Had an absolute blast playing Arthur and Evan's wedding this past weekend in the Persian Terrace ballroom at the Marriott Syracuse Downtown. Not only was the wedding lots of fun, but it crossed-off two big items from my "never have I ever" list as a wedding DJ. Check out the full post to find out what was unique about this wedding, see some photos, and which songs the pair selected for the key moments of their special day!
Going into my 7th year as a wedding DJ, there are still plenty of new experiences ahead, but not quite as many as there were in the earlier years. Still, Arthur and Evan's wedding managed to let me accomplish two things I hadn't done before. Believe it or not, this was my first-ever winter wedding. The previous record for "first wedding of the season" was March 22. January 14th seems like it might be tough to beat, but time will tell. (Feel free to go for it!)
The other big "first" was DJ'ing at the beautifully-appointed Marriott Syracuse Downtown, which just opened this past summer following a multi-million dollar renovation to what was previously known for decades as Hotel Syracuse. Arthur and Evan's wedding was held in the Persian Terrace, one of the multiple large ballrooms within this venue.
Chairs were arranged in chapel-style rows on the dance floor for the ceremony. After the "I dos" were said, guests were ushered out to a roped-off area of the hotel's very spacious lobby. A bar, a piano player and plenty of floor space allowed guests to mingle while enjoying hors d'oeuvres including fruit, cheese, crackers, tempura-fried shrimp and small pork chops. The lobby is large enough that regular hotel traffic didn't interfere with the cocktail hour at all.
This change of scenery was also functional -- giving hotel staff a chance to clear the chairs off the dance floor, remove screens that had blocked-off the dining area and install the bar that would serve guests for the remainder of the evening. I also took advantage of the cocktail hour to set-up uplighting around the room -- something we all agreed would look great for the dinner and dancing part of the night, but maybe not so much during the ceremony.
As you'll see in the photos below, the uplighting looked awesome (even better than I expected, to be honest). But first, as regular readers of my blog know, I like to share some of the songs the newlyweds selected for the big moments of their celebration:
Key Wedding Song Selections
- Ceremony Processional: Vitamin String Quartet / Hallelujah
- Ceremony Recessional: Vitamin String Quartet / Viva La Vida
- Wedding Party Intros: Justin Timberlake / Can’t Stop the Feeling
- First Dance: Michael Bublé / Can’t Help Falling in Love
- Arthur and Mother Dance: Jim Brickman & Lady Antebellum / Never Alone
- Evan and Mother Dance: Israel Kamakawawiwo'ole / Over the Rainbow
- Cake Cutting: Jason Mraz & Colbie Calliat / Lucky
- Last Dance of the Night: Celine Dion & Clive Griffin / When I Fall in Love
Photo Gallery
Here are just some of the photos I snapped -- there are even more on Facebook! Look for the blue button below this gallery.
Click any photo below for a larger version.
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- Uplighting in Marriott Downtown Syracuse's Persian Terrace
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- Uplighting in Marriott Downtown Syracuse's Persian Terrace
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- Uplighting in the Persian Terrace at Marriott Downtown Syracuse
For even more photos (and better ones, at that) check out Dani T Photography's Facebook Page. She's got a few up now, with more coming soon.
What a great way to kick-off the 2017 wedding season! The crowd was wonderful, the room was beautiful, the food was top-notch, and the dance floor was packed all night. I'm grateful to Arthur and Evan for selecting me as their wedding DJ! They're a great couple and I wish them all the best in marriage. Looking forward to returning to the Marriott for at least one more wedding, later this year, and hopefully more yet to come!
