Kathleen & Jeff chose a fantastic location for their ceremony and reception when they settled on the W Hotel’s (Rooftop) Great Room and POV Lounge. I was lucky enough to provide the soundtrack for the August evening, while the Hotel’s built in energy, and amazing rooftop view, further entertained guests.
The ceremony began in the Great Hall, with the Rabbi offering stories, praise, and advice to the couple as their friends and family looked on. Cue the Newlywed Game’s “Theme song”, and the pair smiled all the way down the isle to standing cheers from everyone in the room.
Guests soon moved to the other end of the rooftop, where cocktails and conversation awaited them in the POV lounge. Meanwhile, the Great Room was re-organized for dinner and late-night festivities.
Tables were slowly filled as the POV lounge wound down. Dinner consisted of a variety of sandwiches and such, and was accompanied by a mix of acoustic versions of ’90s rock. I have to admit, I was really proud of that playlist, but also unsure how the sound would go over with all the guests. When more and more people approached me to take a card and, in a few cases, ask me to email the dinner playlist to them, I shook a few hands, and knew it was the right choice. Between songs, some very honest and moving speeches were made by the sister of the Groom Sarah, Maid of Honor Maggie, and Best Man, Steve. Steve really took the cake for his story about the Groom and his Halloween costume contest.
The reception was way ahead of schedule, and dinner ended an hour ahead of time. It was my opportunity to pack the dance floor early. I built up the crowd quickly with some Motown and soul, including Stevie Wonder‘s “Superstition”, and Smokey Robinson & the Miracles‘s “I Second That Emotion”. When the floor was packed, I moved across the board with songs like Beyonce‘s “Crazy In Love”, EMF‘s “Unbelievable”, and a number of excellent remixes that happily surprised the guests.
After a brief pause for cake, I jump-started the floor with Carly Rae Jepsen‘s “Call Me Maybe”, and when the energy just about reached 11, I got into a nice groove of more current top 40, such as Nicki Minaj‘s “Starships”. All too soon, it was time to wind down. I took the opportunity to work in some requests like Natalie Imbruglia‘s “Torn”, and eventually, ended the night by briefly kicking it back up a notch with Journey‘s “Don’t Stop Believing”. The dancefloor was SO bumping that I seriously never broke from my zone to take any pictures, except during cake. What can I say, it was an excellent crowd for a party!