Requests from the Binghamton area don't come my way too often, but Olivia and Ani's wedding was the first of two bookings I have this year in the Southern Tier. It was a wedding with one or two unexpected twists, but nothing I couldn't handle! I'll explain, along with the usual song selections and photos in today's blog post.
One of my favorite things about the DoubleTree in Binghamton is that there's a separate entrance just for the Grand Ballroom. I was able to pull right up by the doors and cart all my reception gear right into the ballroom. (I'm sure the hotel and its guests also appreciate not having DJs wheeling carts of gear right through their main lobby!)
The original plans called for the 4:00pm ceremony to take place in the hotel's outdoor atrium, but a strong chance of thunderstorms prompted Olivia and Ani to move things indoors, to the adjacent Sun Briar Court. Although the rain would wind up holding-off for awhile, the heat and humidity were pretty intense. Being inside seemed like it would work out for the best anyway.
A problem with the air conditioning still made for a pretty toasty ceremony, but still not as hot as it would have been outside. Oddly, especially for a DoubleTree property, there was no venue coordinator. Thankfully, photographer A.J. Cass alerted me to this as soon as he realized it, so I was prepared to assist with lining-up the wedding party and pacing their entrances for the processionals. Since my sound system was just inside the door at the back of the room, it was easy to slip back inside to change songs for the bride's entrance with her father.
After the ceremony, guests moved upstairs to the aforementioned Grand Ballroom -- here are some shots of the setup there, along with the pink and blue uplighting selected by Olivia and Ani, along with their first dance.
Olivia and Ani's Key Song Choices
Ceremony
- Processional: K-Ci & JoJo / All My Life
- Grand Entrance: Cristina Perri / A Thousand Years
- Recessional: Beyonce / Cuff It
Reception
- Wedding party intros: Kool & The Gang / Celebration, followed by various WWE intro themes
- Newlyweds' intros: Head of the Table (Roman Reigns intro theme)
- First Dance: Ed Sheeran & Beyonce / Perfect Duet
- Father / Bride Dance: Dawson & Co / I Loved Her First (mixed into: Pitbull / Fireball)
- Groom / Mother Dance: Caleb Beachy / I Love this Dance (Mother-Son Dance)
- Cake Cutting: Rajvir Jawanda / Kangani
- Bouquet Toss: David Guetta / Where Them Girls At
- Garter Toss: Queen / Another One Bites The Dust
- Last Dance of the Night (everyone): Neil Diamond / Sweet Caroline
- Last Dance of the Night (newlyweds only): AP Dhillon & Amari / Ma Belle
As you'll see in the dance floor photos, Olivia and Ani added some extra energy to the party by ordering enough handheld LED light tubes for everyone to have at least one -- and in some cases, more! The guests seemed to have fun waving their lights around as they danced.
DoubleTree Binghamton Wedding DJ Photo Highlights
Thanks again to Olivia and Ani for selecting me as your wedding DJ! It's always an honor to be involved with such an important milestone in the lives of my clients. I wish you all the best for many years of love and happiness together!
