Tag Archive: Phil Walsh

Kyle and Lisa Allis – August 4, 2012

Written on August 6, 2012 by in Featured, Phil Walsh - Blog
August 4th with Kyle and Lisa was an exciting but very busy day for me. Their reception was held at the beautiful Crystal Point, however they wanted me to provide music for their ceremony at the Lavalette Gazebo, which went fantastic. After making some phone calls to the Crystal Point and the borough of Lavalette, I had my day timed out perfectly. The reason for the phone calls was to make sure I was able to drop off my main DJ system at the Crystal Point at 12 and make sure the gazebo had electric, because if it didn’t, I had a battery backup just in case.
After dropping off my main DJ system, I headed to the gazebo and Kyle and Lisa’s ceremony went great. The priest even came up to me at the end and complimented on the quality of the sound coming from the wireless mic he used. One of the highlights of the ceremony, besides the bride and groom, was an elderly couple sitting off to the side watching Lisa and Kyle get married. They were not on the guest list, however, they sat there contently looking on as Kyle and Lisa stated their vows. I had spoken to them before everything started and they had said to me they love when people get married here and just love to sit and watch. The man had asked me the kind of music I was going to play, and I told them it was just some nice piano music and traditional ceremony music type songs. With a smile on his face, he continued to ask me if I was taking requests. I smiled back and sadly told him I didn’t bring all my music with me. He had explained to me that he was a huge Beatles fan and asked if I had any Beatles tunes on hand. I told him he was in luck, because Kyle and Lisa’s recessional (exit song) was “All You Need Is Love“. I wish you could have seen the expression on that man’s face when I played that song.
With no time to waste, sweat pouring from my face and ceremony done I booked back to the Crystal Point to finish getting set up for the reception. I knew I was in good shape because I was able to break down my ceremony equipment and leave before all the guests and bridal party. Lisa and Kyle’s reception was awesome!!!! Their introductions were so much fun with the bridal party coming out to “Starships” by Niki Minaj and Kyle and Lisa coming out to “Enter Sandman” by Metallica. Their first dance was one of my favorites entitled “Me and You” by Kenny Chesney.
After first course was done, I got the dance floor pumping with an oldies set and the rest of the night just built from there. Kyle and Lisa and their guests were having such a great time that they went an extra hour overtime, extending their party time to 11pm. One of their good friends was soaked with sweat he was having such a great time. When it came time for their last song, they chose “The Edge of Glory” by Lady Gaga, which I have never played before for a last song, but what a success that song was. Everybody just sang their hearts out and applauded for Kyle and Lisa as they danced in the center of their guests on the dance floor. And once again, after the last song ended, I heard the infamous chant “ONE MORE SONG!!!!” Everyone one went ballistic when  ”Jump Around” by House of Pain came on. Very cool!!!!
Kyle and Lisa are now heading to Punta Cana for their honeymoon. Congrats to the both of them!!!!
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Kim & Matthew at The Lobster Shanty

Written on July 27, 2012 by in Rich Savner - Blog

This past Friday, I had the pleasure of working with several members of the Elite Staff at the Lobster Shanty in Point Pleasant, to cap off Kim and Matt’s special day. After having their ceremony at St. Denis Church in Brielle, and pictures just up the road on the beach, Phil Walsh and I got the party rolling early and often. With Carrie Roberts and Lynn Monaco of Elite Digital Images taking pictures, there wasn’t a single moment missed for our Bride and Groom, with guests singing “Shout!” You could practically feel there was an overall upbeat mood in the air! As first course was served, the groom and several of his friends began to banter by the bar, when one of his friends approached Elite videographer and Emcee, Chris Monaco to request the song “How Bizarre” by OMC. Matt seemed to think the idea was absurd, but allowed the antics to proceed. Phil, Chris and I all continued to laugh over the “bizarre” request. As dinner was served, there was an overall buzz in our harbor backdropped reception hall, as though guests were anxious to get out of their seats. Here was Phil and my chance to play the groom’s friends request! We cued up the OMC hit, and we looked around for the groom and his friends. After a moment of searching, we spotted Matt leading a conga line of his friends out of the Elite Photo Booth, draped in leprechaun hats, pig tail wigs, and maracas singing “How bizarre, how bizarre, how bizarre!” It made for a great moment on film and from the camera, and one that I’m sure Matt, AND Kim will not soon forget. Though Kim chose not to partake in the shenanigans, you could truly see that she had a smile on her face that said “This is why i married this guy, because he can make me smile and laugh”. I wish Matt and Kim all the best in their future endeavors, and many years of happy marriage together!

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Jerry and Peggy’s New Jersey Wedding is Picture Perfect

Written on June 20, 2012 by in Featured, Mike Walter - Blog, Uncategorized

Peggy and Jerry on the dance floor at Clarks Landing

Like so many couples, when Peggy and Jerry booked with us they came to one of our Private Showcases.  But when our performance was done they were stuck with a dilemma.  They wanted me to MC their wedding but they also loved how Phil Walsh sang during the showcase.  They were torn between the two of us and of course I assured them that whoever they booked they’d be in great hands.  They ultimately made the right choice, er . . . I mean, they decided to go with me.

As their wedding approached and we met to discuss specifics, Peggy reminded me of this and asked if Phil was available for her wedding.  He was, indeed.  Then she asked, “Would he consider being your music mixer?” I told her I’d ask.

Phil Walsh sings the wedding song for Peggy and Jerry

The way our system works, once one of our staff members gets through training and becomes an MC, the amount of events they music mix at trickles down and eventually stops altogether.  The money isn’t nearly the same and for someone like Phil, with a wife and a kid, when he’s off on a Friday night he usually wants to be home.  So Mr. Walsh probably hasn’t music mixed at an event in almost ten years.  But sure enough when I reached out to him he said he’d do it.  He not only agreed to mix but also to learn their wedding song so he could sing it for them.

When the night of the wedding came I just knew it was going to be an awesome night.  The weather was perfect for mid-June: warm and sunny but not hot and humid.  Their banquet hall, Clark’s Landing, sits right on the Manasquan River and between the views and the great weather it was just a perfect setting.  Peggy and Jerry had a summer/beach theme for their wedding and we accommodated that even starting with their cocktail hour music.

Then we moved upstairs and the party got going.  After energetic introductions and Phil singing Keith Urban’s “Only You Can Love Me This Way” we opened up the dance floor with great success.  From the first song to the last song of the party the dance floor was jammed with happy people.  There are some celebrations where the joy in the room is almost palpable and Peggy and Jerry’s wedding was one of them.  Plus, for me, working with Phil made this a special night.  He’s been with Elite Entertainment for over a decade and besides being a great entertainer, Phil and I have become friendly outside of work as well.  So even though we’ve played golf and gone to ballgames together, it’d literally been years and years since we worked a wedding side by side.  So getting to see him in action and also hear him sing a few songs was a real treat.

Here I am Leading a Sing-Along

Besides hiring us to DJ their wedding, Peggy and Jerry also contracted our photography division (Elite Digital Images) and our videography division (Elite Video Productions) to capture their day.  The pictures in this blog were taken by Lynn Monaco of EDI and I can’t wait to see the final product from EVP.  Tom Monaco was behind the lens that night and it certainly looked like he was getting some incredible footage.

 

Congratulations to Peggy and Jerry!  I thank you for giving Phil and me a chance to work together again and I wish you a lifetime of health and happiness!

 

The Dance Floor was like this all night

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The State of 2012 (thus far)…

Written on May 4, 2012 by in Featured, Phil Walsh - Blog

2012 is shaping up to be a really good year so far for me. I actually wound up having major knee surgery in early January and have recovered nicely since then. I was real excited when I DJ’d my first 2012 wedding on March 17th for Kathleen and J.J. They had their ceremony and reception at the Channel Club, and what a beautiful day it was for them. I remember telling them that the sunsets are gorgeous, and they took the time to get the perfect photo for their wedding album. They were a super nice couple who loved music, so they were really pleased with how their day went.

Alison and Brian – March 23, 2012
This was a night to remember at The English Manor, not only for myself but for Alison and Brian. I don’t think their dance floor was empty the whole night. It is so awesome when I get a crowd that loves to dance, even if I’m trying not to dance them. THEY DANCED TO ANYTHING I PLAYED, from Runaround Sue to Party Rock. I had this one couple come up to me shortly after dinner and said, “We’ve attended a lot of weddings over the past year and we usually leave right after dinner to get back home and relieve our babysitter.” I said, “Well, you’re still here.”  They said, “We don’t want to leave. We just got off the phone with our babysitter and told her not to expect us till late.” I was so taken back by that compliment. To know that I am the one making people stay because they are having the time of their life makes me feel unbelievable.  As far as Alison and Brian, they were overjoyed on how their reception went and couldn’t thank me enough. They ended their night with 2 songs – Bohemian Rhapsody into The Time of My Life from the Dirty Dancing soundtrack. I’ve never ended with Bohemian Rhapsody before, and I gotta tell ya, these people sang their hearts out!!! I thanked Alison and Brian for having the kind of guests they did. Great Wedding!!

Alex and Kay – April 21, 2012
(singing) Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me (singing). Yes………I DJ’d on my birthday and loved it. When you’re 38 and don’t want anything except music and a great party, Alex and Kay’s wedding was the place to be. They had their ceremony and reception at The Water’s Edge in Sea Bright. Once, again it was a beautiful day, and I love it when the weather cooperates for a bride and groom. Alex and Kay were laid back and left the music selection pretty much up to me. I won’t forget the Best Man’s speech, in which he had a hilarious video he showed to Alex and Kay. After the toasts were done, everything was pretty much left up to me to find the right tunes to get people up on the dance floor. The guests just poured on the dance floor all night and dance it away. They ended the night with one of my favorite artists, Michael Buble’s – “Save the Last Dance”. After that, Alex came right up to me and shook my hand, and a couple days later I received an email expressing their thanks again.

As I said before, the 2012 wedding season is shaping up to be a great year. I’m excited to meet my future brides and grooms. The weddings I talked about above were only just a few of the ones that I have DJ’d. So long for now, I’ll be back with more. God Bless!!

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