It would be impossible to have asked for a better day for Amy and Michael's Thousand Islands wedding. DJ services were provided at two locations in Clayton, along the picturesque Saint Lawrence River. Inside this blog post, photos from the day, along with Amy and Michael's key song selections and my usual "DJ point of view" on how the day flowed.
Location I: The Ceremony
First stop for the day was the ceremony site: Saint Lawrence Spirits Distillery & Château, on Route 12E, a few miles west of Clayton proper. Seating on an outdoor deck offered a commanding view of the river. Closest across the river was Grindstone Island. Beyond the west end of Grindstone lies Howe Island, across the Canadian border. It was my first wedding where I could say, "hey, I can see Canada from here!"
Barely a cloud in the sky, and comfortable temperatures made for a wonderful wedding. Amy and Michael had both photographers and videographers on-hand. I'll bet they got some outstanding images with the St. Lawrence providing a spectacular backdrop.
After the ceremony and two recessional songs, it was time to move, move, move! The clock was ticking: just 2½ hours to pack up here, move to the reception venue and set-up there. When an event needs two sound systems, I allow two hours for set-up, so the timing would be tight.
Location II: The Reception
Upon arrival at the 1000 Islands Harbor Hotel in Clayton, banquet manager Heather helpfully showed me the closest entrance to the ballroom. A short, direct path from the parking lot, always a big plus. One sound system and my dance floor lights went there; the other system in the adjacent cocktail hour area. All ready with about 5 or 10 minutes to spare, so cocktail hour music was rolling as guests arrived. Phew!
The 1000 Islands Harbor Hotel looks practically brand new -- I wasn't surprised to find the most-recent Google Maps Street View, from 2013, showed the location under construction. The building looks wonderful, the grounds are very nicely maintained and dinner was great. The wedding party even arrived by boat, disembarking at the adjacent marina. After cocktail hour, the rest of the night seemed to fly by, as the photos below will attest! First, as usual, Amy and Michael's picks for the big songs of the night.
Key Wedding Song Selections
- Ceremony Processional: Daniel Jang / Instrumental cover of Ed Sheeran's "Thinking Out Loud"
- Ceremony Bridal Entrance: Paul Hankinson / Instrumental mash-up of Ed Sheeran's "Perfect" with Pachelbel's "Canon in D"
- Ceremony Recessional: Ben Rector / Brand New, followed by DSharp / Instrumental cover of Ellie Goulding's "Love Me Like You Do"
- Wedding Party Intros: Black Eyed Peas / I Gotta Feeling
- First Dance: Michael Bublé / Can’t Help Falling in Love
- Bride / Father Dance: Adele / Make You Feel My Love
- Groom / Mother Dance: Tim McGraw / Meanwhile Back at Mama’s
- Cake Cutting: Flo Rida & 99 Percent / Cake
- Last Dance of the Night for Everyone: Billy Joel / Piano Man
Photo Gallery
Here are just some of the photos I snapped -- click the blue button at the bottom to see 21 more and like/share/tag them all on Facebook!
Click any photo below for a larger version.
- Ceremony seating, speaker to far left, sound system was inside the tent.
- Amy and Michael get married with the St. Lawrence River and the Thousand Islands as a backdrop on a beautiful day.
- Tissues and programs offered to guests as they arrived for the ceremony.
- DJ table next to the dual head tables at Amy and Michael's wedding reception. One speaker visible here, the other was at the opposite end of the head tables.
- A second sound system provided background music for cocktail hour; the speaker's near the far end of the room.
- Amy and Michael's first dance.
- Guests were invited to grab a drink koozie featuring the newlyweds' initials.
For more photos (and of better quality, as usual), keep an eye on the website and Facebook page for the official photographer of this wedding, Kristen Charles Photography. Here's a sneak peek of what she's posted as of this writing:
Amy and Michael were a great couple with an awesome wedding party! Thanks again for choosing me as your DJ. It was definitely one of the most memorable weddings of my 2017 season and I wish you all the best for many years of happiness together!