Madi and Chase's wedding was a special one for me -- my 150th wedding!! I knew this milestone was getting close, but forgot all about it until I sat down to write this blog post a few days after. Anyway, enough about me -- let's focus on what a great wedding this was! Photos, song choices and more... all inside this post!

Although this wasn't my first wedding in the breathtaking Grand Ballroom on the 10th floor of the Marriott Syracuse Downtown... it was my first since adding a second wireless speaker to my equipment arsenal prior to the 2024 wedding season. Although the end result is the same as previous weddings (everyone can hear everything clearly, no matter where they are sitting), the wireless speakers helped me set things set-up much faster than ever before.

I doubt most readers will care, but indulge with me geeking out for a minute: the Grand Ballroom's large and rectangular layout requires four speakers (instead of most venues needing just two speakers) so everyone can hear ceremonies and toasts clearly. In the past, I'd need two complete sound systems (one for each pair of speakers) and link them together. This involved running lots of cables from one side of the ballroom to the other -- up and over the balcony to avoid running cables across the floor at the main entrance. With the wireless speakers at either end of the room, I only needed one cable over the balcony to one of the wired speakers serving the dance floor, as seen in the photo below. The wireless speakers made it possible to set-up in record time... it was nice to have a solid 45 minutes to just breathe and relax before things got started!

Click any photo for a larger version

Madi and Chase's Key Song Choices

• Wedding party intros: Gary Glitter / Rock & Roll Part II
• Newlyweds' intros: Alan Parsons Project / Sirius
• First Dance: Engelbert Humperdinck / Can’t Take My Eyes Off You
• Father / Bride Dance: (Custom mashup provided by choreographer)
• Groom / Mother Dance: Morgan Wallen / Thought You Should Know
• Last Dance of the Night: Semisonic / Closing Time

Madi and her father worked with a choreographer on a special father/daughter dance that wowed the crowd. We started off with "Daughters" by John Mayer to fake the crowd into thinking it was going to be a "typical" dance. After about 15 seconds, cue the "record scratch" sound effect and transition into a custom mashup their choreographer put together. It started with "It Takes Two" by Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock, then segued into "Stayin' Alive" by the Bee Gees.

Marriott Syracuse Downtown Grand Ballroom Wedding DJ Photo Highlights

You'll see a few shots from the father/daughter dance below, followed by plenty more from the rest of the evening... this was very much a party crowd! Madi and Chase's 10 "must plays" were accompanied by a solid list of "nice to have" songs ... they knew exactly what their guests would like and they helped set the tone by maintaining a solid presence on the dance floor (or the balcony, at one point!) for virtually the entire evening!

Click any photo for a larger version

Here is the 5-star review I received from Madi and Chase afterward:

If you are trying to decide which DJ to hire for your wedding, you need to look no further. Peter was amazing and made the process so smooth and easy. The dance floor was bumping the whole night!

My thanks once again to Madi and Chase for choosing me as your wedding DJ! Not only was it a great time with an awesome crowd... but realizing it was Wedding #150 is some great icing on the cake! I wish you both all the best for many years of love and happiness together!

And thanks to all 150 couples whose weddings I've had the honor of DJ'ing over the past 13 years... and to the dozen or so couples who've booked me for their weddings coming up through the rest of 2024 and into 2025. It's always an honor and a pleasure to do my part to make your special day unforgettable!

Most of all, I need to thank my own wife Elizabeth for inspiring me to transfer my radio and TV skills into getting this business started in 2010... and providing tons of moral support over the years. Words alone can't express enough gratitude and love to Elizabeth for always being there to wrangle our 3 energetic kids every time I have a wedding, and understanding that "DJ wife life" sometimes means scheduling summer vacations or long weekends around my wedding schedule. Thank you, thank you, thank you, so very much!