DjsBaltimore

August 31st 2011

Wednesday August 31st 2011 was a slightly overcast but very nice afternoon at McDaniel College in Westminster Maryland. This is the college where the Ravens typically hold practice open to the public before residing to their facility in Owings Mills. They did not have it here this year because of the lockout between the players and owners. This event was a back to school event mainly for underclassmen to sign up for sponsors, fraternities and other school related social organizations at McDaniel College. The event was catered and I mainly just played a mixture of music and took request. A few people did do a couple line dances but mainly socialized, enjoyed the food and got information regarding the activity groups.  An aspiring dj Andrew hung out with me and showed me a couple things with the lastest technology. He is at the expert level of the video game DJ Hero. This is the second event I did for McDaniel this year and I enjoy playing for their students. Thanks to Lyndsey for having me back and I look forward to doing more events for McDaniel College.

August 26th 2011

It was the calm before the storm. Hurricane Irene is approaching this weekend and luckily Jim and Christine planned their wedding on Friday and are leaving Sunday morning for their honeymoon in Mexico. You could not ask for more perfect timing. It was a little humid but overall very nice weather. Jim and Christine chose Celebrations at the Bay in Pasadena for the ceremony and reception. This is absolutely the best venue in Maryland by far for weddings and I have been to just about everyone in the last 25 years. The food is phenomenal and so is the staff, service and overall ambiance. It is located on the Chesapeake Bay so the backdrop is perfect. Special thanks to our banquet coordinator Peter who did a fabulous job. They have 2 places for the ceremony, one on the deck and one on the lawn. This ceremony was on the lawn and the bride walked down the isle to the Piano Brothers version of Jesu Joy of Man’s Desiring. Pastor Dave Hoffman performed the short but sweet ceremony. The couple chose “tropical beach theme” music for their cocktail hour including The Beach Boys, Bob Marley and Jimmy Buffet. The reception was in the large tent area which has beautiful uplighting. The bride and groom were introduced into the reception area to “Enter Sandman” by Metallica.  Jim and Christine did their first dance by Rascal Flatts called “I Won’t Let Go”. The maid of honor Christiana and the best man Chris gave their heartfelt toast and the guest dined on filet mignon and crab cake. I just have to reiterate how wonderful the food was. After dinner the bride danced with her father to “Butterfly Kisses” by Bob Carlisle. The father had chosen that song many years ago when the bride was a teenager and said when she got married that was the song he wanted to dance to her with. The groom then danced with his mom to “All to You” by DJ Keo which is a new song and I think it will become a very popular one for the traditional mother/son dance. The best man then dedicated “Thank You” by Led Zepplin since that was the first dance the couple danced to when they first got engaged. The guest danced all night and had a good time. The groom who graduated from Virginia Tech requested “The Hokey Pokey” which is apparently Virginia Tech’s theme song. The bride and groom’s last dance was “Save The Last Dance For Me” by Michael Buble. They concluded the evening with an exciting sparkler sendoff. The bride and groom are now honeymooning in Mexico.

Congratulations Jim and Christine

August 13th 2011

It was a stormy day with downpour rain showers off and on. We were all setup inside and a big downpour came about 1/2 hour before the wedding. Melissa our banquet manager had setup inside for the ceremony and was going to make a last minute decision depending on the weather. The bride had her heart set on an outside ceremony so that was the plan. I set up my speaker outside and Melissa had a great idea to put a plastic bag over it to protect it. We setup the system inside and we were all set. Luckily, the rain held up and we had the ceremony outside as planned. Reverend Leslianne Braunstein performed the ceremony and did an excellent job. Jessica and Rich took photos outside and we set up a small speaker in the back room for cocktail. We introduced the bridal party on schedule and the bride and groom danced their first dance as they entered. It was a salsa style first dance called “Tu Amor Me Hace Bien” by Marc Anthony. The best man Jeffrey the grooms brother did his toast immediately following. It was a pretty funny toast which was titled “The top 10 moments with Rich”, a take off on David Letterman’s Top 10 list. Number 10 was “In August 1999 Rich moved out” which received a loud laughter from the guest. #1 was Rich finding a lady who will accept his fashion, cooking and massive head. After dinner the bride danced with her father to Paul Simon’s “Father and Daughter”. They party kicked off and the guest danced feverishly all night. The bride and groom are both Engineers and baseball fans. Jessica is a Red Sox fan and Rich is a HUGE Yankee fan. We played “Sweet Caroline” for Jessica which is the song they play at the 7th inning stretch at Red Sox games and the last song of the night was “New York New York” by Frank Sinatra which is the way all Yankee games end. The couple went to Spain for their honeymoon. Special thanks to Ceresville Mansion’s coordinator Melissa. She was just a dream to work with.

Congratulations Jessica and Rich

August 6th 2011

This was my first time at the Gathering Place in Clarksville. I was greeted by Kate the catering manager who was very nice and accommodating. Craig (my son) and I set up the main system in the main ballroom where the ceremony and reception took place. The cocktail hour was in the basement and required a remote sound system. Rachel was an English teacher and Dan is in the Navy reserves after fulfilling his service time and is currently a steamfitter. The ceremony went off without a hitch. The bride walked down the isle to a Piano version of “Here comes the bride” by Chris Wisner which I liked a lot. After the cocktail hour we introduced Rachel and Dan into the hall to “Fins” by Jimmy Buffet. The new Mr. and Mrs. Glover are Parrot Heads and attend as many Jimmy Buffet concerts they can. We played some Buffet songs during dinner as well. After the dinner, the reception kicked off with the bride and groom’s first dance, “My Best Friend” by Tim Mcgraw followed by the parent dances, “My Little Girl” by Tim McGraw and “They Cant Take That Away From Me” by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong. The guest continued to dance throughout the afternoon to a mixture of genres. The song ”We Are Family” was a big hit and everyone loved it. The bride and groom’s last dance was “Marry Me” by Train. Rachel and Dan are going on a Caribbean Cruise to the southern Caribbean islands, the same cruise line they got engaged on. I imagine they will hear some good Jimmy Buffet music along the way.

Congratulations Rachel and Dan

July 30th 2011

On another hot day at the end of July, I drove to Potomac Maryland to The Bolger Center. It was the first time I had been there, so I left extra early at about 9:30 AM. I arrived about 10:45 AM and the ceremony started at 11 AM. A violinist provided music for the ceremony. I had to wait til the end of the ceremony to set up my equipment for the reception since it was in the same room. After the ceremony the guest went to another location for the cocktail hour and the bridal party remained in the room for a photo session. Since there were only about 60 guest and it was a Saturday afternoon affair, I did not expect much dancing activity. I was wrong as the guest, some from Boston and Ohio danced the afternoon away. The bride and groom are both college professors and they met at The Bolger Center in the same very room where everything took place. Adam teaches math and Kristyn geology. They danced their first dance to Randy Travis “Forever and Ever Amen”. The maid of honor Kathryn (The brides sister) and the best man Brock (The grooms brother) gave their toast. After lunch the bride and groom danced with their parents to T Carters “Daddy’s Angel” and Lee Ann Womack’s “I Hope You Dance”. They then cut the cake and did an apron dance which everyone enjoyed. The guest drank shots of liquor before dancing with the bride and groom. The mother of the groom gave a surprise presentation to the bride and groom which included guardian angels, a rare rock for the bride (the bride is a rock collector) and a family heirloom bible to the groom. After the presentation the guest had a great time dancing to some of the standards like “We are Family” and some of the newer top 40 music. Their last dance was “You and Me” by Dave Matthews. The bride and groom were very gracious and very happy.

Congratulations Kristyn and Adam

July 27th 2011

Supervalu out of Richmond Virginia had their semi annual corporate function on July 27th 2011 at Martin’s Valley Mansion in Hunt Valley. Event Entertainment was contracted for multiple services including Dj Entertainment and lights provided by myself.  Laura Nickey hosted the Karaoke and multi-talented Randy Ward provided balloon creations and glitter tattoos which were a big hit. A company out of Pittsburgh who also provides Photo Booths,  had a green screen and costumes and made Super Hero trading cards for the attendees.  I forgot to bring my flip camera so the video here was taken by Laura from her camera phone so I am not sure how good the audio is. The group had a lot of fun singing and dancing and we hope to see them in March 2012.

July 2nd 2011

A beautiful day kicked off the 4th of July weekend. I used to play softball with the father of the bride in the 70s/80s so I knew a few of the guest and it was good to see John and Debbie again. The ceremony / reception was at the Blue Heron located in Quiet Waters Park. Joe from Quiet Waters Park greeted us and informed us about the rules and restrictions the park has. The ceremony was performed by Pastor Bob Jordan who did a great job. After the vows and ring exchange the bride and groom did a sand ceremony and then sealed it with a kiss at the end. Michael who works for Northrup Grumman and Melanie who is a manager for a dental office in Elkridge were introduced into the reception hall. They did their first dance “Lets Stay Together” by Al Green. After the buffet dinner provided by Gourmet Catering we played some requested Classic Rock songs followed up by the Father/Daughter dance “Because you loved me” by Celine Dion. I know this was a special moment for John and Melanie since this was John’s only daughter. John and Debbie also have two sons one who has 24 years in the Navy, Lyle and Little John who is about 6’6. The bridal party and guest then danced to some top 40 music and had a good time. The bride and groom ended the evening with UB 40′s “Can’t Help Falling In Love” which was very appropriate because they are obviously VERY much in love.

Special thanks to Bill Tellez who is visting me this weekend and helped me out assisting me with this event

Congratulations Melanie and Michael

June 25th 2011

I provided music for the ceremony and for the reception. Ten Oaks ballroom is a very nice spacious venue that will accommodate a ceremony in one room and the reception in the other. The bride walked down the isle to Craig Armstrong’s “Glasgow Love Theme”.  The groom is from Houston and the bride is from Virginia. The bride just started a new career in finance and the groom works for a security company.  The bride and groom are big Houston Astro’s fans so the reception was a Baseball Theme which included roasted peanuts in the shell in the vestibule. There were centerpieces on the tables with flowers in a tube type vase filled with real baseballs. There was also a couple large inflated baseballs in the room. The hor d’oeuvres consisted of miniature hot dogs, hamburgers, fries and yes cracker jacks.  The bride and groom were introduced to Kenny Loggin’s “Footloose” and proceeded into their first dance by George Strait, “I cross my heart”. The parent dances immediately follow with T Carters “Daddy’ Angel” and “A Mother’s Song”. The maid of honor and best man then gave their toast which included childhood stories since Natalie Noto was the brides sister and Sam Laird the was the grooms cousin. The salads were then served and the dinner was an “Open Station” style dinner. Putting on the Ritz were the caterers and did a great job. The fresh salmon was the best I have ever eaten. After dinner the party started with one of the guest requesting “James Brown” and he did his best imitation. Also one of the grooms family requested “Harlem Shuffle” by the Rolling Stones and said there was a line dance to it. Sure enough they did a line dance to it. We did the anniversary dance and the longest married couple recently celebrated 56 years of marriage. The bride and groom also have a passion for playing coed softball together. The groom plays center field and the bride second base and right field. The softball team appropriately danced with the bride and groom to John Fogerty’s “Centerfield”. The guest danced to a lot to the current Top 40 music mixed in with some oldies and everyone had a good time. Congratulations to Amy and James on their marriage.

June 18th 2011

I couldn’t wait to write this blog. This is literally 12 hours after the wedding ended. I first met this family on June 10th, 2006 while doing Sarah Spittle and Greg Bayne’s wedding reception at Sparrows Point Country Club and I knew then they were a fun group. I actually booked several of their friends weddings (July 7th 2007 – Profili), (October 23rd 2010 – Baratta) and March 26th 2011(Donaldson from the Profili wedding) and every time they have been a great crowd. When I was at the cocktail area playing the cocktail music, Kevin, the groom came up and said his side of the family was just as wild as the bride’s side. I thought well there is going to be some kind of party tonight. Abbey, the bride was very organized and had all the details in hand. The bridal party was introduced to Zombie Nation which is the song you hear at the Maryland Terrapin basketball games. Of course the bride and groom met at school at the University of Maryland where they both attended. I made a mix of Rhianna’s “Don’t Stop the Music” and Lady Gaga’s “Just Dance” for the bride and groom entrance. Abbey and Kevin danced their first dance to the classic “At Last” by Etta James. The stepfather of the bride Sam Cimino gave the welcome speech and thanked guest from Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Jersey and other areas for making the trip. He also recognized one of the groomsman “Marshall Vaeth” who just returned from Afghanistan and thanked him for his service to our country. He deservingly received a standing ovation. Sam then proceeded to tell a story about Kevin and how Abbey had said she had a new boyfriend and he found out he went to church with her and had some Italian in him so Sam knew he was the one for his daughter. After the salad we did the parent dances. Sam and Abbey led it off with Frank Sinatra’s “The Way You Look Tonight” followed by Kevin and his mom Debbie to Faith Hill’s “There You’ll Be” and concluding with Abbey and her father Don to “Here Come’s The Sun” by the Beatles. I was thinking Abbey, I wonder if that name was chosen from the Abbey Road album by the Beatles since that was the father’s chosen song.  Sarah, the brides sister did an excellent toast and of course picked on her sister a little but was very emotionally sincere at the end. Then Adam Wilson the best man gave his toast and said he always envied Kevin and told stories about how Kevin had beat him out for girls and soccer. He also invited Kevin to be his best man at his wedding in 5-10 years. He said he needed a date first. After dinner the party started rocking and continued rocking throughout the night with a packed dance floor and some of the loudest singalongs I have ever heard at a wedding. The bride and groom finished with their last dance “I’ve Had The Time Of My Life” from the movie Dirty Dancing. They did not want to stop partying and the bride asked for one more song so I went to Nicole from the Sheraton and she graciously approved. What a great night. What a great family. I wish I could have played another hour because it was one of the best parties I have ever done. Events like this make my job worth while. Special thanks to Kelly Burns Photography, an absolute pleasure to work with.

Congratulations to Abbey and Kevin.

June 5th 2011

Sunday was another beautiful day as John and Donna embarked upon their wedding celebration at Overhills Mansion. Brandi and the staff from Overhills is always very nice and they do a terrific job there. Rev Eaton was the officiant for the ceremony. John and Donna were officially married in January 2010 but they wanted to have a wedding celebration for their family and friends. John is a certified mechanic at Merchant Tire in Waldorf where the couple resides. Donna is stay at home mom to their two children Mae and Conner. They danced their first dance after being introduced in the hall to “To Make You Feel My Love” by Garth Brooks. The toast given was by Maid of Honor Bridget Bergey and Best Man Joe Redmiles. After the buffet dinner provided by Whitehouse Caterers at Overhills Mansion the bride and groom danced with their parents to Steve Tyrell’s verson of “The Way You Look Tonight” (from Father Of The Bride movie) and Rascal Flatts’ “Love Who You Love”. It was a Sunday afternoon so not much dancing but everyone did enjoy themselves. Congratulations to John and Donna Rollison who looked very much in love.