Liz and David held their ceremony on the dock at the Chesapeake Beach Resort & Spa. The weather was sunny and the Bay was beautiful, with boats passing, sea birds, and a steel drum band bringing a bit of a Caribbean vibe.
The bridal party entered the reception room to Metallica “Wherever I May Roam”, which was a dramatic and unexpected departure from tradition. Lifelong heavy metal fan David had a little wish come true when D-Mac segued to a looped instrumental break from the In Flames growler “Pinball Map” for the bride & groom’s grand entrance, which brought enthusiastic cheers from both David and the seated guests.
During dinner one of the guests—a jazz musician himself—came up to compliment us after hearing a Django Reinhardt tune. This was the first of several much appreciated responses from some serious music lovers—both musicians and fans—in the crowd.
The cake was decorated with a charming seaside theme (complete with white chocolate seashells, seagulls and sand-colored sugar), which inspired some of D-Mac’s selections (The Honeydrippers “Sea of Love”, Bobby Darin “Beyond the Sea” & Frank Sinatra “Blue Hawaii”). Admittedly though, I think only Daryle & I got the clever little in-joke when Daryle cued up the jazz-tinged post-rock of The Sea and Cake.
The gorgeous sunset and cool breeze off the Bay gave the dancefloor some competition early on, but after the cake cutting the crowd was ready to get down. The couples enjoyed a few slow dances, highlighted by Percy Sledge “When a Man Loves a Woman” (a special request from the father of the groom). In celebration of the fact that the world didn’t end today, we heard Blondie “Rapture”. The party really got going after the bouquet toss with a deft Sean Paul/George Michael blend, moving into classic hip-hop and R&B: K7, Naughty By Nature, & Nelly, with DJ Kool “Let Me Clear My Throat” getting a huge reaction, complete with call & response.
Later on, the indie rock of The Killers, Vampire Weekend, & an 80s classic from A-Ha took the energy over the top.
The crowd was great and several people asked if we would play a couple of weddings in [not so] far-off Pittsburgh. Have beats will travel!
Liz and David’s perfect day ended with a final request for N’Sync and the well-chosen (by David & Elizabeth) last song: Otis Redding “Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay.”
