Category Archives: reception
Feel Good Time
Another Great Night
Saturday 06/19/10 I was a part of Matt & Heidi’s reception at Evergreen Events in Paola, KS(What a Great place and wonderful people). Matt & Heidi had their ceremony in the town square on an absolutely beautiful day after a small rain shower. Encore Elite Entertainment provided all the sound for the ceremony (Lapel Mics, Handheld Mics, Music, Etc.). Matt & Heidi wrote their own vows and you could tell not only that they were in love but that they also valued each other. There were many fun things we planned and carried out for Matt & Heidi like a Twisted Recessional song at the ceremony. At the reception, the entrance of the bridal party, a football for the garter toss and kissing couples during dinner, were just a few of the many highlights. The Father/Daughter dance was one I will remember for a long time. It was the first time I had ever seen a complete dance done to Welcome to The Jungle by Guns n’ Roses. Their wedding cake was 9 small cakes 3 Red Velvet, 3 Grasshopper and 3 Strawberry all were excellent, and yes, I tried them all. It was a great night filled with dancing and laughter until we all sent Matt & Heidi on their way to Hawaii. I cannot wait to see the photos taken by Mark Leonard Photography, Mark & Shauna were great to work with.
Then to top off the night I got into my car and was listening to my voice mails and heard this.
http://www.youtube.com/get_player
What are you going to do at your reception?
I introduced them into the Crystal Ballroom. Then the drum line helped create an exciting and very memorable kick off to the dancing for the night. I love this idea it is one that we will all be thinking of as we remember Travis & Caitlin’s reception.What are you thinking about doing at your reception?
I hope to get some of the photos soon from Sarah Dickerson Photography to share.) He showed up just after the Garter Toss where Kevin tossed the garter placed around a K-State football. Willie burst into the room to the K-State fight song and after his K-S-U Fight, Fight, Fight we had all the K-State fans to the floor and they all danced to the Wabash. Then we danced for 2 more hours and ended with a great send off of Kevin & Megan on their honeymoon. What a great night and very unique to them.What are you planning to do at your reception?
Wedding Receptions
I have been involved with more wedding receptions than I can tell you. I have truly enjoyed being a part of every one. I wish I could tell you I remember them all in detail, but that would not be true. There are those, however, that I will never forget. The ones where everyone can tell the couple is truly in love and wants to celebrate. These couples will spend the time it takes to plan a night that is tailored to them and involves each and every person allowing them to experience the fun all together and leave with great memories.I just received a Thank You card from one of those couples that made me feel great and I have to share it with you.
“ Dear Danny, We cannot thank you enough for DJing our wedding. We had the best time of our lives and you were a huge part of it. Everyone kept telling me it was the most fun reception they had ever been to & I have to agree…the dance floor was never empty. Your professionalism from pre-event planning until the end of the wedding night was unmatched. Besides the man I picked to marry, you were the next best decision thanks again! If you ever need to use us as a referral…let us knowJ.” From Adam & Kayla Young August 1st, 2009 Lawrence, KS
I think this fun really starts off with the entrance. Adam & Kayla had a Basketball themed entrance in mind and went all out. They even brought Headbands and Black eye stickers for the Bridal party to wear. This video is provided by our very talented friend and videographer Andy at Studio 32 Productions.
The night continued from there and, as you can see from the card, was one I will never forget, Thank you Adam & Kayla for the huge pat on the back.
http://www.youtube.com/get_player
David & Payal Ebeltoft 03/14/09
I was in for memorable experience with this event from the beginning. David & Payal live in Brooklyn, New York and did not make it to Kansas City very often. We did all of our planning for their reception through email and over the phone. David is a project manager and he managed this part of their wedding very well. Payal’s extended family and many friends are from India. The theme of the decorations and food reflected her Indian heritage. David & Payal wanted a few Indian songs spread through out the night so that both families would have a great time. I have been involved in other events where I had played this music so I had some idea of what was needed. Just like here in the U.S. India has all different kinds of music. I knew what I liked and what I thought would work, but I was not yet sure what they would like. I was fortunate enough to get a little guidance from Payal’s brother Pretesh and a gentleman from England (who I feel terrible I do not remember his name). What was nice was they helped me feel more comfortable about the choices I had made. The songs I chose for the cocktail & dinner music sounded great, but I did not know if the language in the songs was appropriate. So I was lucky to get a little help from a few ladies in Payal’s family. As I was setting up I would play a song and the ladies would give me a thumbs up if it was good or down if it was bad. The mix of Indian and American music went over well. They enjoyed it all and danced all night.
I will end this with a request David had made for a Greek song Sirtaki by Andre’ Rieu From the movie Zorba the Greek. The wedding guests loved it and you would have sworn we were at a Greek celebration. They quickly raised David above their shoulders and danced around with him held high. Next thing you know they had Payal up in the air and danced around the floor as the floor it’s self bounced, no jumped up and down. I thought they were going to bring the place to the ground with this crazy fun. I tried to take a picture with my cell phone. It was terrible quality especially compared to the beautiful photos taken by Ryan Hill at Versluis Photography .
When couples bring great friends and family together no matter where they are from. The love fills the room and you can’t help but have fun. Thank you David and Payal for allowing me to be a part of your celebration.
Tom & Robin Addleman 04/18/09
It was a very nice wedding with a little of their style showing through. You see, when Tom and the Groomsmen entered the room, they entered to “I Walk The Line” by Johnny Cash. The Groom hardly ever gets attention. The day is all about the Ladies. As men, we accept this and enjoy making it so. When we can have a little focus on the men, we try to accommodate that. This was a song that fit a country boy like Tom and his Groomsmen. The lyrics worked well for the entrance and hey, it was fun.
The Mansion was exceptional as usual. The Mansion is on the top of my list of excellent locations to have an event. Hannah was the person in charge for the Mansion last night, and even though this was her first event to do solo, she was flawless. As I was making rounds speaking to people at their tables, one of the guests asked me if I was a supervisor for the Mansion. This happens to me a lot where ever I go because we try to work so closely with the venue and staff. I told her I was not but I can get one for you. Hannah went to speak with them and they simply wanted to tell how much they were enjoying the staff and their evening. That was wonderful to hear, especially for her solo. I know the owners of the Mansion would be pleased.
During the cutting of the cake, Tom & Robin wanted to recognize Tom’s parents for their up-coming anniversary. After Tom & Robin finished their ceremonial cutting of the cake, they cut another piece and presented it to Dr. Duane & Nancy Addleman. Everyone in the room was touched by this poignant moment. I had a great night and could go on and on. Needless to say, Tom and Robin were a lot of fun and they have great friends and family that danced right up to the end of the night. Thank you Tom & Robin
Matt & Emily 03/07/09
The Kansas Historical Museum in Topeka, Kansas is where Matt & Emily held their wedding and reception. I have been at this location many times. It is a nice place and the people are very good to work with. If your reception timing allows, they will even offer a personal tour of the museum for your guests. The ceremony was performed beautifully by Curt Cooper from Emporia. I hear a lot of ceremonies every year and it is nice to hear it done well with meaning and purpose. Emily looked unbelievable and Matt cleaned up quite nicely also. Their family was so much fun and wanted nothing more than to do everything they could so Matt & Emily would have a great day. It is always so much fun to be apart of a loving event and I was blessed to be there.
As you may have read earlier in one of Brad’s Blogs, he and I along with our much better halves (Wives) went to a Mobile Entertainers convention in Vegas. It was a great time and we learned so much. It was also great to hear a little validation from people much smarter than me that we are doing it right. What I mean, is the way that we introduce events/special moments to the guests through out the evening. I know you have heard announcements that sound like they are said every weekend where only the names of the bride and groom are changed. Encore does not make standard “input name here” announcements. Part of the reason that we have the reception planning meeting, and have materials to be completed before the meeting, is so that we can Personalize our announcements. For Emily and her Father’s dance the announcement went like this;
Mike was at the hospital on the day Emily was born and from that moment Mike & Sharon’s Princess stole his heart. Since that day Princess Emily has grown to be called EM. Mike is so very proud of EM. Her appreciation for life and the way she shows such kindness towards others. Ladies and Gentlemen Princess EM and her Father.
As I said, the family wanted them to have a special day so they were a lot of help giving me all the incite I needed to write these announcements. It takes a little time and effort on every ones part, but the difference it makes in the personalization of the event is night and day. The guests also feel so much more a part of every event through out the night. It can never be an announcement that you heard last weekend with a different name.
Matt and Emily congratulations and thank you for letting me be a part of your special event.
KU vs. MU
As we all know, here in Kansas City there is a little bit of a rivalry between KU fans and MU fans. What would happen if a gorgeous, sweet little KU girl were to meet a Big Bad MU man and get married? What would the reception be like with such rivalry? “A Blast… full of Energy” as one guest described it.
On August 16th James Gaona (Encore EE Emcee) broke the Ice with a warm “Let me hear you, if you are ready to meet the new Mr. & Mrs. Forck” The guests clapped and showed a little enthusiasm. James then mentioned that there might be a little tension in the room with so many KU fans sitting so close to the MU fans. He then asked for all the KU fans to make a little noise, The KU Fans erupted in cheers and applause. “Now, let me hear all of the MU Fans”. The MU Fans clapped and whistled trying their best to out do the KU fans. Then James asked for THE Corn Husker fan to make some noise! A single man stood up from his chair, clapped and hollered alone among all these KU and MU fans. The guests helped him out with some applause and laughter. All the energy in the room was amazing, you could feel it tingling on your skin. Now that the crowd was more than primed with enthusiasm, here came the wedding party. As each Bridesmaid and Groomsman were announced they came through the door dancing, smiling and encouraging the crowd for more applause. Just when we thought there couldn’t possibly be a higher level of enthusiasm, here came the Bride and Groom. Not only were the Bride and Groom excited to dance into the room, they couldn’t wait to hear the response of the crowd as they carried their MU/KU flag high above their heads. Wow! The crowd was even louder clapping, whistling, dancing, and laughing, as the Bride and Groom represented both sides of the rivalry smiling ear to ear. All the action was caught flawlessly by Gary Gibbons of Gibbons Video Productions
Continuing with the MU & KU rivalry James decided that we could personalize the money dance and make it even more fun than normal. Instead of having a money pouch for the Bride (usually a white satin bag) and a money pouch for the Groom (usually a black satin bag), James had a KU bag for the Bride and a MU bag for the Groom. Each guest was asked to put their dance money in the bag for KU if they were a KU fan and dance money in the MU bag if they were a MU fan. This became an event to show school spirit and appreciation for the Bride and Groom. During the money dance, the bride would yell out, “come on KU, don’t let me down” and the Groom would respond with an MU chant calling on the MU fans to make sure they won the competition. The guests loved it, and all of them showed their school colors as they approached the dance floor to dance with the Bride or the Groom. When the results of the competition came in James cleared the dance floor and all the guests were silent waiting to hear who the TRUE fans were. James announced and our winner by a margin of $38 is….. The Tigers! Just as he finished the word the MU Fight song played through the sound system and the crowd erupted in applause. As a side note: Even though the Jayhawks had the homefield advantage with the reception held at the Holiday Inn Holidome in Lawrence, KS The Tigers took the victory by a small margin.
So, when you combine some strong KU-MU Rivalry in marriage, you get a great party, lots of enthusiasm and never a dull moment.
Warning! Don’t try this with just any rivalry. The guests were interviewed before the event and asked not to bring any Live Tigers or Jayhawks to the event. No animals were harmed in the uniting of these two fans. Professional security was on site to ensure a safe event for all Fans involved.
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