Autumn has been kicking into high gear lately and the weekend of October 4 is pretty much when the colors started exploding. Jamie and Evan had a perfect day for their wedding reception at The Fontainebleau Inn.

During the cocktail hour, a Cornell University acapella group, “Cayuga’s Waiters,” performed for the guests on the outside, covered patio. A variety of great songs were sung and Jamie was being wooed by the group as can be seen in this photo…

At the conclusion of the cocktail hour, Formal Introductions took place and immediately after the Bride and Groom were introduced, they had their beautifully choreographed First Dance to “Home” by Michael Buble.

The Bride’s Mother, Katia,  had a big surprise in store for Jamie. Katia had secretly been taking singing lessons for several months and had prepared to sing a special song (“I Hope You Dance”) dedicated to Jamie and Evan. I had a stealthy introduction prepared to let the guests know that something very special was about to happen but at the same time I did not want to give away the surprise as to who or what it would be. So after I made my announcement and left the microphone in the stand in the middle of the dancefloor for the “unknown” person to take and begin the song… something I could not have anticipated happened. Another guest who had also prepared a song to sing approached the microphone and began to sing. Not only were the Bride and Groom surprised, but so was Katia,  and me. It was one of those things that had  an “OMG” stamped all over it.

As the other guest was singing to the Bride and Groom, the already nervous Katia came up to me and asked me what she should do. I quickly put her at east and told her that this would all work out and that I would just make an additional announcement when the first singer was done and she could then sing her song. It was really a brilliant “mistake” because everyone was truly surprised and it was one of those impossible to predict, special moments that will be remembered by everyone.

After an amazing meal, prepared by Word of Mouth Catering, more formal dances took place; the Father/Daughter (“I Loved Her First” by Heartland) and the Mother Groom dance (“Cheek to Cheek” by Julie Andrews).

A wonderful period of dancing ensued and it was a great pleasure to be able to be a part of Jamie and Evan’s wedding. Thanks so much. Here are some more of the photos I took at your reception…

Here it is a week after the fact and I’ve been unable to compose my blog post about Jamie and Evan’s wedding at The Fontainebleau Inn on October 4, 2008. But do not fear, a full report is coming soon. Here are just a couple photos to whet your appetite.

I’m heading to Ithaca today for a wedding reception at Cornell University. The weather could not be any more beautiful. The sky is cloudless and the most gorgeous blue and the leaves are peaking in color. It should set the stage for an incredibly awesome Fall wedding for Beth and Clay.

I’ll be posting about both of these weddings very soon but until then, enjoy this fantastic weather.

Here is a shot I took a couple days ago of a view across Skaneateles Lake.

Awesome, Awesome, Awesome. That’s all I can say.

Oh all right, I’ll say some more.

It was the perfect day… warm temperatures, no clouds and a beautiful location. This was my first wedding in Clayton, NY and if you aren’t familiar with Clayton, let me tell you how cool this little town is. It’s situated right on the St. Lawrence River in the Thousand Islands region. It is gorgeous.

The wedding reception was in the recently renovated, Clayton Opera House. Wow! Talk about a beautiful building… this was just amazing. The interior has a large stage and a beautiful balcony that overlooks the large main floor. Since it had just undergone a multi-million dollar renovation, it was incredibly beautiful. My equipment was set up on the stage and there was a really nice, lighted backdrop behind me that added a “cool” factor that was, well, cool. The floors were gleaming hardwood and the lighting was perfect. So the stage was set, so to speak, for a great wedding reception for Anne and Ben.

The bride and groom arrived in style and had photos taken riverside by their photographer. Once inside the Opera House, the formal introductions took place, after which Anne and Ben had their first dance to a Rascal Flatts song, “Bless the Brokenhearted.” After the buffet meal, Anne danced with her Father to the song “How Sweet It Is” by James Taylor and then Ben had a dance with his Mother to “Godspeed (Sweet Dreams)” by the Dixie Chicks.

After the formal dances, the dance floor basically exploded into a fantastic frenzy of dancing that didn’t let up till the absolute last song. Everyone was having such a blast that the dance time was extended an extra hour to accommodate them. I can’t tell you how much fun it is to DJ when the guests are just totally enjoying themselves. I got a good amount of requests, all of which I was able to play, and I have to say it was one of the most fun groups of people I’ve had this season.

It was truly a wedding reception to remember and a big thanks to Anne and Ben for making me feel so welcome.

Here are a few more photos…