Ami & Dan's Wedding, August 15, 2015 | Metro DC DJs & Entertainment

August 18, 2015 In Sports Wedding , Wedding Recap / No Comments

Sometimes you find a great DJ in an uncommon way, and Ami & Dan found Metro DC DJs & Entertainment primarily through social media and events that don’t really closely relate to a wedding.

Ami & Dan first heard us playing at an event in South Riding, Virginia and when planning for her wedding, Ami again came across us while doing a search in the South Riding Community Group on Facebook.

A carnival isn’t the place you expect for a wedding meeting, but it worked great as the happy couple enjoyed a grand fest to start their summer of love.

Just before Christmas of 2014, Ami sent us a message to inquire about information for her wedding, eight months later. Knowing that her and Dan had eclectic tastes in music, she wanted to be sure that we could handle the requests because some of her favorite songs were not yet listed in our online database. About three weeks after the first contact, we were able to find a time to meet, about a month later due to hectic schedules that time of the year.

After that initial meeting, they knew they wanted DJ Jarrod as their wedding DJ. During the planning process, the DC area went through some pretty massive snow storms which allowed Ami to get her plans together and work toward her wedding day.

In June, the couple stopped by Celebrate South Riding and hung out while we were entertaining the crowd near the rides. They asked about a couple of options to add to their wedding and we were able to add uplighting and a laser lighting effect to give the venue a little more of a club feel.

The weekend before, we met again near their old house. How they managed moving and the final weeks before a wedding was beyond us, and they did a fantastic job getting everything together and putting together an amazing day in Haymarket, Virginia, at the Regency at Dominion Valley.

The amphitheater made for a lovely setting for the wedding ceremony. Most guests sat in the chairs, while others set-up blankets on the hill behind the chairs to enjoy the wedding picnic-style.

The day started with the wedding at a quaint amphitheater adjacent to the club’s tennis courts which paved the perfect path to the ceremony from the parking lot. The couple had rally flags placed along the walkway to the ceremony site where we had a sound system hidden behind a tree so guests would not be distracted and those recording the day wouldn’t have a speaker in the background.

As guests made their way through the flags, a variety of signs made for the day were displayed along the walkway, along with a couple of coolers of water, which were needed on the picturesque and hot Northern Virginia day.

The ceremony took about 20 minutes, with the groom and male members of the bridal party wearing boutonnieres with a spark plug in them. You must know, that both Ami & Dan love cars. And I mean love cars. They love Acuras so much, the company pitched in and gave them a minimoon/honeymoon as a gift. The grand exit from the ceremony was in her car affectionately known as “Snowflake”. They went home, changed, and came back to the reception, being chauffeured the entire way.

A photo strip from the photobooth

As the guests were enjoying cocktail hour hors d’ouevres, light classic music played, and guests added their finger prints to a special guest photo of a tree growing out of an Acura that was drawn by Ami’s mom. Guests also enjoyed the photobooth which was in the main ballroom area away from the dance floor.

Once the couple returned with some of their bridal party, it was time for introductions. The happy couple were welcomed to the room and their reception to the Chamillionaire song, “Ridin'”. After the adoring cheers from their friends and family, it was time for the first dance as husband a wife to “Lay Me Down” by Dirty Heads featuring Rome from Sublime.

After the first dance, it was time for Ami & Dan to take a seat and dinner to be served. Dinner began with a salad and continued with a vegetarian meal of pasta and vegetables. During dinner, the happy couple went around to all the tables and welcomed their guests individually. Once dinner was completed, it was time for the toasts, but first a special surprise gift from the fine people of Acura. The couple opened a package that had been delivered to the Regency at Dominion Valley and inside were two cards. The first congratulated them on their wedding, the second a minimoon honeymoon for the happy couple for their long-time devotion to Acura.

After the surprise came the toasts, and a bit of perfect timing. One of the bridesmaids, who had to step away after the ceremony, arrived just as it was her time to make a toast to the happy couple. Prior to the toasts, Ami & Dan spoke to remember their fathers, who both passed away prior to the two getting married. It was a touching moment, highlighted by the playing of “Wish You Were Here” by Pink Floyd. Toward the end of the song, all the guests were invited onto the dance floor for a big “group hug” of the happy couple and a great photo opportunity for the couple to remember those that were able to share their special day.

When the guests hit the dance floor, they got down. You can see some of the uplighting in the room.

During toasts give by both mothers, along with all the members of the bridal party, Dan accidentally spilled Prosecco onto Ami’s reception dress. This has apparently become a new tradition for Dan, who did something similar at another family member’s wedding.

With the toasts complete, it was time to open the dance floor. Earlier, the eclectic taste in music was mentioned, which went from alternative, rock, rap, hip-hop and some top 40. We played songs we’d never played in a public setting before, and the guests enjoyed the dancing. There were numerous moments in which a guest would playfully pull another guest up on the dance floor.

Uplighting at the reception featured lime green to match the bridesmaid’s dresses with a splash of pink near the head table. The multi-colored uplighting provided an elegant atmosphere.

When it was time to cut the cake, the couple had two cakes representative of an Acura VTEC engine. After cutting the cake, one of the guests shouted, “Play Cake while we eat cake.” So, Cake’s version of “Strangers in the Night” was played and Ami came out to do the cake dance, while eating cake, to Cake. The cake dance is simply holding a slice or two of cake on a plate, and dancing on the dance floor. One of the many unique and fun moments at the reception.

As the night went on, the rock and hip-hop theme turned to more of a club theme with a variety of songs mixed together to give a club-like feel to the end of the reception. It was a great night that started with a wonderful afternoon, which all came about last winter on the shortest day of the year.

Congratulations to Ami & Dan, and we look forward to many more years of love and togetherness!