Carla & Steve – July 21, 2012

Posted on July 21, 2012 by Michael

The Boatyard Grill happens to be one of my favorite restaurants in Ithaca but I had never DJ’d a wedding reception there. Steve and Carla had their wedding ceremony and reception at the Boatyard Grill and it was a beautiful location coupled with another perfect summer day in Ithaca.

The ceremony took place at Lookout Point, right in front of the restaurant and near the water. Gorgeous. Immediately after the ceremony the reception began with cocktail hour and some amazing hors d’oeuvres prepared by the Boatyard Grill.

Prior to the meal, the groom gave a greeting and that was followed by a toast by Jim Gustafson.

After the meal, Steve and Carla had their first dance to the song, When a Man Loves a Woman by Percy Sledge. Open dancing followed and the guests enjoyed a full-evening of fun on the dance floor.

It was a fun evening and I was so pleased to be able to provide the entertainment for Steve and Carla.

Here is a gallery of some of the photos I took during the wedding reception for you to enjoy.

Kate & Trevor – July 14, 2012

Posted on July 14, 2012 by Michael

I get to meet some of the nicest people in my job as a DJ. Kate and Trevor are among that group and their friends and family made this wedding reception a wonderful experience.

Central New York, along with most of the country has been experiencing a heat wave this summer. The weather has been fantastic but hot and dry. Today was what has become a typical day for the summer of 2012 and hot plays into that quite nicely. Not too hot mind you, but hot enough that I was pretty happy I brought a fan along with me to keep my area breezy.

Word of Mouth Catering had a cornucopia of hors d’oeuvres for the cocktail hour and the photographer, Ryan Lavine, used cocktail hour as a time to get some beautiful shots of the couple and wedding party on the beautiful grounds of the Fontainebleau Inn.

How’s this for a great shot of the entire group?

Kate and Trevor chose a song by the Velvet Underground as their first dance: I’ll Be Your Mirror. The Father/Daughter dance was Little Miss Magic by Jimmy Buffet. Trevor and his Mother danced to What a Wonderful World, Louis Armstrong.

The Bride’s Granparents had celebrated their 60th Anniversayr on July 12, 2012 and to honor that, the song God Only Knows by the Beach Boys was played for them to dance to.

It was a fun night of dancing and celebration and the Philly contingent enjoyed Bruce Springsteen’s “Rosalita” and sang along to every word.

Thanks Kate and Trevor for letting me share in your day of joy. Enjoy some more of the photos I took…

Tatiana & Prescott – June 23, 2012

Posted on June 23, 2012 by Michael

Tatiana and Prescott had the most gorgeous weather for their wedding day. The previous two days had been really hot and muggy. A cold front moved through the evening before which resulted in a low-humidity, gorgeous day for the bride and groom. Big puffy clouds in a sky of blue bliss made for wonderful photo opportunities particularly since the setting was at La Tourelle in Ithaca, NY.

A relaxed cocktail hour on the patio allowed guests to leisurely walk the grounds. A Photo Booth provided by RazzleDazzlePhotoBooths.com was a fun way for the guests to leave comments and a photo strip of creative poses for the bride and grooms’ album. The official photographer for the day was Danielle Gerritsen and the videographer was Suzanne of SZF Productions.

Formal Introductions in the banquet room were followed by the First Dance for Tatiana and Prescott who danced to You Send Me by Sam Cooke.

Prior to the beginning of the meal, toasts were given by the Best Man – Thor and the Brides’ Brother – Greg. The Groom then said a few words and thanked guests for traveling from great distances to be at the wedding reception.

Between the courses of the meal, the Bride danced with her Father to the song Memories -Elvis Presley while the Groom danced with his Mother to the song You’ve Got A Friend – James Taylor.

A lively evening of dancing followed the meal, throughout which was sprinkeld a few special Ukrainian dances.

It was a very fun wedding reception and I was happy to have been a part of such a festive occasion for such a wonderful couple.

Congratulations Tatiana and Prescott. Enjoy the rest of my photos…

Nicole & Larry – June 16, 2012

Posted on June 18, 2012 by Michael

Beautiful weather was the order of the day for Nicole and Larry’s wedding.

Their ceremony was at Sage Chapel on the Cornell University Campus .

The wedding reception followed at the Statler Hotel Carrier Ballroom.

After the cocktail hour, the formal introductions were made. As the Bride and Groom entered to the song “Mr. Jones” by the Counting Crows, the guests burst into applause and cheers.

Larry and Nicole had their first dance to the song “That’s Amore” by Dean Martin. It was a perfectly choreographed dance routine that wowed the crowd. At the conclusion of the dance, Father Daniel McMullin gave the blessing. Toasts were given by the father of the bride-Paul Driebe, Best Man-Kevin Franzese and Matron of Honor-Cara Harris.

For the other formal dances, Nicole and her father danced to “Daddy’s Little Girl” by Al Martino while Larry danced with his mother to “What a Wonderful World” by Louis Armstrong.

It was fun-filled night that resulted in at least one guest needing a quick nap to make it through the entire night.

This was a festive occasion of which I was so happy to be a part of. Best wishes for a happy marriage to Larry and Nicole.

Enjoy a few more photos that I took during your wedding reception…

Krista & Justin – June 2, 2012

Posted on June 4, 2012 by Michael

I had been looking forward to the wedding of Krista and Justin. The ceremony and reception were at the Dibbles Inn, Vernon, NY, a place I had not been to before.

There are some beautiful gardens behind the Inn and this was where the ceremony took place. It had rained quite heavily the last 24 hours prior to the wedding so everything was lush and verdant, Beautiful.

After the ceremony, everyone made their way into Dibbles Inn for cocktail hour, dinner and dancing.

Justin and Krista’s first dance was to the song “Marry Me” by Train. The Father/Daughter dance was “A Song For My Daughter” by Ray Allaire. Justin and his mother danced to “Mama” by Boyz II Men.

The guests were ready to dance up a storm as soon as the dancefloor opened and the Groom’s Grandfather, Gaspere Serra was one of the first to embrace the dancefloor.

The official photographer for the wedding was Tom Harmon and the videographer was Fruit Tree Studios. It was a pleasure working with both these professionals. The recently remodeled Dibbles Inn was very nice and I hope to do many more weddings there in the future.

Justin and Krista, congratulations on your wedding and thank you for choosing me to provide the entertainment for your awesome wedding reception. Here are a few more photos I took for you to enjoy…