My first of two wedding receptions in the port city of Oswego this year took me to Alexandria's Premier Lakeview Weddings, a wonderfully-appointed reception space attached to the Best Western Captain's Quarters motel. And even after thinking I had all the details covered -- after two meetings and many emails -- Meghan and Brian, along with their wedding party, managed to surprise everyone in the house with their unique entrances!
When it was time for me to go out to the hallway to ensure the wedding party was lined up in the proper order, a few people had an idea -- for the bridesmaids and groomsmen to stand across from each other and use their arms in a bridge formation, to form a "tunnel" for the bride and groom to walk through. "Great idea," I replied, so we quickly shared the plan with everyone. Nobody had mentioned a word of what would be next.
When I went back out to the reception, stopped the cocktail hour music and announced that it would be time to introduce the wedding party, I started the requested song, "Party Rock Anthem" by LMFAO. The parents of the bride came out, followed by the parents of the groom. So far, so good. Then, the first bridesmaid and groomsman were introduced -- and did a cute dance, which is somewhat common. But as each successive couple came through the doors, they each had their own routine, each one a little more complex than the last. It was a great way to make an entrance, and you could tell everyone had spent some time rehearsing their parts. A great job all around!
As usual, for any future customers seeking inspiration, here are the songs Meghan and Brian selected for the key parts of their reception:
- Wedding Party Intros: LMFAO / Party Rock Anthem
- First Dance: Zac Brown Band / Whatever It Is
- Bride / Father Dance: Rod Stewart / Forever Young
- Groom / Mother Dance: Louis Armstrong / What a Wonderful World
- Cake Cutting: Goo Goo Dolls / Come to Me
- Bride & Bridesmaid Dance: Backstreet Boys / Everybody
- Bouquet Toss: Spice Girls / Wannabe
Now, it goes without saying that my photos don't even come close to the professional photos taken by Calypso Rae Photography, but here are some of my shots, focusing on the equipment set-up and the dance floor activity.
Here's the five-star review Meghan posted on WeddingWire afterward:
Peter did an awesome job as our wedding DJ!! We could not have been happier with our reception. The music selection was one of the most important parts of the wedding for me, and Peter was extremely flexible and met with us on multiple occasions to make sure that everything would be perfect and exactly the way we wanted it. He had no limit to the amount of songs that we were able to request and was able to play special acoustic versions of songs that we had found on youtube for our first dances. He was very prompt and responsive when emailing back and forth, and was always easy to reach. I would absolutely recommend his services, our reception was a huge hit and Peter was very friendly and professional.
To close out this post, I do have to give credit to Meghan and Brian for their part in making it an excellent night, from the DJ's point of view. In addition to the surprise entrance routines, this couple knew their guest list very well, in that every song they requested was an absolute hit with the crowd. This was a great night, and a wonderful venue -- while I don't have any other bookings at Alexandria's for 2014, I certainly hope to return in 2015!
