Megan and Michael's wedding was my second at the beautiful 1000 Islands Harbor Hotel, located along the St. Lawrence Seaway in Clayton. But this one was considerably different than my first -- details, photos and song selections are in today's blog post!
My first wedding reception at the 1000 Islands Harbor Hotel was six years earlier, and the festivities took place in the hotel's ballroom. For Megan and Michael's big day, everything was happening outdoors, so the setup was considerably different.
Unfortunately, rain complicated things just a bit: the landscaped space overlooking the river would no longer be available, but the hotel's back patio has a roof large enough that the ceremony could still take place outside, while keeping everyone dry.
A short walk took guests into the huge party tent where the remainder of the reception took place. But, as I've said many times before on this blog -- they say rain on your wedding day is good luck! And it broke eventually, so guests were able to enjoy a stroll on the grounds.
Here you can see how they had me set up next to the dance floor, so I put speakers on either side. From this location, I was also able to receive sound from the wireless mics for the ceremony, and send the mix back to a wireless speaker in the ceremony area.
Meagan and Michael's Key Song Choices
Ceremony
- Processional: Beatles / Here Comes the Sun
- Grand Entrance: A. Cooke & B. Young / Never Til Now
- Recessional: American Authors / Best Day of My Life
Reception
- Wedding party intros:
- Parents: Earth, Wind and Fire / Let's Groove
- Attendants: Pitbull / Fireball
- Newlyweds' intros: Bruno Mars / 24K Magic
- First Dance: James Arthur / Falling Like the Stars
- Bride & Family Dance: Brooks & Dunn / Cowgirls Don't Cry
- Groom / Mother Dance: Rod Stewart / Forever Young
- Cake Cutting: Tim McGraw / My Best Friend
- Last Dance of the Night: Lumineers / Ho Hey
Near the end of dinner, we did something I've heard about at other weddings, but Megan and Michael were the first of my clients to request it: we played "Freeze Frame" by J. Geils Band, while we attempted to get group photos of the newlyweds with each table of guests. Now, the way I've heard this idea, couples typically make a spectacle of themselves, rushing around to all the tables, trying to get to every last one before the song ends.
But Michael and Megan suggested a neat twist: to keep things easier for themselves and their photographers, we had the guests come to them, with all the photos taking place on the dance floor, right in front of the sweetheart table. But we still kept the "goal" of trying to get all the photos before the song concluded, which gave guests a sense of urgency and excitement to move quickly, get their photo, and move out so the next table could get in. Of course, if we needed more time, I could have looped the song, but we actually got it done with time to spare -- and getting everyone up and moving provided a great segue to open up the dance floor!
1000 Islands Harbor Hotel Wedding DJ Photo Highlights
As always, this is just a select handful of my photos -- I have even more photos of Meagan and Michael's 1000 Islands Harbor Hotel wedding reception on my Facebook page! Scroll down for a direct link to the album. But a disclaimer: when I took out my nice camera to get some photos, I realized my memory card was back home, so excuse the phone photos. Still, I think the uplighting looked great!
Click any photo to see larger version
Now, I've said it many times -- while I try to catch some photos from the DJ booth, I'm by no means a professional photographer or trying to be one. Sorry again for the phone-quality photos -- for some much better shots, check out the incredible work of Bumble & Breeze Photography:
Megan and Michael also had Meganography on hand for video, but as of this writing, it looks like the video hasn't been shared yet. But Meganography's site has lots of other great examples if you're looking for a videographer!
And lastly, thanks to Megan and Michael for choosing me as your wedding DJ. I know there are lots of choices out there and I appreciate you trusting me to be part of your celebration. I had lots of fun, loved the "speed photos" idea to wrap-up dinner! I wish you nothing but the best of love and happiness for many, many years!!
