Carrie & Brendan, May 30, 2009

This was a destination wedding, as neither the bride or groom are from Bristol, but both love the area. Carrie and Brendan are both working out of the country, and planned everything long distance - from Malawi, Africa! When we met them last summer, we asked them lots of silly questions like, "do you have running water?" and "did you meet Madonna?", and they were so patient in answering them all! They are so nice, we had been waiting nearly a year to see them again! Carrie's parents kept in touch with us throughout the year, and even came to a couple of our events. In the end, they were rewarded with a gorgeous day on Bristol Harbor.

They had a unique set up. Everything was held at the Bristol Harbor Inn/DeWolf Tavern. Ceremony and cocktail hour outside under the tent, dinner upstairs in the Bristol Harbor Room, and then back outside for dessert and dancing under the tent (timed perfectly for sunset). Catering was by Russell Morin and their always terrific staff lead by Liza, photography was by the high-spirited Krzystyna Harber, flowers by our friends at Floral Symphony. The cake was made by a friend of the bride. Other touches included a "fish" theme created by African cloth brought from Malawi by the bride & groom, and hand-carved fishes at each place setting.

The one thing that put me over the edge at this extraordinary wedding was the Cold Stone Creamery Bar! !! Enough said.

Their specialty music was jazzy, easy-breezy stuff, very mild-mannered - just like they are! The dancing was more contemporary. Their families and friends love 80's and 90's music, with a little bit of Top 40 and a splash of "hokey pokey" for the flower girls!

Here are their songs:
1. Introductions: Grazin’ In The Grass By Hugh Masekela
2. Cake Cutting: Here Comes The Summer By Fiery Furnaces
3. Bride & Groom First Dance: Crazy Love By Van Morrison
4. Bridal Party: Mushaboom By Feist
5. Father/Daughter Dance: Brown Eyed Girl By Van Morrison
6. Mother/Son Dance: That’s How Strong My Love Is By Otis Reading
7. Dance for Parents: The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face by Roberta Flack
8. Last Slow Dance: Revolution Song By Toots & The Mayals (All Join)
9. Last Song: Lovin’ My Baby’s Eyes By Taj Mahal W/Left Over Salmon

Here's a few pics:

Ethel and Dave - May 24, 2009

Ethel contacted us based on a rave review from a friend who had been to a wedding we did last summer. Dave is in the Air Force, and they were living in Ohio, but then would be stationed in California in April. We didn't get to meet her until a couple of weeks ago, and we didn't get to meet Dave until the wedding! A couple of phone meetings, a few emails, an organized bride, and it was easy to put everything together.

The Newport Officer's Club was recently renovated, and looked beautiful. We have 2 other weddings and a birthday party there this summer, and we really enjoy working there.

Ethel chose a different song for each entrance. The music was a surprise for each couple, so it was a lot of fun. Here are their songs:

1. Grandparents Entrance: Life, Love, Laughter By Donavan Frankenreiter
2. Parents Entrance 1: Forever By Dropkick Murphys
3. Parent Entrance 2: Glory Days By Bruce Springsteen
4. Bridesmaid/Groomsman 1: Thunderstruck By AC/DC:
5. Bridesmaid/Groomsman 2: Hey Ya By Outkast
6. Bridesmaid/Groomsman 3: Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay By Otis Redding
7. Bridesmaid/Groomsman 4: White Wedding By Billy Idol
8. Bride & Groom Entrance: Another One Bites The Dust By Queen
9. First Dance: Shelter By Ray Lamontagne
10. Cake Cutting: How Sweet It Is By James Taylor
11. Father/Daughter Dance: Daughter By Loudon Wainwright
12. Mother/Son Dance: Just The Way You Are By Billy Joel
13. Anniversary Dance: Call Me Papa By Donavon Frankenreiter
14. Tossing The Bouquet: Single Ladies By Beyonce
15. Last Slow Dance: At Last By Etta James
16. Last Dance: You’re The First, Last, Everything By Barry White

And a few photos:

The sweetheart table






Grandma giving Glenn a few pointers:

Amanda and Pete - May 16, 2009

What a wonderful night! Amanda & Pete's wedding reception was held in the Rotunda Room at the Crowne Plaza in Warwick. The bride & groom were absolutely gorgeous, and the wedding party was stunning! All the little touches (that we know were a lot of work) were perfect! In colors of pink and brown, everything was coordinated, from the card box to the favors.

First of all, the Crowne Plaza does an amazing job, from the Maitre D' Karen (on site the entire evening), to the food, to the room itself, they do such a great job. We also had the pleasure of spending the evening with Keith Berry of Keith Berry Photography and John from Wedding Stories. It was a lot of equipment in a small area, and all were so nice and so easy to work with! We'll watch their websites for photos and maybe video, can't wait! Also, the flowers by Golden Gate Studios were simply breathtaking.

The crowd was super, a lot of great dancers who danced to all types of music. When family and friends come together and a great song is playing..it's magic on the dance floor! The flower girl danced the entire night, and I mean to every song. The kid has got some moves! So cute.

We enjoyed working with Amanda and Pete, they were calm and very easy going. As a result, all their hard work seemed to flow effortlessly the night of the wedding. We wish them a relaxing and warm honeymoon!

Here are their songs:
1. Parents Entrance: Black Betty By Ram Jam
2. Bridesmaid 1 Entrance: Sandstorm By Derude
3. Bridesmaid 2 Entrance: Big & Chunky By Will.I.Am
4 Bridesmaid 3 Entrance: Billie Jean Remix
5. Bridesmaid 4 Entrance: Just Dance By Lady Gaga
6. Juniors & Kids Entrance: Burnin’up By Jonas Brothers
7. Maid of Honor Entrance: Yeah by Usher
8. Bride & Groom Entrance: Beautiful By Akon
9. First Dance: You And Me By Kenny Chesney
10. Cake Cutting: Sugar, Sugar By The Archies
11. Father/Daughter Dance: I Loved Her First By Heartland
12. Anniversary Dance: Through The Years By Kenny Rogers
13. Tossing The Bouquet: Girls Just Wanna Have Fun By Cyndi Lauper
14. Last Dance: I’ve Had The Time Of My Life By Jennifer Warnes

Here are some photos:

DJ Setup


Pretty tables and Flowers


Gorgeous Cake

I thought this picture was neat.

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Ishan & Charini - May 9, 2009

We received a call from Russell Morin Catering on Friday, saying a last-minute DJ was needed for a small wedding in Bristol. The groom thought he could handle the music for his wedding, with a small rented system and an iPod!

Realizing it would be nearly impossible to oversee the music at his reception, he called his coordinator at Morin's, Mike, to help him find a professional DJ.

It's all a wonderful story. Ishan and Charini had visited Newport on vacation from New York, and stumbled upon Bristol. When it came time to be married, they decided that Bristol was the place! They are natives of Sri Lanka, and thought their families would enjoy coming to RI for the event. A few internet searches later, they rented the beautiful Harbor Oaks on Poppasquash Road in Bristol, hired Fine Catering by Rusell Morin and Newport Tent Company, and everything else fell into place!

Music is very important to Ishan, and he had chosen all the music himself, with a variety of styles to please everyone. Oldies, 80's Rock, Latin, and some terrific Sri Lankan music. So, we hurried down to the house on Friday night, got his song list, and met everyone. On Saturday, Glenn set up the Bose system just before the ceremony started out on the dock. After dinner, Ishan was able to relax and dance to the music he worked so hard to prepare. With DJ Glenn at the controls and the Bose system cranked, the crowd danced and danced.

Living nearby, it made us so proud to think that people from all over the world come to Bristol for their weddings! We very much enjoyed meeting Ishan and Charini, their families and friends. We hope they had a fun night to remember, dancing under the stars in RI!

Here are a few pics:

Kate Parker's Blog - about me!

Kate Parker blogged about me, so I am posting it on my blog. Is that too blog-ish? All this social networking is making my head spin!!!

http://kateparkerweddings.blogspot.com/2009/05/bands-vs-djs-djs-perspective-anne.html