Pittsburgh Wedding DJ Blog

Joel and Shawna - September 6th, 2008 - Freeport, Pennsylvania.

Joel and Shawna had an outstanding reception held at Laube Hall in Freeport, PA.  I was not only the entertainment for the reception, but also produced a slideshow that was displayed on my 100″ screen and projection system as the cake was being served.  Also, the mother/son dance was sung by a friend of the bride and groom, “Simple Man”, which brought down the house… and Joel and his mom too.  I was able to provide technical support including a patch to wire in an acoustic guitar, stand, and wireless mic.   Shawna’s Matron of Honor, Brittany, was one of my brides back in 2006.  Unfortunately, my pictures were lost from this event, but here is a great picture of Joel and Shawna.

Jessica and Wesley - September 13th, 2008 - Clarion, Pennsylvania

A beautiful ceremony and reception was held at Anchor Village in Clarion, PA for Wes and Jess.  Some unique ideas were used for decor at their event.  My favorite was a cluster of Paper Lanterns over the dancefloor.  Thanks Wes and Jess!

Jenessa and Andrew - September 20th, 2008 -Clarion, PA

Back to Back events for me at Anchor Village.  Just look how completely different the room looks.

Jennesa and her mom decided that instead of using paper lanterns, they were going to make these really cool tissue paper poms.  I provided the accent lighting to match the theme colors of their wedding.  An awesome time was had by all!

Melissa and Scott - September 27th, 2008 - Lucinda, Pennsylvania

Jamie,

Thank-you so much for the best reception we could of ever dreamed of.  You made the reception very entertaining! Everyone had a great time and we loved every part of it.  You even got Scott to DANCE!

Thanks So Much - Melissa

Tags: Anchor Village, Antler Club, Laube Hall, Uplighting, Wedding

Sharon Jayson of the USA Today wrote a great article on when is the right time to get married. 

Emily Becker wanted to be married by age 30. In June, at age 28, she and Joe Becker, 29, were married. They were the last of their group to tie the knot.

Even though they began dating in 2003 — around the same time as most of their friends — “it took us almost twice as long to get married,” she says. “We both knew we wanted to marry each other. We just kept having to put it off.”

The entire article can be found here:  USA TODAY - Sooner vs. later: Is there an ideal age for first marriage?

Flashbox is a new company, based right here in Pittsburgh, and has been a hit at weddings so far. The technology behind the sleek, slim kiosk was designed by Carnegie Mellon graduates. Because of that, FlashBox is currently only available to Western Pennsylvania couples–giving them a chance to use this new gadget before anyone else in the country.

Here is a story on Flashbox on KDKA.

Breanne and Jay - August 2nd 2008 - Curwensville, Pennsylvania

Is that picture worth a thousand words or a million dollars? First, I gotta give huge props to my girl Joelle Watt who did the photography. You can find more pictures on her blog HERE. It takes A LOT to impress me, but the shots from Bre and Jay’s wedding are AMAZING!!!

People have often asked me …. “What is the most memorable thing you have seen at a wedding? That may have occurred at Bre and Jay’s ceremony.

The ceremony and reception were held on the grounds of Starr Hill Winery At about the half way point in the ceremony a car started rolling just to the side of where the ceremony was taking place and crashed through the vines. Thank god no one was hurt or this could have ended up being a very tragic day. It ended up being a car of one of the bridesmaids (who will remain nameless) and slipped out of gear and rolled down the hill. Kudos to the minister presiding over the ceremony, as once the car came to a stop, people were unsure of what to do and as cool as a cucumber, he quietly announced, “Everything looks fine…. let’s keep going.”

It was a great time and an event that will always be unforgettable!!!

Bre’s mom dropped me a note after the wedding.

Jamie,

I just had to drop you a line to you. You are fantastic and everyone said so. Thanks for helping make the wedding a great success. I of course will recommend you to anyone, but your name is already so well-known. It wouldn’t have been the same, if not for you.

Les - Mother of the Bride

Patrick and Beth - August 9th, 2008 - Indiana, Pennsylvania

Patrick and Beth had a really fun wedding reception at Rustic Lodge in Indiana, PA. This is the THIRD wedding I have done for Beth’s family and as I like to think… the best yet!!!

Rebecca and Brian - August 16th, 2008 - Clarion, Pennsylvania

A wonderful wedding celebration was held in the Courtyard at the Clarion Holiday Inn I also got to work with two good friends and guys I have known since I started Houserockers DJ, Mark Weeter Photography and Randy from Keepsake Video. You can see them both in this snapshot.

Rachel and Dan - August 23rd, 2008 - Lucinda, Pennsylvania

Rachel and Dan’s reception was held at one of the best places to have a large reception in the area, The Antler Club. And Yes, the place does have an antler chandelier.

Jill and JR - August 30th, 2008 - Cook Forest, Pennsylvania

Some clients you just click with right from the get go. Jill is an event specialist with the Pittsburgh Marriott North. I don’t know if there has ever been a bride with more event planning experience than Jill. The good part was she had a lot of ideas already set when we met and talked about putting together the reception. The GREAT part was finding a way to surprise a client, who has seen just about everything under the sun.

So what was the surprise…. well most people have seen a photo montage (slideshow) at a reception before… Baby Pictures, Growing Up and Shots of the Couple. The suprise was just as the last slide went black… 7 new images came up from the ceremony that happened only 3 hours prior. Jill was floored!

Big Thanks to Bill and Mandi from Biandi Photography for making my surprise a reality.

First Dance Overlooking the Clarion River.

Jill and Jamie

No Accent Lights

With Accent Lights

Here is a note I got from Jill after the wedding

Jamie,

Thank you for all of your hard work and personal touches you put into our wedding day. Our friends and family are saying that you are the best of the best in the business and we couldn’t agree more. During the planning process your professionalism was second to none. You made us feel that we were not only working with a vendor, but also a friend.

Thanks Again!

Jill

Tags: Antler Club, Clarion Holiday Inn, Houserockers DJ, Pittsburgh Wedding DJ, Rustic Lodge, Starr Hill Winery, Uplighting

On Wednesday August 13th, 2008, I had the honor of competing for The DJ of the Year at the DJ Times 2008 DJ Expo held in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The talent was amazing this year in The DJ of the Year. I ended up finishing in third place while capturing the title of “Best New Game”. This game is something I perform at Corporate Holiday Parties and not weddings, but I thought you would enjoy the highlights just as well.

Here is the Houserockers DJ Corporate Party preview video:

This Pittsburgh Wedding DJ was on the road all over Western Pennsylvania including Butler, DuBois, Ford City, Clarion and Johnsonburg. Since I am a little behind with the Pittsburgh Wedding Pro Blog, I combined all of my reviews in this July Wedding Post.

Chris and Megan 7/5/08 - Clarion, Pennsylvania

A small reception was held for Megan and Chris’s 350 closest friends at Anchor Village. The reception lasted a mere 8 hours from 4 pm till midnight! What a Rockin’ time!

Andrew and Lonya 7/12/08 - Ford City, Pennsylvania

Another small wedding reception of 325 friends and family for Lonya and Andrew at the Latin American Club in Ford City, Pennsylvania. Lonya and her Dad prepared a Father/Daughter Dance with a twist that started with “I Loved Her First” and skipped into “Soulja Boy.” Dad brought down the house with him and Lonya doing the Soulja Boy dance for everyone. By The Way, Andrew had some fun too. That is him in the picture with his shirt off. Thanks Andrew and Lonya.

A.J. and Lindsey 7/19/08 - Johnsonburg, Pennsylvania

Lindsey and A.J. are high school sweethearts. Their relationship began back in Jr. High when they went to their first dance together. Everything at their wedding was personalized including the centerpieces, favors and wedding cake. They also had an awesome introduction as well. Thanks A.J. and Lindsey!

BTW, I got this email on Monday morning after A.J. and Lindsey’s reception.

My name is Michelle. I will be marrying Doug on August 8, 2009. We were just at his brother, AJ and Lindsey’s wedding this past Saturday (Doug was the best man) and we were blown away by Jamie, the DJ. We would like to book you for our wedding if the date is available (our fingers are crossed)!!!

Please give me a call or email me back with whether or not you are available and we will talk then about what package we would like!!

Hope to hear from you soon!!

Michelle

I really do have the best job in the world and work for the most amazing people!!!!!

Ryan and Emily 7/25/08 - Butler, Pennsylvania

Ryan and Emily had a Christmas Wedding in July. (Get it,July 25th). The reception was held at the beautiful Grand Ballroom in downtown Buter, PA. The event was beautiful from begining to end including a special first dance of Forever by Jesse and the Rippers. Yes the song that Uncle Jesse from the TV Show Full House sang to his TV wife Becky when they got married. Ryan and Emily are huge Full House fans so it was the perfect song for a perfect dance. Here is “Uncle Jesse” singing it on Full house.

Here is a copy of the card Ryan and Emily sent after the wedding:

Jamie,

Thank you so much for making our wedding reception perfect. Everyone commented that it was the best wedding they had ever gone too. We really appreciate your enthusiasm and creativity. We couldn’t have asked for a more perfect party.

Sincerely,

Emily and Ryan

Cherie and Cody 7/26/08 - Clarion, PA

Cherie and Cody had an amazing reception at Anchor Village in Clarion, PA. We not only had a beautiful slideshow display some really great pictures of our newlyweds, but as the sun went down, accent lights flooded the room with their theme color. Thanks Cherie and Cody.

With Accent Lights:

Without Accent Lights:

North of Pittsburgh in the “weather capital of the world”, I had the pleasure of performing at Helena and Mike’s Wedding Ceremony and Reception at the Punxsutawney Country Club. The ceremony was set just off the 18th Hole at the golf course with a reception following indoors. A great time was had by all. UNFORTUNATELLY, I have lost all of my pictures from the event.

I did receive an awesome email from the pastor that officiated the ceremony.

Hi Jamie.

I officiated Mike and Helena’s wedding this weekend (Zac). I just wanted to tell you how impressed I was with you. I appreciated your willingness to take charge and coordinate some details that needed taken care of. You also did a great job keeping everything moving both for the wedding and the reception. At one point during the reception I was convinced you were part of MIke’s group of friends but then I remembered that they’d only met you through this event. Several of the people I ate dinner with were impressed by how you drummed up energy with the “kiss for a kiss” game and even managed to generate some buzz for the garter and bouquet. If you were located in Akron, OH I’d be recommending you all the time.

I’ve seen my share of DJ’s that have false enthusiasm that isn’t contagious and tend to be just a bit corny. You came across like a friend of the bride and groom that wanted everyone to have a great time with them. You seemed to be having a great time yourself, and that’s contagious for sure.

Great job man!

Zac

Once Again, This Pittsburgh Wedding DJ is back at DuBois Country Club. Yes, three weddings in four weeks! Ben and Mollie are a great couple and their reception was a blast! Here is a video of the Just Got Married Game.

Joe and Melanie celebrated a beautiful wedding ceremony and reception just north of Pittsburgh in Dubois, Pennsylvania. The event was held at the DuBois Country Club. I also had the pleasure of working with Chris and Hollie from Minds Eye Photography. As usual they are a blast to work with and I have a few of their images to post this week in the blog.

So what did Melanie have to say …..

Hi Jamie,

We just wanted to thank you for everything you did for our wedding & reception!

We had SO much fun and our guests raved about you and have been asking who our DJ was for the last three weeks! Everyone was impressed with your professionalism, style, equipment, music selection, props and your ability to involve everyone at the reception. People loved the newlywed game we played during dinner and everyone was thrilled with how you got the kids out on the dance floor and kept them moving when they would otherwise be bored. Our guests felt like they were included and it was fun for them (as well as fun for us) which is exactly how we wanted our reception!

I was originally so sad about having to move our ceremony inside but you ran with the idea and made some fast suggestions and thanks to your suggestions everything was just gorgeous! Also our first dance was a dream thanks to your idea of Joe’s speech leading into the first dance and then having all of our guests circle us during the song - WOW! Brilliant on your part! Thank you!

You absolutely made our reception! It was a blast and we are happy to recommend Houserockers to all of our friends getting married in PA.

We can’t say enough good things about the service and experience you gave us and our guests at our wedding!

Thank you!

Best Regards,
Melanie & Joe McCabe
June 14, 2008

I was on the road again for Matt and Jamie’s wedding reception held at the Jaffa Shrine Center in Altoona, Pennsylania. It is such a cool place just dripping with history. So, how did I get so lucky to play for Matt and Jamie you ask? I was the DJ for Jim and Heather Gides almost two years ago. (below)

Matt was Jim’s best man at his wedding. Matt actually led a conga line to the buffet dinner for me at Jim’s reception.

Jamie and Matt actually changed the date of their wedding to have me there which is very flattering and humbling. It was honor to work for two truly remarkable people that are very much in love. I really do have the best clients in the world and some like Jamie and Matt will stick with me for the rest of my life. Thank you so much Jamie and Matt for your kindness, energy, and love.

The Head Table

Photo Montage while the cake is being served

The Bouquet and Garter Toss. You will have to ask Matt why Jamie is sitting on a toilet.

The Pig Trough Dance

Jamie, Jamie, and Matt