Eddie and Amber saw us TWO years ago at a bridal show and said “we HAVE to have you… and the BOSE… and that sub!” They are a young, Christian, enthusiastic couple who had MANY ideas about an exciting New Year’s Eve wedding celebration with their closest friends and family.

So the challenge? The location was a church gym; A gym with a balcony that allowed some of the lighting to have a higher vantage point.

The easy part? I worked with Joette from Party People Celebration Company and Marilyn with Flowers by Marilyn. EASY WORK! These two ladies, coupled with Monica (my lead lighting designer) and Derek (senior tech) made the gym transformation super easy. I promise you won’t even recognize that it’s a gym!

Oh yeah, and there was a WICKED COOL balloon drop!!

So what did the lighting include?

• Well, we had 4 totems around the dance floor lit in a cool white (camera didn’t show it as cool) with a moving head on top of each one.
• Baby blue uplights adorned the entire room, even warming up the swag and drapes that Joette set up
• White trussing held scanners (which were used as spotlights), special requested effects lights, and dance floor floods. Trussing was lit up in wedding colors.
• The balcony held two leikos which projected a really nice pattern on the wall. The pattern rotated super slowly!
• The balcony also held floods which lit the entire area where the tables were placed. A couple of blacklights gave the white décor a very subtle pop. We didn’t want to saturate it.
• Blue and green stars grazed the area between the balloon drops.
• A blue liquid sky made a special appearance that transformed this beautiful wedding into a chic night club!

LOTS of beautiful pics and three videos… two timelapses and an event recap! What an AMAZING New Year’s Eve!!!!!!!

Oh yes, and a Snap Yourself Silly Photobooth added to the perfect ambiance!!!

First time lapse (from up high):

Second time lapse (floor level):

And the event itself!

Sometimes, simple looks better! Keith and Areej hosted their reception at the Winter Park Farmer’s Market (past Orlando). This is a former train station surrounded by brick, adorned sparingly but the charm is certainly visible.

They requested all white uplights and an all white light show, which blended perfetly with the venue.

Their family and guests were big partiers, dancing to everything from Top 40, club, oldies, and a large array of Arabic music, especially Dabke. Monica and I had a great time! Check out the pics and video below!

Package chosen:

Entertainment Coordinator
Uplighting
Dance Lighting
Under-Table Lighting

Wow– am I behind on posts!

Lyman High School was one of our original tour stops, and they’re back again to be bigger and better than ever. After 100% polled complains on last year’s entertainment, they decided that 4SchoolsOnly is the only choice in Central Florida for amazing school dances!

Two dance floors were going to be set up, but the outside dance floor was cancelled by rain. No worries, we just doubled up inside and played a huge variety of requests. The lighting, lasers, uplights, and 12′ video screen with live video were a smash hit! Add 2000 glowsticks to the mix and Lyman got a homecoming they’ll never forget! Check out the photos and video below!

Package: Shock ‘n’ Awe CUSTOM

Crazy stuff, I’ve known Stephanie since she was eight. Her sister, Sarah, even took a job at our old skating rink. I also did the weddings for mutual friends Jeff & Casey and Adam & Bethany. Needless to say, I know this crowd always goes crazy.

Once again, Eaglebrooke (Lakeland), got to put up with me… but with rewards this time. Eaglebrooke had a totally new look thanks to our lights.

We had (write this down, and ask for it at your wedding):

• Cake Table side flood
• Memorial Table Flood
• Sweetheart Table Pinspot
• Accent wash over both sides of the dance floor over the tables.
• Accent wash on the floor.
• Dance floor color changing floods
• Dance floor centerpiece lighting
• Blue Liquid Laser Ceiling Projection
• Blue Uplights
• Undertable Light

A club member walked in and said “Oh.. sh**.” Yeah, my feelings exactly.

I set this up solo because my wife had to be sent to the hospital. An idiot slammed into us (he was picking something up of the floor) and it did damage to her back. Luckily she was released and decided to join me for the reception. Folks, my wife is a trooper and she can beat up your wife.

I got to play with my new American Audio headphones… these things are LOUD!

Check out the photos and video below.. trust me, this is a MUST-SEE!!!

Talk about one heck of an event… with a beautiful ceremony (despite the intense heat) and a huge party crowd, you’d think that I’d be talking about how great things were from my end? Well, they were going well until the outlet DIED (not a breaker, not my system… the OUTLET itself) in the middle of a HOT dance set!

Crissy, Neil and the guests were SO cool that they didn’t react to the issue and gave us time to run power to a new outlet and reboot the computers. Once the music began again, they resumed from where they left off!

We provided the ceremony sound, DJ/MC, dance floor lighting, ceiling wash, uplights, and monogram!
Check out the pics and video below!!

Jason and Nikia wanted something that we love to do: TOTAL VENUE TRANSFORMATION. The Lake Eva Banquet Hall in Haines City, FL is already a beautiful place. This means monogram on the floor, total flooding with lights, uplights in a custom array, and of course our awesome spotlight to highlight them amongst the 250+ people there. Joanne did a great job with the coordination and linens while Maggi impressed everyone with a beautiful bride’s cake and a unique groom’s cake… see the photos below to be surprised!

A large variety of music was played from Nikia’s favorite group, Lady Antebellum (also my favorite), to lots of flashback booty music per request. This is the first time I played “Shake Ya Tailfeather” in years and even got to play Rated R – In Here Tonight! Check out some awesome photos and a video below! The video shows a before and after shot of the whole room. Thank you to my good friend and colleague, Jason Jani, for the idea!

Watch in HD!

Jodi and Jose had one vision in mind: a stunning wedding reception that exuded elegance but thumped like a nightclub when we cranked it up. Yup, there’s a DJ for that.

Now there’s something about the name Rodriguez that is synonymous with night club receptions, so keep ‘em coming!

That being said, we had one challenge: Jose is deaf and couldn’t hear the music. Using our powerful 4SchoolsOnly subwoofers and the awesome 4Bar setup, along with the 7′ video screen showing music videos, Jose was ableto feel and see the music.

While the Bayanihan offers LED uplights like we do, LEDs cannot do browns or certain teals accurately. Jodi and Jose’s colors were Aqua Teal and Brown… LEDs cannot produce these colors (brown– fugghedaboutit) so halogen uplights had to be brought in with carefully matched gels.

They were a great crowd– Kyle and I had such a blast! Check out photos and videos below!

And the video… I took an idea from a DJ friend, Jason Jani, about introducing what we’re offering in each video!

Watch in HD!

The ARC foundation caters to adults with mental disabilities.

I love doing parties for these kinds of organizations.. they’re the nicest people and dance to EVERYTHING you play. Lots of high-energy songs were played, and about 1-2 minutes of each to keep their interest piqued. Along with an amazing sound system, we also brought uplights to complement their fall theme, projected their logo onto the wall (We use REAL Source-4 projectors and not LEDs), and also provided a Snap Yourself Silly Photobooth.

Check out the amazing photos and video below! Christina and I had such a blast!

Watch in HD!

Exactly TWO hours after Adam and Bethany’s wedding in Lakeland, I had to be at New Port Richey for this homecoming. Of course, we set everything up the night prior!

This setup was very similar to Ocoee’s homecoming minus the 69 Boyz. Mitchell High also chose to use Leikos to do fire and ice projections, matching uplights, flames on either side of the screens, glowing spandex triangles, and 1000 red and blue glowsticks. Last but not least, despite Pasco’s no haze rule, we still used our huge laser system to do graphics. Bob (our laser tech) got very creative at this show!

The response of course was huge and 1000+ students had a total blast!! We’ll be back to do their prom once again– it’ll be amazing!

Check out the photos and video clips below!!!

The video clip below takes you on a “tour” of the set up.

Watch in HD.

Now for the summary!

Watch in HD!

I don’t think the Royal Plaza in Orlando knew what their venue could be REALLY transformed to…. heck, I didn’t even know. With my amazing team (Monica, Derek and Charles), we created an out of this world experience for Cypress Creek High!

What did they get? Amazing lights around the entire dance floor, black lights, glow in the dark bubbles, stars on the ceiling, clouds during the King & Queen dance, spandex pulls, a photo booth, video screen with live video and ambients to complement the music videos, uplights, color-changing tables…. annndd, get ready for it: The most powerful lasers available for school dances. (Update: We’ll be offering an even bigger pair in blue for multiple colors!)

The students were amazing and the energy level was beyond anything I could’ve imagined. Check out the photos and video below!!!

(The video is very shaky… apologies ahead of time, but there was so much energy that everyone, including my crew, were jumping!)

And the video!

Watch in HD.

Ok, now I’ve been to Eaglebrooke MANY times, (How many? Click here for an idea!) but I have to say: this is the most beautiful set up I’ve seen at Eaglebrooke.

Then again, it should be. Natonia and Alfredo, with the help of Tarra Parnell, coordinator extraordinare, chose a dream team of Lakeland/Polk County vendors. Monica and I attended to music, lighting, and MCing. Jenny of KC Photography handled some exquisite shots. Tim and Patty Hicklin of Storybook Weddings took some cutting-edge video. Flowers by Marilyn did an amazing job with the linens and drapery and made Eaglebrooke look amazing. Beth and her staff did an amazing job, as always, offering top-notch service and food… and to top off an impeccable meal, a delicious cake was provided by Andrea of Sweetcakes!

The food… ohh man, you know I could go on for HOURS talking about how good it was. I’ll just say this: I had the salmon. The filet was easily a foot long, smothered in butter and light lemon juices, and fell apart the moment you looked at it hard enough. Delicious is an understatement here, folks!

Not only did it look beautiful, with our colorful uplighting and “Dance on the Clouds” feature, but it was a real fun party as you’ll see the video. (Lots of Latin music, too, helps being bilingual!) Three highlights are the soul train as the wedding party dance, Tarra’s son bustin’ out some MJ moves, and Natonia’s 90 year old grandfather moving it to some Earth, Wind, and Fire.

You just can’t rock any harder than that! Check out the photos and video below!

Package chosen:

• Entertainment Coordinator
• Dance Floor Lighting
• Uplights
• D’Elegance Under the Stars, custom (Sans Stars)

And two quick videos.. the first one shows the First Dance, courtesy of Storybook Weddings!

The second video is the event log.. check it out!

Watch in HD, click here!

The Bayanihan Arts and Event Center was stunningly decorated. Marquita and Kevis really went all out with uplights, pipe and drape, swags, and just everything imaginable.

I left my camera at home by accident. DRAT! So today you get blessed with iPhone4 photos!

They were a fun group of guests… especially the groomsmen who sang every old school R&B song played during dinner. I wish I gotten the caterer’s name, though… the Chicken Cordon Bleu and roast beef were delicious… so savory! This wedding took a lot of planning, but they really pulled it off! Check out some photos and videos below!

Watch it in HD

Chris and Bridgette Waters were a lot of fun– it breaks down to being that simple. If you’re a baseball fan, you may recognize his name as he plays for the Orioles– but they were the most modest down-to-earth people you could meet. They just wanted to have a good time.

Now, I’ve been at the Peggy Brown Building in Lakeland HUNDREDS of times, even had my own wedding there, but the place has never looked as good as it did that night- thanks in part to Flowers by Marilyn. Marilyn and Bill did an amazing job with the  swags, linens, and head-table backdrop.

Michelle and Rachel with R&M Photography were not only incredibly fun to work with, but they also set up a backdrop in the foyer for guests to get family portraits taken and printed on the spot, compliments of Chris and Bridgette.

Check out some great iPhone photos and video below!

You can see our uplights highlighting the room, even in broad daylight!

Our simple “4Bar” light show flooded the Peggy Brown building and lit up the beautiful swag!

First dance. Check out the amazing monogram!

RIght in front is my brother-in-law, Nate, and his girlfriend Angela… turns out Nate went to school with Chris– small world!

Myself, Chris, and Bridgette!

And a video… I’m done with YouTube.. I’ll be using Facebook.

WOW! This setup was wide, wide enough that even I wasn’t too sure how we’d make it fit– but sure enough we did!
The theme was Night in Atlantis, so with a custom logo was made for them by yours truly.

Our uplights added just the right colors and shadows arounds around the décor as special effects lighting created a “water reflection” along the walls. Two 14′ wide screens showed music videos and live video as a the center screen, 17.5′ wide, showed a giant aquarium.

Oh yeah, and we brought out massive light and sound show– but that’s how we do when we have 1100+ students!

Alex Gilliard and Tim Hicklin (Storybook Weddings) graciously tagged along to shoot some great footage. Tim shot the setup and Alex took photos of the dance itself. Any sub-par video was shot by our Flip as Tim wasn’t there for the dance itself. Tim drove all the way from Lakeland and Alex came in right after a wedding in Wauchula (over 2 hours away). These vendors are dedicated to their work and I appreciate all their help!

Check out the photos and videos below.. they’re all worth watching. My wife took the first two photos and shot the last video. I edited all the videos, so don’t blame Tim for my sub-par editing job on this one! lol

The logo was converted to a GOBO.

You can see the uplights as well as the water reflection. The pictures do no justice as you can’t see how it had a realistic movement.

1100+ students. WOW.

Arab Money. Best dance. Ever.

Derek, Monica, myself, and Chevy! Best crew ever!

And now some videos… here’s where it gets unique!

The first one is a quick time-lapse, truly a must-see!

The second video is a pretty cool speed-documentary of the setup!

The third one is a super quick video of the entire setup!

Finally– the dance itself!

AHHH!! Could dances get any better? We had SO many kids pile up in the front of the dance floor. Every song I played was greeted with enthusiasm.. especially the old school hit, Hypnotize by Biggie! The Video Explosion Lite was a huge hit with the students!

Watch this video to see why they call me The Crunk Speciali$t!

Package chosen: Video Explosion Lite, Uplights, Live Video, Glowsticks

I do this school in Orlando/St. Cloud every year and they never cease to amaze me! What a great crowd! What makes this school a lil’ different is that there’s VERY LITTLE rap requested. We got lots of requests for techno, pop, some oldies, and any rap requested was faster stuff… none of that 70BPMS crap!

What made this school even better? 2000 Glowsticks were ordered. 2000!!!!! Check out some amazing video footage and photos below!

Package chosen: Video Explosion+, Uplights, Live Video, 2000 Glowstick Toss

Uplights in the back…

The floods filled the whole room!

2000 GLOWSTICKS!

Kyle, pretending he’s a DJ, lol!!!

I’m still pumped up after a great evening with Zach, Helga, and their amazing friends and family! Can you imagine how amazing a wedding has to be that I pulled myself from a homecoming to be part of it?

Let me lay down the scenario for you: They’re from New Jersey. It seems that if you’re from NJ or NY, partying HARD is in your blood. Nice. Zachary is Armenian and Helga is Portuguese; I was thrilled to hear this as it stretches my knowledge and experience in ethnic weddings.

The first time I talked to Zach and Helga I was STOKED about their song choices. They wanted a club-style wedding with rap, vocal-trance, and a little old school thrown in. This was a few glowsticks short of a rave… my dream come true!

Fast forward to the evening: after a massive heatwave giving us 100º+ heat indexes, Zach and Helga where greeted with a sun-kissed beach with temperatures of 60-70º… WHOA! Is there a better sign of a wedding that was meant to be? NO! The scenery was beautiful and not one drop of sweat fell from anyone there. Could it get any better? Yes, it can! Zach & Helga came up with the perfect dress code: Casual Beach Chic: No tie. No jacket.

The DoubleTree Hotel had the room perfectly laid out sporting the new couples’ chosen colors of orange and white while our uplighting put the perfect finishing touch on the room. Britt McAllister, the photographer (and a great guy to converse with), did an amazing job capturing the beautiful scenery inside and out.

Zach & Helga treated all of us to a wonderful plated dinner of Mahi-Mahi, Chicken Marsalla, or Filet Mignon. I chose the Filet and it was DELICIOUS. We sat by the balcony and enjoyed a cool breeze, good music, Zach’s constant appreciation for our music choices, and a great conversation with fellow vendors and guests.

Once the dancing began, it was non-stop… we mixed in some 80s and Freestyle and the crowd went NUTS. Check out some photos I shot (I’ll add Britt’s soon) as well as an amazing video! They are some of the nicest, most down to earth people I’ve met!

Package Chosen:

• Entertainment Coordinator
• 12 Deep-Orange Uplights

The room looked STUNNING!

The scenery was UNBEATABLE!

Now this is cool.. instead of a guestbook, everyone wrote their names and well wishes on a river rock and placed it in the wishing well. How unique!!!

They even partied outside!!!

My co-DJ Chevy, Zach, Helga, and myself!!

And now you a YouTube video!

Sing Along, you ask? Watch the video and you’ll see what I am talking about!

Alan & Sheri George are an amazing couple– the only thing that could’ve topped this wedding was… well… um… I don’t know! As Pete and I were watching everyone have the time of their lives, singing along to every song I played, we both asked the same question: Where do I begin on this blog?? So much coolness happened, so I’ll describe everything one piece at a time.

Location: Eaglebrooke Golf & Country Club in Lakeland, Florida.
Food: DELICIOUS!!!!!
Cake Decorator: Piece of Cake by Maggie– it, too, was delicious!
Flowers: Not sure, but he did a GREAT JOB!!!
Photographer: Jenny from KC Photography. Who else?

Sheri and her family: She’s from New Jersey – they wanted 80s, freestyle, 90s, and top 40.. oh yes.. and TECHNO!!!!
Alan and his family: They’re from Texas– lots of country, rock, and 70s-80s.
Both of them: a non-stop party. At no point did the floor clear. It was crazy how they sang along to everytune!!!!!

Dinner:  I can still taste the mashed potatoes..mmmmMMMMmm. The Centerpiece Giveaway Game and the Alan & Sheri Jeopardy game were a hit!!!
Game Show: It went great! Categories where: Dating Life, Curious Georges, Alan Wrenches, My Sheri Amour, Wild Card

Dancing: A HUGE PARTY!!!! WOW! This video goes by quick because there’s only 15 second long clips… every song seemed to get them pumped up!!! They crowded around the TVs and danced while watching the music videos!

In summary: IT ROCKED!!!! You must watch the video!

Package Chosen:

• Entertainment Coordinator
• D’Elegance Lights (Monogram,  Uplights [pink, yellow, and orange], dance floor lighting)
• D’Elegance Video with Music Videos, Slideshows, and the Game Show System

Check out the photos and video! Note: Photos were taken by KC Photography. However, they didn’t edit these… I played around in LightRoom until I get the final product from Jenny!

The setup…. Pete is getting some last minute details ready!

Bryant says the prayer. You can see the screen behind him with a custom graphic!

The game show is about to begin… the buzzers light up!

The game show begins! Guests laugh at the custom questions full of inside jokes!

The categories made everyone laugh!

“What’s that answer again…?”

“Oh… THAT’s the answer?”

Alan preps for a high energy garter toss!

Wait– isn’t it cheating if the Replacements are engaged???

Guests all focus on the excitement in the middle of the floor.. except for the guy in the red shirt, lol!

And now dancing!!!

The monogram! Sheri describes it as this: “We like it a lot! We decided it doesn’t stand for ‘Alan’ ‘George’ ‘Sheri’… it stands for Arnoldo’s Got Skills! Thanks again.”

Taken with my camera…

Pete, Alan, Sheri and myself.

And finally… a YouTube video!

Two years ago in 2007 I married my best friend, Monica. Our wedding was at the Peggy Brown Building… even though it was 110º outside, we stuck it out for photos…. our ceremony was indoors (thank God!).

Just like any gig log.. I’ve attached some photos… video will come soon!!!

Thanks to David from A Premier Entertainment (duh), Jenny & Bob from KC Photography (double duh), Cakes by Maggie, Dr. Davis (our officiant), Kelly and Christina and all our family and friends who helped make this day happen!!!

Package we chose:

• Premier
• D’Elegance Light Show
• Ceremony System
• Colorchanging Floods
• High-Res Color Monogram
• Color-Changing Totems
• Sub
• D’Elegance Video

Here’s the pics… just a few of the 900+ taken. Click below!!

Tables…

Cake.. notice the PIMP toasting glasses…

LED Uplights all around the room

Kelly pulls the ring out of a Cracker Jack bag…

Bridal party…

Post-ceremony Pics…

First Dance…

…and after that we did JUMP ON IT

Setup.. excuse the wires… lots of equipment to run = lots of laptops.. my, how APE has grown in the last two years!

Kinda crooked.. but the totem poles are seen in the background

Toast.. see the pimp glasses? And then her arm magically got covered :sqrolleyes:

Then some of us snuck outside while the girls were dancing.. cleaning.. etc.. lol

Pimpin’ da ‘lac…

“Taking the Plunge” literally!

THIS is how you lean like a Cholo

Jumpin da border…

Death of a Salesman.. Abridged Edition

Fín

I LOVE YOU, MONICA!!!!

A big congrats go out to Collin and Jerrika Aiken!

They wanted to have a PARTY from the beginning the reception started and party they did! The ceremony was moved indoors due to the rain, but that didn’t slow anyone down. Pete (my assistant) and I rearranged certain parts of the room to prep it for the ceremony.

Everything looked beautiful and the rain was just a sign of God’s promise to a new beginning in their lives.

The reception was great, featuring their first dance on clouds using our one of a kind system.

The dance crowd was small, but they danced large! Pete and I had a blast!

Package Chosen:

• Premier (Upgraded to Entertainment Coordinator compliments of APE)
• Custom D’Elegance Lighting Package with Uplights
• Lighted Columns
• Dance on the Clouds

Check out some amazing photos by KC Photography and a video below!

Pete and I by our setup as we clean up our area.

The setup for the head table/ceremony altar!

First dance on clouds… Mr. and Mrs. Aiken look in awe at the stars on the ceiling!

Dancing begins!

Pete, Collin, Jerrika, and myself.

And now a video!

June kicks off the “BEST WEDDINGS EVER!” month!

Almost three years ago I did a wedding for Mr. and Mrs. Acevedo. This promptly led to creating an amazing reception for two more family members: Mr. and Mrs. Santiago. We got along so well that they invited me to their church, New Hope, in Winter Haven, FL. This has been the best decision in my life– I’ve finally found a church I can call home.

Fast forward to yesterday, Matt and Erica came to my office needing the wedding of the century. Knowing their family and friends, very little effort would be needed to accomplish this– and boy was I right. This was a party from the very beginning on out!

The photographer, Danny Cruz (with his son, Brandon) and Tim & Patti (with Storybook Weddings Videography) did an amazing job capturing all the special events. We felt very welcome not only as vendors but as guests by everyone there.

The ceremony was at Victory Church in Lakeland, FL and the reception was at the Lone Palm in Kathleen.

Highlights:

• Harry & Shannon Acevedo’s son, Davin, is 2 years old— he wasn’t even born when I met these two– how time flies!
• Very energetic introduction with a remix of Beegees with Lil Jon, Boom Boom Pow, and Right Round!
• MERENGUE!! NEED I SAY MORE?
• Lots of interaction without bordering on cheesy!
• My wife was there– despite her injured knee, she couldn’t lift anything up, but she handled the music very well! (I love working with her.)

Package Chosen:

• Entertainment Coordinator
• Extra Extra Extra Bass
• Uplights in Pink
• Extra Hour

It truly was a party– check out the many iPhone photos and videos, soon! As soon as I get footage from Tim, I’ll make sure to share it!

My setup… the pink uplights look orange thanks to the iPhone’s cam.

Cocktail hour arrangement… pretty hearty! Ha ha– get it? GET IT?

180+ people!

Preppin’ before guests arrive.

Uplights behind the candy buffet.

A beautiful cake by Karen (from Lakeland).. the tiers were THICK!

Everyone went for the Dove Chocolates!

The limo arrives. As you can imagine, the curb was NOT made for a limo that long to pull up. My eyes tell me this is a Lincoln conversion, judging by the chassis. Either way– it’s absolutely beautiful.

Dancing begins!

Tim, the videographer, getting his roll on!

Erica dancing with Anthony (the ringbearer).

As you can (slightly) tell, the uplights threw a hue of pink around the room!

Tim watching me DJ.

Monica, myself, Erica, and Matt.

And a YouTube video!

Erica & Matt– I wish you both the best! See you in church.. we love you guys!

Wow, what a wedding!

To the future couples reading this, take the following tip: if you don’t want dance floor lighting, but still want the most unique of atmospheres, choose color-changing uplighting!

Very few DJs in Florida have color-changing uplighting, and this is one of the many reasons Elizabeth and Jeremy Voss knew we were the right DJ company for them. Being in the middle of prom season, I was worried that my “high-dance energy rush” I’ve been stuck on may be a bit too much for the wedding. Alas, the opposite was true. These people were here for two reasons: 1) to celebrate a once-in-a-lifetime moment with Mr. and Mrs. Voss 2) to party, and party hard!!

Ashly with Olivier Events did a great job creating the room setup– you have to check out the photos! She helped Jeremy & Elizabeth create some details that really made the wedding pop. One of my favorites was choosing a Norwegian Brand of water, Voss, to serve guests. I had to find out if Jeremy was associated with the company (same name)…. but it was just a [really cool] coincidence.

When you click the link below to see the photos, hijacked from Kelly’s blog, and the video, be sure to pay attention on how much the uplighting changes the room ambiance.

Speaking of Kelly, he was the MC for the event whilst I DJed and took care of the lighting. As always, he did an amazing job customizing every part of the reception. I will brag here, I rocked the house! I can’t lie there– I left the wedding pumped up and energized even after helping break down 42 cans of uplighting. That’s a LOT of cable! Cypresswoods is an easy load-in/load-out… not to mention their food is exquisite and service is out of this world!

By the way, just to throw in a shameless plug (no punintended) on how energy efficiency: the outside setup had 12 cans of uplighting and our BOSE system setup to handle the 200+ guests as well as our console (computer, mixer, CD player, peripherals, etc) and everything ran on ONE outlet! This is a huge advantage to anyone who’s doing a wedding outdoors where power is limited OR where the hotel charges and arm & a leg for power.

Highlights of the evening:

• The uplighting!
• Tri-location setup: cocktail, dinner, and dance floor all in different sections.
• Very elaborate decorations
• Hip-Hop was the preferred genre here, but everyone of all ages got down to it!
• Old Time Rock & Roll is still the ultimate party starter song!

Package chosen:

• Entertainment Coordinator
• Color-Changing Uplights
• Static Uplights with custom colors
• Compact Dinner Sound System

Now click below for photos and video!!!

Check out the beautiful room without uplighting…

…. Now we plug in the switch and …

…to quote the Kool-Aid man, “OH YEAH!”

Elizabeth and Jeremy’s 1st Dance

James is delivering a well-written toast.

Showing off our LED uplighitng, it looks even better in the video!

Ann deserves the award for one of the coolest parents in a wedding!!

Can you believe this is a TENT?!?!

The happy, (and worn out), couple!! Congrats guys!!

And now, a YouTube video!

Have I told you guys how much I love Lake Ashton? Well in case I haven’t– you’ll hear all about it again!

Kristen came to us wanting an elegant lighting package; she was very worried that the lights would make her reception look like a nightclub. After she saw the D’elegance lighting setup, she knew that would never be the problem. The lights were set up so discreetly, you could barely see them until they were turned on!

They chose their uplights to be solid white, to keep the contrast at a minimum and have the centerpieces pop out a little bit more.

To make a long story short, this crowd knew how to party… they danced the entire time.. even as they were walking out for the grand exit!

As usual, were did the ceremony as well for Lake Ashton. Aside from the music, we coordinated the entire thing, so Kristen and Bobby were able to enjoy their own special day.

You have to click below to check out some awesome photos from the wedding, provided by the best photographer known to weddings: KC Enterprises. I’ll post their blog up, soon!

Package chosen:

• Entertainment Coordinator
• Ceremony System
• Static Uplights: White
• D’Elegance Lights: Custom

The ballroom, notice how you can barely see the speakers and the light show on either side of the stage.

The lights in action!

Cupid Shuffle!

My wife, Monica, and the photographer, Jenny, from KC Enterprises photography!

And alas, an AWESOME video!

Kyle MCed this wedding and I let loose DJing tonight! WOW am I still pumped up! The energy was through the room from the moment we walked in those doors. It was a beautiful sunny, yet breezy day at the Hollis Gardens and Magnolia building.

I really wish we shot more video because the crowd really turned this wedding into a night club… well, nightclubs WISH they could turn into this wedding. Mixing the hottest music remixed to house/break beats, the floor wouldn’t stop moving.

I want to focus on this picture for a minute:

What do you notice? Look how elegant the DJ setup is. Megan and Jesse wanted the head table in front of the stage with us behind them… they were confident that our setup would be clean and discreet so their photos would not be ruined. The small-footprint lightshow is part of our new D’Elegance series and has JUST AS BIG AN IMPACT as our normal light shows. Look how elegant it sits on top of the 4″ thick BOSE speakers.

The uplighting changed colors throughout the evening and was synchronized to the music and mood.

Package Chosen:

• Entertainment Coordinator
• D’Elegance Lighting (Dance Floor Lights, Monogram, Static Uplights)
• Upgraded static uplights to color-changing, wireless uplights
• Reception Under the Stars
• Ceremony System

Check out some GREAT photos taken by KC Enterprises. www.polkphoto.com. Their blog should be up soon with even more photos from one of the crunkest weddings I’ve been to.

Oh yes, and a great video, too!

Click below!

McKesson chose Tigertown (Detroit Tiger’s training stadium) in Lakeland, FL…. the only problem is that it’s an empty, metal hangar. How the heck can you beautify this place?

With the right vendors. That’s how.  

Enter Joette of Party People (http://partypeople.homestead.com) with her AMAZING balloon sculptures. Instead of boring you with text, I have supplied plenty of photos and video!

Our next step in transforming the hangar was lighting. They didn’t opt for uplighting, except in the Balloon Tunnel and entrance room. 

We used a two-column setup with LEDs that flooded the room with blue (it was a Winter Wonderland theme) with moving head lights that projected snowflakes on the dance floor.

The balloon arch surrounding the floor absorbed the lights and was bursting with color!

Enjoy some great pics and video below!

Update: Welcome DJChat and BalloonHQ members! Be sure to leave a comment!

Here’s Joette next to her giant balloon arch!

White trussing. While most DJs may use metallic trussing, we prefer white as it is more elegant. 

The left wall of the balloon tunnel.

Here’s the arch! No flash used, this is our LEDs at work!

You can see our dual-totem setup!

Here’s the arch, glowing in color!

The entrance room. Joette provided LED Christmas lights and rope light around the room while we supplied blue uplights.

SNOWFLAKES!

More white trussing.

Karen and Neville Williams. When they chose a DJ for this party, we were the obvious choice… after all, we did their wedding three years ago!!!

Here’s me. I’m blurry, lol.

This is my light tech, Derek, doing my job while I’m taking photos.

This little guy here is the life of the party. He was dancing and clapping to every song!

McKesson gave away some awesome gifts… but people had to run up to get them! This guaranteed hilarity! 

Paula, Edyta, Derek, Myself, Karen, and Neville. The three ladies in the photo are responsible for making the party happen!

We pulled the van RIGHT UP TO THE STAGE! It was a flush fit, too! How awesome is that. We loaded up in a matter of minutes!

Enjoy some great video footage below!

Steve & Deb Carey chose the Entertainment Coordinator package for one reason: Convenience.

Convenience of meeting at THEIR location and not our office.
Convenience of having my cell phone # 24/7.
Convenience of knowing whatever they need I can make it happen one way or another.
Convenience of leaving the most important day of their lives to professional that make it happen.

Steve & Deb are GREAT couple who wanted to skip some of the wedding “fluff” and just party with their friends and loved ones. They chose the Imperial Swan in Lakeland, Florida, and as usual I was ecstatic to work there.

The playlist was awesome, I wish I had saved it… almost an hour of 80s rock… it was so much fun watching everyone dance to Bon Jovi, Guns n Roses, and Aerosmith…then suddenly to Baby Got Back. This was truly an eclectic group.

One problem I had… I wear slippery dress shoes.. and there was a stage. Right in the middle of the reception I fell off the stage (walked off, really) as I was about to show them how to do the Mississippi Slide. It’s weird seeing everyone waiting to know you’re OK before they bust out laughing.

This was everyone, too.. all the guests… my assistant, the photographer, and staff. It’s all good though, minus the BIG bruise on my leg.

Enjoy some iPhone pics below, I will post some photos Monday given to us from KC Enterprises Photography @ www.polkphoto.com (my favorite photographers, they did my wedding!)

Package chosen:

Entertainment Coordinator
Uplights (purple)
LED FloodsAnimated Centerpiece
Starfield
2 Mic Ceremony System

Grand Intro Song:Peter Gabriel – In Your Eyes
First Dance:Beatles – In My Life
Dinner Music: 60s & 70s (upbeat)

Obscure song of the night: 10cc – Things We Do For Love (woo-hoo, love this song!)

LEDs flood the entire room. It’s hard to see, but the table was lit up a deep purple as well.

This is Jenny, our photographer.

This is Lil’ Kyle. He’s blurry.

Jennerz again.

First dance.

Couples join in for first dance.

Dance, puppets, dance!

Starfield, again!

Kyle, Deb, Steve, myself. We’re worn out!

Wow! Ceremonies couldn’t turn out more beautiful than today! Not a single cloud in the sky… the beach was PERFECT, sun was warm and well, sunny… and it was only 70*!!!! WOW! I love it!

Everything was beautiful outside. Tom & Julie chose Jimmy Buffet’s Brown Eyed Girl to start off the processional.. what a perfect way to complement the beautiful scenery at St. Petersburg beach!

The reception was held in the B-E-A-utiful Tradewinds Hotel (where the food was amazing!) right in front of the beach. Tom and Julie opted for our popular Entertainment Coordinator package and chose under-table lighting as well as the Starfield.

Halfway into the dancing, Tom had made the comment that he would go back and get some dance floor lighting because the house lights were either too bright or too dark (the Staff was very accommodating though and great to work with)… so we took two of our backup uplights and aimed at the ceiling.

See, our uplights are LED-based, so we put them on music-trigger and the entire ceiling was glowing to the beat of the music. Since the ceiling is white, the lights reflected onto the dance floor. IT WORKED!

I worked with a GREAT photographer, Greg Spivey. Check out his website here http://www.amasterimage.com/

And the coordinator, Meghan Campbell, did a great job working with everyone and keeping us in check! http://www.dreamdayproductions.com you can also read her blog here: http://www.dreamdayproductions.blogspot.com/

Greg will be emailing me some photos, so I will post those up.. until then, enjoy iPhone-pics and some video footage as well!

Ceremony photos.

We lit up some of the tables with a deep red. The phone’s camera throws it off to an orange color… but believe me when I say it was CHERRY RED.

The setup, featuring the BOSE. Screen was provided by a guest.. we use Rear Projection screens.

Even in the middle of the day you can see how bright the tables are!

“Sand Castle” cake. SWEET!

You can see the stars!

My other DJ, Matt (very energetic!), Julie, Tom, yours truly.

Now, how about the video?  :)

LIbby & Jess were a pleasure to work with and I enjoyed every bit of it– despite the rain! Even though it dumped all over the equipment for the ceremony, it still worked (thank God!) for the entire evening. We had a large setup in a tent with over 200 people.. so we had to make good use of the room we had! These people were here to PARTY… The entire celebration lasted over 8 hours!

Lights Transformed their Tent

Here’s some highlights:

* We did a Jeopardy-style game show.

* White trussing lit up to match the wedding colors

* BOSE Sound System

* Uplights

* Live Video Camera

* Starfield!

Libby & Jess wanted this to be a casual-style wedding, and requested I don’t wear slacks or a tie. So I came in dress jeans and a coat jacket. During the game show, I got to put on my “Gameshow Host Jacket.” Absolute cheese, but everyone loved it!

So check out the pics by clicking below! The first 9 are from a Alex Gilliard, an amazing photographer! Check him out at AlexGilliard.com

The rest of the pics were taken on my iPhone… and of course a video!

Gotta love it when someone answers a question 1/2 right and “judges” have to make a call. There’s my assistant, Derek.

“I’ll take ‘Before the Wedding’ for $300″

Got it right!

“She Cheated!”

An amazing shot from Alex. The lighting REALLY transformed the tent!

Teaching line dances… with a stupid look on Derek and my faces. We were still waiting for the cold front to come in. It was around 80*+ in there.

Everyone was singing along… Derek had to open a crack on the tent to let some cool air in.

Someone requested Tom Jones’s “Not Unusual”

Here’s the place on the way in… 2000+ acres. We saw deer on the way back!

No, the house isn’t tilted.. just a windshield refracting side effect.

Uplights, LED floods, video screen (only place we could put it) and the starfield!

This cute lil’ guy was chasing the lights the entire time. We had fun controlling them as he chased them around the room.

Dance!!

Ok.. the last two pics need some explanation. We were way out in the beautiful country in Hardee County. They rented porta-potties as the rest rooms. These always amuse me because people write clever (sometimes) sayings on the walls. Whoever rented this before wins hands down. Check out the writing next to the urinal.

“This way to Mexico”

I’m not sure why, but that’s the funniest thing ever!!!

And now, video!

Click below to see photos of a great homecoming dance in New Port Richey! Want to book this package or something bigger/smaller? Call us! 1-877-994-4200

Crunk and hype doesn’t even begin to describe this school… students were on the dance floor the MOMENT THEY WALKED IN! Within 10 minutes we had hundreds of people on the dance floor. 

To prevent grinding, administration asked that we remix all requests with a techno beat… believe me, the students didn’t complain. As we tossed out 500 glowsticks they all went wild!

The theme was Arabian nights, and we fit the theme perfectly with custom graphics as well as the exclusive Starfield effect.

The cafeteria had a small system set up. Normally this is for background music while students enjoy their snacks, but we’ve managed to get a dance floor going there as well. We had about 100 to 150 students there dancing to Latin music, swing, rock, etc.

The school chose 4SO’s most popular package, The ShowStopper Original, which offers one of the largest set ups available in Central Florida. From Pasco to Orlando to Sebring to Eustis….

Check out pics and some great videos!

I got cut off by this guy here…. but no road rage.. that’s an ’01 SRT-10. Yeah baby. That’s what REAL American craftsmanship looks like. Setup pics are below. Woo-hoo!

Those pics above are just the first few minutes of the dance. IT WAS NUTS!!!

14′ wide screens baby… we do it big at 4 Schools Only.

These LEDs really light the gym up!

Check out some of their decorations below!

Every plane had color: walls, ceiling, floor.

Yours truly, the Crunk Speciali$t.

Uplights for the Spandex wall.

And now videos!

The first one is my infamous A-Town stomp ending. All credit to Lil Jon.

Second video is some highlights taken with our handheld camera. This shows some great shots of how IMMENSE the ShowStopper package is!

Third Video is footage from our Live Action Cam… this shows some highlites from traditional Top40 music and throwbacks. You’ll also see how quick the floor filled in 10 minutes!

Fourth Video shows some of the techno megamix we did…. we then finished it off by doing a “Request Megamix” where we take all of the requests we couldn’t fit in and do it a large megamix. Not all songs beatmixed perfectly and I had a couple of hiccups (we’re all human.. and my headphone cord kept pushing the pitch dial)… but it kept everything flowing! Just with the techno and request megamixes, we played about 85 songs in ONE HOUR!!!! Everyone LOVED it. (This is not for every school.. again, months of research occurs before each event we do).

Need a DJ? Want to contact me? Click here

Want to book an amazing DJ/MC from the company? Click here

There’s no other way to describe this wedding besides unique, fun, and PACKED!!!

Haley and Jonah Brock wanted something classy, yet out of the ordinary… something that would appeal to everyone, yet blow people right out of their seats.

They did this with three simple things:

1) A beautiful ballroom.. courtesy of the Red Rose Inn. www.redroseinnandsuites.com

Noelle and her staff did an amazing job attending to 300+ people there.

2) The world’s coolest cake… created by Sweet Cakes LLC. http://www.sweetcakesllc.com

Andrea really outdid herself with the groom’s cake… it’s a deer head. Check out the video… it looks JUST LIKE A REAL DEER HEAD! The fun came to figuring out how to cut it. They cut the head off and left it on Jonah’s place in the table. He had a great time “skinning” it.

3) An interactive DJ.. did you expect anyone else? www.MyDreamReception.com

What can I say? We’re good like that, haha.

They opted for custom intros and had some very funny anecdotes. They also asked for karaoke. This is one of the few crowds were karaoke blended in very well; Haley and Jonah sang as well, so it kept the spotlight on them. Her father sang My Girl to her, and created a warm touch as guests sang along.

Uplighting was a very wise choice for Haley (seen on the stage) as well as the starfield on the ceiling. Coupled with the custom monogram they really created a fun, yet classy look.

As far as my table… we had no room but to set up BEHIND the head table. They had so many guests I couldn’t set up anywhere else. Luckily, the BOSE sound system blended in very nicely on either corner of the stage while my table disappeared into the background. I bet you’ll barely see it!

Check out the photos and video in the link right after. Better yet, leave some comments!

Haley’s dancing with her father. You can see part of their beautiful monogram.

It’s hard to see the monogram as Jonah and his mother are dancing above it, but you can see part of the starfield covering the entire ceiling.

Half of the room, most of the guests are seated and eagerly awaiting the evening to unfold.. the rest are mingling out by the bar.

The head table, 4 uplights in alternating pink and white colors bring it to life. My setup is discreetly hidden in the back.

Haley and Jonah make their rounds to each table. You can see how beautiful the Red Rose Inn in Plant City is.

Haley’s father sings My Girl to her.

“Follow De Leader” –  a popular song that is less cheesy than the Conga.

The dance floor is filling up!

“Ayer ay-ayer!”

More dancing!

Yours truly, Haley, Jonah, and my assistant, Kyle.

2nd shot… one of the groomsmen decided to join in the photo!

And of course, a video!

Need a DJ? Want to contact me? Click here

What can I say about this wedding? I was BORN to do these… Stephen is from Puerto Rico and Monique is from Jamaica.

How many guests? 250+!

The wedding started amazingly, with guests dancing during the intro! Everythin was perfect– we went overtime, of course. I got to play some amazing reggae, soca, and calypso hits that I haven’t played in a while, as well as classic goodies and the best merengue and salsa you can imagine!

Some great hits of the night:

Tiney Winey, Dollar Wine, Follow Da Leader, Signal Di Plane, Baile del Beeper, Mississippi Slide, Double Dutch Bus, Fresh (Kool and the Gang), Parliament’s Flashlight.

Some cool things they had: Rum Cake, a Coffee “bar”, and Marble Slab ice cream “buffet”

Unfortunately their cake never showed up, however Publix Supermarket created a beautiful cake last minute!

This was at the Polo Grill in Lakewood Ranch, Florida. I bought a basic lighting backage, uplights, and monogram. The pictures and video do no justice on how big (and bright) the monogram was.

Click the break below to see photos and video!!!

Room with uplighting around.. again, the pics do no justice.

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Setup

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Marble Slab ice cream buffet.

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THE PARTY!!

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Monica (my wife and coordinator), Monique (Bride), Stephen (Groom), and myself.

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Vlog!