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Derrick & Lauren – June 1, 2013

Written on June 7, 2013 by Jay Thomson in Featured, Jay Thomson - Blog

So I packed the car with all my sound gear, picked up my dry cleaning, gassed up the car, picked up my co-pilot/assistant Marissa (Dj extraordinaire) and began our trip to Hamden CT for what would end up being an awe inspiring evening of love, laughter, a super amazing couple that I can now call friends, and of course a packed dance floor ALL NIGHT LONG!

Derrick & Lauren Wood were my focus for June 1, 2013. Their wedding was at a beautiful venue called Cascade. The staff was so friendly and inviting. Rosa & Alexi were just so fantastic to work with. They made sure we had anything we needed and were so very flexible with our agenda. I’m a Jersey Dj, born and raised at the jersey shore; nobody does weddings like we do in Jersey lol. So needless to say, the Cascade for this particular evening was going to operate like a Jersey wedding, and they were very accommodating. You see, Lauren had seen me a few years before at another wedding, her brother Adams which was here at the shore. I guess I did a great job because she took my card and told me that evening that I would one day be her Dj for her wedding. Well the day finally arrived and I couldn’t be more flattered and honored to be back with her entire family along with Derrick’s for their wedding day!

And so the night began with Lauren and all her beautiful bridesmaids busting into the ballroom greeting me with tons of excitement! She is a blast to be around and I’m sure she is truly the life of any party. Derrick too, just an awesome guy! They both complement each other so well and you could instantly see the chemistry between them. I did not meet them directly during the planning process so this was my first time meeting Derrick in person. We met online 3 weeks prior on BrideLive which is our online office that allows us to meet with our couples face to face. This adds tons of convenience and is a great time saver! Back to the party, their guests made their way into the ballroom after cocktail hour and both Marissa and I could see instantly that this was going to be an awesome evening! Guests dancing to their seats is usually a good indicator of a jammer in the making lol and boy was it ever! Introductions began with a bang as we introduced all the parents, then the Bridal Party stormed in with T.I’s “Bring Em Out”, and finally Derrick & Lauren psyched everyone out by sneaking in from the upstairs balcony and coming down the oval staircase to JayZ’s “We Run This Town”. All the family and friends showered them with applause as their first dance to Adele’s “Make You Feel My Love” began.

We could not have asked for a more energetic and dance crazed crowd. The dance floor was packed from the beginning to the end of the night! Lauren was literally all over the room, talking, dancing, getting lifted up by all her friends, and it was just awesome to see both my bride & groom tearing up the dance floor! I was also able to add some LIVE music during dinner. I must say I wasn’t sure if my signature NY State of Mind would go over well in CT. Well, I was shocked to see half the room stand up in applause. I was totally flattered of course. It felt so good to know, as Lauren put it, she imported me over state lines to throw an unforgettable wedding evening for her and her new husband. I’m pretty sure Marissa and I made that happen. Mission Accomplished.

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Anna & Brian 4/28/13 – A Magical Night…

Written on May 15, 2013 by Tom Monaco in Featured, Tom Monaco - Blog

I am very happy every time I see that I will be working at The Palace in Somerset, my favorite place to work. Anna and Brian had a cool idea for introductions. It was a movie theme so the parents came out to the Star Wars theme, Wedding Party came out to the Indiana Jones theme, and then Anna and Brian came down the beautiful staircase to 2001 Space odyssey theme song. As soon as they hit the dance floor they wanted us to play Thunderstruck by ACDC as they walked through the arch.

Anna and Brian had Elite Video Productions to capture all the great moments and also had a PhotoBooth by Elite which is always a big hit. Fun party and great people. Anna picked out every song and her music list was perfect. We started with a traditional Italian dance set and that broke the ice and set the party up for the rest of the night. Another amazing night. Anna and Brian posted a very nice review on WeddingWire a week later saying that I provided her with a magical night. Another big reason why I love this job.

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Kate & Mike 4/27/13 – “DJ’s Of The Year!”

Written on May 13, 2013 by Tom Monaco in Featured, Tom Monaco - Blog

Myself and Craig had an amazing time with this group. The wedding was at a place called The Stateroom in Ship Bottom which is a very cool place in LBI.

Cool vibe and the staff was great. The staff at The Stateroom and the bride and groom, Kate and Mike, wanted to have all the courses and dinner out and done before we even opened up the dance floor which means we had a full 2 hours to dance straight through till the end. So we hit them with everything we had and wow did they dance! Not one slow song (bride and grooms request) and 99 percent of Kate and Mike’s guests were on the dance floor. At one point we played Party Rock Anthem, Sexy and I Know It, Gangnam Style and then the Harlem Shake (all which were Kate’s requests) all in a row and the people lost their minds. The sweat that came off the guests dancing was pretty funny.

At the end of the night we handed out a ton of cards and the staff at the State Room took a bunch of cards too. It felt great when the staff said that was the best time we ever had working at a wedding. One waiter came up to us and said “wow, best DJ’s of the year!!” About a week later Katie and Mike posted an awesome review on us on WeddingWire.

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Different Strokes for Different Folks

Written on April 29, 2013 by Elite in Rich Savner - Blog

Normally my blogs are on the great weddings that I’ve had the absolute honor and privilege of entertaining at, but in this case, I’ve decided to expand a little further onto the spectrum of celebrations, to a 25th wedding anniversary. On Saturday, April 27th, I was able to help Jamie Okozko surprise her parents, Joanne and Lester, at the Galloping Hill Caterer’s Club, in Union. I had previously entertained at their friend’s 25th wedding anniversary back in September, and was looking forward to matching the high level of success from that party. I thought this would be a tall order, but because of the wide range of music requested, I catered to the “Different Strokes for Different Folks”, and this group was absolutely amazing. Jamie originally gave me a list of Top 40, Classic Rock, Oldies and Country. I was instructed to play country during dinner, and stick to the rest of the playlist the rest of the night. Let me say, Jamie knew what she was talking about when she said this. People were clapping to the beat as they rocked out to songs like “Toes” and “Chicken Fried” by Zac Brown Band as they enjoyed their meal. But once dinner was done, we got the party rolling hitting Classic Rock and Top 40 songs like “Shook Me All Night Long” by ACDC and “Party Rock Anthem” by LMFAO. After a short break in the action, the Swing and Lindy crowd made there presence known with classic hits like “In the Mood” by Glenn Miller Band. Not to be outdone, the Motown fans wanted some of the classics, like “Respect” by Aretha Franklin, “I Will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor and “We are Family” by Sister Sledge. I can go on and on with various requests that ran the musical gamut from hip hop, to big band and electronic dance music, but words truly cannot do the guests at this party justice. Everyone walked away satisfied and with a smile on their faces, and it was my pleasure to oblige. Behind all of this was the love shown between these two people who have found 25 years of marriage, and will undoubtedly find another 25 just as wonderful! Congratulations to Lester and Joanne Okozko!

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4/19/13 – Keep the place standing!

Written on April 24, 2013 by Tom Monaco in Featured, Tom Monaco - Blog

I worked Kim and Scotts wedding at McLoone’s Pier House in Long Branch and Mike Walter, my “boss”, worked there the next day. The Thursday before he told me to keep the place standing so I did the best I could. We had such a blast partying with Kim and Scott. There is nothing better than working a wedding when it’s your referral because everybody knows what to expect… a slammin party from me (haha). Everyone danced from start to finish. Instead of the traditional sit down dinner, Kim and Scott wanted McLoone’s to set up cocktail stations around the room to keep open all night. This way people can eat when they want and dance when they want. No sitting down. We kept it upbeat most of the time with only a couple slow songs. The music Kim and Scott wanted was great. They loved the 80′s sing a long stuff and wanted a ton of old school club and hip hop. A bunch of people came up to us at the end of the night to grab business cards from us, so I hope to party with this group again soon. So, Mike Walter, I think I kept the place standing for ya.

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Jessica & Tristan – April 6. 2013

Written on April 12, 2013 by Tom Monaco in Tom Monaco - Blog

Small group in a big room. We were in the big room (Janine’s room) at the Crystal Point in Point Pleasant. As always the wedding was perfect with Jeanine running the show and the staff doing an amazing job. It was a smaller wedding with a huge dance floor which sometimes can be a challenge, but not with this group. Jessica and Tristan’s guests were ready to party. Right from the start, before the party began, only the wedding party were hanging out in the room. We did a sound check and my assistant Rob Habermann played a TLC song. Next thing you know, the members of the wedding party were dancing around and acting wild. That is always a great sign of a good party. That’s exactly what happened. The dance floor was packed all night with a huge mix of music. If there is one thing I know from doing this so many years is that if you have a Bride and Groom, along with their wedding party, dancing all night, all the guests will join in on the fun.

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Jason and Lauren And Their “Theatrical” Wedding Celebration

Written on March 11, 2013 by Mike Walter in Featured, Mike Walter - Blog, Uncategorized

At one point in the middle of Jason and Lauren‘s wedding, when the dance floor was jam packed and the energy in the room just couldn’t get any higher, I said on the microphone, “I love theater people!” The guests erupted in applause and when I made eye contact with Lauren she smiled from ear to ear. This was a truly unbelievable celebration.

When I met with Jason and Lauren they had shared with me their love of theater. They are both involved in community productions and they also have a passion for all things theatrical, both live performances and movies. In fact they asked me if I could do a mix for their cocktail hour of all Movie Themes and I happily obliged (’cause that’s how I roll). And as the saying goes “Birds of a feather flock together,” so it only made sense that so many of their guests were “theater people” too. So when I blurted out “I love theater people” it was based simply on the fact that, in my experience, actors and people involved in the arts tend to cut loose more easily. They are more apt to dance and enjoy themselves, especially early in the night. Jason and Lauren’s family and friends were a perfect example of this.

One of the unique things that Jason and Lauren wanted to do was change the order of events in the beginning of the reception. After cocktail hour the “template” says to do bridal party introductions, followed by first dance, parents dances and then the toasts. This is the format we use at probably about 90% of our weddings. Jason and Lauren wanted things a little different. They asked if I could get all their guests around the dance floor before I introduced them. Then, instead of going into their first dance could I play Hava Nagilah and lead their family and friends in The Hora? Once again, I happily obliged (’cause as I mentioned, that’s how I roll).

This was actually an awesome way to start the celebration for Jason and Lauren. I think it set the tone for what would be a great dance party. It let the guests know right out of the gate that this was a festive occasion.

Jason and Lauren gave me very few requests and no restrictions (ie. there wasn’t anything they didn’t want to hear). As a wedding DJ it’s rare to get this much free rein over the programming and to be honest it put a little added pressure on me. After all, if I couldn’t get people up I had no one to blame but myself. Thankfully, that was never a problem. From the opening Hora through the last dance, whenever there wasn’t food being served Lauren and Jason had a full dance floor. A lot of that success can attributed to our newlyweds. Lauren and Jason were on the dance floor almost the entire night. And in my experience, having a bride and groom out on the dance floor is a sure fire way to get a lot of people up.

Besides the packed dance floor this was a fun evening for me because I got to work with a lot of cool people. The wedding was held at Doolan’s in Spring Lake and Bob was the Maitre d’. Bob and I go back to his days at The Old Mill Inn and it’s always fun to work with him. Lauren and Jason had also put their full faith in the Elite family. Besides booking me for the entertainment, they booked our photography company, Elite Digital Images, our video company, Elite Video Productions and they added on our uplighting and photo booth. They were even nice enough to pose for a picture with the “Elite Crew”.

My thanks to Carrie from Elite Digital Images for providing me with these great shots:

Lauren Leading the Ladies in a Sing-Along

Jason and the Boys Try to Match the Ladies

Yeah, it was that kind of night!

From Left to Right: Jon Z who worked the lights, that’s Nick from the Photo Booth hiding back there, David Friedman music mixer extraordinaire, MC Mike Walter, Lauren and Jason, Carrie from Elite Digital Images, Davide Fuoco with the Photo Booth and Chris Monaco from Elite Video Productions. What a team!

As I said this was truly an unbelievable celebration. My congratulations to Jason and Lauren. Here’s wishing you a lifetime of health and happiness. Mazel Tov!

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Victoria and Tom “Finally” get Married and Celebrate!

Written on February 25, 2013 by Mike Walter in Mike Walter - Blog

When I first sat down with Victoria and Tom to discuss details for their wedding (way back in October of 2012) I was immediately excited to DJ their wedding. This is a couple that loves dance music, and especially some of the great disco songs that came out of the 70s and early 80s. And not just the popular ones but some really great but obscure songs like Arpeggio’s “Love and Desire” , “I Haven’t Stopped Dancing Yet” by Gonzalez and The Trammps “That’s Where All The Happy People Go.”

Unfortunately for Vicky and Tom, their original wedding date had to be postponed due to Hurricane Sandy. When Vicky called me with some dates that worked for their banquet hall (The Molly Pitcher in Red Bank) I told her we could definitely accommodate any date because even if I wasn’t personally available one of my other DJs could do it. But even as I said those words I was thinking, “I WANT TO DJ THIS EVENT!” So I was very relieved when they picked a Saturday in February where I was available.

The delayed wedding gave us a chance to have some fun with their introductions. Vicky and Tom had originally selected Barry White’ “First Last and Everything” to be introduced to but with the new date they changed it to Ce Ce Peniston’s “Finally.” Before I introduced them for the first time as husband and wife I added said, “After a delay cause by Hurricane Sandy I can finally introduce to you…”

When I have a music list like Vicky and Tom’s I get a little anxious hoping that their guests respond to their songs. I could tell by the attention to detail this couple had put into selecting the songs that they really love their music. And they love to dance. So as I prepped my music list and made some edits in advance of their wedding, I was secretly praying that their guests shared their passion. I’m happy to say that everyone did. From the first dance song of the night through to Donna Summer’s “Last Dance” (what else would you end a Disco-heavy night with?) the dance floor was jammed all night. And nothing brings this DJ more joy than seeing a packed dance floor and knowing that my mixing and programming has something to do with it.

Besides getting the chance to play some awesome songs that I don’t often have the opportunity to spin, I loved Vicky and Tom’s wedding because of the people I worked with. The Maitre d at The Molly Pitcher was a man named Cristian who I have worked with for many years (either at The Molly Pitcher or the Oyster Point). Cristian is one of those uber-cool Maitre d’s who is great to work with. He just makes everyone feel comfortable and at ease. I also worked with a photographer named Anthony from Innovative Productions who was fun and easy to get along with. Plus the Elite crew on site consisted of myself, my music mixer David Friedman and both Chris and Tom Monaco who were running the add-ons (Up-lighting and plasma TV). Nothing ratchets up the pressure more than beat mixing with a Monaco in the room but I’m happy to say I rose to the occasion.

Vicky and Tom headed to Aruba this morning on their honeymoon but before they did Vicky sent me this text message:

Nothing in my professional life, and I do mean nothing, compares with the feeling I get when I receive feedback like this from a bride and groom. With my own wedding looming (is that the right word?) just 5 weeks away I understand the importance that couple’s place on everything going right that day. I’m so thrilled that Vicky and Tom, after waiting all this extra time, are “finally” happily married.

Here are some photos Tom and Chris took for the zap shots that went up on the plasma screen.

Vicky having fun Me mixing and apparently I had someone admiring my work David Friedman hard at work

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Christina & Eddie 2-16-13

Written on February 18, 2013 by Tom Monaco in Tom Monaco - Blog

What a awesome night at one of our favorite places to work. The Rosewood in Edison is always a great place with very good food and a friendly staff.

From beginning to end what a great wedding for Christina and Eddie. Not only was Elite Entertainment there ready to party we also had Davide Fuoco from Elite Photo Booths there with all his energy and enthusiasm to add to the party. As a matter of fact when we played Cotton Eyed Joe he jumped on the dance floor to help show the dance (since I know it’s one of his favorite songs to dance to.) On top of that we had the pleasure of working with John from Galis Photography, one of the nicest guys in the business.

The entire night was a blast. Myself and Rob Haberman rocked the crowd and danced non stop. There were only children in the wedding party which made it a lot of fun when we introduced them to Party Rock Anthem as they danced into the room. Thanks again to Christina & Eddie for a night full of fun and dancing.

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Every party is a party, though every party isn’t a wedding!

Written on February 18, 2013 by Elite in Corey Fox - Blog

On February 1, 2013 i had the pleasure of DJing a Valentine’s / Mother-son dance at the Betty McElmon elementary school.

Having done the party previously I knew exactly what to expect, rambunctious boys with tons of energy! We played Coke & Pepsi, Limbo and freeze dance! In between the games we danced to a few pop songs and engaged in a Gangnam Style dance duel! We also danced to the Electric slide during which i had the boys invite their guest (mom, aunt, or caretaker) to join them on the dance floor.

After interspersing a few more of the audience/line dance songs (Cupid Shuffle etc.), I had the boys line up on one side of the dance floor with their guest opposite them. The boys were given a flower to present to the women and I played a slow song for them to dance to.

Boys being boys, they wanted more upbeat songs! Back to the pop music and breakdancing for a few minutes we went, until i announced the end of the evening!

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