If you don’t appreciate true love, romance or rainbows and butterflies, it’s a good thing you weren’t at the Crystal Point Yacht Club last week because Erin and Paul filled the day with everything that would keep the owners of  Kleenex and Kodak in business for a long time.

You can check out their Wedding Day Movie Trailer and Love Story from Creative Video Editing below.  The Trailer features highlights of the day that Michael and Michelle from CVE captured and transformed into a short film.  The Love Story is an in-depth featurette that was filmed prior to the wedding that lets every guest at the reception know how and why these two awesome families are celebrating life together in honor of Erin and Paul. We decided to show the feature about half way through the main course on our projection  screen as a “dinner and movie” presentation.  Judging by the collective “oohs”, “ahhs”, tears and laughter from the 250 guests, it was definitely one of the reception highlights.

One of my favorite parts of the video clips were the vow exchanges, these simple yet significant hallmark-worthy lines stood out…

Paul to Erin: …”when it’s just the two of us, I promise to always be able to share a laugh and to talk about anything and nothing”…

Erin to Paul: ...”you are my soul mate, my one true love and the best friend I ever had”…

The guests also enjoyed seeing both Erin and Paul’s parents dance to their wedding songs later in the evening.   As part of our design session protocol, we like to find out as much information that the guests of honor are willing to share in order to personalize the occasion and therefore create fun, sentimental and memorable moments.

Another reception highlight was seeing Paul and Erin dance to a special remix of  I Want You Back by the Jackson 5.  It was special because they heard it at a tavern on the Seaside Heights boardwalk called the Saw Mill a few years ago and loved it… but never heard it again.  With a little research and a little help from Facebook, I found out that a good friend, DJ Mike West,  produced a mash-up using I Want You Back and Bartender by T-Pain in his sets a few times back in the summer of 2008.  Mike was gracious enough to dig it up and e-mail it just in time for the reception.   Watching Paul and Erin bust a move to one of their favorite songs reminded me once again how much I love what I do…. - make people happy and help them celebrate life.

On the subject of happiness, where do newlyweds like Paul and Erin go for their honeymoon after having one of the best days of their life? Disneyworld! Of course.

Special thanks to Janine Mincieli from the Crystal Point for her hospitality and professionalism.    This was our first time working at the venue so she took the time to accommodate our request to do a full site survey and review the production agenda details with Erin and Paul present.   Our goal is to confirm all of the event logistics like; the equipment load in, power supply, menu timing and special feature execution in the weeks prior to the reception so everyone is on the same page the day of and everything runs smoothly. Janine, a 17 year veteran, has the same intentions when she works with her clients and vendors so we made a great team.  I’m looking forward to the next MMP Entertainment & Crystal Point collaboration.

Special mention also goes out to Chris from Marconi Photography.  He was kind enough to share some of his artistry for this entry.  Chris was showing a bunch of great shots from his laptop on the seating chart table throughout the reception… these were a few of my favorites;

Erin and Paul share their thoughts about working with Marcello from Marcello on Vimeo.

Rose & Joe having the time of their lives with special guest, Kim Sozzi

Last week, I assisted my good friend, Jason Jani with artist relations at the Palazzo Ballroom of the Venetian for Rose & Joe’s wedding reception.  Jason, owner of Sound Connection Entertainment, arranged for the dance chart-topping singer, Kim Sozzi to perform a surprise set for the guests after the first course.

Rose & Joe wanted their wedding reception to be exceptional, so they chose the Palazzo Ballroom of  the Venetian.  They wanted their entertainment experience to have a modern, yet elegant flair, so they chose Jason’s firm to handle the production.  Then, like many of our clients, Rose and Joe wanted their once in lifetime celebration to be extraordinary; so they asked Jason to come up with a WOW factor moment that they and their  guests would never forget.

Since Rose & Joe are both big fans of dance music and recording artist Kim Sozzi, having Kim make a special appearance and perform a personalized set of their favorite songs at the reception became the ultimate concept and desire; Jason delivered and made it happen.

An elegant, yet festive reception for Joe & Rose at The Venetian's Palazzo Ballroom

As a result, Rose, Joe and their guests experienced a dance set that deserves to be in the new book release, The Best Wedding Reception…Ever. After the first course was served, Jason played the classic ballad, At Last by Etta James to pack the floor with couples;  followed by an Italian family favorite, The Tarantella, to warm up the dance floor with smiles and laughter.    The stage was impeccably set for  Jason to “Crush It” and take Rose & Joe’s  wedding reception to the Signature Event level.

Kim Sozzi entered from the grand staircase into an eruption of  cheers and applause.  The guests were blown away and couldn’t believe that Kim was singing her biggest hits like “Feel Your Love” right in front of them. Literally!  A seasoned professional, Sozzi sang her songs down off the stage, right in the middle of the crowd, never taking the spotlight away from the guests of honor.  The room’s ambiance was filled with the best of both worlds, energy and intimacy. Rose and Joe looked like they were floating on air.  The joy on their faces was priceless as they were enjoying every minute of the moment. At one point, I checked in with Jason to confirm that all was right with the world and he said, “Look at how happy Rose & Joe are right now, this is why I do this.”

Special thanks to Jimmy Silva from the Venetian for his hospitality and professionalism; he and Dave Mocera always provide a first class experience for everyone that walks through their doors.

Ultra Records recording artist, Kim Sozzi with Marcello

While we are on the subject of the best that the Special Events industry has to offer, check out the cinematic excellence that Greg from Endless Wave Studios produced for the newlyweds. Greg specializes in producing mini-film featurettes for his clientele the day of their event known as “same day edits.” A couple doesn’t have to wait 6 weeks or 6 months to re-live the magic anymore. In Rose and Joe’s case, not only did Greg produce a professional music video that was played on the Venetian’s large drop down screens before their grand entrance, he also created a full production featurette of the days highlights that played right before cake cutting.  Greg’s latest blog entry goes into more detail…    “I think a story is only complete when you are there for everything, the making of the cappuccino in the morning, the giving of gifts, vows, and kisses, and right to the last song. This is why we can give back such a complete story.”

Check out his ’same day edit’ artistry below.  One of my favorite parts is when Rose sent Joe a gift before the ceremony and later on when they made their grand entrance into the Palazzo.  I was there in the moment and it was awesome; watching it again with this level of connoisseur-like editing, camera work and musicality was just as breath-taking. The ultimate stamp of approval came from my wife who teared up after I showed it to her today.  With watery eyes she said, “tell Greg he did he a great job”… an emotional smile and a kodak-moment laugh immediately followed.

To see more highlights, live footage and behind the scenes interviews, check out Jason’s video log below.

I look forward to teaming up with Jason in the future for more Signature Collaborations.

If you tuned in to the TLC channel last year and watched the hit show, Masters of Reception, you’d be familiar with The Villa in Mountain Lakes and Frungillo Catering.   The Frungillo family is well known in the special events community and deserves its stellar reputation. It was an amazing experience.

John and Nicole were an ideal bride and groom.  They brought a lot of joy and happiness to their own celebration. From the initial phone calls to the e-mail exchanges to the final design session at their home, John and Nicole were committed to making this one of the best days of their lives; fortunately, their family and friends had the same game plan.  When you bring that much positive energy to a first class venue and put some of the industry’s finest professionals in charge, simply let nature take its course and enjoy the ride.

I was delighted to work with The Villa’s expert banquet manager, Joe’l Falco.  We’ve teamed up several times over the past decade and it always resulted in a stellar event.  When the menu was finalized and the special details were confirmed, Joe’l and I designed an event timeline that enabled us to produce a seamless blend of hospitality and entertainment for all of the guests.

Capturing the once in a lifetime moments throughout the day was one of the best photographers in the business, Dave Kotinsky, from Visionmasters. His work is all over the MMP website and the MMP blog.  I appreciate his photographic artistry.  Special thanks to Dave for providing the photos for this entry.

Among many highlights, one of my favorites was when John and Nicole presented the bouquet to John’s grandparents, Lester and Erna.  After playing Unforgettable by Nat King Cole and At Last by Etta James, we determined that out of all the couples on the dance floor, Lester and Erna were together the longest… over 50 years!    As Nicole handed the bouquet to Erna, a collective “aww” could be heard from the sentimental crowd.  I asked Lester and Erna if they had any advice for the newlyweds and Lester said, “be flexible.”  Then without missing a beat, Erna replied, “I’m usually right.” It was a classic Kodak moment. To top it off, we went on to play Lester and Erna’s wedding song, Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White.  The look on Erna’s face was priceless.  As a result of the detailed planning session two weeks prior, we already knew who the longest married couple was going to be.  With the help of John and Nicole’s Sherlock Holmes-like investigative research; we had Lester and Erna’s wedding song cued up so they could experience the joy of their first dance as husband and wife one more time.   I love my job.

We finished the night with one of John and Nicole’s favorite artists, Michael Buble. Their guests enjoyed Michael’s version of Save The Last Dance For Me for their grand finale and then The Best Is Yet To Come for their goodbyes, hugs and kisses outro.

Perfect indeed.

Without dating myself too harshly, my senior prom was held there when the Father of the Bride movie premiered on VHS.   If you haven’t seen it yet and need a sanity break from planning your wedding reception and a few laughs, rent it asap  (on DVD or On-demand of course).

Isabella and Jay had a gorgeous fall day for their wedding.  The grounds of the Manor looked exquisite as the guests arrived for the ceremony.  We worked with Reverend Mitchell, whose humor and polish created personalized and entertaining nuptials for everyone in attendance.  As always, we provided professional audio support including lapel microphones so the guests who were  seated more than two rows back could enjoy all of the special vows, musical selections and heart-warming moments.

After an impressive cocktail hour in the Manor’s atrium, family and friends entered the ballroom to await Isabella and Jay’s grand entrance.  They were tapping their toes and snapping their fingers to the sounds of Michael Buble, Spiral Staircase, Michael McDonald, The Beatles, Michael Franti and Stevie Wonder.   After the bridal party was introduced with customized audio clips and pre-programmed lighting effects, Isabella and Jay came into a personalized edit of Paradise City, by Guns and Roses, which brought the energy of the room up to the next level.

Isabella and Jay chose Stuck on You by Lionel Ritchie for their wedding song, Daughter by Loudon Wainwright for the father-daughter dance and Simple Man by Lynyrd Skynyrd for the mother-son dance.    One of the dance floor highlights was watching Isabella’s family doing a seven minute Hora before the main course was served.  I felt like I was doing a Bat Mitzvah; the guests were loving it.

After the cake cutting, which Isabella chose the 2nd verse of Your In My Heart by Rod Stewart to be played in the background, family and friends returned to the atrium to enjoy the Manor’s Viennese stations.

For the last dance, we played a crowd favorite to get all of the remaining guests back onto the dance floor.  It was I Gotta Feeling by the Black Eyed Peas. Isabella and Jay sang and danced along with their family and friends to end the night with everyone cheering for the brand-new Mr. and Mrs. McMahon.

It’s always a pleasure collaborating with the Manor.   Marwan Jurri, the maitre d’ and Jim Levinsky, the banquet manager, extended their hospitality throughout the evening and were instrumental in orchestrating a smooth reception.

Special thanks to Rich Janniello, from Ciro Photography, who shared his fantastic photos for this blog entry.  This was the first time we had the opportunity to team up.  Based on his professionalism, I hope we get to collaborate again soon.  Rich was always in the right place at the right time in an un-obtrusive manner.  We also had nice chat before the ceremony about why he always had three different cameras ready to go.  Rich explained why the right lens for the right moment is crucial and why having back-up equipment is paramount.   That’s the kind of event professional a bride and groom want to work with if they value peace of mind.

Encore Gallery:

They had a picture-perfect October evening, allowing all of the guests to enjoy cocktails outside on the patio overlooking the Hudson River.

One of the highlights of the evening was their candlelit, first dance as husband and wife. During the Grand Entrance, the staff from the Charthouse lit individual candles for each guest.

By the time I introduced Mr. & Mrs. Jeff and Jeanne Albanese, the ballroom lights came down, our spotlight focused on the center of the dancefloor and all of the guests stood in a romantic tribute.

They chose You and Me by Kenny Chesney for their wedding song. That moment looked like something you’d see in a movie.

Another highlight was seeing 200 people dancing and singing along to our remix of Don’t Stop Believin by Journey. You gotta love The Sopranos for bringing back a classic to mainstream pop culture.

Fun- Jill and Adam brought in the 10-piece band, Encore, to collaborate with us.  This took the entertainment value of the dance sets to the next level.  Encore pumped up the crowd with their interactive Motown, disco and 80’s medleys while we focused on providing the Master of Ceremonies services, playing the original version of the wedding song and parents’ dances, directing the on-site, event coordination with the staff of the Atrium and designing the lighting to enhance the evening’s ambiance.  Thanks to the professionalism of Tony, the band leader, and Maryann,  Shawn and Siroos from the Atrium, the evening’s flow was seamless.

Unique- Many brides have danced with their brothers before, but Jill had the  brilliant idea of dedicating a song and dancing with not only her brothers, John & Scott, but her two new brothers-in-law,  Jason and Steven, as well.   She asked me to make a custom mix of four songs, one minute for each brother that represented their personality and relationship.  Jill chose Coldplay’s Brothers and Sisters, Josh Groban’s You Raise Me Up, Randy Newman’s You Got A Friend In Me, and Frank Sinatra’s Come Fly With Me.   It was  a very sweet moment that showed Jill’s thoughtfulness and originality.

Memorable- Just when you thought that grooms don’t show any heart or give people the warm fuzzies anymore, Adam delivered in fine fashion.  After the cake cutting, Adam asked for the mic and offered up a poignant toast to Jill.  Without getting too sappy, he let everyone know that there was no other place he’d rather be in the world than right there in the moment with his beautiful wife. As planned, we played I Believe In You and Me by the Four Tops for Jill and Adam right after… Contrary to popular belief, romance is still alive and well.

Another nice touch was provided by Linda Stark, of Stark Studios in Wayne, who shared her magnificent photos for this blog entry.  Linda set up her laptop outside the ballroom to display some her favorite shots of the wedding day leading up to the reception.   Throughout the reception, collective ooh’s and awe’s could be heard from the little nook where the photos were being displayed. According to the mother-of-the-bride, Angela, “Linda was a pleasure to work with and didn’t miss a significant moment.“ 

When choosing your professional vendors, it’s really important that you have a personality match with them.   This is crucial for reducing your stress level and increasing your peace of mind on a day which you only get one shot at. Especially with your photographer who you spend the most time with the day of and after the event.

The evening wrapped up with an impressive Viennese  display for dessert which took place outside on the Atrium’s terrace and Encore’s  final dance set when guests re-entered the ballroom.   As the band had the whole room jamming to We Are Family, we recognized the Rubinetti’s and Hodge’s one more time  and ended with the crowd cheering for the newlyweds.  

If the hug that I got seconds later from Mrs. Rubinetti was any indication, a beautiful day was had by all.

What Ron and the staff of the Farrington did have was the perfect back-up plan, a ballroom adorned with floor to ceiling windows providing a gorgeous view of the scenery.  Ron orchestrated a smooth ceremony to cocktails to reception transition utilizing the vast interior locations of his venue.  All of the guests stayed dry, comfortable and enjoyed the entire celebration as if it was sunny and 80 degrees. Wherever you decide to book your wedding reception, it’s a good idea to inquire about your venue’s plan b.

Perhaps it was because he knew it meant good luck if it rains on your wedding day, but Derek was one of the calmest grooms I’d ever seen… or maybe it was because he knew he found his soulmate in Sara and that the absence of sunshine could never take that away. I did his brother Craig’s wedding five years ago and he was the same way with his wife, Jenny.  Calm, cool and collected.  After catching up with their parents, Paula and Bill,  during the reception, I remembered where they get it from.

Sara and Derek are good friends with Keith Kenny, an uber-talented song writer and musician who just won Asbury Park’s Male Acoustical Act of the Year Award. Keith did a set after dinner that included a mix of Classic Rock and Blues covers with a few originals sprinkled in.  The guests, especially Derek and Sara, loved it.  From his first guitar riffs of Stevie Ray Vaughn’s, Pride & Joy, I knew Keith was going to take this wedding to the next level.

On a personal note, whoever  said that “the  pen is mightier than the sword” wasn’t kidding.  The officient’s pen ran out of ink after the ceremony when they were about to sign the marriage documents so he came to me and asked if he could borrow mine.  I knew what his intentions were so I was embarrassed that my good pen, the one I use for appointments and signing contracts,  was at home.  All I had was an old school black and white Bic to offer him.  He laughed and said “that’ll do just fine.” So now this pen has been carefully placed in my “career memoirs” storage unit for safe keeping.  Who knew that this unassuming pen would someday be used to officially seal the deal for two very special people… pretty cool, huh?   I love my job.

Since I provided the entertainment for Kelly’s father’s 50th birthday party 15 years ago in Oakland, New Jersey, the Harper family was very special to me.

Kelly and Andy met online at E-Harmony. This must be one of the better match-making sites because this is the 4th client of mine this year who signed up and was able to meet their soul mate.

The highlight of the night came after the cake cutting. The families wanted to celebrate the fact that Andy was a cancer survivor and somehow incorporate the symbolic Live Strong bracelets.

During the final consultation at their home, I found out that Andy was a big Bon Jovi fan, so we invited all of the guests onto the dancefloor after the cake to put on a bracelet and take a group photo. We immediately cranked up Livin’ On A Prayer and watched the room erupt as the guests pumped their fists and sang along for a memorable tribute.

It was one of those moments that I had to pinch myself and be grateful once again that I’ve got one of the best jobs in the world.

The mix of high glass ceilings, natural moonlight shining through and a plethora of holiday red poinsettias that were delivered earlier that day made for a dramatic ambiance.

We worked with our good friend, Dave, from Visionmasters Photography. He snapped this paparazzi shot as I was coming down the hotel hallway to make the Grand Entrance announcements.

The highlight of the night was the Anniversary Dance. After playing At Last by Etta James, we found out that Lacie’s aunt and uncle were the longest married couple on the guest list (almost 50 years). When I asked her uncle if he had any advice for Joe on what it takes to have a long-lasting marriage he said, “Just remember, she’s always right!” The women cheered and the men just nodded their heads in agreement. It was classic.

As the first guests arrived into the grand foyer and family photos were being taken, our piano player (Mitch) helped create a classy ambiance as champagne and strawberries were being served.

After the cocktail hour, the ballroom doors opened and the guests went right to the dance floor. Our saxophone player (Franco) and percussionist (Rueben) played along to an up-beat set of Michael Buble and classic Motown music. That set the tone for a fun, elegant and memorable evening.

The highlight of the night was seeing Matt’s brother and friends lift him up for some crowd-surfing when we cranked up Bon Jovi’s Living On A Prayer from their request list.

Special thanks to Tom, the Catering Manager. Just like when he worked at The Rockleigh Country Club, he was a total professional when it came to creating a smooth timeline for the cuisine and planning for all of the event logistics.

Encore Gallery: