great that so many of Jena and Matthew’s friends were able to be a part their big day.  I can’t imagine a better way to kick off a new year!  The newlyweds are now off to their honeymoon in the Bahamas.