The Hilton Albany, New York – Crowne Plaza Wedding Review
THE ALBANY HILTON aka CROWNE PLAZA IS A GOOD PLACE FOR A WEDDING
Over the weekend, I had the pleasure of being able to DJ for Liz & Chris at The Hotel Albany, (now called The Albany Hilton) on 40 Lodge Street Albany, NY. (They have been coming for years to Villa Valenti Pub, a place I have been a disc jockey at for karaoke for a long time, and subsequently, they knew what they were getting into by booking me!)
LOCATION – You know a place must be good when it is busy, right? There were five other events in the hotel on this particular Saturday. It was very busy. There were two school functions, some kind of brunch, and a class reunion right next door to our spot at the main dining hall. While the very busy nature of the hotel does say that they a name to consider when looking for a venue conveniently located at the foot of Albany with easy access to 787, there was one problem during cocktail hour for this particular event; the busy swimming pool.
This is a photo taken after hours from the cocktail hour site, one level up. Since Hilton took over, the pool is now windowed off to reduce swimming sounds below.
COCKTAIL HOUR – The cocktail hour was scheduled to take place outside the main dining hall, in this case, for an hour and a half. However, with all the people around and school functions, the swimming pool on the floor below us was packed more than I have ever seen in, being a DJ in the Albany, New york area for 13 years.
The way the hotel is set up is kind of like a mall where the cocktail hour takes place, in that you can look down and see the floor below. Honestly, the other times I have provided the mobile disc jockey wedding reception services as DJ Kenny Casanova at the Crowne Plaze, the swimming pool below had never played a factor, auditorily. This time, however, it sounded like The YMCA, and the village people were nowhere to be found.
(NOTE – since the Hilton took over the hotel, they have put up windows to reduce swimmingd sounds. Great move!)
This is what the cocktail hour site looks like, just outside the ballroom of Hotel Albany.
Liz, the bride, has really been fun and supported us for quite sometime at our other gigs, so we wanted to make this day the best we could for her. Therefore, we set up, free of charge without discussion, to “drown out the swimmers below” – pardon the pun.
It worked for the most part. The other event coordinator at the class reunion came over a few times to ask us to turn down the acoustic music, and tunes we were playing, as not to bother the guest next door at the other party. But we managed to find a happy medium to mask the pool party splashing and it seemed to work.
One good thing about the class reunion as a neighbor, the guests were able to swipe different Hors’ Dourves free of charge off the other party!
STAFF – Everything else went off without a hitch. The staff is great to work with and made everything go really smooth, despite the fact that the event coordinator of this wedding was replaced somewhere in the middle of the reception, due to scheduling conflicts. The hotel also helped out immediately during set-up with a wiring issue and their AV guy went above and beyond to keep things professional and clean, with no visual eyesore factor to the guests.
The wait staff was friendly and helpful, and also very fast and efficient in serving all the guest. Some venues take too much time up, cutting into the dance portion of the night. This was not the case.
FOOD / DRINK – The hot Hors’ Dourves were really good. The dinner food was just average; not great, not terrible. This party was more about the drinking anyhow… and the bartenders did do a great job keeping the glasses filled with minimal wait.
Ballroom
In the end, a pretty good time was had by all, as many of the guests wanted the party to be extended. One good thing about booking at The Albany Hilton is that when the wedding reception is over, they have a great in house bar that stays open very late to move your after party to.
All in all, this event was my first one under the new Hilton owned Hotel Albany name. In the end, it proved to still be a great location being only a minute off of 787 in downtown Albany, with good employees, decent service and average/mediocre food.
ALBANY HILTON aka CROWN PLAZA WEDDING
For more information on using us to be YOUR wedding DJ, call 518-506-3305
Here is a unique idea to add to your wedding or event? How about a customizable confetti bar? This is a great conversation piece and activity that also serves a purpose for decoration. The confetti toss can then be a great group activity for the introduction of the bride and groom, or the first dance of the evening, perhaps.
Here is how you can add this fun decoration and group activity to your wedding or event:
Using paper for decoration too
HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN DIY WEDDING CONFETTI BAR
1) SECURE ONE-COLOR CONFETTI ASSORTMENTS – Buy a bunch of different confetti samples from a party supply store, or better yet cut up special papers yourself!
2) PREPARATION – If you are making your own confetti , look for cheap different lightweight (low pound) paper at your favorite art store. Then use paper shreaders, paper cutters or even hole punchers to render the individual confetti pieces. A combination of different methods to manifest the confetti will make for more unique assortments and better results/
3) PLACE INTO SERVING BOWLS / VATS – Once you make pure piles of one color confetti, display each batch in some kind of serving bowl/container.
4) ADD SIGNS – Let the guests know what the bar is for, and also inform them when they should launch the confetti.
5) ANNOUNCE BAR – Have your DJ announce the concept of the bar to your guests during cocktail hour before the bride and groom have arrived so that there is plenty of time for guest to mix and match their own custom confetti mixes. Part of the fun of this wedding idea is that people have the time to mix and match a baggy full of confetti so that they can throw a batch of their own hand-selected mixed confetti.
This can really be a great activity, but please make sure to first check with y our catering hall/location to make sure that their are no restrictions on confetti. (Some halls don’t allow it.) Here are some pictures below to better help you visualize the potential of a wedding confetti bar.
Are you thinking of throwing a party but have no idea what to do for food? How about a BBQ service that offers WHOLE HOG pig roasts with a cool billiards theme?
Whole Hog pig roast at 3 Ball
They do it all. When I was the DJ for a party they did last year, I was blown away. 3 Ball has the most impressive custom-made smoker, “Smokezilla,” that I ever saw.
3 Ball BBQ menu is also out of this world. Not only do they carry the best in traditional BBQ entrees, but they also have “Global-Cue” categories featuring Brazilian BBQ on skewers and Korean BBQ dishes. I personally couldn’t get enough of their scrumptious seafood gumbo!
ANY SIZE PARTY – If the idea of too much food from a massive HOG isn’t what you are looking for for your smaller backyard BBQ, how about a smaller suckling pig with some other pork platters and sides? They really aim to please.
If you want to book them for a party, check out 3BallBBQ.com, or call 518-522-7102.
A few years ago, the digital world took over the photography industry. In the meantime and in-between time, Polaroid was faced with low sales and finally decided to call it quits in 2008. The world was saddened in an instant.
However, after popular demand, they are back now back in a flash. In 2010 Polaroid came back with their new product, the 300, and that means Weddings have potential for some new fun. As a DJ, I see a lot of things and this activity was fun had by all.
Here is a novel idea of how to create your own Polaroid Photo Booth for your wedding and let your guests have a good time doing so.
If you have been to a wedding housing an old school 80’s wedding DJ, you probably would hear like Cher’s “I got you, Babe” or something old fashion. Here is a modern wedding cake cutting list of songs from the last few years.
New Wedding Cake Cutting Song List
Michael Buble – How Sweet It Is
Uncle Kracker – Smile
Jason Mraz – I’m Yours
Jason Mraz & Colbie Caillat – Lucky
Plain White T’s – 1,2,3,4 (I Love You)
Barry Louis Polisar – All I Want Is You
Iz – Israel Kamakawiwo’ole – Over The Rainbow
Sarah Mclachlan – Ice Cream
Ray Lamontagne – You Are The Best Thing
Michael Franti – Say Hey (I Love You)
Adam Sandler – Grow Old With You
Taylor Swift – Love Story
Blake Shelton – Honey Bee
Kelly Clarkson – A Moment Like This
Dave Matthews Band – Crash Into Me Dave
Matthews Band – You And Me
Big & Rich – Lost In This Moment
Billy Currington – Must Be Doin’ Somethin’ Right
Bruno Mars – Just The Way You Are
Colbie Caillat – I Do
Huey Lewis & Gwyneth Paltrow – Cruisin’
Jack Johnson – Better Together
Rihanna – Birthday Cake
Sugarland – Stuck Like Glue
I hope this new list, comprised of modern songs around 2014 is helpful to you! Thanks for taking a look!
Here is another cool wedding guest book idea that I hadn’t seen before so I decided to share it with you here.
How about a wedding guest book that is actually a bench?
That is right.
If the idea of having your wedding guests sign a book you will never look at again doesn’t sit well with you, how about this?
The trend for having original guest books has really taking off. I have seen wine bottles, painted canvasses, Jenga Games and thumbprint trees. This is another neat alternative to add to the list.
