Andy Booth, Wedding DJ

Merola-Osegueda, 5/16

April Merola and Carlos Osegueda were married on May 16, 2009, and held their reception at the Sheraton Station Square.  It was a fun night, and a wonderful event, full of surprises, and lots of little details…April is one of those brides who should be thinking about being an event planner, based on the great job she did on her own wedding.

This was a high energy night from start to finish.  April and Carlos have a circle of friends and family who obviously enjoy life, and enjoy each other, and it was evident throughout.  The raucous introductions, the animated dinner conversations, the emotion in the room for the “big” dances, and the  fun on the dance floor made it an evening to remember.

One of the first surprises was a beautiful interpretive dance performed by Melanie Patrick from Atlanta, Georgia as a tribute to the love shared by the bride and groom.  Melanie danced to “Because You Loved Me” by Celine Dion, and every eye in the house was on the dance floor.  It was wonderful moment, and one that April and Carlos obvioulsy appreciated.

The rest of the night went by so fast…April and Carlos’ first dance, the parent dances, and the other special moments seemed poignant and full of emotion.  Once the dancing started, however, it was non-stop energy and fun on the dance floor.  April and Carlos picked some great music, and every song seemed to be someone’s favorite!  The smiles on the faces of the bride and groom never seemed to leave, and they were matched by the laughs and smiles of their friends and family.  All in all, a night to remember, and one of my favorites events of 2009.

Special thanks to Autumn from SkySight Photography for providing the montage on the right.  Click the picture for a link to her website.

Entrance Music:
Bride’s Parents’ Intro: “Sopranos Theme Song”
Groom’s Mother’s Intro: Alicia Keys, “No One”
Bridal Party: T.I. ft Rihanna, “Live Your Life”
Maid of Honor and Best Man: Lil’ Wayne, “A Milli”
Bride and Groom: Soulja Boy ft Lil’ Wayne, “Turn my Swag On”

April & Carlos’ First Dance: Enrique Iglesias, “Hero”
Surprise Dance for Best Man and Maid of Honor: Jennifer Lopez w/ Fat Joe, “Hold You Down”
Father Daughter Dance: Tim McGraw, “My Little Girl”
Mother Daughter Dance: Martina McBride, “In My Daugther’s Eyes”
Mother Son Dance: Boyz II Men, “Song for Mama”

Venue: Sheraton Station Square, Pittsburgh, PA
Photography: Autumn DeLillis, SkySight Photography, Greensburg, PA

I would also like to give a plug for April’s full time job as Executive Director of the Un-Bowe-Lievable Foundation.  This is a charitable foundation for NFL star Dwayne Bowe.  Dwayne is a long time friend of April and Carlos, and was best man at the wedding.  His foundation benefits Grandparents Raising Grandchildren programs in Kansas City and Miami.  Learn more here: Un-Bowe-Lievable Foundation

Jackson-Thorn, 8/29

Danielle Jackson and Christopher Thorn were married on Saturday, August 29, 2009, and the reception was held at the Cathedral Room at St. Nicholas in Oakland.  It was a beautiful, fall-like day (unusual for late August) and it blended perfectly with the color scheme in the room.  All of the details were done in fall colors, and it worked very well.

And I finally have a picture of a cupcake wedding cake!  So many brides have asked me about them, so I was happy to see one behind the sweetheart table on Saturday.  The cupcakes came from Dozen, and you must make sure to find your way there.  That should be easier, as they are opening several new stores around the city.

I really enjoyed playing for Danielle, Chris, and their family and friends.  We had a tremendous time, and probably could have danced all night.  As the Matron of Honor, Julia Reed Young said at the end of her toast, I think we all wish Danielle and Chris a lifetime of happiness, and “many kids.”

Entrance Song: Bridal Party, “Rock N’ Roll Part 2″ by Gary Glitter
Entrance Song: Danielle and Chris, “Seasons of Love” by the cast of Rent
Cake Cutting: “Grow Old With You” by Adam Sandler
Danielle & Chris’ First Dance: “Iris” by the Goo Goo Dolls
Father/Daughter Dance: “My Girl” by the Temps
Bouquet Toss: “It’s Raining Men” by the Weather Girls
Anniversary Dance: “Let’s Stay Together” by the good Reverend Al Green

Venue: Cathedral Room at St. Nicholas
Events Coordinator Johanna Seese: jseese@stnickspgh.org
Wedding Planner: Jessica Holloway: Jessicaholloway@live.com
Photography: Captivating Imagery by Kate Miller: kateelizabethmiller@gmail.com

Special thanks to Kate Miller for providing these images.  To learn more about Captivating Imagery,
click on the photo and you will be directed to the web site.

Thieret-Wheelband, 9/5

Elizabeth Thieret and Tom Wheelband married on September 5, 2009 at Heinz Chapel, and held their reception at the Omni William Penn in downtown Pittsburgh.  From my first meeting with Elizabeth and her mom, Cathy, I knew this reception would be special.  It was a small, intimate event, held in the Bob and Delores Hope Room at the Omni.  Tom is from England, and Elizabeth chose a great venue to show off some of the best of what Pittsburgh has to offer.

The most interesting and unique thing about Tom and Elizabeth’s reception, from my view, was the food and atmosphere.  The photo below does not do justice to the room.  (After all, I’m a DJ, not a photographer, and I took both of these pictures.)   The lighting was subdued, the flowers and decorations were beautiful, and with 60 guests, the room was just perfect.

I also mentioned the food, and I would like to compliment the Thieret and Wheelband families, and the Omni, for pulling off a wonderful change of pace from the “standard wedding fare.”  The room was set up with food stations, with some interesting and unique menu items.  One station had jumbo lump crab cakes, sauteed right there in the room, with red pepper remoulade and lemongrass sauces, along with salad.  Another station had New York strip loin of beef, with potatoes and fresh rolls.  The third station, which was very popular, was a “comfort food” station, with beef and buffalo cheeseburgers, grilled cheese sandwiches, reubens, macaroni and cheese, and tomato soup shooters.  All of that was topped off by a cupcake and wedding cake station, with goodies from Vanilla, and a coffee and cookie station.

All told, a great celebration of love that spans an ocean.  The night included a couple of tunes from the CD from Tom’s band,  The Tall Orders.  Best wishes to Tom and Elizabeth, I hope you are enjoying Vegas!  Thanks for allowing me to entertain at your wedding.

Bridal Party Entrance: Use Somebody, by Kings of Leon
First Dance: These Arms of Mine, by Otis Redding
Father/Daughter Dance:  What A Wonderful World, by Louie
Cake Cutting: Forever Young, by Youth Group
Hot songs from the Tall Orders (http://www.myspace.com/thetallorders) included “Mr. Aluminum” and “Get Up and Go”

Venue:  The Omni William Penn, Corey Makrush (cmakrush@omnihotels.com)
Photography: Michael Gianechini, G&G Studio Creations (michael@gandgstudio.com)
Flowers: Allison McGeary (allison@mcgearycreative.com)
Cupcakes and Wedding Cake: Vanilla Pastry Studio (www.vanillapastry.com)

Baxter-Milton, 8/22

It is pretty easy to identify the things that made the wedding of Zachery Milton and Morgan Baxter special.  The biggest thing is resilience.  Zach and Morgan were supposed to be married on September 26, 2009 at Mountain View Inn.  As most know, Mountain View Inn was closed this past winter, leaving many brides in a bad spot.  The recovery was amazing, however, as Zach and Morgan and their families pulled off a beautiful ceremony and reception at the Summit Inn in Farmington, PA.

For me, the highlights were the ceremony, which was held donwstairs, and for which I had the pleasure of providing music.  I don’t often get to see the bride and groom exchange vows, and in this case, I was very happy to witness it.  The other highlight, aside from a very busy dance floor, was the music chosen by Zach and Morgan…see the list below, it was a pleasure to play some great songs.  The first dance was very smartly choreographed by the bride and groom, and left people cheering wildly.  Add to that a best man toast that was sung (“Whatever It Is” by the Zac Brown Band) and we had a night to remember.

Bridal Party Entrance: Start Me Up,  Mick and the boys
Bride & Groom Entrance: Sirius, Alan Parsons Project (Terrible Towels were flyin’)
Cake Cuting: Accidentally in Love, Counting Crows
First Dance: New Coat of Paint,  Bob Seger
Father/Daughter Dance: Oh. Dave Matthews (with John Wisnieski having the honor of standing in for Morgan’s Dad)
Mother/Son Dance: Song for My Son by Mikki Vierick
Last Song: Your Love, the Outfield

Venue: The Summit Inn, Farmington, PA
Laurie Smalley, Sales & Catering Manager: summit@hhs.net
Photography: Matt Adams

Dowd-DeFrank, 8/15

Jamie DeFrank and Maureen Dowd, married on Saturday, August 15, 2009.  A wonderful day for a wedding, and a happy and fun celebration of love.  Jamie and Maureen held their reception at the new Power Center Ballroom, in the Power Center at Duquesne University.  The venue is new, and offers spectacular views and an ambiance that you don’t expect in a large room.  The events coordinator is Karen White  and she is extremely helpful, both in advance of the event, and on that night.

Here are a couple of pictures from the reception, courtesy of Pamela Marie Photography.  Click on the picture if you would like to read Pam’s blog for this event.

So what was  different about Jamie and Maureen’s reception?  The pure joy in the room.  The tone was set with their first dance, immediately after introductions, to “Forever in Blue Jeans” by Neil Diamond.  Jamie is a big Neil Diamond fan, and they chose a great upbeat song to start the night, with their bridal party surrounding the dance floor.  That was followed by “Dancing Queen” by Abba, which led to the entire bridal party (and quite a few guests) spinning around the floor.  Lots of laughter, and pure joy in the room.  Jamie and Maureen, may that joy stay with you forever.

Entrance: I’m So Excited by the Pointer Sisters
First Dance: Forever in Blue Jeans by Neil Diamond
Second Dance: Dancing Queen by Abba
Father/Daughter Dance: Someone to Watch Over Me by Ella Fitzgerald
Mother/Son Dance: Imagine by John Lennon
Last Song: Jersey Girl by the Boss

Venue: Power Center Ballroom
Karen White, Event Coordinator: whitek1@duq.edu

Videography: Tim Smith Studios
Photography: Pamela Marie