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.

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:

• Entertainment Coordinator
• 20-Can LED Uplighting
• Dance Floor Lighting
• D’Elegance: Dance Under the Stars
• Karaoke
• Custom father-daughter dance

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

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!

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!!!

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Steve and Ashley threw an epic wedding— how epic? Well, the party didn’t stop even after they left!! I’ve been looking forward to this wedding since Kelly and I did the wedding for Steve’s brother, Russell, and his wife, Tiffany. I knew their family and friends were here to party and my prediction wasn’t off at all. Not only did they dance throughout the entire night… but even after Steve and Ashley left for their honeymoon in Maui, the party kept going for ANOTHER HOUR!!!!

For me, the most memorable part will be the energy the introduction contained. Wait till you hear how LOUD everyone got when Mr. and Mrs. Villarette made their first entrance!

Check out some great photos and video below. The last photo was taken by Heather Ahrens of HA! Photography.

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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!

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

Package Chosen:

• Entertainment Coordinator
• 12 Deep-Orange Uplights

Click here to see photos and videos from this event

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!

Click here to see photos and videos from this event

Sharon & Jaryd’s wedding reception was totally unpredictable! When I met with them for their final consultation before the big day, I knew we were going to have a lot of fun– but they weren’t quite sure how many dancers would come out. Well it seems almost everyone did! After an awesome introduction (they chose the Halo 3 theme song) and the “Sharon & Jaryd Jeopardy” game show during dinner, everyone knew that Mr. and Mrs. Billups just wanted to have a great time!

The reception was at none other than the Peggy Brown Building, which is now SLAMMED with weddings since neighboring Magnolia Building is closed down for renovations. Diane’s Catering Company (DianesCatering.com) did an amazing job with the food. Sharon and Jaryd were very nice and invited me & Kyle to enjoy a good meal.

I also had the privilege of previewing some of their wedding photos, courtesy of Grant Thompson Photography (GrantThompsonPhotography.com), and I was impressed. They looked BEAUTIFUL. Sharon & Jaryd will surely love them!

One of the cool highlighs of the evening was the candy bar, which Sharon designed herself. She’s got more willpower than I do, because I would’ve eaten all of it! LOL!

Click the link below for photos and video!!

Highlights:

• Halo 3 Theme song for introduction
• Jeopardy style game show during dinner– complete with buzzers.
• One of the most energetic trains– during Love Shack!
• Fun Christian music played during dinner!
• Custom slideshows were played during the first, father/bride, and groom/mother dances!

Package chosen:

• Entertainment
• D’Elegance Video
• Game Show System
• Uplighting (No gels chosen, just white)

Pics & a YouTube video below!!

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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!

Click here to see photos and videos from this event

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!

Click here to see photos and videos from this event

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!!!

Click here to see photos and videos from this event