Category: Weddings

Here is an idea for your wedding. Have your guests “hastag the hell” out of it!

CREATE YOUR OFFICIAL WEDDING HASHTAG

For those of you not familiar with the term, “Hashtagging” is creating an easy way of searching social-networking Web sites for pictures, videos or status updates relating to a specific topic. Simply enough, when you hashtag (#) a word or phrase, you are indexing a very specific topic to make it easy for someone to find on social sites like Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Vine.

If you have been living under a rock and are not a user of any of the above forementioned social media sites already, the benefits of hashtagging your wedding are a great reason to start!

The hashtag originated for use first on Twitter.com, of course, but is now becoming the goto measuring stick indexing on all social networks. So, what does this mean for weddings? It means more pictures, more videos and more different perspectives of your wedding will be available at your fingertips, for free.

3 STEPS HOW TO MAKE YOUR WEDDING HASHTAG WORK FOR YOU:

1) CREATE YOUR OWN OFFICIAL HASHTAG – If you create an original and uniform hashtag for everyone to use, their will be no guessing or confusion on what word combo should be searched. Try and chose as few letters as possible for less spelling issues, but something that won’t bleed into a hashtag that someone else has already used. A hashtag like #smithwedding has likely already been used by many people, so your best bet would be “#smithwed2013” or “#fredwedsjaney.”  Try and pick something original. You can do this by first searching the proposed hashtag on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Vine, so that you are not mixing your event with someone else’s event int he world.

2) SHARE YOUR WEDDING HASHTAG – All you really have to do is announce your custom offical hashtag to all your mobile device using wedding guests, and let the magic begin. Ways to do this can include but are not limited to: adding your hashtag to your reservations and the wedding ceremony program, putting your official hashtag on your place cards or table, and having the disc jockey announce your official hashtag throughout the evening periodically. (If you do not have a DJ set yet, drop me a line! (I know a great one!)

3) SEARCH THE HASHTAG – After the event or even during, the hashtag will bring up a well-organized and beautiful log of your special day as it does any topic or event. The hashtag will capture behind the scenes action, as well as a different perspective on the special moments like the kiss at the ceremony, or your introduction and first dace at the reception.

This idea is great for weddings! The benefits are countless. No more messy disposable cameras on the tables. Multiple mediums will be shared. Pictures are available immediately for sharing. Friends and families who were not able to make it can follow the event from afar. Guests can even request songs to a participating DJ!

In the end, you will get extra pictures/videos at the end of the night, as well as annotations from your hashtagging guests all throughout the night.

Virtual Tour of Pat’s Barn in Troy NY

Want a great place to hold your wedding??? Here’s our DJ Cam quick tour of Pats Barn of Troy, NY.

Pat’s Barn is one of my absolute favorite wedding sites in the Capital District, and it is only 5 minutes or less from our office!

This iphone footage is simple, but effective. Our quick look at Pat’s Barn was shot during a set up for a wedding to help you get an idea of what this nice venue offers.  As you can see, you can hold a really super nice rustic theme wedding here, with the ceremony on site.

LOCATION – Pat’s Barn has ample parking with a big lot for all of your guests. It is conveniently located at Rensselaer Technology Park. Technically Troy, NY, Pat’s Barn is near HVCC, within 3 minutes of Interstate 90, with access to the Taconic Parkway, the New York Sate Thruway and the Adirondack Northway nearby.

SPACIOUS – There are three different patios and an upstairs, as well as a great area for dinning. I would recommend a wedding of perhaps 150 guests or so, if you were just seating downstairs, but you can have even more guests if setting up tables upstairs, in a balcony like setting. There is also a great location to hide the bride and groom away in a bridal party suite, upstairs.

FULL KITCHEN – For catering, anything is possible.

Below are some more pictures of this wedding venue option. If you appreciated this virtual tour of Pat’s Barn, please consider us to be your DJ for your big event at 518-506-3305!   www.theDJservice.com

Jenga Guestbook at Wedding in Albany NY

Here is a great simple layout for an alternative for that boring regular wedding guestbook that is fun and you can actually play with! How about a Jenga Wedding guestbook???

Simply enough, this layout is perfect to make the idea happen at your wedding. I saw it at a recent wedding I was the DJ for and loved it!

All you need to replicate this cool layout for your own wedding is a few decorative letters from say a craft store, a number of markers, a basket, and a chalkboard or framed picture for directions.

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!

ALBANY NY DJ TELLS HOW TO CREATE PHOTO FUN FOR YOUR WEDDING!

Want to have that photo booth feel at your wedding, but don’t want to take up a ton of space or pay the big bucks? Here is a pretty cool idea I saw recently.

We were DJing a wedding at Birchhill Catering in Kinderhook, NY (only 10 minutes from Albany, NY) when we saw our first “Selfie Station.”

Trying to keep your wedding affordable? You too can save a lot of money and make this happen at your wedding for virtually dimes on the dollar. It’s really a simple idea. All you do is put out a selection of gimmicks and props and leave the photo fun up to your guests.

HERE ARE THE TOP 5 THINGS TO THINK ABOUT WHEN INCLUDING A “SELFIE STATION” TO YOUR WEDDING DAY

PROPS – Everything is about gimmicks. Fun hats, mustaches, picture frames, sunglasses, feather boas, wigs, foam fingers, canes, bandannas – you get the idea. Just go crazy at the dollar store and you really should be good to go.

INSTRUCTION SIGN – Don’t forget the instructions! Even though most guys don’t read them, it is important to not forget this next rule. So it doesn’t just look like a pile of junk from the thrift store, it is very important to put out a sign so people know the intended use of all the colorful goodies.

BACKDROPS – Much like a photo booth shoot, you set aside a little area where pictures would look good. While a backdrop is not entirely needed, it is a nice touch. If you are creative or really ambitious about this idea, you could set up a backdrop curtain to really help the station take off. Usually you can find these backdrops available online for $100-$200 or so on say eBay, or you could even put something together even cheaper using PVC pipe form Home Depot.

OFFICIAL HASHTAG – Finally, what good are pictures that you never see? Post your wedding’s official hashtag and tell people which social media platforms you endorse (i.e. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram etc…)  If you create a good official hashtag for your wedding (make it something original,) all your guests’ pictures will be easy for you and other guests to find on social media.

SMARTPHONE WEDDING APP – Don’t really want to go the hashtag route? There are now some really cool wedding picture aps that allow your guests to snap shots and send them all to one place in the cloud. If you think you have a number of photo-bugs with iPhones on your guest list, tell them ahead of time, maybe in your invitation, to download an app like The WedPics Smartphone App. This app doesn’t only collect unlimited photos taken by the guests, but it also gives important information like accommodations &  your registry information.