Gig Log - Wendy & Matt, Surf City Yacht Club

Earlier this month, I traveled to Long Beach Island to perform at the wedding of Wendy & Matt.  Wendy, from her childhood days, had always dreamed of having a beach wedding at LBI.  I was pleasantly surprised to have a smooth and uneventful journey to LBI.  The widening of the Garden State Parkway south of Toms River kept traffic flowing smoothly, and I arrived very early (note: for weddings, I build in large buffers to avoid being late).

The couple exchanged vows along the waterfront of the Surf City Yacht Club.  The bride processed down the aisle to a beautiful version of "Can't Help Falling in Love" by the Vitamin String Quartet.  For those unfamiliar, the Vitamin String Quartet perform elegant, classical versions of the popular American songbook and even pop music!  Their recordings are an excellent way for couples to mix-and-match modern and classical elements.

The downstairs of the Surf City Yacht Club had a leisurely, summertime beach club feel to it.  The reception was help upstairs in the Warren Room with its high ceiling, abundant windows with views of Barnegat Bay, and access to a large adjacent deck for getting fresh air (and viewing the sunset later on!)

Wendy and Matt shared their first dance to the Etta James classic "At Last."  Despite being a smaller group of 75 guests, the dancefloor was fully engaged for much of the evening with a group of funloving folks of diverse musical tastes - ranging from oldies to Lady Gaga!  The best dance set came in the final hour in 90s Throwback Fashion!

Key Tracks:

Theme From Indiana Jones - Grand Entrance of Bride and Groom

If You Wanna Be Happy for the Rest of Your Life - Jimmy Soul

Why Do Fools Fall in Love? Frankie Lymon

Unchained Melody - The Righteous Brothers

Can't Help Falling in Love - Elvis Presley

Show Me Love - Robin S.

It Takes Two - Rob Base and EZ Rock

Jump Around - House of Pain

Frank Sinatra - Love and Marriage (cakecutting)

Milkshake - Kelis (garter removal)

Brown Eyed Girl - Van Morrison (of interest, a guest dedicated this song to his wife who was sporting a black eye (got popped with a broom handle) and asked me to dedicate the song as "Black Eyed Girl"... it was a fun group, so the request was honored!)

To learn more about Ambient DJs' award-winning wedding DJ services, please visit us on the web at http://www.ambientdj.com !

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)