EMERGENCY DJ IN ALBANY NY SAVES THE DAY!

Quite often, we end up offering professionalism where some local DJs fall short. If a DJ has ever called you up to cancel services with them because they “overbooked,” that typically means they found a better payday and are now blowing you off. What they did was, they kept on looking for higher paying gigs than your event would pay them, and when they found one, they are essentially cancelling your reserved date simply because it paid less – even though you had to pay a deposit to lock in the date.

THIS CRAP IS UNPROFESSIONAL AND SHADY!

I can’t tell you how many times we have come in to save the day, after some sleazy dirtbag cancelled an event with little to no notice to a customer leaving them high and dry.

One Saturday morning, I was legitimately sitting on the couch in my skivvies. I had a few hours before I needed head out to my gig to DJ a wedding, when I got a call from a very upset Best Man at someone else’s wedding. In the background, I could hear a crying bride. There DJ “overbooked,” and forgot to even mention it to them. (Filthy. I know.)

We scrambled to save the day and made it happen, getting booked after the wedding in Albany NY had already began!

Here is a pleasant review from a very, very last-minute happy customer:

“Our wedding reception almost turned into a disaster, but due to DJ Kenny Casanova, he saved our wedding reception!

We originally booked and paid up front for a different entertainment company to provide DJ services for our wedding. On the day of our wedding, we arrived early to our reception, and was absolute horrified to discover we had no DJ, no music, nothing.

We called the owner of the company and the subcontracted DJ several times, but both never answered nor responded. We had to scramble while our reception was already starting, to make several phone calls to various DJ companies to determine if we could get anyone to show up in a moment’s notice to come to our reception. Miraculous, we got a hold of DJ Kenny Casanova.

In about 20 minutes of him taking our call, he arrived to our reception READY TO GO!  As I understand it, he was already scheduled for another job later that evening, but he knew what situation we were in, and came to our rescue. He set up his equipment, created a playlist on the spot, got our reception going with amazing intro for us. Shortly after that, one of his newer DJs that he trusted took over the night, so Kenny could still make it to his previously, already scheduled job – another wedding.

I can’t thank Kenny Casanova enough for what he did for us!”

Jennifer Deso on FACEBOOK, 10/1/16 (Reception at PACC in Albany, NY)

SARATOGA WINERY DJ WEDDING TOUR

We have done a few weddings at the Saratoga Winery in Saratoga Springs, NY and it is great! Check out our video below to see for yourself.

If you have never been there, it totally can work for an-all-in-one wedding venue location, meaning you can have your outside ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception with many different location options.

INSIDE – It’s a cozy little place with great ambiance. In side has a very woodsy feel to it. It has a great little bar, an eating area, and also a back reception room loaded with decorative wine barrels.

OUTSIDE – Out back, you have a great multi-tiered deck with room for all, plus a band or DJ under cover. There is also nice stone work and a great grassy area for a wedding ceremony.

Here is a video we shot to better help you understand, from a recent wedding I had the pleasure of DJ’ing for:

WEDDING REVIEW: BROWN’S REVOLUTION HALL
by Kenny Casanova

Recently, I had the pleasure of providing my wedding services as the disc jockey for a fun group at Browns Brewing Co .  I just thought it would be nice to share that Brown’s Revolution Hall is a nice  option for bride’s & grooms in the area who want an all-in-one venue to host both the ceremony and the reception on their special day.

For those of you Collar City residents of the historic Troy, New York area, many may know well what I am referring to when I mention, “My wife loves the Cherry Razz.”  Brown’s micro brewery produces a sweet Cherry Raspberry beverage, served complete with a cherry in the bottom; a definite must-have chick drink native to the area. However, to the passive Brown’s fan, here is something that not quite everyone knows about; Browns Brewery also provides a great wedding service throughout the year.

LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION:  “Revolution Hall,” Brown’s private party venue is located to the right of what most of Troy knows as Brown’s Brewery 417 River Street in Troy. This private function venue is an area closed off to the public, but is often made known by hosting musical acts. Many Capital Region favorite bands like Hair Of The Dog and The Refrigerators, have played under the Brown’s banner in this very location. And because of the stage and open floor layout, this venue can be the perfect alternative option for a wedding.

VENUE LAYOUT INFORMATION: The venue layout has great potential. Brown’s Revolution Hall has its own private bar with Brown’s on tap, its own kitchen, its own bathroom, a separate entrance/exit, a stage for entertainment. A wedding ceremony (like the one I attended) can easily take place in the stage part of the hall.

After the ceremony is over, Brown’s staff will just usher your guests over to the private bar for cocktail hour. During this festive cocktail consumption time, the layout used for the ceremony will be transformed into an elegant area for reception dining. There is even a balcony for additional reception seating.

FOOD SELECTION: Brown’s dinner selections are actually very good. They are not only known for their beer. They have everything from high end cuts of meat, to pretzels. My suggestion to those of you planning a wedding at Brown’s, however, is to focus on a few really good entree selections.

Because Browns is very flexible and easy to work with, they do have lower-end entrees available. However, cheaper food selections may not be your best option for a dream wedding… cheap food is still just that, low end. If budget is a huge concern, Brown’s will work with you. But my suggestion,  is to spend the extra little bit and get their good stuff, and leave an impression!  Your guests are worth the extra sawbucks, right?

Here is a link to their catering menu:  CATERING MENU

If you are planning your wedding now in the Tri-city area, give these guys a shout. Brown’s Revolution Hall is a good alternative venue option for your medium-sized wedding.

…And if you want a DJ with experience working this location, give us a call at 518-506-3305. We can also give you some more information about Browns!

Looking to plan a Bourbon Street Bash!?

Say no more!

It’s super easy to bring the Big Easy to your to your party for a wide selection of Mardi Gras party theme supplies, including solid-color tableware, invitations, fabric, favors and decorations. Just think purple, yellow/gold, and green!

When looking for decorations, you can bring all the fun of “Fat Tuesday” to life with Mardi Gras masks, beads and feather boas.

Need activities? You can create a great do-it-yourself photo backdrop selfie station, or memorable entrance for pictures. One other super idea (as seen below) is to have your guests customize umbrellas to create their own party favors!

Knowing how much bridesmaids mean to a brides, it is easy to see understand why they have some difficulty figuring out just what to buy their friends to show them what they mean to them in Upstate NY where I DJ, or anywhere really in the world. The good thing is, there are a number of companies out there that specialize now just in providing gifts to buy your groomsmen or bridesmaids. And they specialize on showing appreciation to these ladies.

Bridesmaid Gifts Boutique, for example, has a good selection of products that includes bridesmaid robes, bags, jewelry, and more. It’s a great mix of unique and affordable bridesmaid gifts. The other cool thing about this company was, they sent me a sample so i could review it for the readers of our site! I had the opportunity to test out a personalized leather clutch, and my wife, DJ Maria, absolutely loved it!

Leather Clutch – $29.99
The delivery time was on outstanding x days. Yes, I know in this day and age we are used to two day shipping, but let’s not forget that the clutch comes engraved with your initials. Speaking of the engraved initials, they are absolutely beautiful. The leather is of good quality considering the price tag of $29.99 and although I chose the brown it also comes in pink and blue. The size is perfect for carry personals without being overly bulky. The exact measurements per the website are 3.8 X 7.3 inches. Overall I would highly recommend this gift as it makes a great gift for any bridal party.

I also wanted to take a moment to call out a couple of their more unique gifts that I thought looked pretty cool.

Bridesmaid Group Caricature – $30 Per Person
The examples of the group caricature looked great. The cost is $30 per person but the possibilities are endless once you have caricature in digital format. Essentially you could have it printed on anything and shared on all your social media accounts.

Vintage Leather Journal – $44.99
The vintage leather journal is also extremely unique seeing that they can engraved it with a photo or your own hand writing. Talk about personalization…this gift will blow your bridesmaid minds!

So if you’re looking for a selection of the best bridesmaid gifts be sure to check out www.BridesmaidGiftsBoutique.com.

CRAZY WAYS TO MAKE YOUR WEDDING DAY UNIQUE

1. Video Confessional Booth –  Want to take the boring, played out idea of a traditional photobooth shoot to the ext level? Have your guests confess and have a video condfessional booth set up so people can tell their sins. In the spirit of reality TV, have your guests record a quick on-screen message for you of well-wishes, or better yet, some naughty or funny story that happened at the wedding. This is the perfect way to know which of your guests needed to get voted off the island!
2. Ceremony Cue Cards – Want a fun ceremony? Add cue cards. They can say anything and will get a great response!

   

3. Reception Ushers – Have some stubborn guests coming to your wedding? I’m sure you are going to have ceremony ushers, but why not do the same for the reception itself. Quite often, it is very difficult to coral the guest in from the cocktail hour – but this is the perfect way!
4. Pizza Run Midnight Snack – want to keep attendance up? Bring out more grub! A slider bar, a smores roasting table, a milkshake spread, or a DIY taco tray are all ways to keep the party rolling. If it were a straight up pizza delivery guy delivering the fun, that would probably be even better!
5. Hot Air Balloons – If you need to shuttle from the ceremony to the reception, why not take wedding transportation to new heights? How about a magical hot air balloon ride? Make sure to add a “Bride and Groom’s wedding or bust” sign!

6. 

   Built Bouquet – Have a small basket at the end of each aisle for your ceremony, each with one flower in it. Have guests hand the bride a flower as she walks down the aisle and create her own bouquet live as she walks!

7. Blindfold the Groom – for the first look, make the groom wear a sleep-gear-like blindfold. This way, there is further anticipation, and the first thing he sees at the ceremony is his beautiful bride in full regalia.
8. Face Painting Booth – Want to add color and fun to your wedding? Set up a face painting booth to make the party even more fun and over-the-top.
9. Air Guitar Basket – You have probably seen the basket of flip flops for dancing. Borrowing from this idea, put out an empty basket and label it “air guitars.” Then pass the basket around and have your guests mime that they are taking an axe out of it to jam with during your best rocking rock song!

   

10. Official Hashtag – Social Media is everywhere. You know already that your guests will be taking pictures of the event. Why don’t you create the official hashtag for your wedding and plaster the place with your soon-to-be-trending keyword? After the wedding reception, all you need to do is search the hashtag and find more pictures from different perspectives after your special day!