Gig Log - Wedding at the English Manor

September 10, 2011, or 9-10-11 proved to be a remarkably popular date for weddings.  We were fortunate to work with an energized group of party people for David and Stephanie's ceremony and reception party at the English Manor in Ocean Township, NJ.

Earlier this year, the English Manor recently revamped its grounds - the outdoors ceremony area is very spacious, and the landscaping beautiful.  Despite some concerns about rain, the weather remained pleasant throughout the afternoon.  Stephanie and David exchanged personalized vows in a heartfelt ceremony officiated by our friend Celia Milton.

For the reception, Ambient DJ provided a two person DJ/Emcee combo - call it "Team Gregg," with myself, Gregg H. on the mixing board, and our energetic DJ Gregory Lambiase (aka DJ Greg Nice) on the microphone as Emcee.  We also uplit the reception room and foyer in a lavender shade, adding some modern ambience to this classic banquet hall.  

David and Stephanie have similar tastes in music as myself, and provided a very long leash in terms of musical programming.  Songs used for the grand entrance were Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia) - Us3, Beautiful People - Chris Brown, and Now That We Found Love - Heavy D. & the Boyz.  The newlyweds shared their first dance to "Stay With You" by John Legend, and parent dances followed with Songbird - Fleetwood Mac (Father-Daughter) and Memories - Elvis (Mother -Son).

After the salad course, we were able to pack the dancefloor and enjoy a high energy dance-set before dinner.  The dance floor action only got hotter after dinner, with a high-energy dance mix and 90s throwbacks at the fore.  

A couple of unique features of the wedding:  First, for the bouquet toss, ALL ladies (married or unmarried) were called to the floor, and Stephanie's bouquet splintered into mini-bouquets so that there could be many winners.  Second, as is often the case when the bride is of Chinese heritage, Stephanie had a wardrobe change later in the reception, changing into a beautiful red, silk Chinese dress.

Congratulations to Stephanie and David!  We enjoyed collaborating with a very competent and cool group of professionals:  Debbie from the English Manor, Carla and Tara from Blooming Studios (photography) and Art from Villanovisions Video (videography).

KEY SONGS:

Halo (cover) - Aston (Bride's Ceremony Processional)

For Once in My Life - Stevie Wonder (Ceremony Recessional)

Stay With You - John Legend (First Dance)

What You Won't Do For Love - Bobby Caldwell

The Light - Common

P.Y.T. - Michael Jackson

Mr. Saxobeat - Alexandra Stan

Motown Philly - Boyz II Men

Ladies Night - Kool and the Gang (Bouquet Toss)

The Last Dance - Frank Sinatra (last dance)

Thank You - Jay-Z (postlude)

Gig Log - Tiffany & Jae, Valley Regency - Clifton, NJ

On April 16, 2011, I had the pleasure of providing musical entertainment for Tiffany and Jae's wedding reception held at the Valley Regency in Clifton, NJ.  The couple, both professionals based out of New York City, originally found Ambient DJ via WeddingWire.  

Mother Nature was in a foul mood on this particular day, delivering abundant amounts of rain and cool temperatures.  Accordingly, the onsite ceremony at the Valley Regency was moved indoors.  The florists (Designs by Ahn) decorated the ceremony room beautifully with fragrant cherry blossoms, complementing the cherry blossom trees in bloom visible through the windows.

Prelude music included songs entirely by the Vitamin String Quartet (VSQ) who cover pop and rock classics in a classical strings configuration.  The parents of the bride and groom were seated to "You're Beautiful" (by the VSQ), followed by the bridal party entering to VSQ's version of "Love Story."  Tiffany was then walked down the aisle by her father to VSQ's version of "Yellow" by Coldplay.  Pastor Abe Cho gave a very articulate and meaningful sermon.  Perhaps the most moving part of the ceremony came when Tiffany and Jae honored their parents with remarks that they had prepared, but that were read by family members.  Meanwhile, I played very softly an instrumental version of Josh Groban's "The Prayer."  After taking their vows, the couple exited to the original version of U2's "Beautiful Day."

Tiffany and Jae wed among family and friends, surrounded by Cherry Blossoms

Cocktail hour followed in a separate room, with a delicious "Viennese-Style" smorgasbord!  During cocktail hour, Tiffany and Jae enjoyed a traditional Korean ceremony known as "Paebaek" as shown below.

The reception was held in the Valley Regency's majestic ballroom.  Guests enjoyed an evening of fine dining and dancing, with the formal part of the program emceed by the bride's brother, Mr. Eric Lau.  Despite an ambitious program that included numerous wardrobe changes for the bride, events flowed smoothly.  Special touches included a video slideshow and a special flambe jubilee presentation provided by the staff of the Valley Regency.  Another special touch was a "kissing game" - when guests tapped their glasses for the bride and groom to kiss, the Emcee would "randomly" select a couple to come to the dance floor and kiss - they would then be followed by the bride and groom who had to follow the first couple's kiss choreography.  This twist on the traditional glass tapping ceremony made things interactive and fun!

Open dancing kicked into high gear for the final hour, with guests dancing to a mix of modern dance music interspersed with ballads and rock n' roll classics.  A particularly vigorous reaction from the ladies resulted after the dedication of Justin Bieber's "Baby" - apparently Bieber fever is in season.  For the final song of the evening, guests gathered arm-in-arm in big circles with their friends and family, cherishing the moment.

A big shout-out to Michael Gross at Michael Gross Photography who captured the many special moments!

Ambient DJs' Radiance Package, featuring backlit Facade

Bride and Groom enjoy the final dance of the evening

Memories are Made of This !

Key Tracks:

I Gotta Feeling - Black Eyed Peas (grand entrance of Bride and Groom)

First Day of My Life - Bright Eyes (first dance, with special edit for a ballroom dance presentation)

You Raise Me Up - Josh Groban (parents dance)

The Lady in Red - Chris DeBurgh (for Tiffany's change into a red Chinese dress)

Baby - Justin Bieber (for the ladies!)

You Belong to Me (cover) - Jason Wade (closing song)

Wedding Gig Log - Hendrick and Chi-Chi, The Tides Estate

On Sunday March 27, 2011, I had the pleasure of DJ'ing the wedding reception of the new Mr. and Mrs. Hendrick and Chi-Chi Moy.  The couple selected to hold their celebration at the beautiful Tides Estate in North Haledon, NJ.

Regarding the big picture, Hendrick and Chi-Chi wanted a celebration that incorporated traditions of their Asian heritage, but that was also playful and high-energy at appropriate moments.  Special touches included a Chinese tea ceremony (where family/friends sit in chairs across from the bride and groom and offer advice to the newlyweds) and Hendrick "serenading" his beautiful bride, accompanied by musician friends of his.

Ambient DJ provided music in several zones.  The cocktail hour was held downstairs in the Belmont Room where guests enjoyed a delicious spread of food.  Our cocktail hour mix included selections by Jason Mraz, John Mayer, Ingrid Michaelson, the Dave Matthews Band, Alicia Keys, Robin Thicke, Air and the Gotan Project.

The reception party was held in the Manchester Room, adjacent to the cocktail area.  Ambient DJ provided an uplighting package, accenting the classy white paneled wood walls and pillars with alternating red and lavender colors, with our South Beach-style DJ facade and the wall behind the head table (opposite) uplit in blue.  The rainbow of colors complemented the multi-colored origami table decorations.

The bridal party entered to "I Gotta Feeling" by the Black Eyed Peas, followed by the bride and groom's entrance to "I Made It" by Kevin Rudolph.  Hendrick and Chi-Chi immediately went into a special edited version of "Only Hope" as sung by Mandy Moore, performing a graceful ballroom routine that culminated with a dramatic dip!  Immediately thereafter, couples enjoyed a dance with the bride and groom to DJ Sammy's "Heaven" (Candlelight Remix). 

For the Chinese tea ceremony, I played soft background music of Chinese classical music, followed by some atmospheric music from the Buddha Bar V album.  Later in the program, Hendrick serenaded Chi-Chi, including a special version of "Nothin' On You."  Chi-Chi's cousin, Oliver Forrest who walked her down the aisle and was visiting from London, delivered a moving and articulate toast.  Later on, Will "the Thrill" Chung gave a toast that was among the best that I've ever witnessed.

The bouquet and garter ceremony was performed with a twist.  Given the large number of married couples, only married ladies (bouquet) or guys (garter) were invited to the floor.  The catcher of the bouquet or garter then was asked to select an eligible bachelorette/bachelor.  This unexpected twist was well-received and effective!

After a hard dance set, the action moved outdoors for a "wish lantern" ceremony (see link to the attached video).  This ceremony proved to be a dramatic conclusion to the evening!

 

Special thanks to MCs David Lin and Samuel Lee who assisted in making the wedding reception such a success.  Shout-outs to Steve and his staff at the Tides Estate; big-ups to photographers Joel and Rita Wiebner and the friendly videographers from Northeast Horizons !  Hendrick and Chi-Chi, I enjoyed working with you and wish you my best in your married life together - you are an awesome couple!

Key Tracks:

I Made It - Kevin Rudolph (Grand Entrance of Bride and Groom)

Only Hope - Mandy Moore (First Dance)
                    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxgKvtfuZAg

Move Along - All American Rejects (closer)

(Just) Like a Star - Corinne Rae Bailey (video slideshow)

L-O-V-E - Nat King Cole (cakecutting)

A Whole New World - Regina Belle and Peabo Bryson (surprise vocal performance by Carol Tam)

Marry Me - Train
Just the Way You Are - Ahmir (cover version)

Rocketeer - Far East Movement f/Ryan Tedder (open dancing)

About Ambient DJs

Ambient DJ is an award-winning, boutique style mobile DJ company based in Central NJ that specializes  in multicultural weddings or celebrations for those with alternative tastes in music.  The Company provides service to New Jersey, Eastern Pennsylvania and Manhattan.

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