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This summer, I did a number of gigs in Altamont. One venue I particular like is at Helderview Weddings at Orchard Creek Golf club. It is a great place to hold your wedding in Altamont, NY.

Hidden in the foothills of the Helderberg mountains in Altamont, NY, Helderview at Orchard Creek Golf Club provides the perfect setting for both a great wedding ceremony and reception. With the full wedding celebration at one location, you can have an elegant indoor or outdoor ceremony with lots of greenery anda mountainous background, with a reception in a modern pavillion that closes up to brave the elements when needed.

Besides the ability to customize to just what you are looking for in a venue, the food is great. I had an awesome prime rib there, and also a chicken dish this summer when I was the DJ for a few weddings.

Also, I was the DJ for a really cool corporate country-themed event. At that gig, the caterers did a great job customizing their menu for the event at hand. Getting the country theme menu right they featured ribs, BBQ brisket, fried chicken and all kinds of good ‘ole country eats for the guests to grub on.

No matter how you look at it, if you are interested in having your wedding in or around Altamont, check this place out, Orchard Creek!

Planning a wedding with great flowers in the Albany NY region or beyond? If the answer to that question is “yes,” then maybe you will want to try this idea out… “Tiny Flower Pot Wedding Place Cards’

What a better way than to kick off your rustic wedding with little tiny live flowers as the place cards to show your beloved guests to their seats!?

What this couple did was they went to a craft store and bought loads of little vase-like jars, but super small. The next step is easy: Just get some nice flowers, chop them up. Stuck them into little bottles like these, and add the place card tag – and you are done!

LOWERING THE BAR MITZVAH DJ

On the Monday, September 8, 2014 episode of @Midnight on Comedy Central, I was featured as the subject of a bit about DJs. I was spoofed hard, but I loved every minute of it!

You may recognize @Midnight host Chris Hardwick from AMC’s Talking Dead and Talking Bad. He is the after-show guy for both Walking Dead and Breaking Bad who immediately discusses the new episodes with celebrity superfans. He is a self-proclaimed nerd as I am, so being a fan of both of the AMC award-winning shows myself, it was my great to be ribbed by one of the best.

ABOUT THE SHOW – @MIDNIGHT: This episode of Hardwick’s relatively new show @Midnight features three comedians “playing” on a game show-like set who buzz in and comment on topics like the news, the entertainment world and odd clips from the internet. This one was about WACKY DJ pictures like myself who do weddings and even more particular, BAR MITZVAHS.

BEHIND-THE-SCENES: The picture of me featured was taken at a Halloween wedding I DJ’ed for my good friend and fellow DJ, Pete Sefcik. Chris Hardwick and The Sklar Brothers really had some fun at my expense! Although it was in costume, I was supposed to be dressed as RUN-DMC’s Jam Master Jay in the picture, but really only looked whiter than WonderBread. Alas, I deserved every bit of their spoofing.

This clip is a total riot and I really loved the exposure! Thanks Chris! You are the man!  🙂

Recently, we did a wedding at Greywackie Meadows in Cropseyville, NY. If you haven’t seen this venue, it is a nice rustic barn setting, but modern and spectacular.

Check out this cool idea – using a Butter Barrel to collect your guests wedding cards! What a super creamy idea! Just spread it out and let the fun begin!

 

Other than mail order Russian brides, there are some different traditions that revolve around Russian weddings. Whether you are a Russian bride or groom-to-be, this is a great list of Russian traditions that may help you come up with some great ideas to commemorate and celebrate your ancestral roots of Old Mother Russia.

First off, did you know that Russian weddings are much longer than the traditional American wedding of today in that they typically go on for two full days?

THE KISS PRINT NAPKIN – Before the wedding ceremony, it’s tradition for all Russian grooms to accomplish a few prenuptial traditions. For example, when he comes to pick up his bride, the groom may be handed a napkin with lipstick prints of the bride and her attendants on it. In the unfortunate case that the groom can’t pick out which is his bride’s kiss print, he must pay a fine to the bride-to-be. In jest, Grooms who guess wrong may have to cover a shawl with money to reassure her.

PRE-CEREMONY REGISTRATION- The official traditional Russian ceremony is only one part of the entire wedding event. To start things off, the bride and groom arrive in separate cars and are lead into different rooms that are ideally a decent distance apart before filling out the regestration papers. Next, the couple wait until they are called.

PRE-CEREMONY BUTTEFLY TOSS – Once the Russian bride and groom exit the civil marriage registration office, it’s time for picture taking to commemorate the occasion. Friends and family members toss flower petals, coins, and sometimes release butterflies to wish the couple good luck. And before they leave, it’s tradition for the groom to sweep the bride up in his arms and kiss her in front of all assembled, among flying butterflies.

PRE-CEREMONY BREAD PRESENTATION – Before exiting the registration hall, a member of the bridal party, or sometimes another special person is assigned to present the bride and groom with the ceremonial bread and salt tray, which will be an interesting part of the Russian wedding tradition. Next, the bride and groom are lead into the actual ceremony hall where the actual rites and vows are to be held.

BRIDAL PARTY SASHES – It’s tradition for the best man and maid of honor to wear sashes over their clothing.

RUSSIAN WEDDING RUG – For the ceremony, the bride and groom stand on a traditional wedding carpet and the officiant reads a welcoming speech and then asks the bride and groom to confirm their reason for being there. Very much like our American tradition, the Russian bride and groom then engage in an exchanging of rings, the couples sign in the registry, and then the witnesses sign and the couple are pronounced man and wife.

BREAD BITING TRADITION – A platter of bread is presented during the ceremony to the Russian bride and groom at hand. This part of the ceremony symbolizes the hope for a healthy long life with prosperity for the couple. The bread is then bitten into by both the bride and groom, and the joke is that the one who takes the largest bite will make all the major decisions and essentially be the one who wears pants in the family!

DECORATED BRIDAL RIDE – After the wedding, the bride and groom make a nuptial tour of their town’s historic sites. To transport themselves and their guests to these locations in class, many Russian brides and grooms will hire a fancy limousine covered in with gold decorations and flowers. Quite often, villagers will see the couple’s names painted on a side window, and wave good luck in support of their neighbors’ happy day. When the couple cannot afford a limo, most just have their bridal party pimp out their ride, or borrow a friend’s car suitably tricked out ride, as well. Either way, the bride and groom ride in style.

FIVE STOP TOUR – For Russian brides and grooms the historic town bridal tour is not only a matter of showing up in a specific and often scenic location for photography reasons, the ride is a symbolic act that assures a long and happy marriage.

Typically, the bride and groom make pitstops at five different places around the city that hold special meaning for citizens. There they have post-wedding photos snapped, and at each stop-off, the bride and groom leave flowers to symbolize their contribution as husband and wife to the history of the town/village.

DOVE RELEASE – The couple sometimes simultaneously releases a white dove, as tradition, to symbolize and emphasize the purity of their love, near a waterfront.

BRIDAL RANSOM – There is also a silly tradition of “the stealing the bride”, when the groom takes his eyes off the bride, she might get stolen and the groom will have to pay ransom! All in jest, of course!

ALTERNATIVE IDEAS FOR YOUR WEDDING CEREMONY MUSIC – A list of different wedding ceremony music for different brides & grooms

Do you remember the kid’s version of the wedding march? “Here Comes the Bride, All Fat and Wide!” This version of Wagner’s classic may have ruined it for everybody! So…

What are other good wedding songs for walking down the aisle? Of course the obvious answer is that any song that is meaningful to the two of you is perfect.

Want a list of wedding songs that they don’t usually play at a wedding ceremony? Making a list of songs that aren’t usually played at weddings seems like an oxymoron. It’s therefore an anti-list. If it isn’t a song you usually hear, then it could be anything! Anyhow, there are actually a handful of songs that do seem to see some regularity in non traditional wedding ceremonies, despite the fact that they are not the norm.

Here are a few alternative ceremony song ideas:

Only Time – Enya
I Wanna Grow Old With You – Adam Sandler
At Last – Etta James
Marry Me – Train
I Want To Spend My Lifetime Loving You – Josh Groban
Unchained Melody – Righteous Brothers or Il Divo
The Prayer – Andrea Bocelli & Celine Dion
Warmness on the Soul – Avenged Sevenfold
For My Wedding – Don Henley
You Are So Beautiful – Joe Cocker
You And I – Michael Bublé
Love Me Tender – Norah Jones ft Adam Levy
You Are The One – Elliott Yamin
The Luckiest – Ben Folds Five
Heavenly Day – Patty Griffin
I will be here – Steven Curtis Chapman
I’ll Be – Edwin McCain’s
Happy Together – The Turtles
Time of Your Life – Green Day
I will Follow You into The Dark – Death Cab for Cutie
Love And Marriage – Freank Sinatra
Wonderwall – Oasis
Slide – GooGoo Dolls
When I see You Smile – Bad English
Extraordinary – Better than Ezra
Everybody Loves Somebody – Dean Martin
Crush – Dave Matthews
Bring Me to Life – Evanescence
She will be Loved – Maroon 5
Beautiful Day – U2
Silverstein – still dreaming
Bob Marley- is this love
Falling in Love at a Coffee Shop – Landon Pigg
Born for You – David Pomeranz
A Moment Like This – Kelly Clarkson

CUSTOMIZING YOUR CEREMONY WITH YOUR SONG

It is funny how since the last episode of The Sopranos, everyone and there mom loves the song “Don’t Stop Believing” by Journey. If you have a song that is “your song,” then an instrumental version of it might be perfect for you. There are classical bands like Vitamin String Quartet who do songs like “You Shook Me All Night Long” by AC-DC, but in an elegant arrangement. Boyce Avenue also does an acoustic music version of this familiar tune. This softer cover version idea could sooth the older guests, while also make the younger ones smile.

Overall, realize that music sets the mood. Think about the atmosphere you absolutely want for your wedding ceremony. Is it elegant, rocking, fun, festive, friendly, classy, one of a kind, Celtic wedding, Italian, natural, unique? Think of music that fits with how you want your guests to feel and how you’ll want to feel that day. Don’t feel forced. You don’t have to choose something from those silly wedding music CDs, it doesn’t have to say “wedding” on it at all, as long as it says you.