My second wedding of 2016 is one I've been looking forward to for quite some time. It's always an honor and a pleasure to be asked to help friends celebrate their wedding day, so I was thrilled when Greg and Emily asked me to DJ their reception.
Greg and I are friends from my days as a local TV news producer. Even though I changed careers a few years back, it was a pleasant surprise when Greg thoughtfully recommended me to DJ his brother's wedding (which took place last fall), and then again, when Greg and Emily became engaged and asked me to DJ their own reception! It was nice to see Matt, Justin and many other familiar faces again.
This reception was held at the Hilton Garden Inn off Carrier Circle in East Syracuse. Over the years I've been a DJ, I've noticed one advantage of having a reception at a hotel: the bride, groom, parents and wedding party usually have a block of rooms there, so they've all got a convenient place to take a brief break and "freshen up" before proceeding into the next part of what's often a very long and busy day.
As usual, for those of you seeking inspiration for future wedding dates, here's what Emily and Greg selected for the key moments of their reception:
- Wedding Party Intros: Pitbull / Fireball
- Bride and Groom Entrance: Bruno Mars / Uptown Funk
- Cake Cutting: James Taylor / How Sweet It is
- First Dance: Garth Brooks / To Make You Feel My Love
- Groom / Mother Dance: Nat King Cole & Natalie Cole / Unforgettable
- Bride / Father Dance: Heartland / I Loved Her First
- Groom / Mother-in-Law Dance: Huey Lewis / Mother In Law
- Last Dance of the Night for Everyone: Shania Twain with Bryan White / From this Moment
You may have noticed a change from the "usual" order there. Emily and Greg had a wonderful idea to help streamline the schedule and maximize their dance floor time. Rather than waiting until after dinner, cake cutting was immediately after the introductions. This made it possible for the kitchen to cut the rest of the cake during dinner, so the wait staff could serve everyone at their tables while enjoying the toasts, the first dance and parent dances. By the time those dances were done, guests were finished with their cake and ready to hit the dance floor, which was able to run non-stop to the end of the reception!
And for guests who still had a craving for something sweet later on, several trays of homemade cookies were openly available for the balance of the evening. You'll see the spread in one of the photos below.
Click any photo below for a larger version.
Afterwards, Greg posted this great 5-star review on WeddingWire:
Peter was very professional and organized through out the whole process. Everything was planned out before hand and ran smoothly during the reception. Music sounded clear and Peter even posted pictures he took and a review of the reception on his website, and very nice added bonus.
Thanks again to Greg and Emily for choosing me as your wedding DJ! It was a pleasure to celebrate not one, but two weddings with you and your families, and I wish you every happiness in the world as you continue into this next chapter of your lives together.
