Summary
This was a Thursday evening wedding. Even though I left at 3PM, and it should have taken about an hour, traffic was crazy and it took almost 2. So my plan of arriving 2 hours early, was reduced to about an hour and a half; but I got it done. The ceremony was supposed to take place outside, but the threat of rain put an end to that. The Emerald room at Crest Hollow is on the first floor (Awesome) but the dance floor is actually down a flight of stairs (Not Awesome). There is a janky ramp placed on the stairs and rolling anything down them is scary.
The ceremony went fine. I used my "Project Wifi" speaker and iPad for the ceremony and it worked like a charm as expected. It's still a work in progress, but I will eventually make my mod plans public. The intros and scheduled dances went well. I kept the pre-Dinner mood low, since we still had 4 hours to dance. The garter was caught by a pre-teen boy so the rest of that tradition went out the window. A few guests made requests, and the couple told be ahead of time that requests were OK, but "nothing crazy". One of the guests came up a few times, with reasonable requests, but of course at the wrong times. (asking for songs that are in direct opposition to the current vibe). When the floor started to slow down, I played the requests. I did get a request from that same guest that I had to question. There are many kinds of DJs in this world and not every one will fit in every situation. I never really chose a kind to be since I love so many aspects of it. If this were a Concert, or a Hip Hop showcase, maybe the rules are a little relaxed, but at a wedding reception, "Incarcerated Scarfaces" (A Hip Hop Classic), is just not something I could play unless I check with the couple. I proceed to tell the guest that although I like the song too, I need to know if its OK with them; And for some reason, this guest starts getting mad (and too close) and tells me, I don't know what I'm doing and that he's a big time DJ, and that the Groom asked for this song. So I said, "OK, if the Groom asked for it, walk over to him and tell him you want me to play it, and have him give me the 'thumbs up'". (This is not my first time in this situation) All of a sudden, the story changed, now its a "Surprise" for the groom and he can't go over because he doesn't want to spoil it. Obviously, the same rule applies, so I ask him to go ask the Bride. After a bit, he realized that I was standing my ground and protecting the wishes of my client, and he asked the Bride. She came over a few minutes later, and said, "OK"; but not the kind of "OK" that made me think she knew what song it was, so I told her. She looked a little surprised, but it was near the end of the night, and she said to go for it. I played, it and He and the Groom danced to an empty floor. I saw the looks on the faces of some of the guests but what can I do? If the Groom is out there they know its not on me.
The couple thanked me at the end of the night, and over all, I'd say the night went well.
General
Venue: Crest Hollow Country Club, Woodbury, NY
Load In: 17:35
Start: 19:00
End: 0:00
Load Out: 0:45
People: 80
Technical
Main Speakers: 2 QSC K10
Subwoofer: 1 QSC KSUB
Control Surface: Denon HC-4500
Mixer: Rane MP25
Headphones: V-Moda Crossfade LP
Computer: 15" MacBookPro - Serato ScratchLive 2.4.4
Lighting: 2 Chauvet SlimPar64, 1 Chauvet Mini Laser RBX
The Happy Couple at the end of the night.