An Elegant, Upscale Wine Country Wedding in the Finger Lakes

This past Saturday, on August 25, 2012, we had the pleasure of providing services for the Wedding Celebration of KC & Aaron Lager.

It was an elegant affair in Branchport, NY on Keuka Lake, at the summer homes of the groom's mother, fashion designer and modeling agent Lynda Erkiletian.

After a picture perfect ceremony for 150 or mostly so out of state guests,  everyone was invited for cocktails in her vineyard side home across the street, where we provided a mix of KC & Aaron's hand-picked favorite cocktail music, ranging from Sinatra to Paul Simon. Guests enjoyed a sampling of regional wines and spirits on a picturesque hill overlooking vineyards and the lake. In the dinner tent, I welcomed guests, thanked them for making the trip, and reminded them just how much they mean to KC and Aaron. I then introduced the parents of the bride and groom for some very heartfelt toasts. After a 5 course french style service, I invited guests to dance and soon witness KC & Aaron's first dance as husband and wife. They all provided the perfect backdrop of smiling friends and family in the estate's barn, which was transformed into an elegant dance hall, with dessert service at one end.

Once the dancing ensued, time flew by, and the floor stayed packed all night long. KC & Aaron decided to go overtime. Their guests were pumped about that!

We played an eclectic blend of music. Dipping into a handful of tunes that were very personal to KC and Aaron, and peppering in fun timeless classics like "Jump, Jive & Wail", "Twist & Shout", and of course some Top 40 songs. The result was a classy, FUN wedding celebration that kept the Bride and Groom's wishes at the very forefront.

After dancing, I invited everyone outside for a special sparkler send-off!

It was the perfect topping, to what was truly a magical day. 

At the end of the night, I was stopped by KC's parents, and I was truly taken aback by the kind words. I'm glad everything was exactly as they envisioned and more. The pleasure was indeed mine. Two beautiful, warm and welcoming families came together to celebrate a once in a lifetime day. Thank YOU for letting me play such a large role in bringing it all to life. It's a fun job. :)

To a lifetime of joy for KC & Aaron and their beautiful, loving families!

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


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PS: I'd like to extend a big THANKS to the several great wedding vendors we worked with on this big day from Rochester, Virginia, Maryland and the Washington DC area who were flown in for the occasion. A special thanks to Wedding Planner Elizabeth Duncan, of Washington DC. 

Emily & John's One of a Kind Clinton, NY Wedding Celebration

This past Saturday I had the privileged of helping to shape a wedding to remember. Everything about their day was so personal, I thought I'd do a blog-post about some of their awesome decor.

John and Emily Howard live in Hollywood, CA and used our online planning tools to plan their big day from afar. Theirs was a super creative wedding in every way. To begin, I introduced the wedding party and Bride & Groom to a classic track from the movie "The Good, The Bad & The Ugly".... Ennio Morricone - The Ecstasy of Gold" (Hear it here). It was an Epic introduction, to begin an epic wedding celebration.

For a new twist on place-cards, guests could find a "Key to their Seat" at this table, where each guest had a vintage skeleton key tagged with a typewritten name and table assignment. How cool?

At a nearby table, a classic typewriter was stocked with paper. Guests were invited to share their thoughts! This was a popular table and I imagine gave Emily and John plenty of good laughs later. :) Another cool idea!

Emily and John's centerpieces were bundles of classic literature! Guests could take home a classic, to remember the day. Each table also had a floral arrangement and disposable cameras. These are always a big hit.

The party rocked well into the night, with guests loving an eclectic mix of everything from Footloose to Shout. Emily and John gave me a great starting point on their music tastes, and I filled in the blanks.

Their wedding day also happened to be John's aunt Emmy's bithday! I surprised her (and maybe embarrassed her a little @ John's request) by having all 150 guests sing happy birthday to her, and followed it up with her favorite song "The B52's - Rock Lobster"! Aunt Emmy danced her little heart out, and the entire party went into high gear.

I was flattered by the many compliments I received, especially from John's family who hosted the day- but the pleasure was indeed mine. Their wedding was very much a family reunion. It's not often that a family comes together for a big event like this. Lots of laughing, dancing, drinking, and making memories that will last forever. It's so awesome to play a pivotal roll in that kind of day. Thanks Emily & John!

-Kirk
Select Receptions by CNY Select DJs

An Unforgettably FUN Wedding at the Whitetail in Manlius, NY

This past Saturday we had a great time providing services for the Wedding of Jennifer and Kyle Haskins. We provided ceremony audio with a wireless lapel microphone on the officiant, and ceremony music. It all took place at The Whitetail, at The Woodcrest Country Club in Manlius, NY. The Whitetail has a great staff, headed by Richard, the Banquet Manager, whose professionalism was second to none. We coordinated with him throughout the day & evening and his main focus was attentiveness to the Bride and Groom, and working together to make the day a success.

The beautiful outdoor ceremony overlooked the rolling foothills of the Adirondack Mountains. The ceremony was officiated by the Bride's uncle, William Gallerani, who performed one of the most moving ceremonies I've had the honor to attend in a long time.



 Kyle and Jen are a fun couple who picked out a bunch of great songs in several genres, country being one of their favs. We always welcome a DO NOT PLAY list from clients, and encourage them to let us know any music or genre they don't want to hear at their wedding. The ONE song on Jen & Kyle's Do-Not-Play list was Sir Mix-A-Lot - Baby Got Back. No problem, right? No less than 10 minutes into open dancing time, we received our first request for Baby Got Back! About 10 minutes later- ANOTHER request for Baby Got Back...... I was beginning to wonder if my clients were testing me lol.
 
In another 15 minutes, a THIRD request for Baby Got Back! This time, a guest let me in on a little secret: At every wedding Kyle attends (as a guest of course), he does an OUTRAGEOUS dance to Baby Got Back! It's over the top, and of course follows copious alcohol consumption. Again, I politely declined the request. The dance floor was hopping most of the night, but before 8pm we'd received no less than 12-15 requests, some begging, some offering to PAY me to play Baby Got Back! LOL! I declined the tip of course, but let them know that if the Bride and Groom signed off on it, I'd gladly play it. Obviously when Kyle did his Baby Got Back dance at other weddings, his entire family wasn't around like they were now.... Finally, Kyle gave me the green light. The results were unforgettable!


Thanks for the great time Jen & Kyle!!
All the best!

-Kirk Rothrum
Select Receptions by CNY Select DJs

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