A Beautiful Cazenovia Wedding with Stunning Views!

This past weekend I had the pleasure to provide services for the wedding of Alissa and Bob Elmer. Alissa and Bob are a fun couple and were one of my favorites to work with all season. I find myself saying that a lot lately! I suppose that's what happens when you are a true match with your client and their tastes.

The ceremony and reception both took place at Deer Hill Inn Bed & Breakfast. To say the least, I was thoroughly impressed with the views. 
We also provided outdoor ceremony sound for the wedding, which took place on the property, overlooking a scenic post-card perfect view of rolling hills for miles.
After the ceremony, guests enjoyed mingling with cocktails on the sprawling lawn, shaded by beautiful mature trees.

The Deer Hill Inn

The Deer Hill Inn is a beautiful Bed & Breakfast with stables, walking trails through meadows and breath-taking vistas.

One of the highlights was the candy-bar. Alissa admits to having a sweet tooth, and her candy-bar was second to none. A huge colorful display of every kind of candy you could imagine. A fun idea that was a big hit!

The Cupid Shuffle ©Amy Davis

After the ceremony and a family style dinner, the dancing began.
Alissa picked some great songs, and we filled in the rest with an eclectic playlist and guest requests that kept  the dance-floor hopping all evening.

We also had the pleasure of working with photographer Amy Davis. If you're looking for a photographer, you can visit her website here to see if you're a good match.


-Kirk Rothrum
Select Receptions by CNY Select DJs
Syracuse Wedding DJ

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**UPDATE**
While composing this blog-post, I was pleasantly surprised to receive the nicest voicemail, and Weddingwire review from Alissa! Thanks Alissa!

Listen: http://cnyselectdjs.com/alissa_testimonial_96k.mp3

"Don't look any further. Seriously. Kirk was amazing from day one. He was incredibly communicative, friendly, and knowledgable. He was open to meeting with us to discuss our big day on more than one occasion, and he felt more like an old friend than just someone providing music. He took our wedding very seriously from finding the exact versions of songs that we asked for to timing everything perfectly. Even when other vendors were goofing up on our big day, Kirk swooped in and saved the day by rearranging his own schedule to make things run more smoothly. Always friendly and always wanting to know what he could do to make our day perfect, Kirk and his services won't be forgotten. So many guests commented on the fun music and good times, and so much had to do with Kirk and his assistant. Professional, courteous, responsible, and fun, CNY Select DJs made our day!!!"

-Allissa Elmer

Camillus, NY

An Elegant, Private Estate Wedding in Skaneateles, NY

I recently had the opportunity to provide entertainment and Master of Ceremonies services for the wedding of Liz Allen and Misha Klein of Los Angeles, CA. Liz and Misha are two talented Hollywood animators with many successful films to their credit, from Coraline to the new Paranorman.

Modern Dance Lights on Tent Ceiling

Their wedding was a big success in every aspect. It was a fairly hot day, but as the sun went down, guests filled the dance-floor and danced all night long to an eclectic mix of music selected by Liz and Misha, and peppered with similar tunes and guest requests. 

The Newlywed Game

Since Liz and Misha didn't want to any Garter and Bouquet ceremonies, I offered them a few other ideas that could help fill out the evening. Liz was very keen on the newlywed game! It was a big highlight of the evening. For this, two chairs are placed in the center of the dance-floor and the bride and groom sit back to back, each holding one black and one white "magic wand". Then, with a backdrop of newlywed game theme music, I ask them a series of questions, with several questions pre-arranged by the bride and groom. To answer, they raise the white wand if the answer is "The Bride", or the Black wand if the answer is "The Groom". The answers are always hilariously entertaining to guests. Additionally, it gives friends and family an idea of who in their marriage will do more dishes, who is the better driver, and perhaps most importantly- who might eat the other in a zombie apocalypse.

If you're thinking you may want to do something different from (or in addition to) traditional formalities, just let me know, I'd be glad to give you some ideas. :)

In closing, Liz and Misha are a great couple and one of my absolute favorite clients this year for sure. they have a loving family, and a bunch of FUN friends. 

Thanks for letting me be a part of your big day. It truly was a personalized, uniquely YOU wedding. That's my forte, and why I love my job!

Sincerely,

-Kirk 

CNY Select DJs

An Engagement Party, Turned Surprise Wedding at the Lakeshore Yacht and Country Club in Cicero, NY!

Today I had the opportunity to MC the engagement party of Mario and Dorie Rector at the Lakeshore Yacht and Country Club in Cicero, NY. It was a fun, upscale event! I provided announcing and coordination as Russell Dobbins of YourWorld Sound and entertainment handled music programming and DJ services for the evening. The The views from the ballroom at Lakeshore are second to none.

About 45 minutes into cocktails, when all guests had arrived, I invited everyone out onto the back lawn for a group photo overlooking the water. All 120 guests made their way outside while the photographer took her place. Within moments, bridesmaids formed a procession, followed by Dorie escorted by her father.

Mario awaited her near the shore, and right then and there, they were married. It was a huge surprise for all! Afterward, we welcomed friends and family back into the room and did a grand introduction of the new Mr. & Mrs. Mario Rector before they shared their very first dance as husband and wife.

Mario & Dorie's First Dance

It was a beautiful day all the way around.

If you're looking for a venue on the water, Lakeshore boasts three walls of windows with beautiful views of the water as far as the eye can see. With the setting sun as a backdrop to their exchanging of vows and reception to follow, I don't think anyone could have asked for a more picturesque setting. The Banquet Manager Andrea Arcarisi was also a pleasure to work with.



Until next time...
All the best!

-Kirk Rothrum
CNY Select DJs
Syracuse Wedding DJ

How many hours do I invest in the average wedding?

Sometimes, when pricing services, we tend to do a mental break-down in our heads to figure out exactly what we're paying on a per-hour basis. It can be tempting to consider DJ services a quick 4-5 hours of playing music and announcing. Because this is your wedding day, there are no do-overs. We put much more planning and preparation into every detail.

Here's how many hours, on average, we put into a clients wedding day...

• 4 Hours - Client meetings, email exchanges, initial and ongoing phone support. I'm available when you need me, just a click or call away.
• 3 Hours - Playlist creation & music acquisition.
• 1 Hour - Paperwork prep; planners, creating & printing timelines for all vendors etc.
• 2-3 Hours - Travel to & from meetings and actual event.
• .75 Hour - Equipment load & unload time for before event.
• 1.5-2.5 Hours - Equipment setup & connect.
• 4-5 Hours - Average actual event performance.
• 1 Hour - Equipment dismantle.
• .75 Hour - Equipment load & unload time after event.

=
Grand Total: 18 to 21 Hours   
This is an average, and obviously changes with the scale of the event or the addition of a ceremony, uplighting, monogram projection etc.

If you're tempted to break things down by the hour, consider this: On average, couples spend around $25,000 on their wedding day. The majority of this goes directly into their reception. For a 4 hour reception, that's around $5,000 an HOUR! 

If your guests leave early, what will that cost you? Your chair covers, favors & flowers obviously won't cause your guests to leave early. The wrong DJ absolutely CAN. 

It's my goal to make your wedding an extension of YOU. From the music you and your guests love, to the presentation and style you want! Never the cookie cutter, cheesy wedding DJ. 
This is the type of wedding guests enjoy and want to stay at, allowing you to get the full value of your investment in this all important day.

If you have any questions, any step of the way, don't hesitate to reach out, night or day. 

Best wishes for a perfect wedding!
-Kirk Rothrum
CNY Select DJs

A Wedding First at Gilfillan's Park West in Camillus, NY

This past Saturday, June 30th, I had the absolute pleasure of providing reception entertainment and uplighting for the wedding of Shannon and Tyler Andre at Gilfillan's Park West in Camillus, NY.

Shannon and Otto wooping it up

The bride's father let me in on a little secret. In a wedding first for me, he'd arranged for Otto the Orange, The SU mascot to make a surprise appearance at the reception!

Immediately after cake cutting, I made an impromptu announcement that an old friend of Shannon's had arrived! (The inside joke here is that Shannon used to BE Otto in her SU days.)

After a proper, suspenseful introduction, Otto arrived to much fan-fair and was of course the life of the party! I usually have upwards for 18,000 songs at a wedding, and thankfully have the SU Fight Song in my library. It fit the bill perfectly and everyone had a blast.

 Shannon & Tyler are a fun couple with great taste in music! 

Our Online Client Tools area gives couples the ability to have as much control over the music at their wedding as they wish. Shannon gave us a list of approximately 30 songs and we filled in the blanks in keeping with her tastes. The result was a PACKED dance floor all night long.

A big THANKS to Shannon and Tyler! And Otto of course!

Best,
Kirk
Select Receptions by CNY Select DJs 
Syracuse Wedding DJ