Category: Weddings

…And now for a little motivation!

Last year was a rough one. The holidays are finally behind us now. We have opened our presents, made our returns, made our resolutions and probably already broke them. A bunch of celebrities died. A bunch of Hatchimals didn’t hatch. BUt we made it through all of that, somehow regardless.

Now it is time to get back to reality. For some of us, the big wedding is only around the corner and waiting to plan because it could bring some headaches is a bad idea.

I too often hesitate to do something that can be stressful. Hell, sometimes I sit in the parking lot of the gym and fiddle with my phone, because I know the gym is going to hurt a little. However, if we take this approach with planning a wedding, it could impact the success of your wedding in the long run.

IT IS TIME TO PLAN YOUR WEDDING NOW!

In other places throughout this blog, I posted information that encouraged you to plan six months or more ahead of time to book your DJ, and up to a full year ahead of time to secure your hall/catering service. That means if you are planning on getting married in the prime time availability slots; summer on a Saturday might, you really need to start moving now!

Yoda once said, “There is only do, or do not.”

If you wait until the last minute, you may have to settle for something you do not really want for your special day. Last week in the Albany NY area, we already had days with about 3 to 5 wedding inquiries, speaking with anxious, but prepared brides looking to secure particular dates. They could be competing for day with a location that you have in the back of your head, or a vendor that would fit you perfectly.

Even with four DJ’s at TheDJService.com, we have already seen conflicts on dates and may have to turn a few couples away. There are only so many good companies servicing the Albany & Troy, Saratoga Springs & Schenectady NY area. Get a move on it!

If you start planning now and you will be all good! Just pick up the phone and call.

Kenny Casanova – Wedding Lip-Sync King.

I know, I know. We always boast, “NO CHEESY MUSIC EVER.” However, I throw in one from time to time for comedic value, like I am in on the joke of being the “bad wedding DJ.”

Here is a funny shot sequence by an awesome photographer, Larry Matthews. It is of me lip-syncing along to my one cheesy Delilah Show song of the night… “You Are so Beautiful to Me.” I am hamming it up, but I am smart enough not to actually sing over the velvet-smooth vocals of the very sweet Joe Cocker.

On a side note, there was a horrible storm that night,as Lake George got hit with the trails of some real nasty tropical stuff that made its way up north.

Just down the road, six people were rushed to the hospital due to the same storm after being struck by lightning!

Setting up for the wedding that day, I stepped out of my jeep directly into a 3 inch wave of water flowing down the hill where I was parked. It took me down! Fortunately for me, my entertainment lawyer, Marty Carbone, has a camp right nearby. He brought me some dry socks so I was able to make it through the night and belt out this classic.

Message in a Bottle Guestbook

At Indian Ladder Farms in Altamont, NY this past Saturday (a nice little place that I was the DJ for about 15 minutes out of Albany,) I saw a great new idea to try at your wedding. Instead of signing a book that will barely never get read, how about listening to Sting from The Police? You know, having your wedding guests leave you a message in a bottle?

Here is an interesting and a more creative do-it-yourself idea that throws a twist on the traditional wedding guest book.

HOW TO MAKE YOUR MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE GUEST BOOK –

1) First, secure 3 different colored wine bottles.
2) Next, remove the manufacturer’s labels by soaking the bottles in hot water.
3) Too sticky? No problem. Clean and scrape off any remaining label remnants with lighter fluid, or a good adhesive remover like Goof Off. (You can also use WD-40  as a cleaning agent.)
4) Print custom labels made up with the bride & groom’s names printed on them, and the numbers 1, 10 & 25.
5) Create a nice display on a small table. Place the table with the bottles and squares of paper at the entrance door to the wedding reception.
6) Add an instructional photo frame, explaining that the bottles will be used in place of the traditional wedding guestbook and broken on certain year anniversaries to have the messages read.
7) Encourage guests to write their messages throughout the evening.

HOW IT WORKS – The idea is that the newlyweds should read their messages on their first, fifth, tenth and twentieth anniversaries. What a great idea! It is like morphing together the traditions of the wedding guest book and freezing a piece of wedding cake to eat a year later.

SIMILAR IDEA – If you liked this idea, check out our wine bottle signing guest book idea.

JJ Hapgood – country store wedding venue.

I recently had the pleasure of being the DJ at a new wedding ring you for me called JJ  Hapgood. They have good is a country store located in Peru, Vermont. Many people know that it is also a catering service, but some do not know that they can provide wedding reception services on location.

One thing that is good about this venue is that it is also only about 100 feet away from a little white church. The church is ideal for brides and grooms want to get married in the traditional sense at a place of worship but also want to have a rustic wedding reception that is only if you footsteps away.

JJ Hapgood had some really good food. For their cocktail hour, they had home-made chicken Cordon Bleu bites, The hat rack full of pretzels that were homemade by the establishment, and also a number of really good hors d’oeuvres. They served food buffet style in that too was very very good.

The tent wedding was very nice and also had access to a cream courtyard in the median right next-door to the establishment. That was a perfect backdrop for photographs. If you were looking for a wedding with a church right nearby any rustic country store type setting, this is the place for you.

Below are some pictures so you can have a good look for yourself:

WEDDING COMING UP? THERE IS AN APP FOR THAT!

Put down that massive three ring binder and take a look at your smartphone.  It’s time to throw away the paper and streamline your special day by going digital!

Wedding apps are becoming more and more the “in-thing” among bride & groom smartphone users. You already must know that there is a boat load of hard work involved in planning your special day. The planning and organization you need to throw a successful wedding is unnerving to say the least. Well, worry no more. There is an app for that!

Thanks to the countless app developers out there today, you now have various wedding applications in all categories that will allow you to get more things done quickly and better.

ALBANY NY DJ OFFERS HIS TOP 10 WEDDING APP LIST

1. WedPics – This is our top wedding app pick of them all. It not only gives your guests all of the information needed surrounding the event, but it also connects them to your registry and acts as a drop box for your guests to post an unlimited amount of wedding pictures. WedPics is the absolute best photo & video-sharing app, collecting them all in one place. Invite your guests via email, text or Facebook.
2. iWedding: This is a really good DIY wedding planner app. With this download you can go and plan every little detail about your wedding. It helps you manage wedding activities, details and even your wedding guest list.
3. Wedding Gawker: WeddingGawker.com is a great web site for ideas and now has an app. This one brings its ideas for couples to your iPhone to make your wedding unique and fun.
4. Wedding Planning Complete: This tool is great! It keeps track of your checklist, budget, guests list and also offers a fun wedding countdown ticker.
5. WeddingHappy: This happy tool gives you everything. It has vendor contact information, plus loads of tools to make sure all bases are covered for your special day.
6. The Knot Ultimate Wedding Planner: The Knot helps you to organize your wedding by offering an all-encompassing checklist, budget keeper and plenty of fresh ideas for your wedding. It also has a countdown feature.
7. Wedding Countdown: Want a simple reminder app for your wedding? This app allows you to track how many days are left before the big wedding day.
8. Appy Couple –  This tool like WedPics allows people to share their own wedding photos and socialize before, during and after the event. It also lets guests RSVP and make travel arrangements. (There is a charge)
9. Wedding Dress Look Book: This app is specifically designed for the bride looking for a specific dress.
10. Wilton Cake Ideas & More: This app provides you with great ideas specifically for your wedding cake.

Wedding Review on The Eccentric Club

What a great little-known secret! The Eccentric Club is filled with tons of Victorian crown-molding, columns, old painting, and even stain-glass windows. If you are looking for that fancy, classy feel and are in the Gloversville, NY area, you owe it to yourself to give them a call.

PARKING – Located at 109 North Main Street, it is a very easy place to get to with public parking right across the street. The wedding that I recently did there had their ceremony at the park, only 5 miles away.

FEEL – Once the guests arrived, they walked into the first level for a super nice cocktail hour with a lovely spiral staircase. To the right was a large open space with tables and comfy furniture, to the left was a large open bar with all the trimmings.

CATERING – The Eccentric Club catered the event themselves, starting the night off with a great finger food spread. They also walked around with rotations featuring, stuffed mushroom caps, BBQ chicken skewers, steak & mushroom kabobs and Cajun Shrimp scampi as appetizers.

DINNER – After cocktail hour, the guests went upstairs for dinner. The Eccentric Club offered a super tender filet, a great chicken dish and potato-encrusted salmon. The setting and the food were both phenomenal. From a DJ standpoint, no DJ booth was needed upstairs in the dinning area, as am in-house set up is there for use.

DANCING – At the end of the meal, the guests migrated back downstairs, which was opened up even more spaciously into more dancing room and all had a great time!