When you see a Friday the 13th wedding on your schedule you think: “Well here’s a couple that’s not superstitious”. But as I found out at Alyse and Justin’s wedding it was more than that. Friday the 13th, for this couple, had proven to be a day of good luck. And when they planned their wedding it was the only day they could imagine getting married on.
With a ceremony planned for the beach at The Water’s Edge in Sea Bright, weather was a crucial element to success on this day. As it turned out, Friday the 13th would again work in Alyse and Justin’s favor. The weather was perfect and the covering of clouds even provided a little respite from the scorching sun that broke through from time to time. Alyse wanted her Processional song to be “Marry Me” by Train and she and her father timed it perfectly, walking down the steps of the seawall and then down the aisle slow enough that Adam Levine got to sing that beautiful chorus before we faded the song and their ceremony began.
After the ceremony we provided a mix of summer music to compliment their beach themed reception. Everything from some steel drum songs to classic Bob Marley and Beach Boys to Kenny Chesney’s tropical infused country songs. Then it was time to move upstairs and get the party going.
After high energy introductions and a great first dance which featured Alyse and Justin singing every word of Brad Paisley’s “Then” to each other, it was time for the toasts. And this is where we found out the significance of Friday the 13th. Justin’s father Ron (who was also the Best Man) mentioned that their first date was on a Friday the 13th. And since that obviously worked out so well, they decided to plan their wedding on another Friday the 13th. That made me smile ear to ear when I heard it.
Soon after it was our time to open the dance floor. Sometimes afternoon parties can be slow to start but not this one. From our first dance set we had a packed floor. The feeling of true joy was evident in the room all day. You could tell everyone was happy to be a part of this special celebration. And when Alyse’s brother asked me if he could borrow my microphone for a “sing off” I was happy to accommodate. The fact that the sing off featured two guys and an Adele song only made it more entertaining. Alyse sent me a photo of this after and said she loved the expression on my face and assistant Richard’s face. We do indeed look like we’re enjoying ourselves.
Speaking of photos, I had the absolute pleasure of working with Amanda from Swoon Over It Photography. Amanda shoots out of Philadelphia so anyone from south Jersey or PA should definitely check her out. She did something I see so few photographers do: she stayed to the very end of the reception. And good thing she did too, because during the last song of the party Justin lifted Alyse off her feet and Amanda was there to get the shot. That’s a precious moment that so many photographers might have missed.
All in all it was an awesome celebration for a wonderful couple who not only aren’t superstitious, but who believe Friday the 13th is their good luck day. Here’s wishing them a lifetime of Happy Friday the 13ths.
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!!
Merri-Maker’s location in Sea Bright, The Water’s Edge, has long been one of our favorite venues. If you’ve ever been in the upstairs banquet room, overlooking the waves of the Atlantic Ocean crashing into the surf, you’ll know why. It doesn’t hurt of course that the banquet staff recommends us and so we play there very often. In fact when Dominic Sestito and Sarina Colletti get married this Spring, their ceremony and reception will be at The Water’s Edge.
So you can imagine how happy we were when we got the news a few weeks ago that Merri-Makers had renewed their lease and opened up their 2013 calendar.
American Bride produced a fantastic Bridal Show this past weekend to announce this news to the local wedding community. The turnout was phenomenal and it certainly looked like the banquet staff was starting to fill those 2013 dates aggressively. We got to do our showcase and the response was awesome. We had a packed dance floor the whole time, even at 3:30 in the afternoon. Right after our show there was a wonderful fashion show with dresses from True Love Bridals. John Pacetti, owner of South Street Studio Professional Photography and Videography (formerly Timeless Studio) got some great pictures of the day.
If you haven’t seen us at a bridal show, we highly recommend it. We have a full schedule of shows coming up which you can find right here: List of Upcoming Shows
