First Dance 

Well...I did it!!! On September 24th, I got married. We had both our ceremony and reception at the Heritage Inn, in the main convention area. Everything was set-up so beautifully, and my bride was a vision of pure wonder. The staff at the hotel did a great job of helping us to bring it all together, even to the point of going beyond what they said they could do for us. Our colors were Gold, Red, and Ivory. Usually, the Heritage has only white to work with, but they brought in an amazing ivory table cloth and arrangement for the cake table, which was under a huge canopy that was illuminated with the most amazing lights. (Baker Bob made our cake, and also did a good job of decorating with real roses and red ribbon which we provided for him...our cake topper was a WillowTree Figurine...the one called "Promise".) We put quite a bit of our own time setting rose topiaries and candle arrangement on the tables as centerpieces, and actually spent a lot of time steaming some red table overlays that we rented from National Laundry the night before. The finished product was so beautiful. The ceremony was very nice, and we spent most of the reception just visiting with family and friends. It was so strange being on the other side of a Wedding Reception, being immersed in every single aspect of the planning, having everything center around my bride and myself, and just getting lost in the joy of every moment. I planned on taking the rest of the month and all of October off from DJing, but got roped into a few events. Last weekend, I filled in for someone at Club Bighouse on Friday Night, MCing the comedy show, and playing dance music afterwards. This weekend, I'll be working there on Friday again, and helping out with Saturday night's crowd. Then Brittny and I take off for our honeymoon in Maui next Wednesday, and don't get back until the following Wednesday. The Saturday after we get back, I agreed to DJ a wedding in Fort Benton. I just can't seem to take much time off for myself, but I do enjoy the work and being involved in other people's happiness.

I just finished playing for a Wedding Reception at the Chapel Theatre here in Great Falls. I was somewhat concerned at first, as the location poses a slight problem for music...it's an acoustical nightmare. The area has vaulted ceilings, and any noise echoes horribly throughout the room. Basically, it is an old chapel in a renovated hospital that now houses businesses and apartments. It is a very beautiful location, but as I said, the sound of a dropping pin could just about bounce off of each wall on its way around the room. But everything worked out just fine for us. The most difficult part turned out to be fine tuning the microphone vocals, and even those ended up being smoothed out. The event was a simple five hour affair, and again didn't cater to only one or two music types. The guests enjoyed a good variety of music and the Bride and Groom seemed pleased at the end of a long day. I decided to take next weekend off, as my own wedding is only two weeks away. My personal experience (in the preparation of my own big day) makes it is so easy to relate with couples as I truly understand everything involved in the planning and execution of all details. It's so much work, and it's nice to see other people's stress melt away as everything comes together in the end.

Geraldine Wedding

I spent this past Saturday in Geraldine, Montana. I had to drive roughly 40 miles North of Great Falls, and then another 30 miles down a gravel road to a family Ranch. It was another small wedding, roughly 90 people, but again I had a great time entertaining a fun family. I played for the full six hours, and they danced right up until the last song. Requests varied for music, from Classic Rock to Country, and even some 70's and 80's songs. The crowd reacted best to the Country selections, both new and old. The bride and groom saw a previous post of mine about the Generations Dance and loved the idea, incorporating it into their own reception. I played Rod Stewart's "Have I Told You Lately", and after eliminating couples based on length of time being married, we were left with a couple that had been married for 64 long, wonderful years. It was very touching as the bride presented them with the bouquet. All in all, I would definitely say this was another successful wedding reception with a fantastic group of people.

BECC Wedding

I played music for a wedding reception at the Black Eagle Community Center this past weekend for a smaller crowd. It was the second time I have performed there this year, and must say that even though it was a smaller group of people, they still hung in there until the end, dancing until I had to shut down. Requests for music varied greatly, from country music to hip hop, and classic rock to some of the heavier stuff. They responded well to just about everything, and the bride's son made sure to get some requests in for himself as well as for his grandparents. The BECC catered well to the crowd, and the bar seemed to maintain a steady business for the entire evening. The Bride and Groom were successful in acquiring a photographer and a videographer through the K99 Internet Auction for an amazing price, and Randy from Haskel Studio was there taking pictures almost all night. It has been a refreshing year for myself providing DJ Services for yet another friendly crowd, and a very warm family.

Outdoor Wedding

This past Saturday was yet another success. I had a full day, and it was a scorcher. I set up for the actual Wedding Ceremony at the Milwaukee Station at about 2:00 in the afternoon, right during peak hours for heat (it was up in the 90's), but luckily I tucked my equipment just underneath a tent. I still had the pleasure of sitting in the sun, but the electronics were at least shaded. The ceremony went smoothly, and I provided the sound for a quartet that played beautifully, a guitar, two singers, and of course the officiant. After the ceremony, I packed up my things and moved them over to the reception location, which was at the Bride's mother's house, where we could walk right onto the Country Club's golf course from her back yard. It was an outdoor reception, and was layed out in such a stunning way. There were tents and lanterns over all of the tables, a dance floor set up on the lawn, and an amazing array of food. The cake was gorgeous, as well. There were somewhere between 150 and 185 guests, and after the first dances and garter/bouquet tosses, they really jumped into the entertainment. Most of them enjoyed dancing, and we even heard some more singing from a family member and from a family friend. They were both excellent. All in all, the reception was a raging success, and it was difficult to shut down just after midnight, as they wanted to keep going. I was amazed that the police weren't called in with all of the noise. It was nice to see everything wrap up to positive comments from everyone around me. Beautiful family and jovial friends. Definitely a pleasure to put in the extra hours.