New Equipment for 2012

Hello Brides!  Wedding season is upon us and my calendar is filling up fast!  I debuted my new setup at the Lakeview Bridal Showcase and it was a huge success.  The one drawback I've found to my job is the look of the DJ table.  It usually consists of a 6-8 foot table covered in a white tablecloth with a white skirt.  The skirt helps to hide the cords but I never was really satisfied with the appearance of all that equipment in a beautifully decorated reception hall :)  So this year, my mission was to find something to fix the problem of aesthetics.  I found the perfect solution!  It's a facade and table combo that not only hides all my equipment and cords, but lights up to match any reception theme! 

This is at the WVU College of Business & Economics Style Show at the Waterfront Place Hotel.  I think my setup is perfect with this beautiful addition.  I can change the lights to match whatever color you have chosen for your theme.  I can also make them flash different colors to the beat of the party later in the night. 

This new facade is standard and comes as part of your package when you book your wedding with me.  There are still a few remaining dates for 2012...Book your wedding now!

Until next time...Alex

Latin Love Lands in Lakeview

One of the best things about my job is that every wedding is different.  I recently had the pleasure to perform at one of my most diverse wedding receptions to date.  Not only was it on a Thursday evening, but half the guests only spoke Spanish.  Now I've taken Spanish courses throughout high school as well as college but I felt that to truly give the couple, their family and their guests a great experience, I needed to go a little further.  So I enlisted the help of my friend Gary Larutos.  He was born and raised in Bolivia until the age of 17 when his family moved to the states.  He now works at Ky's Lounge in Morgantown as the DJ on Latin Night.  He was perfect.  He translated everything I said so that everyone understood what was going on and could have a good time.  Thanks again Gary!

David Ducatman and Johana Garrido-Trujillo were married at the gazebo on the Lakeview Golf Course with the reception to follow in the Reflections ballroom.  I was excited to use my new facade for the first time :)

I was able to match the colors of their wedding with my LED lights behind the facade.  Dinner was served in 3 courses with salad, a sherbet refresher, and chicken or salmon.  Having a severe allergy to salmon helped me decide which course to choose (lol).

Johana and David chose Celebration by Kool & the Gang as their grand entrance song followed by their first dance to Truly, Madly, Deeply by Savage Garden.  The father of the bride gave the only toast (translated into English by Gary) and dinner was served.  They both love James Taylor so How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You) was a perfect choice for cutting the cake. 

The party was then in full swing!  I played a wide variety of music from dance classics like Shout by Otis Day & the Knights to Reggaeton like Daddy Yankee to traditional Salsa music.  The guests loved it and had a great time :)

 Thanks to Johana and David for having me at this wonderful celebration!  If you would like to see Johana's review of my services, please follow this link to read it... http://www.gigsalad.com/alex_oneal_entertainment_morgantown

Until next time...Alex

Wedding at WVU Erickson Alumni Center

Just because your wedding is in October, that doesn't mean you have to stick to Fall colors for your decor.  Jason & Alyssa Schmiddle used Royal Blue and White to create a beautiful atmosphere for their guests at the WVU Alumni Center October 15, 2011.  They held the ceremony on one side of the Grand Ballroom and their reception on the other side, separated by a partition wall.  As most weddings go at the Center, a cocktail hour was held upstairs in the Lounge and guests were escorted into the reception hall shortly before dinner was to be served. 

Guests had just enough time to top off their drinks before the bride and groom entered in grand fashion to "Moves Like Jagger" by Maroon 5 and Christina Aguilera.  Toasts were given followed by salads.  The couple chose to cut their cake before dinner (to "Pour Some Sugar On Me" by Def Leppard) so that the table, in the middle of the dance floor, could be removed for dancing. 

I was able to position one of my lights onto their cake for a nice blue accent.  This is a great way to bring lighting into your reception area without adding uplighting.  As a bride, I'm sure you've seen "My Fair Wedding" with David Tutera or "Platinum Weddings" and dreamed of giving your reception that look of elegance and class;  but you don't have to be Kim Kardashian to make your reception glamorous.  Uplighting is a great, cost effective way to decorate your reception area.  You can use just a few lights behind the head table to give some pop to your wedding party.  Ideally, you can place lighting around the whole room for a dramatic effect.  Lights come in an array of colors and I can match them to whatever color palette you have chosen.  Call, email or text me with any questions you may have about this must-have accessory for your reception.

Jason & Alyssa danced to "Come Away With Me" by Norah Jones for their first dance.  A special song was chosen for Alyssa and her dad, "State of Mind" by Clint Black.  They sang every word to each other and you could tell it was a song chosen for it's sentimental meaning rather than it's words of fatherly love.  It was a sweet moment between the two of them.  Jason chose to dance with his mother to "Simple Man" by Shinedown followed by the Anniversary Dance.  Alyssa's grandparents were the winners with 40+ years of marriage...Hugh wouldn't tell me the actual years :). 

Alyssa,her bridesmaids and the rest of her guests had a fabulous time dancing to the 80's and current Top 40 the rest of the night.  Jason and his bride ended the night with "At Last" by Etta James and of course, no wedding is complete in Mountaineer Country without "Country Roads" by John Denver. 

PS. If you book your wedding at the Alumni Center, expect to have the venue staff join you on the dance floor for the Cha Cha Slide.  The crew there always takes great care of me as a vendor and they like to have fun too! 

Rustic Barn Reception in McHenry, MD

I was looking forward to the wedding of Bethani & Moe.  They held their ceremony and reception all in the same place (of which I'm a huge fan) at Ridgeview Valley Farm in McHenry, Md.  The venue was an old barn that had been renovated for weddings just like theirs.  They had 250 guests so a tent was set up just outside the door to accomodate them all.  Due to the threat of rain, they easily moved their ceremony inside where the reception was already set up. 

Decorated in orange and chocolate brown, the scene was perfect for an early September wedding.  We were able to see the ceremony (an unusual thing) since we were already set up as guests arrived.  The ceremony itself was short and sweet and featured a sand ceremony.  The couple also arranged for tractor-churned ice cream to be served after the nuptials were over.  Tables overflowing with fruit, cheese, and crackers along with a canoe full of beer, wine and Mike's Hard Lemonade greeted guests as Bethani & Moe took pictures.  Caramel apples were offered as favors with tags that read "All you need is love" and "We love, because He first loved us." 

Once pictures were over, the couple walked into a special edit of "Little White Church" by Little Big Town.  Bethani wanted just the music and the chorus part of this song so I was able to edit the music to include only the parts she wanted.  While I'm on the subject, I can edit any music you might want to include in your ceremony/reception just for you!  I've created mixes for brides that want to take their first dance and make it into a dance off with their new hubby.  It's known as the Evolution of Dance and I can mix together any songs you want, personalized just for you!  

After a dinner of deer brisket and baked chicken, Bethani and Moe danced their first dance to "It's Your Love" by Tim McGraw & Faith Hill.  Father and daughter danced to "I Loved Her First" by Heartland (a great song for this moment if you like country) followed by Mother and son dancing to "A Mother's Song" by T. Carter.  The couple wanted to enjoy a slow dance with their bridal party and danced to "Find Out Who Your Friends Are" by Tracy Lawrence.  They chose to follow that with the Anniversary Dance (where we find the longest married couple) "When I Said I Do" by Clint Black & Lisa Hartman Black.  The cake (which was homemade by an aunt) was strawberry flavored and absolutely delicious ("How Sweet It Is" by James Taylor). 

To get the party started, the bride and bridesmaids had chosen to choreograph a dance to "Stop" by the Spice Girls and got a great response from the crowd.  The reception had originally been scheduled for 4 hours but everyone was having such a great time dancing, it turned into a 7 hour reception and we finally shut down at midnight, although, I swear they would have kept going if given the chance :)  The guests were great and were not afraid to get out there and have some fun.  A variety of country, dance classics, 80's, 90's and today had them on the dance floor all night. 

The bouquet toss song was "Man, I Feel Like A Woman" by Shania Twain.  The garter toss song was "Firecracker" by Josh Turner.  At the end of the night, the couple and their guests danced their farewell to "I Could Not Ask For More" by Sara Evans. 

We had a great time and wish the Hayhursts all the joy in the world for their marriage.  I was happy to be a part of it!

Frostburg Frolic

I was excited to head to my first wedding at Maplehurst Country Club in Frostburg, MD. Liz had chosen pink and chocolate brown as her colors and they were incorporated everywhere throughout the venue. Liz & Larry love country music so they chose Kick It In The Sticks by Brantley Gilbert as their Grand Entrance Song. Upon entering, they danced their first dance to Then by Brad Paisley, followed by toasts and dinner. After dinner, Liz danced with her father to I Loved Her First by Heartland and Larry danced with his mother to Simple Man by Lynyrd Skynyrd. They chose to have an Anniversary dance to Through The Years by Kenny Rogers. This dance is where I ask all married couples to the dance floor. I begin by asking all couples married less than so many hours to sit down, followed by 1 year, 5 years, and so on until there is one couple left dancing. Liz's grandparents were the winners with 56 years of marital bliss! I then asked them to give the newlyweds advice on what made their wedding last so many years. Grandpa Bob was the highlight of the evening saying respect is the key, never go to sleep angry, and always kiss when you wake up. There wasn't a dry eye in the place!

The cake cutting featured something I'd never seen before...all along the lower tier there were 5 little satin strings attached to a 'cake charm' that all the bridesmaids pulled out before the actual cutting. I thought this was a cute idea. They chose Pour Some Sugar On Me by Def Leppard to play. After the cake was cut, they chose to have a Bridal Dance (also known as the Money Dance).

Then the party started! The bridal party got things going with YMCA by the Village People setting the stage for a great time. The guests were great and danced all night long to a mix of country, oldies, and top 40 dance. One important element was that Liz and Larry were out on the dance floor with them. I always tell my couples that guests will follow your lead. If you are out there dancing, they will be too. Although, the guests didn't need much prompting!

The bouquet toss song was Girls Just Wanna Have Fun by Cyndi Lauper. The garter toss song was Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off by Joe Nichols. They chose not to do the garter replacement. The farewell dance was I Had The Time of My Life from the Dirty Dancing Soundtrack.

Overall, it was a great reception in a beautiful venue. Good luck to Liz and Larry and their life together.