Tag Archive: Wedding DJ NJ

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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“Think Big” – Bill Kubeck’s 50th @ Trump Golf Club – 3/17/2012

Written on April 9, 2012 by in Featured

“I like thinking big. If you’re going to be thinking anything, you might as well think big.” - Donald Trump

Bill Kubeck’s surprise 50th Birthday Party certainly lived up to Donald Trump’s words.  Not only was his party at Trumps Golf Course in Colt’s Neck, NJ, but it was on St. Patrick’s Day, and there was an Elite Entertainment Disc Jockey (Yours Truly) and The Two River Band (T.J., James, Mike, & Will).  Donna, Bill’s wife who planned the surprise party was definitely “Thinking BIG”!

The party started off with the Cocktail Hour where guests were treated to green beer (in honor of St. Paddy’s Day) and champagne.  Once our guest of honor arrived – walking in to a thunderous “SURPRISE!!” and greeted and thanked his guests, everyone made there way into the main banquet room where The Two River Band kicked off there opening set.

Throughout the night we traded sets between DJ dance sets and Band sets, each lasting about an hour a piece.  Some of the special highlights were Bill & Donna dancing to there wedding song and Donna and their son giving a special thank you to the guests and congratulations to Bill.

In all it was a great night, with lots of dancing, singing, eating, drinking and especially “BIG” fun, and helped make a very memorable party for Bill as well as all the guests including myself.

Thank you to Donna, T.J., James, Mike, Will, and the staff of Trump Golf Course for an amazing night, and Congratulations once again to Bill on his 50th.

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Marc and Kathleen Throw an Incredible Celebration to Start Their Married Life

Written on April 5, 2012 by in Featured, Mike Walter - Blog

Kathleen and Marc March 31st 2012 Photo by Jennifer Starr http://shutterstarrphotography.com/

I’ve always said I prefer working with clients who get involved in the music and planning.  I’d much rather sit with brides and grooms and brainstorm and come up with a collaborative approach to the entertainment on their day, incorporating their tastes with my experience.  I don’t remember a wedding where this came to fruition more than Marc and Kathleen’s on March 31st at The Vanity Fare.

When I met with Marc and Kathleen in early March they were already beginning to formulate some cool and unique ideas for their reception.  As we began to delve into the details I could see that this couple wanted a fun and different party.  For example, they had a great twist on throwing the bouquet and garter.  I’d invite all the women in the room to the dance floor (not just the single ladies) with the invitation: “Come on up if you want to get lucky tonight.”  After  a moment to let that sink in, I then explained that Kathleen was throwing a bouquet with lottery tickets attached.  We did the same for the guys with a garter and lottery tickets.  It just so happened that the record setting Mega-Millions lottery had been drawn the night before so I ad-libbed to the guys, “if any of you won the 680 million dollars last night please don’t come up to the dance floor… let someone else win some money this weekend.”

Marc is a big KISS fan and so he wanted their grand introduction to be with “Shout It Out Loud.”  Like most songs, “Shout It Out Loud” has an instrumental introduction then goes into the first verse.  This is usually not the best layout for bringing a couple in to because usually the chorus is the best, most recognizable and highest energy part of the song.  “Shout It Out Loud” is definitely an example of this.  So I made an edit of the song (listen to it hear on SoundCloud) and Marc loved it.  He also asked me to introduce them the same way KISS gets introduced at their concerts so when it came time for the bride and groom introduction we hit the song and I laid it on as thick as I could: “Alright New Jersey… you wanted the best bride and groom, you GOT the best bride and groom . . .” It was definitely a first for me and after 23 years of DJing that’s not easy.

One of the things I noticed was how often Marc and Kathleen slowed danced throughout the night.  Besides their first dance they must have slow danced to probably eight other songs.

Kathleen and Marc Celebrate their Marriage Photo by Jennifer Starr www.shutterstarrphotography.com

Plus they got their meeting and greeting done early so for the last 3 hours of the reception they were on the dance floor the entire time!  I’m not even sure if they ate dinner.

I had the pleasure of working with a photographer and videographer that I had never worked with before:  Jennifer Starr of Shutter Starr Photography and a great guy named Andrew of Stomping Bread Productions.  They both stayed till the very end of the night and continued shooting right up until the last song (which I have to be honest I don’t always see).  Jennifer was also nice enough to send me a few images for this blog.  If you are looking for a photographer for your wedding you should definitely check her out.

Speaking of the last song of the night, or I should say the last songs of the night,  Marc and Kathleen scripted the final 25 minutes of their celebration.  My music mixer Dan Fumosa commented about how perfect the 5 songs they selected were.  We went from Van Halen’s “Jump” into all 8 and half minutes of “Paradise By The Dashboard Lights” complete with a “Women versus The Men Sing Along.”  From there we did two more awesome sing-along songs “Sweet Caroline” and “Don’t Stop Believing” before ending with The Blues Brothers version of “Everybody Needs Somebody.”  It was the perfect ending to a night that had been both fun and unique.

/Paradise By The Dashboard Lights Was a Highlight of the Night Photo by Jennifer Starr www.shutterstarrphotography.com

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If the Bride could have worn green, she would have…

Written on April 4, 2012 by in Featured, Tom Monaco - Blog
I had the opportunity to work a wedding on St. Patricks day and what a party it was. The bride and groom, Tara and Robert, and their families are all Irish so it was double the celebration. From beginning to end people danced, sang, laughed, and partied. You could just feel the love in the room.  Their reception was at the Basking Ridge Country Club, where I’ve worked plenty of times before, and I love it there. The staff is so much fun and it looked like they fit right in with the crowd.
Tara loves music and it was the most important thing to her on her big day. We talked for months about her idea’s and music. She was able to pick out every song and left it up to me to put it all together in sets throughout the night. Every song she picked out worked and was perfect so obviously she knows her family and friends musical tastes very well. There were also a few surprises that night and if you know the Irish, they went all out with Irish Jig dancers, bagpipers, and even a marching band(WHAT!!!).  Once again a successful night and hope to work a wedding every St. Patricks Day.
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Katy & Alex 3/23/12 @ Crystal Point

Written on April 2, 2012 by in Dominic Sestito - Blog, Featured

It’s not often that you find someone who is looking forward to working on his or her birthday. But I was really excited this past March 23rd! That’s right, I worked on my birthday for a super cool couple. All their plans went smoothly plus they had an 80 degree day in March. Just a beautiful day and a great party.

I remember speaking with Katy on the phone when she was first inquiring about our service. She was so pumped because she had just booked at The Crystal Point and reserved their “Winter Wonderland Package”. We work with The Crystal Point a lot and our Two Person Package is actually included in their Winter Wonderland Package so Katy and Alex wanted to come to an Elite Private Show to select their DJ. After they attended a show they pulled me aside to chat and they were extremely impressed with the entire staff. While chatting Katy actually said,  ”We wish you were open on our date” but I knew right away why I wasn’t.

I thought to myself  ”You will be at the Crystal Point, just around the corner from home, Katy and Alex are going to be a blast to work with, you have your own wedding coming up to pay for, plus you are gonna be 32, you are already old”. So I turned to them and told them I was blocked off for a personal day, but I would gladly open myself up for their wedding. Katy was super pumped, but when she found out I was working on my birthday for her wedding she was wowed. I reassured her I would definitely be there and we would have  a blast.

Fast forward to the night of the wedding, specifically the last hour of the party. It was a good party all night long but what happened next floored me. Now it’s rare that I am even speechless, but when Katy and one of her bridesmaids grabbed the microphone and got everyone in the room to sing “Happy Birthday” I was wowed. It was a great moment I will never forget.

Katy doing some quick photos before intros

 

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March 10, 2012 – Dawn & Michael at the Newark Club

Written on March 31, 2012 by in Featured, Jason Estes - Blog
The night started out with their ceremony in the Lobby of the beautiful Newark Club. After Michael & Dawn kissed each other to seal the deal, they came down the aisle as husband and wife with nothing but smiles.
When everyone finished their cocktails and the great food during their cocktail hour, all the guest’s headed towards the elevators to go up to the 22nd floor for the start of the introductions. As the parents and bridal party lined up outside of the ballroom, the energy and excitement in the air was so overwhelming. After both sets of parents and the bridal party entered the room, I had all of the guest’s rise up from their seats. Next the bridal party lit their sparklers getting ready for the bride and groom to enter the room for the first time as husband and wife.
Now before their wedding we sat down at our pre-wedding review, Mike wanted a specific intro and was wondering if I could do such a thing. Well according to Mike I did more then just do that request, I blew it out of the water, because he was so impressed he could not stop talking about the intro all night long. Now hearing that from a groom once makes a DJ feel good inside, but hearing it all night long just reminded me why I love doing what I do for my brides and grooms. That was the highlight of my night. Click the link to hear the Intro - http://snd.sc/xV6Aa4
Its now that time of the night for the cake cutting and feeding. Well let me tell you this, it has been a long time since I have seen an all out food fight and it almost happened that night and I swear I thought Dawn was going to pick up her whole cake and dump it onto Mike’s head after he smashed his piece in her face.
Now to end this blog of one amazing night. I would like to say to Mike & Dawn, I had a great time at your wedding reception and I am so honored to have met you both and to be a part of you’re special day. I wish you all the happiness as you enter this next chapter together.
Thanks from the bottom of my heart.
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What Song was That?? – Heather’s Graduation Party – 3/4/2012

Written on March 31, 2012 by in Featured, Marshall Moore- Blog

I received an email:

“From: Christina Young 

Date: Tue, Mar 13, 2012 at 11:12 AM
Subject: Question

Good Morning,

You Deejayed my cousin (Heather Young)’s graduation party on Sunday,
March 4th.  There was a song that you played, introduced by saying it
was from 1996 – my fiance and I loved that song, but couldn’t remember
the name of it after we left the party!!!

We thought it was the Boricua Anthem, but it doesn’t sound right.  I’m
sure you DJ a ton of parties all weekend long but I was hoping you
might be able to help me out if you recalled the name of this
particular song for us.  We wanted to have it played at our upcoming
wedding.

Thanks in advance.

Christina Young”

Christina was correct, it was the song was “Robi-Rob’s Boriqua Anthem ’96 Remix” by Robi Rob’s Clubworld.  (I emailed her back)

I love getting emails like this where someone asks about a song I played, especially one that I don’t play that often. Heather graduated from Centenary College, and her Party at Flynn’s – Philipsburg, NJ (Last exit in NJ) was a great time. We played a big variety of music: Latin, Top 40, some oldies… plus a few 90’s Club Hits.

One of the funniest things was when the Guest of Honor from the party next door (1st Birthday Party), came dancing in the room… She was adorable…Everyone in our party clapped and cheered for her (Her Parents were embarrassed).

In all it was a great party, lots of dancing, lots of fun….Congrats Heather on your Graduation, as well as Christina on your Wedding.

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A Recent Bridal Showcase at The Crystal Point

Written on March 30, 2012 by in Dan Fumosa - Blog, Featured
Wednesday night, nearing the end of March with the wedding season starting to kick into full gear I was a part of a spectacular showcase at the Crystal Point Yacht Club in Pt. Pleasant.  I showed up at the venue at the same time as fellow entertainer Jason Estes and proceeded to walk in a side door into the main ballroom.  As soon as we stepped foot inside, we could feel the energy in the room and knew we had a great crowd on hand.

After a quick run through of our routine for the night, the show started up with a fashion show displaying some gorgeous dresses for the brides to be.  One by one the models made there way out of a hallway off to the side and onto the dance floor.  This was exciting for me because I knew in just a few short minutes after our “pretend” brides for the night made they way out the floor, we would finally get our show started and really see how much fun this crowd can be.

Now all of our Elite entertainers are lined up behind me, waiting for the anticipated cue to head out onto the dance floor and kick our show off with some style.  Kris A. gets the mic, says a few words, then out we come clapping our hands to “Lets Get Loud” as we try and get the room…loud!  We’re all feeling great as we roll through the dance and kick the mic over to Mike (love saying that) as he begins a sample of intros, using a lovely couple in the crowd whose names I believe were John and Jackie.  Mike the invites them up for a slow dance being sung by another wonderful entertainer at Elite, Tara Feely.  Jackie emphatically shakes her head no as she laughs, maybe a little embarrassed but still having fun, as she stays in her seat to watch a beautiful performance by Tara.  She finished her performance strong and hands the mic again, back to Mike as we get ready to start this party rocking.  I have the honor of emceeing the first song of the night which happens the be a classic one from the 50′s, “The Twist”.  I extend the first of many invites to our crowd to come join and dance as I get everyone on the dance floor onto one leg and test them to see how low they can twist.  Following “The Twist”, we have eight more party favorites and great emcees to get everyone we can out on the dance floor for fifteen minutes having an awesome time.

I could go into detail describing each and every song and how awesome it was having such a great crowd (like I had thought we would walking in) and how amazing each one of our emcees did that evening.  But, these are only words on a page.  The real fun was at the show and I can’t possibly express that here.  This is a job that has some great moments with each show, wedding, birthday, or any other event you can imagine being so different, its always a brand new experience each time.  Thanks to everyone who made that evening a great success and I hope to see all of you at our next showcase!

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And the Winner Is . . .

Written on March 30, 2012 by in Featured

We wrapped up our first quarter showcasing season last night with our very own Private Show at The Sheraton in Eatontown. We also did something we’ve never done before in the 22 year history of Elite Entertainment:  We gave one lucky bride an amazing, Elite Wedding.  The winner would receive not just a free DJ from Elite Entertainment but also a lighting package, a Photo Booth, Photography services from our sister company Elite Digital Images and videography services from our sister company Elite Video Productions.  This totaled over $7000.00 in free services for one lucky bride.

Our showcase was tight.  We’ve been performing pretty steadily since the beginning of the year, 16 bridal shows in all since our first one on January 8th. We had a packed dance floor for much of the interactive segment and every DJ who had mic time really shined.  In fact, the most consistent feedback we received from brides and grooms in attendance was something to the effect of: “we can’t decide who we want because you guys are all great!”

So then came the moment we were all waiting for.  We picked the winner of our biggest giveaway ever.  And as luck (or maybe fate) would have it, the winner was a lovely young woman named Nina whose fiance is serving in the Army in Afghanistan.  We couldn’t have been happier that she was the winner and we can’t wait for their July 2013 wedding.

 

Nina, our Lucky Winner took home over $7,000 in free services from us!

Nina's fiance is serving overseas so she posed here with our very own Marine - John Ruggiero

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Congratulations Nina!

 

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March 23, 2012 – Wedding Bells & Lots of Laughs

Written on March 26, 2012 by in Featured, John Ruggiero - Blog

John Ruggiero, Versailles Ballroom at The RamadaFriday night I had the pleasure of spending an entire afternoon and evening with 2 of the greatest families I have ever worked with. Funny and Charming and Funny and Funny …did I say hilarious. From the beginning till the very minute I sat in my truck to drive away, it was nothing but smiles and lots of laughs that still hurt 36 hrs later like I did a thrashing ab-workout.

It was 6:00pm and the ceremony was just about to start. I was graced with the presence of my good friend and fellow Elite Entertainer-Corey Fox, as my partner in crime for the night, so I had a feeling it was going to be a memorable event one way or another. We’re set up in the back right corner of the room (if you can picture it, if not, you need not read any further). Well we start to hear small chattering laughter from a few couples in their, I’m guessing 60-70 age group, and they are sitting directly to our left, also the rear of the room. The laughter progressively got louder.

As I bring on the Processional music for the Bridesmaids to walk in, which was “Air” played in G, the room fell silent, as it always does. I heard some ahhhhhs and ohhhhhhs but not much from the Peanut Gallery in the opposite corner. Then I fade the music out, wait for about a second and then, Canon starts playing nice and loud as Jessica makes her way into the room and up toward the altar. I couldn’t make out was said over there as she passed by, but it created a laughter that engulfed the entire room and was contagious for the rest of the night. I could only pray that the comedy would stay tasteful throughout the duration of the party. We have all seen what can happen when you add alcohol to a situation.

After Jess and Jim said I DO and seal it with a kiss, I hit the recessional song; Everlasting Love, and they take their very first steps down the road of Matrimony. I just happen to glance over and one of the Gentlemen from the Peanut gallery was aggressively giving me thumbs up signs from across the room. I guess he liked us so far…yay…a fan club.

Cocktail hour was great as The Ramada in Toms River always puts out a fabulous spread. The finger foods were being enjoyed while the liquor flowed from behind the bar. The poor bartender couldn’t even keep up. As I listened to the beats of the music, it started to be overcome by the amount of laughter in the room. It was as if every little group of people had something to talk about that was funnier than the next. These people were a riot.

Introductions were like fireworks, Parents came in followed by all of the members in the Bridal Party, and I had everyone on their feet clapping and cheering.

When Jess & Jim made their Grand Introduction into the Ballroom to Party Rock Anthem-LMFAO, the room went ballistic. They shared their first dance together, and then danced with their respective parents. The attention of the room was focused on the dance floor the entire time.

Now its time for the Toast. We had 3 toasts and all were filled with the same love and laughter possessed by all the guests attending. The maid of honor was overcome with such emotion during her speech, that there was almost a slight awkward moment of silence until one of the other family members shouted out some jubilant expressions and once again the jokes were rolling around the ballroom. At least 1 person from each table had something to say that when all combined, turned her tears into confidence. Once she gained back her composure, her toast went flawless.

The Night was a blast. Dancing, laughing, eating, dancing , and laughing some more. There was even a part of the night when I played Sexy and I Know It and somebody who is well known as a reputable dancer, SPLIT his pants, and had to go change into jeans. Not even gonna say who that could be. But all in all the night was a success. Everybody left the wedding with such an abundance of joy and love wrapped around them. The Parents of the Bride came up to me as I was taking down my gear and thanked me once again for such a great time.

The very next day, not even 24hrs after the wedding, I receive a message from the Bride gloating about how much fun they had and they were so shocked that the party was so wild. They were extremely thankful and I am not going to lie…I was too. Another great time with some very special people that I will never forget.

The kicker here, is that 1 month before the wedding, I met with Jess & Jim at their house to go over all of the details of their party. They told me “We Don’t Really Dance” and “I don’t really think it is going to be a big dancing crowd”. To some DJs, this could be very discouraging, but I took this challenge head on, and personally feel that I knocked it out of the park.

I am firm believer that Good Entertainment = Good Party, but Great Entertainment = Great Party.
What kind of party will your Wedding be ???

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