Time to add another entry to my venue map: Taylor and John's ceremony and reception marked my first wedding at the Windridge Estate, located on a hill high atop the picturesque Village of Cazenovia. Check out the song selections, photos and more in today's blog post!
Taylor and John's wedding at the Windridge Estate used three distinct areas of the property.
The ceremony was held outdoors, on a beautiful lawn with a fountain, overlooking a slope toward the village and its namesake lake to the west. A strategically-placed gazebo was far enough off to the side to be "out of sight" but close enough to serve as a "base of operations" for me to provide music and mics. It was another wedding where I was glad in my off-season decision to invest in wireless speaker equipment... a huge plus for outdoor ceremonies!
The cocktail hour was held in the Belvedere Pavillion, which used clear sidewalls to help allow the sunlight in, while keeping guests protected from the crisp late September breezes. But some guests didn't mind the fall air, opting to remain outside near the firepits and couches located between the Belevedere and the adjacent Red Barn, where the rest of the reception would take place.
A third building, the White Stone Barn, was used as a staging area for part of the wedding party, so it was not open to guests for this wedding, but each couple has the option to use the spaces how they like.
Taylor and John's Key Song Choices
Ceremony
- Processional: Bon Iver / re: Stacks
- Grand Entrance: Haux / Calico
- Recessional: Caamp / Peach Fuzz
Reception
- Parent intros: Emotions / Best of My Love
- Newlyweds' intros: Stevie Wonder / Signed, Sealed, Delivered
- First Dance: Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds / Loving Wings
- Bride / Father Dance: Matt Harke / London’s Song
- Bride / Stepfather Dance: Tom Petty / Wildflowers
- Groom / Mother Dance: Lynryd Skynrd / Simple Man
The equipment load-in from the van to the Belevedere and into the Red Barn was super easy, as both are located very close to the driveway. But it was a long walk to the ceremony site, and the path is too narrow to drive a car down there. Big shout out to the Windridge staff who offered to let me load my ceremony sound gear onto one of their ATVs so I wouldn't need to walk each item down there, one by one.
This was similar to other venues where I needed to cover three locations with two sound systems. First, the primary sound system was used for the ceremony, while the secondary was set-up for cocktail hour. Inside the reception space, I put down my table and uplighting. Taylor and John didn't want the usual dance floor lighting, so I didn't need to worry about setting-up my overhead lighting truss.
Once the ceremony was over, I zipped up to the Belevedere before the guests, and started the cocktail hour music. Then, I zipped back down to the ceremony site to pack-up that gear, and walked it back up to the Red Barn, and had it all set-up again for the reception with a comfortable 20 minutes or so to spare. I synced-up the music between the two systems so that, once the barn opened, guests would hear a seamless transition as they moved from the Belevedere to the Red Barn next door.
Windridge Estate Wedding DJ Photo Highlights
Here are a few shots I managed to grab throughout the proceedings! Click on any photo for a larger version.
These are just a few of my shots from the DJ booth - check out the great work from Taylor and John's professional photographer, Michael Hurn:
Thanks again to Taylor and John for choosing me as your wedding DJ! I know there are lots of options throughout Central New York, so it's always an honor to be selected. My best to you for many years of happiness and love together!
