Now that July is almost over, I've realized all of my July weddings have something in common. They're all familiar venues I've DJ'ed in the past! Stephanie and Christopher's reception brought me back to the Hilton Garden Inn in Auburn for the first time since 2015. A great couple, wonderful crowd -- we even extended the party by a full hour! Photos, song selections, a video and more in this blog post.
There are a few things I particularly like about the HGI Auburn, from a DJ perspective. First, the ballroom has its own entrance apart from the main hotel lobby. That allows for a short, direct path for loading equipment in and out. Second, the ballroom layout puts the DJ booth in a position that's close to the dance floor, but also close to the lobby. That allows me to provide music for the lobby cocktail hour and the rest of the reception with a single set-up.
Some of the uplighting at Steph and Chris' reception. Click for larger view.
Stephanie and Christopher requested uplighting -- white for the sweetheart table and cake table, then magenta around the rest of the room. At right, you can see how it looked before the ballroom opened, and you'll notice it again in the background of some photos below.
After dinner, but before dancing started, Steph and Chris played the "Shoe Game," which allowed me a chance to play the role of game show host for a few minutes. If you haven't heard of it, the newlyweds sit back-to-back on the dance floor. Each holds one of their own shoes, and one of their spouse's shoes. Then I ask a series of fun questions like "Which one of you is the better driver?" Both spouses then answer by holding up one of the shoes.
Only one snag -- Chris was going to send me a question list he found online, but forgot. But it all worked out! I had a backup question list ready, just in case. Afterward, Chris said he liked these questions better than the ones he initially planned to use. And in hindsight as I write this post, I think a game like this is more fun when the newlyweds don't know the questions in advance.
Here are the songs Steph and Chris selected for the key moments of their reception.
Key Wedding Song Selections
- Formal Intros (Parents): Jackie Wilson / Higher and Higher
- Formal Intros (Wedding Party): MKTO / Classic
- First Dance: Thomas Rhett / Die a Happy Man
- Bride / Father Dance: Bob Carlisle / Butterfly Kisses
- Groom / Mother Dance: Scott Keo / All to You
- Cake Cutting: Nathan Sykes / Over and Over Again
- Last Dance of the Night for Everyone: Journey / Don't Stop Believin'
Photo Gallery
Here are just some of the photos I snapped -- click the blue button at the bottom to see more, and to tag/like/share on Facebook!
Click any photo below for a larger version.
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- Uplighting at the Hilton Garden Inn, Auburn, NY
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- Uplighting at the Hilton Garden Inn, Auburn, NY
Updated 8/3/17 - Here's video of the wedding party introductions:
As I've said a handful of times in the past, I'm just the DJ taking a few shots to show what a great time everyone had. But I'm not a pro photographer -- so I'll take a moment to plug the excellent work of Jared Widgen of Life in Light Photography. As of this writing, he didn't have Chris and Steph's wedding on his website yet, but he had some great shots on his Facebook page... so keep an eye on both! I look forward to seeing more.
As mentioned at the top of the post, Chris and Steph had such a great time, they chose to extend the party by a full hour. And they also posted an awesome 5-star review for me on Facebook and WeddingWire:
Thanks again, Steph and Chris, for choosing me as your DJ! I'm very happy you had such a great time, and even more thrilled to see your wonderful review! You're a great couple, you had an awesome crowd and I loved helping you celebrate your big day.
Looking for a DJ?
If you found this post while looking for wedding DJs in Auburn, thanks for stopping by! I'm near Syracuse, but my rates include travel up to one hour each way -- and Auburn is within that range. If my calendar shows I'm available for your wedding date, I'd love to hear from you!
