One Philadelphia DJ dedicated to one purpose... The flawless wedding reception...
Every new year people make resolutions to change aspects of themselves they believe are negative. A majority of people revert back to how they were before and feel like failures. This year I challenge you to a new resolution. I challenge you to just be yourself.In the New Year, may your right hand always be stretched out in friendship, never in want.
Happy New Year!
Labels: General
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Kate & JoshuaSurrounded by the Historic Main Line, Waynesborough Country Club was designed to capture the essence of an original Chester County Manor House. The exquisite ballroom, detailed in classic, soft decor offers a spectacular view overlooking their PGA Tour Championship Golf Course and the beautiful Chester County countryside. 
Kate & Joshua's event was a very relaxed affair. During cocktail hour, while a collection of Tom Petty's hits played over the speakers, guests mingled quietly, enjoying cocktails and wishing each other a "Merry Christmas" and a "Happy New Year". When Kate & Joshua entered the room, they enjoyed their first dance as husband and wife and proceeded to enjoy one of the best dining experiences available in Chester County.
A very unique addition to the dinner was the first course. Guests were served a tomato soup and grilled cheese appetizer. As a little girl, Kate enjoyed sharing this meal with her father and thought it was a special memory she wanted to share with her entire family, both old and new.
Everyone was excited to fill the floor as soon as possible, and the Waynesborough Country Club did not disappoint the guests by making them sit through a long, drawn-out dinner. Their service was expeditious, yet elegant. The night seemed to move along very quickly! It wasn't long before EVERYONE was on the floor, regardless of ages. While normally, some guests might leave the floor when the song styles change from one genre to the next, the guessts flooded the floor enjoying everything from the Rolling Stones to Rihanna! What a fun group!
Congratulations, Kate & Joshua!
Click here to see some photos from their event!
5:30 PM-5:55 PM Ceremony
6:00 PM-6:55 PM Cocktail Hour
7:00 PM Grand Entrance
Bridal Party: "Get The Party Started" by P!nk 
Bride & Groom: "Music Sounds Better With You" by MoodBlast
7:05 PM First Dance
"Don't Know Much" by Linda Ronstadt & Aaron Neville
7:10 PM Blessing & Toasts
7:15 PM-8:45 PM Dinner
7:50 PM Bride & Father Dance
"Turn Around" by Harry Belafonte
7:55 PM Groom & Mother Dance
"A Song For My Son" by Mikki Viereck
8:50 PM Cake Cutting
"Ain't That A Kick In The Head" by Dean Martin
9:00 PM-11:00 PM Open Dancing
Labels: Real Weddings, Waynesborough CC
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When looking at numerous magazine reviews and online articles about facilities to host a wedding reception, I have often wondered "Who writes these reviews?".I don't think a majority of those reviews are completely helpful, because they are mostly written by individuals who haven't truly experienced an actual wedding reception in the places they're writing about. With that in mind, I have taken it upon myself to consider the venues I have provided wedding entertainment direction in this year and have come up with what I feel are the "cream of the crop".
In each category, I have not played favorites or written over flattering words. The winners I selected below are who I consider most deserving. Please note, I have not played in every facility in Philadelphia this year, thus not every facility in Philadelphia had a fair chance at winning. No hard feelings to those not mentioned below.
With that, I present to you, the APWWSC (A Philadelphia Wedding With Steve Croce) Best of 2007 Weddings Winners:
Caterer of the Year
Robert Ryan Catering - Web Site
Robert Ryan Catering exhausts every effort to make certain their clients leave their catered events feeling completely satiated. While some caterers take it upon themselves to reinvent menus, offering exotic and overly-refined finger foods, Robert Ryan serves traditional and comforting cuisine that suits everyone's palette. Family-owned and operated, this caterer is all heart with outstanding presentation and a commitment to execute flawless events.
Contact: Stephanie Ryan - 610.933.6336 - Email
Country Club of the Year
RiverCrest Golf Club & Preserve - Web Site
In 2006, the RiverCrest Golf Club & Preserve opened their doors, greeted with extremely high expectations. Located in the constantly growing Chester County area, their audience would be great and any failure to deliver would be scrutinized. They not only surpassed projections, but exploded onto the scene offering luxurious accommodations and intense attentiveness to detail. Having a wedding hosted at RiverCrest Golf Club & Preserve is an unspoken guarantee to the success of the event.
Contact: Ann Marie Jackson - 610.933.4700 Ext. 106 - Email
Hotel Ballroom of the Year
The Waterford at Valley Forge Radisson - Web Site
Also in 2006, after 25 years of bringing Las Vegas style shows to Valley Forge, Lily Langtry's Victorian Restaurant and Showplace closed it's doors making way for The Waterford, a luxurious, ultrachic multi-level ballroom, featuring extraordinary style and first class sophistication. The very-apparent focus of their team of sales and service managers, combined with their award-winning chefs, is to provide 100% satisfaction for the bride & groom, as well as their guests.
Contact: Clem Pascarella - 610.354.8220 - Email
Best Service Staff
Springfield Country Club - Web Site
Here is something the bride and groom don't often consider: How nice/helpful will the banquet staff be to the other professionals in the room? You can be certain, when a banquet director or member of the service staff is being rude and discourteous to the photographer or the entertainment, it can sometimes detract from the enthusiasm and motivation level to deliver the best service possible. Also, when the delivery of dinner hits a snag, does the banquet manager explode on the servers and/or interfere with the flow of event to cover their own mistakes? In 2007, no facility seemed more concerned with flawless execution and friendliness. Springfield Country Club has proven that it is possible to work with superior precision, smiling the entire time.
Contact: Andrea Salvero - 610.690.7600
Best Banquet Director
Shelley Dickinson of Sofitel Philadelphia - Email - Web Site
At Laurie & Chris' wedding, I had the distinct pleasure of working alongside the most focused, attentive, expeditious, and helpful banquet director I have ever experienced in over 15 years of wedding entertainment direction. Shelley Dickinson of Sofitel Philadelphia is a remarkable professional who, in my opinion, has no distinguishable flaws. If you have the opportunity to work with Shelley at an event, you are extremely fortunate indeed. Respectfully speaking, there are many banquet directors in the Delaware Valley who could learn a lot from someone as great as Shelley.
Best Dressed Ballroom
The Green Room at Hotel du Pont - Web Site
Restored and enhanced, the Green Room decor is a classic combination of rich wood paneling with gold leaf ceilings and chic Versace pattern china. Service at the du Pont is exquisitely old-fashioned friendly, attentive, gracious and refined. The Green Room typifies classic dining without being stuffy or obtrusive. In my opinion, it stands alone as the most elegantly appointed ballroom for 2007.
Contract: Mark Medrick or Andrea Morris - 800.441.9019
Mark's Email Andrea's Email
Congratulations to the facilities mentioned above and to all the unmentioned facilities who strive to be the best, not settling for mediocrity.
If you have any specific question regarding any of the facilities mentioned above or any of the facilities mentioned in the left column of my site, please do not hesitate to email me.
Here's to a great 2008!
Labels: Announcement, General
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Lauren & JosephThe RiverCrest consistantly goes above and beyond the normal expectations to deliver a wedding reception that is memorable for all the right reasons. The comfort they offer to every bride combined with an outstanding presentation in both setting and food leaves every guest with a "good full" feeling as they head to their cars. (They haven't had too much, nor have they left wanting for more.) 
The overwhelming attentiveness to detail at RiverCrest is inspirational. Their ability to identify "potentials" before they become "problems" prevents the bride and groom from looking bad to their friends and family and helps promote a relaxing environment.
Because Christmas is right around the corner and I thought snow was in order, I decided to surprise Lauren and Joe with some snowflakes projected on the walls and floor. They looked really great and added a festive ambiance to the affair.
When I met with Lauren and Joesph in their home a few weeks ago, I had a nearly instant impression that despite their wedding day falling so close to Christmas (and on a Friday evening, no less), the wedding was going to feature a jam-packed filled dance floor from beginning to end. It was nice to see that I was very right.
I must say, after a long season of holiday parties, it felt great to get back into weddings. I personally could not have asked for a better crowd or a friendlier bride and groom.
Congratulations, Lauren & Joseph!
Click here to see some photos from their event!
6:00 PM-6:55 PM Cocktail Hour
7:00 PM Grand Entrance
Bridal Party: "Batter Up" by Nelly
Bride & Groom: "Party Like A Rock Star" by Shop Boyz
7:05 PM First Dance
"All My Life" by Linda Ronstadt & Aaron Neville
7:10 PM Blessing & Toasts
7:15 PM-8:45 PM Dinner
7:50 PM Bride & Father Dance
"You Raise Me Up" by Josh Groban
7:55 PM Groom & Mother Dance
"Wind Beneath My Wings" by Bette Midler
8:50 PM Cake Cutting
"Ain't That A Kick In The Head" by Dean Martin
9:45 PM Bouquet Toss
"Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" by Cyndi Lauper
9:00 PM-11:00 PM Open Dancing
Labels: Real Weddings, RiverCrest Golf Club
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While speakers are not often on a bride's list of things to be concerned with, I thought I would share some news of a serious sound upgrade I have made for the new year.Two weeks ago, I invested in the new Bose L1 Model II system, an award-winning sound system that replaces conventional monitors, mixers and PA speakers. The system's breakthrough Cylindrical Radiator® loudspeaker produces wide, uniform sound coverage on-stage and throughout an audience of up to several hundred with little dropoff in volume and tone.
What makes the L1 line array so different begins with the shape. Each L1 system contains a column of many closely spaced drivers mounted in a tall, slim enclosure. This unusual design has profound effects on the sound.
Because of its shape, the L1 system projects sound waves that expand out and to the sides, but sends very little up and down. Sound spreads more evenly across the stage and into the audience, and the sound level drops off much more slowly than from a conventional speaker.
So, what does that mean for you, the bride-to-be?
It greatly improves the quality of the sound and allows me to amplify the music enough to saturate the room with sound, without causing complaints that it is "too loud".
During dinner, your guests will be comfortable enough to have meaningful conversations at their tables without feeling the need to raise their voice, and still be able to hear the music anywhere in the room.
When the dancing time begins, the sound is not only sent out over the crowd, but is also sent through the dance floor. The difference is unmistakable.
Coming from the old school of thinking (bigger speaker cabinets are always better), I was significantly skeptical about making the investment in this premium sound system, but after owning it for a couple weeks, I can safely say:
Wedding receptions will never sound the same again.
Labels: Announcement, General
PermalinkIt was funny... Great... I have seen it... :)
Personally, I prefer this one:
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I am very committed and passionate about my craft, tirelessly looking for new opportunities to improve my execution of flawless wedding entertainment direction. Because of that obsession with perfection, I don't often find someone who holds steadfast to the same ideals as me.Enter Jeremy Ganss, a dedicated professional whose wedding-focused entertainment service is hands down the most unique, classy, and fun wedding entertainment direction in the Pittsburgh-area.
Similar to my own presentation, he takes every event personally, striving to deliver the kind of worry-free experience a bride and groom can only wish for.
If you were fortunate enough to find this post in your search for a Pittsburgh wedding DJ, you can be certain that I would not hesitate to give him my complete endorsement.
Here are some photos from some of his events in facilities like the legendary Carnegie Music Hall!
Web Site: http://www.jeremyganss.com
Blog: http://jeremyganss.blogspot.com
Email: mail@jeremyganss.com
Phone: 814.221.0737
