Weddings 101: Go big or go home!

Author: Arnoldo Offermann  //  Category: Weddings

There’s SO much to say about this wedding… I don’t know where to begin!!! To give you the brief description: Ritz Carlton + Magician + Italian AND Puerto Rican Families + Lamborghini + me and Monica + Colorchanging Uplighting + Dance floor lights + Dancing Underneath the Stars + Karaoke + CRUNK music = EPIC.

DJ in Orlando at the Ritz Carlton

Yes– karaoke at a wedding reception CAN be fun and NOT distracting! This all depends on your crowd AND your entertainer!

You got all that? Elliot and Danielle made one thing clear to Monica and I: after the ceremony was over: it was our show. SWEET! They knew the focus would be on them, but they all came to party and that’s what we do best!

Let’s break it down into some highlights:

  • The Ritz-Carlton staff is amazing! Lee and Jessica are class acts and are at the top of their game!
  • Andy really kept the party going with his karaoke antics…!
  • Hangover quotes. DURING DINNER!
  • Old School quotes. ’nuff said!
  • Elliot rented a Lambo — is this guy ballin’ or what?
  • Danielle partied all night! She’s the best bride a DJ could ask for!
  • We played Lil Jon’s “Shots.” As a DJ, I’m highly amused!
  • EVERYONE sang to Jump in Di Line!
  • I love Puerto Rican/Italian weddings!
  • Extremely classy ambience!
  • AMAZING family and friends who went out of their way to make me and Monica feel welcome– for a while I forgot I was the hired help and I felt like one of them!

Overall, this wedding was amazing– I can’t believe how much fun I had… all the way till 1AM!!!

Package chosen:

Check out the AMAZING photos and videos below!! Oh yes, I forgot to mention: NO MORE iPHONE PHOTOS!!

Click here to see photos and videos from this event

Mark & Brenda’s ALL-DAY reception!

Author: Arnoldo Offermann  //  Category: Weddings

All day– as in 2 to 8PM!

Mark & I instantly got along as he’s a light tech as well. After our final consult, he asked to check out our warehouse and we geeked it up while Brenda shook her head.

The location was Bramble Ridge in Lakeland— a GREAT location for those looking for a pretty, budget-conscious building. The Karaoke and 4Bar Light Show were a hit… check out the photos and video below for more info!

DJ in Lakeland

One of the guests from last week, Bob, was a guest and he partied hard! BEP’s “I Gotta Feeling” got played a few times that night!

Click here to see photos and videos from this event

Justin and Jessica's all-out-party reception!

Author: Arnoldo Offermann  //  Category: Weddings

Justin and Jessica Jones (I call them J3) are such a fun couple! Our final meeting started at 8PM and they didn’t leave till after midnight… we just had so much in common that even my wife pulled up a chair and joined in the conversation! Yeah, this was a good sign of things to come.

Now, I’ve had outrageous dancers at my weddings before… but this was a whole new level. There wasn’t a point in time where someone wasn’t dancing; the cocktail and dinner hours were filled with people dancing– even the cake cutting song (Lou Monte’s That’s Amore) had people dancing!

Bradenton DJ

This is like a DJ’s dream come true!

The Bradenton Country Club (who has AMAZING food, by the way) was nicely decorated with our uplights, dance floor lighting, and the starfield. Jessica and Justin got married in a planetarium, a wicked-cool idea, so the starfield was an obvious choice.

Check out the photos (albeit blurry) and video below to see what all the mayhem was about!!!

Click here to see photos and videos from this event

Kickin' off the year at Chris and Bridgette's reception!

Author: Arnoldo Offermann  //  Category: Weddings

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.

DJ in Lakeland

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!

Click here to see photos and videos from this event

Claudia and Billy's Double-Floor Reception!

Author: Arnoldo Offermann  //  Category: Weddings

This is perhaps one of the most outrageous weddings that I’ve done. Not only did I keep the dance floor packed.. I created a second one, as well!

With the Courtyard at Lake Lucerne as their location, Claudia and Billy wanted a very special evening. Thank God the Florida humidity died down for this one, otherwise we’d have different results. What started out as a quiet evening inside the house ended up as a crazy party with two dance floors. The second floor formed BEHIND the speakers, where no one could tell any different in the sound, thanks to BOSE’s amazing acoustics.

With only 3 Indian guests there, we expected minimal requests for Hindi music (we talked about this with Claudia and Billy and they even requested some Bhangra). However after playing Punjabi MC and watching the floor go WILD we dropped a couple other Bhangra artists including Jazzy B and the crowd became even more intense. Mixing it into some Bollywood, starting with Jai Ho REMIX really sent them over the edge.

Of course, being Dominican, Claudia wanted lots of Salsa and Merengue. Billy wanted to make sure no “wedding music” was played and that this was a chic, styling, and modern wedding. Sandra Johnson (http://www.sjfoto.com) and her team did an amazing job and I can’t wait to see their amazing photography work!!

Check out the video and photos.. I think we achieved that goal!

DJ in Orlando

I’ll brag here and say they were SO happy they wrote on our WeddingWire right after the wedding. With a 5/5 rating, they wrote:

Absolutely fabulous! My fiance and I were wary of hiring a DJ because of some bad experiences that some of our friends had during their own weddings where the DJs didn’t listen to what they wanted and just did whatever they (the DJs) wanted. I contacted several DJs early on in my wedding planning and the attitude of quite a few of them was “I’m the DJ and you’re not, I know what the guests like and you don’t.” Well it wasn’t the DJ’s wedding it was ours, and we knew what we wanted!! When I corresponded with Kelly Suit, it was a totally different experience. I could tell he was actually LISTENING to us and that his DJs would be willing to work with us to give us the wedding we wanted. The DJ for our event was Arnoldo Offermann and I can’t praise him highly enough. Our DJ and music have been the two things that we have gotten the most compliments on post-wedding. He had ALL our guests, young and old, dancing the ENTIRE night!!! It was awesome! We gave him a list of “must-play” songs and he totally had it up as he was working and played ALL of them. We had a fairly international crowd, and he played a great mix of Latin, Hip-Hop, Pop, Indian/Turkish, etc. He consulted us every step of the way, and if a guest requested a song that wasn’t exactly the type of music we wanted, he would ask us before playing it. There was a very obscure song that my mother-in-law requested from an old musical, and I found out after the wedding that Arnoldo had gone from CD store to CD store trying to get a copy of that song because it wasn’t available online. We only gave him this request literally the afternoon before the wedding and the song was played exactly as my MIL wanted it! Anyway, all these 5 star reviews didn’t come out of no where, they really are awesome!!!

Click below for some great photos and video!!!

Click here to see photos and videos from this event

St. Pete Treasure Island Wedding DJ and MC at Redington Beach with Uplights

Author: Arnoldo Offermann  //  Category: Weddings

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.

St. Pete Treasure Island DJ MC Wedding

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! Mr. and Mrs. Bonugli are some of the nicest, most down to earth people I’ve met!

Package Chosen:

Click here to see photos and videos from this event

Ahora comienza la fiesta! Hector & Liset's "I won it at the bridal show" wedding reception!

Author: Arnoldo Offermann  //  Category: Weddings

Right now Hector and Liset are reading this and smiling ear to ear. You know how I know that? They’ve been reading every single one of A Premier Entertainment’s blogs (Mine and Kelly’s and so forth) and took notes on what they wanted for their own wedding. We’ve become good friends through Facebook and I knew that this would be a wild party by the time they walked in through the door for our final planning meeting!

Located at the Lion’s Eye Center in Ybor, the ceremony was elegant, but totally their style and paved the way for an amazing night to come!

Highlights:

  • MARACAS!! (Watch the video)
  • I had a heckler… but we got him right back! He was the life of the party.. I think he and Hector are troublemakers, lol. :)
  • Awesome recessional to the wedding. The Lil Jon remix of Suavemente.
  • A Puerto Rican and Cuban family mesh— how much crazier can it get? :)
  • Delicious dinner thanks to Michael and his team with Affordable Catering
  • A delightful candy bar station compliments of Chanda Janine Ford with Classique Soiree Weddings and Events. (Liset and Hector also won this at a bridal show– LUCKY!!!)

Package Chosen:

  • Entertainment Coordinator (Liset won a free DJ package through the PWG bridal show!)
  • D’Elegance Lighting: Floods and animated centerpiece
  • Ceremony System

As the evening progressed, the party only got wilder…. and then the maracas came out! Matt and I had a blast.. and Matt even got out there and danced with the crowd. Check out the amazing photos and video clip below!

Click here to see photos and videos from this event

Sing Along at Alan & Sheri's wedding reception!!!

Author: Arnoldo Offermann  //  Category: Weddings

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!!!!!

Lakeland Wedding DJ

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!

Click here to see photos and videos from this event

Collin & Jerrika's REALLY FUN reception!!

Author: arnoldooffermann  //  Category: Wedding Tips, Weddings

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.

Lakeland DJ MC Hollis GArdens Magnolia Building

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

Package Chosen:

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

Click here to see photos and videos from this event

Justin & Megan's Freestylin' Reception!

Author: arnoldooffermann  //  Category: Weddings

Wow— what an amazing reception– I’m still pumped up!

I’ll be honest, the day started in my least favorite form: a 115º heat index. Really, Florida… REALLY??? Kelly and I set up our awesome BOSE sound system along with our D’Elegance lighting and Starfield at the Bilmar Beach Resort in Treasure Island, Florida. While setting up, Kelly and I had a debate on whether Treasure Island is an actual city or a suburb of St. Pete… hmmm… ;)

As we wired our setup to their TV system for the slideshows and music videos, the weather cooled down just in time for the ceremony… beautifully laid out by the beach.

While Kelly supervised the ceremony, I created an image in Photoshop to be shown on the screens as they walked in. It was their monogram laid out as “clouds” on the beach sky. A couple of guests were so impressed they even asked “when did the skywriter come in?”

weddings Justin & Megan's Freestylin' Reception!

Along starts the reception and the venue laid out sushi. Truth be told, it was the most delicious sushi I’ve ever had. :)  Kelly did the MCing and I did the DJing and lights… we’re a good team, this was a DOUBLE Entertainment Coordinator, lol.

The dancing started out like any typical Arnoldo/Kelly wedding (which is usually amazing).. but progressed into something even more….well… amazinger! We got requests for lots of gangsta rap (Snoop Dogg, Dre, 2Pac’s California Love), Old School (This is How We Do It, Jump Jump, Bust a Move), 80s Pop (I Wear my Sunglasss at Night, Walk the Dinosaur) and my personal favorite: FREESTYLE! I felt like I was working at the skating rink again (our good friend Tony would have a chuckle as he always made a joke about us being nothing but skating rink DJs, hahahaha).

You have to watch the video and look at the awesome photos that Kelly took. I must say, I am impressed. ;)

Package chosen:

I have to go now… but click the link below to look at even more photos! Ciao!

Click here to see photos and videos from this event