Roe & Regina at the Overlook Pavilion at Northstar with Zella Events

Roe & Regina say "I do"

I had the pleasure to deejay Roe and Regina's wedding up at the Northstar Overlook Pavilion. Regina was absolutely radiant as were her bridesmaids in different colored bridesmaid dresses.  What a cool idea!  Roe and his groomsmen were looking pretty stellar as well, and they all had rattan-like shoes on that looked cool and comfortable.  I love little touches that brides and grooms do to make their day very much their own.  It was a large gathering of friends and family and all were very nice and made me feel very much like a guest instead of a hired hand.  They came from all over and I had many great conversations with terrific people even before the ceremony.  

Regina is congratulated by Best Dog 'Bama'

Northstar is a destination on it's own, with shops, restaurants and a skating rink, and the Overlook Pavilion sits above the rink but seems like it is in it's own separate area as it borders a beautiful meadow and the treeline just beyond.  The meadow is where the ceremony was held, and it is a beautiful backdrop for a couple's vows.  Then right beside it is the expansive Pavilion area, with the large tent for dancing and dining and plenty of outdoor space for lots of guests.  Roe and Regina welcomed about 200 or so guests and they all had plenty of space and enjoyed the beautiful weather and surroundings.  You could probably seat many more than that if necessary.  The food was delicious and the service outstanding- the people there are really top-notch.  The lighting is gorgeous as night arrives, and they had a fire-ring with s'mores for those guests who still had room after dinner and cake.  The whole day and evening was coordinated by Carla from Zella Events.  She and her staff were so pleasant to work with!  They had a detailed timeline and even coordinated via two-way radios at times.  Every little detail was perfect and they were always anticipating events instead of letting events control the tempo.  High praise from a DJ who likes to make sure things run smoothly.  

Money Dance!

Roe is a huge San Jose Sharks fan so we re-created the Sharks entry on the ice with the Grand Entrance. The bridal party entered to the theme from "Jaws" which segued into "Rock & Roll Part 2" by Gary Glitter...  Very cool!   They danced to Corrine Bailey Rae for their first dance and the dancing never stopped from there!  I loved the fact that I played all kinds of different types of music and dance styles- from Salsa to the Electric Slide; from the Cha-Cha to the Cha-Cha slide.  Mambos, waltzes and jitterbugs were also in the mix for this very talented crowd of dancers.  This crowd came to dance and did they ever!  Thanks to Regina & Roe for having me be a part of their amazing day and evening and for making me feel like a part of the family.  Congrats you guys!

Travis & Amanda at The Grove with Zinser Photography & Photobooth and Tiers Of Joy

Amanda & Travis saying "I do"

I was thrilled to be a part of Travis & Amanda's wedding and reception at The Grove in Reno yesterday.  The weather was beautiful as the guests gathered on the patio for the ceremony and then moved inside for cocktails and appetizers.  While Evan Zinser took family and bridal party photos, the guests inside watched a video tribute of the the bride and groom that he had made for the occasion, and Trevor, his assistant ran the Zinser Photobooth.   After a while (and many cool photos) the bridal party re-entered the reception with a fun Grand Entrance.  They all donned props and hats from the photobooth and made their way to the dancefloor while "Walk It Out" played.  Then Amanda & Travis entered and went right into their first dance, "I Love You This Big" by Scott McCreery.  As they finished their dance, the Grove began serving the delicious dinner.

Anniversary Dance!

Dinner was delicious and the service was stellar.  Shaka & Samantha worked tirelessly to make the evening perfect for the newlyweds and their guests and the waiters, led by Roberto, were friendly and efficient.  You can tell they enjoy what they do and are good at it as well.  I can totally relate to that! ;)

Toasts and dancing followed dinner and the rest of the night was extremely fun.  I especially enjoyed the special dance Amanda had for her grandparents, Don & Pauline, who had celebrated their 61st anniversary the previous week.  Don was a great guy to talk with.  He and Pauline had met at a dance 63 years ago and that night he told his mother that Pauline would be his wife.  They got married and then he got drafted, sent to Korea, and served with the First Cavalry in those first months of the war.  As the 1st Cav criss-crossed the entire Korean peninsula he was in the trenches and was wounded and sent home where he recuperated and enjoyed a long career in the aerospace industry.  He was so proud of his granddaughter and new grandson, and to tell you the truth I was proud to be able to speak with him and tell him thanks for his service.  He & Pauline danced to Anne Murray's "Could I have this Dance?" and many other songs that night and served as an example to the amazing thing marriage can be.

Grandparents Don & Pauline

The amazing Tiers of Joy cake was cut along with an extra grooms cake that looked like a motorcross rider on a dune.  An Anniversary Dance was followed by a great Money Dance and lots of other dancing which was ranged from country to hip/hop to big band to rock.   It was a great party and I had a lot of fun filling requests and getting everyone up dancing.  Thanks to Shaka and company at the Grove and thanks to Amanda and Travis and their family and friends who really made me feel like a guest instead of just one of the help.  Congrats you two and have fun in Costa Rica!

Doing the Dougie

John & Sara at the McKinley Arts Center

Sara with her dad Mark

It was a very special day yesterday down by the river at the McKinley Arts Center as John and Sara made their vows in front of friends and family under the trees.  What a beautiful setting!  I helped only with amplification, as a harpist played seating and processional and recessional music.  George, the officiant, is a friend of the couple and pastor at their church and his ceremony was very personal and uplifting.  It was amazing that they hadn't kissed before their first kiss, and it was a very special moment. 

Lining up for their Grand Entrance

After some appetizers and drinks, the guests welcomed the bridal party to the reception with Daft Punk and Katrina and the Waves punctuating their arrival.  The bride and groom went right into their first dance, a great song by Matthew West, "When I Say I Do".  I had several people ask what the name of the song was afterwards- they thought it perfect for a first dance.  Following a prayer by Sara's dad Mark, everyone enjoyed a delicious dinner followed by some memorable toasts and the cutting of the cake.  Mark then danced with his daughter followed by John dancing with his mom Maureen- always the most sentimental moments of a reception.

Cupid Shuffling

Dancing then took over the rest of the evening (with a couple tosses thrown in) and it was a fun crowd, dancing to everything from Cotton Eyed Joe to Michael Jackson; from Hank Jr. to Iyaz; and Chubby Checker and AC/DC.  For a DJ, it was a blast- lots of dancing, lots of requests, and a bride and groom enjoying their evening with all their friends and loved ones. Do you believe I get paid for this?  I love my job!  Congratulations to John and Sara and have fun in Belize!

Alisha & Josh at the Grove with Tiers of Joy

Beautiful Bride Alisha and her Tiers of Joy cake

Alisha & Josh were married at the Grove yesterday and I was privileged to be a part of their day.  Leigh Anne & Tesla from Tiers of Joy delivered the beautiful and super-delicious cake and it was really a hit with the guests (and the DJ) but I'm getting ahead of myself...

Josh & Alisha say "I do"

The Grove is a special venue.  Shaka and his staff are very attentive, the food is delicious, and the venue is modern and stunning- you feel like you are in the Rockies yet you are in the middle of Reno.  The patio is perfect for an outdoor ceremony, and Josh & Alisha made the most of an early Fall afternoon and said their vows under the arch.

After their Grand Entrance, Jake played keyboard through my DJ system and sang to the bride & groom.   Jake is an amazing singer, and Josh & Alisha danced their first dance as he sang their song.  After a delicious dinner and toasts, the happy couple cut their cake (mmmmm- peanut-butter & chocolate) and we danced into the night.  I was so pleased to be a part of their day- just a super couple!  Congrats Josh & Alisha!

Erin & Adam at Three Ponds with Tim Snider, Chris Gardner & Liane McCombs

My first time to Three Ponds was very memorable.  The grounds there are beautiful and the special touches that Erin & her mom Lynn thought up really made the reception stand out. First off, Tim Snider played during cocktail hour between the dining area and the photo booth.  I made a few announcements here or there but mostly just enjoyed Tim's artistry. There were all kinds of things for the guests to discover- tables with favors, old pictures, a neat postcard guestbook, and a basket of antique cameras complete with film for them to take their own shots.  Erin & Adam along with their bridal party arrived in a stretch limo and were introduced to Pink's "Get the Party Started".  They danced their first dance and then mingled, and right before diner Adam received a Skype call from his brother serving in Afghanistan.  Very cool!  The buffet was delicious and with well over 200 people, Erin & Adam had thought up some very cool trivia questions to release the tables.  Very fun!  Then Lynn and Paul sprung the first surprise of the evening: a Dean Martin impersonator, Chris Gardner, who sang all during dinner!  Erin is a huge Dean fan, and they couldn't help getting up and dancing some more.  Chris was outstanding, and just a great guy as well as a talented singer & impersonator.

Chris Gardner as Dean Martin

The toasts followed dinner and Mara, Erin's sister and Maid of Honor had the next surprise for Erin & Adam.  Mara didn't want her speech to be like any other she had heard so she devised a rap to the theme from "Fresh Prince of Bel Air".  It was outstanding and super fun.  Then Paul, Erin's dad, had one more surprise in store for his daughter: right before their Father-Daughter song started, I played a 10 second clip from Black Sheep song "The Choice is Yours".  Erin and everybody busted up, and their dance started off on a cool note.  Dancing went all night until 10pm, when noise regulations shut down Three Ponds.  We could have gone a couple of hours more- at the end I had both the lower and upper dance floors packed and had another dozen requests that I just ran out of time for.  What a great bunch!

Lower Dance Floor

I have to give a big shout out and thanks to Lauren from Liane McCombs Events- she helped smooth things over all day and night.  She made sure I had eaten and kept me hydrated during the height of the dancing.  She was always checking on seemingly small details and making sure we all were on plan and that the guests and bridal party had everything they needed.  She was constantly on the move and involved behind the scenes all night.  When the bars were running out of ice, she had her assistant make an ice run.  Thanks Lauren & Liane!  But thanks most of all to Lynn & Paul and Adam & Erin for letting me be a part of such a magical day and evening.  Congrats Erin & Adam!

Upper Dance Floor

Tommy & Randee at D'Andrea Golf Club with Zinser Photography

Receptions at D'Andrea are always special with the thoughtful staff, delicious food, and breathtaking views and when you pair these things up with a gorgeous bride, a terrific groom and some great Victorian House vendors, you have a guaranteed phenomenal evening.

Randee was stunning in her dress from Alfred Angelo and the rest of the bridal party looked amazing as well.  When I played "Canon in D" by the Angels of Venice, she emerged from around the balcony and there was an audible intake of breath and a huge smile on Tommy's face.  The wedding was officiated by Pastor Kris Dahir who always does an exceptional ceremony and it was a very memorable one.

Taking much better pictures than these were Evan and Kinsey Zinser of Zinser Photography.  They are awesome wedding photographers and just great people to boot.  They treat every event they photograph as if it were their own family and regularly go above and beyond to exceed their clients' expectations.

One of Randee & Tommy's more unique ideas was to have the rest of the bridal party enter to the theme from "Star Wars", a very regal and upbeat song.  But then they entered to the "Imperial March" from The Empire Strikes Back, which everyone cheered and loved.

Randee and Yours Truly

Lots of popular dance songs were played, but I enjoyed the fact that Randee and her family really enjoyed '80s funk- Dazz Band, Kool & the Gang, Cameo etc.  so a lot of classic R&B and hip-hop was danced to.  Once again, thanks to Stef, Savannah and the rest of the super crew at D'Andrea, and congrats again to Tommy & Randee!

Patrick & Danae at D'Andrea Golf Club

Another amazing ceremony and reception last night at what is turning out to be my favorite venue, D'Andrea.  Patrick and Danae and their families were awesome and so again was the staff at D'Andrea.  I have written about them in prior blog postings: Stef, Savannah and Shelby are so friendly and accommodating to their guests that they seem like family members instead of venue staff.  And I haven't written about Marcus & Moose, their outstanding bartenders.  They are always laughing and joking with the guests and when the music starts I see them dancing and playing air-guitar while tending bar.  Maybe that is what I like about D'Andrea most of all: they do their job because they love what they do and it shows in their smiles and the quality service they provide.  I can relate to that- I love my job and when your DJ is smiling and enjoying the reception, it tends to be contagious.  Now just multiply that by 10 and that's what you get from the people at D'Andrea.

Case in point: here are Patrick & Danae listening to the toast by their Maid of Honor Christine.  The toast was scheduled to be inside, but Danae & Pat went outside for sunset photos and loved the lights coming on and the cool temperature.  They asked Shelby if they could possibly do the toasts outdoors.  So D'Andrea quickly brought the champagne out and within a few minutes we were toasting out on the beautiful patio.

With such a great couple, crowd, and servers the dancing went on and on.  Two hours past the scheduled end in fact.  And it could have continued further, but Danae & Pat's limo had already been waiting outside for an hour and the B&G had an early flight to Cancun, so we all reluctantly called it a night.  As far as music goes, I was able to play a wide variety of tunes.  Some of the highlights were "Friends in Low Places", "Thriller", "Crazy Girl" and "Get Low" but every song rocked.  Danae & Patrick danced their first dance to "Then" by Brad Paisley, but the coolest song of the night had to be the Mother-Son dance.  Pat and his mom Teri danced to "Wild Thing" by the Troggs, which is a first for me, but everyone was laughing and cheering- it was a memorable moment amongst many.  Thanks to D'Andrea, the great guests and family and especially Danae & Patrick for letting me be a part of their day.  I love my job!