As far as season finales are concerned, this one was excellent! Becca and Nick's wedding at Emerson Park Pavilion in Auburn was a great ending to my 2024 wedding DJ season. Photos, song selections and more in today's blog post.

One of my favorite things about the Emerson Park Pavilion -- and I'll admit, this will be selfish -- they have a service driveway where I can park super-close to a back door that's right near the stage and the dance floor. Everything rolls right in, nice and quickly!

Like most of my previous Emerson Park Pavilion weddings, Becca and Nick got married outside, but this time it was different --the ceremony took place on the veranda between the pavilion's two buildings, rather than out on the lawn. You still get Owasco Lake in the background for your photos, but everyone enjoys the overhead protection of the large porch roof -- which I'm sure guests appreciated on a chilly day with some on-and-off sprinkles. The venue staff even offered hot cider and lap blankets for guests to grab on their way to their seats.

After the ceremony guests headed inside for cocktail hour, in the smaller of the pavilion's two buildings. That's where my secondary sound system was located. From inside, I was able to mix music and mics, feeding to wireless speakers outside, allowing guests to hear the ceremony. And we seamlessly flowed into background music for cocktail hour as guests moved inside.

Shout out to the floral / decor team who dressed up the stage with some nice greenery and candles! The couple's choice for yellow uplighting added to the fall theme and looked especially impressive after sunset -- which is so much earlier since we recently set the clocks back an hour!

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Becca and Nick's Key Song Choices

Ceremony

• Processional: "My Love Mine All Mine" by Brooklyn Duo
• Grand Entrance: "Never Enough" by Midnite String Quartet
• Recessional: "Home" by Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros

Reception

• Wedding party intros
  • Bride's parents: Natalie Cole / This Will Be
  • Groom's parents: James Taylor / How Sweet It Is
  • Bridesmaids: Hilary Duff / What Dreams Are Made Of
  • Groomsmen: Kanye West / Can't Tell Me Nothing
• Newlyweds' intros: Willie Hutch / I Choose You
• First Dance: Tophouse / Mountain Song (First Dance)
• Father / Bride Dance: Nancy Sinatra / It’s For My Dad
• Groom / Mother Dance: Michael Buble / Forever Now
• Cake Cutting: Brenton Wood / Oogum Boogum Song
• Last Dance of the Night (Everyone): Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes / I’ve Had the Time of My Life
• Last Dance of the Night (Newlyweds): Noah Kahan / Forever

And here's something I haven't done in awhile: a video to showcase how I created custom edits of the wedding party intro songs... each including an instrumental section that I can talk over, blended with a very recognizable part of each song since we usually don't hear the entire song during the introductions:

Emerson Park Pavilion Wedding DJ Photo Highlights

This was a great crowd! Becca and Nick set the tone by spending a lot of time on the dance floor themselves, which always helps to get guests on the floor as well. Lots of great pre-requests from the newlyweds, and a few great on-the-spot suggestions from the crowd as well. You'll see in the photos, even though the last dance of the night was originally planned to be "newlyweds only," they were having such a great time, Becca and Nick invited everyone to join in after the first verse.

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Chappell Roan has been a breakout star this year, and Becca requested "Pink Pony Club" -- with the condition that I make sure she's on the dance floor when it plays. I understood the assignment and here's some more video:

Also had a great time working alongside Brittany Juravich Photography, check out the great shots she and her assistant captured throughout the day and evening!

After the wedding, I received this lovely thank you card from Becca and Nick:

Thank you, Becca and Nick, for choosing me as your DJ! It's always great to end a wedding season on a high note. Wish you both all the best for many years of love and happiness together!

And thanks to all my 2024 wedding couples for your business! It was an honor and a privilege to work with every single one of you! I know there are lots of choices for wedding entertainment in Central New York, so I am always grateful for being "the one" you've selected to help turn your wedding into an unforgettable celebration!