My latest wedding takes me to a venue where I've been an event guest a time or two, but not yet a DJ -- the Sheraton Syracuse University Hotel and Conference Center. Sarah and Bernard are an amazing couple who put on a spectacular party for their family and friends! Check out the blog post to check out the elegant decor and find out how this bride and groom helped to kick things up a notch on the dance floor.
This reception was held inside the hotel's Regency Ballroom, the largest of the hotel's event spaces. Although DJ services were not needed for cocktail hour, I'll mention (for potential future clients) cocktail hour is in the spacious lobby and bar area directly outside the ballroom. That means it's possible to provide music to both areas with a single sound system, as long as you have me located where I was for Sarah and Bernard's wedding, along the banquet room wall immediately adjacent to the lobby area.
Also for potential future clients seeking inspiration, as I always do in my wedding blog posts, here are Sarah and Bernard's selections for the key moments of the reception:
- Wedding Party Intros: Hotline Bling and Started from the Bottom, both by Drake.
- Bride and Groom Entrance: Kanye West f. T-Pain / Good Life
- First Dance: Christina Perri (f. Steve Kazee) / A Thousand Years, Part
- Bride / Father Dance: Johnny Rivers / Slow Dancing
- Groom / Mother Dance: Boyz II Men / A Song for Mama
- Cake Cutting: Taylor Swift / Love Story
- Carnations for Mothers: Israel Kamakawiwo'ole / Over the Rainbow
- Bouquet Presentation: Rod Stewart / Maggie May
- Last Dance of the Night for Everyone: Adele / Sweetest Devotion
You might have noticed a few slight variations on the "usual" chain of events there. Because it was the night before Mother's Day, the bride and groom paused to recognize their own mothers -- and all the other mothers in attendance -- by handing out carnations to all of them. And because one of the Maids of Honor is getting married next month, Sarah chose to give the bouquet directly to her -- along with their favorite song -- rather than doing the usual "free for all" bouquet toss.
Sarah and Bernard also kicked-up the energy level on the dance floor by ordering several dozen glow necklaces in advance. They told me about the idea when we met several months ago and I thought it was an awesome idea! The necklaces were left at my DJ table, and once we transitioned from the "classic hits" into newer music, I broke out the necklaces and invited guests to come get one. You'll see them in some of the photos below. They were a big hit with the crowd!
Although an official photographer captured many of the day's memories, Sarah and Bernard encouraged guests to take their own photos and videos, using a specific hashtag when posting to social media. The hashtag made it easy for Sarah and Bernard (and all the guests) to find everything afterward. You'll see below, shots of a huge sign placed at the ballroom entrance, and it was on the drink napkins, as well.
Click any photo below for a larger version.
If you want to see even more photos, check out that hashtag you saw above -- #TeamBush2016 -- on your favorite social media channels. And keep an eye on the Lucy Schultz Photography blog for more, coming soon, from Sarah and Bernard's official wedding photographer.
Here's the 5-star review Sarah posted on WeddingWire:
Peter was hands down the best wedding DJ we could have ever hoped for. He's so professional and organized, it was like we had nothing at all to worry about! He is very responsive to both email and phone, and no matter what questions I had he responded promptly. The day of the wedding he was totally set up and on time for the cocktail hour, and since we had met to go over the schedule, there was nothing for us to worry about except enjoying ourselves and our friends and family. Even though we added a few unique events since it was Mother's Day weekend, everything went off as planned, but it didn't feel regimented. He judged the situation and the dance floor and interspersed the events seamlessly. He lets you give him songs you want to hear, songs you don't want to heart and everything in between, and since my (now) husband was very concerned about the music it was so amazing. When the dance floor started lagging he just knew what song to play to get people moving again. One of my favorite things about him, which I think is somewhat unique for general wedding DJs is he brings his camera and gets STUPENDOUS shots of the crowd from his unobstructed view in the DJ booth. Some of my favorite photos I've saved from his blog about our wedding. It was the best day of both of our lives, and thanks to Peter we had an amazing time dancing and celebrating. I would highly recommend him to any couple looking for a DJ for their wedding, you won't be disappointed. Also, one of our guests favorite things was when he passed out glow necklaces from the DJ booth, we had gotten them off of amazon for such a good deal, and it really added a lot of fun to the dancing. You can't go wrong with Peter Naughton Productions, and if I had to do it again, I would not pick any other DJ.
Thanks again to Sarah and Bernard for choosing me as your wedding DJ! Thanks also to all the guests who submitted excellent song requests throughout the evening. I'm glad I finally had a chance to DJ at the Sheraton on the SU hill, and I hope to return again sometime! The space is wonderful, the staff was great to work with and the food was delicious.
