Music by the Artists – Vitamin String Quartet & Lumiere String Quartet

“Canon in D” – Pachelbel

“Jesu Joy of Man’s Desiring” – Bach

“Air On The G String” – Bach

“Air From Water Music” – Handel

“Four Seasons – Spring” – Vivaldi

“Four Seasons – Winter” – Vivaldi

“Bridal Chorus” – Wagner

“Trumpet Voluntary” – Clarke

“Wedding March” – Mendelssohn

“The Wedding Song” – Paul Stooky

I’ve compiled a list of Great Groom & Mother Dance Songs that range from Traditional to Contemporary to Country to Classic.  This is just a short list, but I hope it will help in making your song selection process a little bit easier.  Enjoy!

“All To You” – DJ Keo

“My Wish” – Rascal Flatts

“A Song For Mama” – Boyz II Men

“I Hope You Dance” – Lee Ann Womack

“A Mother’s Song” – T. Carter Music

“In My Life” – The Beatles

“Somewhere Over The Rainbow” – Israel Kamakawiwo’ole

“What A Wonderful World” – Louis Armstrong

“Unforgettable” – Natalie & Nat “King” Cole

“Stand By Me” – Ben E. King

“Because You Loved Me” – Celine Dion

“The Man You’ve Become” – Molly Pasutti

“Simple Man” – Lynyrd Skynyrd or Shinedown

I’ve compiled a list of Great Bride & Father Dance Songs that range from Traditional to Contemporary to Country to Classic.  This is just a short list, but I hope it will help in making your song selection process a little easier.  Enjoy!

“Somewhere Over The Rainbow” – Israel Kamakawiwo’ole

“My Girl” – The Temptations

“What A Wonderful World” – Louis Armstrong

“I Loved Her First” – Heartland

“Cinderella” – Steven Curtis Chapman

“Father And Daughter” – Paul Simon

“Unforgettable” – Natalie & Nat “King” Cole

“My Little Girl” – Steve Kirwan

“Daddy’s Angel” – T. Carter Music

“Then They Do” – Trace Adkins

“Stealing Cinderella” – Chuck Wicks

“My Little Girl” – Tim McGraw

Music Man Entertainment named “Winner” in The Knot Best of  Weddings 2012!

I am proud to announce Music Man Entertainment featuring DJ Mike Garrasi has been selected as a “2012 Winner” in The Knot Best of Weddings, a special section in The Knot Capital District / Upstate NY Magazine and on www.theknot.com/vendors/best-of-weddings from The Knot, the number-one wedding resource that’s most trusted by brides.

The Knot Best of Weddings 2012 provides a “by brides, for brides” guide to the top wedding professionals across the country, and is a must-have when it comes to selecting the best-of-the-best wedding resources. From New York florists and Seattle bridal salons to DC makeup artists, engaged couples will find detailed feedback on local wedding businesses reviewed by thousands of newlyweds who had great things to say.

I am thrilled to have been chosen for this Prestigious “National Recognized”  Award. Thanks to everything who voted for me!

I want to give a BIG “Thank You” to all of the Brides & Grooms that made this happen for me!  This is a HUGE Award and I am very appreciative of this honor!

And the winners are!

“Marry Me” – Train

“You and Me” – Dave Matthews Band

“Then” – Brad Paisley

“Everything” – Michael Buble

“You Are The Best Thing” – Ray LaMontagne

“Lucky” – Jason Mraz & Colbie Cailat

“Feels Like Home” – Chantel Kreviazuk

“You & Me” – Lifehouse

“Better Together” – Jack Johnson

“Make You Feel My Love” – Adele

Hall of Springs - Photo by JP Elario @ Elario Photography

First and foremost, congratulations on your engagement!  Now it’s time for the fun to begin!

Selecting the entertainment for your wedding reception, should be a fun process. Whether you hire a DJ or Band, you want to hire professionals who are not only great DJ’s or Musician’s, but also great at Event Coordination and Customer Service.  They are all equally important.

They should be at your service throughout the entire planning process, not just the 1st phone call, to answer any questions or concerns you may have regarding music and the overall flow of your reception.

Also, read their reviews!  This is majorly important.  They may have them listed on their web site.  If they don’t have them listed, then feel free to ask for them.

During your initial conversation, let them tell you what they are all about and their style.  That way you are getting an honest answer.  If it fits what you are looking for – great!  If not, keep searching until you find the entertainment who will suit you and your guests best.

Once they are done telling you about their service you may want to ask a few of these questions:

How many wedding receptions have you performed at?  Are you the person actually showing up or do your send employees?  Have you worked at the Reception Hall we have selected?  Are you insured?  Do you have backup equipment?  Are you a member of any National or Local Wedding Organizations?

Your entertainment must be well versed in not only playing great music to get your guests up dancing, but also able to “read” your guests.  Remember, every wedding reception is different and what may have worked at the wedding reception they performed at last night, may not work at your reception.  In my book, no two wedding receptions should ever be the same.  Your wedding reception needs to be customized to meet your exact goals of how you envision your wedding day.  From the vibe of Cocktail & Dinner Hour to the Hot Hits that will keep your guests dancing all evening long!  Feel free to offer your entertainment a few suggestions of what styles of music you love.

My belief is that your entertainment should take the work out of your hands and put it into their own. You should be able to relax and enjoy the most important day of your lives, knowing that the entertainment you have selected will take care of all that needs to be attended to in a professional and timely manner, working together as a “TEAM” with your photographer, videographer, banquet manager and any other wedding professionals you have contracted for your wedding day.

One of the last things I would like to stress to anyone looking to book entertainment for their reception is this.  To quote Mark Ferrell – “The price a client pays for entertainment on their wedding day is directly proportional to the quality they receive, which is directly proportional to the success of their event.”  With that said, please do not make the mistake of hiring the DJ or Band because they were the cheapest deal out there.

Your entertainment will make or break your wedding day, so hire the best DJ or Band you can possibly afford, that suits your personalities best and you will have no worries and only a lifetime of great memories of your wedding day!

Jacob & Jessica had a picture perfect day for photos with one of Upstate New York’s Hottest Photography Studios – Sawicki Studios.  Photographers Chris & Jen Sawicki are an amazing husband and wife duo!  Their photos are really different and definitely POP!  The shots they took of Jacob & Jessica the day of the wedding are breathtaking!  They also did a great job with their engagement session as well.  You can view a few of these photos on the Sawicki Studios Blog.

They also hired a great videographer and really nice guy Robert Karandy of Video Memories.

What made the wedding reception really unique was the Tiffany Blue Theme they had throughout the Ballroom.  They thought of everything from Tiffany Blue Bows tied around each White Chair Cover, to the Tiffany Themed Wedding Cake, to the Tiffany Blue Bridesmaids Dresses and last but not least, the 6 Tiffany Blue Up Lights they went with to light up the Ballroom walls.   They added them onto their DJ package with me a few weeks before the wedding and I was thrilled because I knew they would look great at River Stone Manor!  The really accented the Ballroom in a very classy way.  They were very subtle and unobtrusive.  The perfect add on to tie everything together with their Tiffany Blue Theme!

Oh and the dancing?  AMAZING!  When the guests packed the dance floor between the salad and entree course, I knew that this wedding reception would ROCK!  I was totally right about that.  They danced from the entire night away right up until 12am!!  Just the perfect mix of friends and family.   They made my job really easy that night!  A total dream for me!

Thanks again Jacob & Jessica!  I wish you a lifetime of happiness!  Congrats!

Thea & Dennis Celebrating their Fairy Tale Wedding at Beardslee Castle

Last Friday I had the pleasure of DJing for two of my great friends – Thea & Dennis at the World Famous Beardslee Castle in Little Falls, NY.   What an amazing wedding day!  Picture perfect weather.  Not a cloud in the sky all day. Nothing but sunshine!  Their Family & Friends danced the night away to music ranging from “The Twist” to “Party Rock Athem”.

I also had a blast working with one of my best friends – John Viscosi of Viscosi Photography.   He is an amazing photographer.  Just check out the image above and you will agree.  Thanks for the great photo John!

I wish all the best to Thea & Dennis!  They really make an amazing couple and are two of the nicest people you will ever meet.  Congrats!

I had the pleasure of working with my friends Paul, Brenda and Amy Elizabeth of Upstate Photographers.  They have a really cool Photo Station, where this photo was taken.  Everyone at the reception really had a blast taking some really fun photos!

Oh yeah, you are probably asking what is the deal with the Hawaiian Lei?  The entire Bridal Party walked in with them.  Megan and Chris are honeymooning in Hawaii and wanted to incorporate that into their entrance.  Cool and different!

Great day was had by all in attendance!