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May 14, 2010

Cary DJs

Filed under: Cary DJs — Tags: , , — admin @ 1:13 am

If you’re looking for Cary DJs look at Ameritune DJs and Video. Ameritune’s Al Mitchell recently performed at D’ Andreas Banquets for the wedding of Greg Brendel and Megan McBride. Of couse everything at D’Andreas was perfect, it always is. Megan and Greg had the right attitude about their wedding. They were going to have a blast, no matter what- and they did.

Megan and Greg Brendel 3/27/2010

Megan and Greg Brendel 3/27/2010

 

They danced to Elvis Presley’s I Can’t Help Falling In Love With You. I love the classics. And to spice things up they had the Bridal Party dance to  Rick Astley’s Never Gonna Give You Up. It can be a  little risky doing a faster song for the bridal party dance but they pulled it off and we invited both sets of parents to join in as well. This song set the tone for an awesome night on the dance floor.

Megan the marathon hooper

Megan the marathon hooper

In order to get the Bride and Groom to kiss during dinner, the guests had to do the hula hoop. Of course we had hula hoop music ready to make it more fun. Megan decided to turn the tables and she did a marathon hoop, so everyone in the room had to kiss the person they were with. Lot’s of fun and lots of kissing!

Grandma Irene led the line dancing

Grandma Irene led the line dancing

As you can see, Megan comes from a long line of partyers. Her Grandma Irene stold the show when she grabbed my mic and taught some line dances. She had everyone up and dancing, having a good time.

Cary DJs

I can’t remember what song I was playing here but they were jamming like this all night. A great group to play for and I had a blast too. Good luck and best wishes to Megan and Greg.  Call Ameritune for your wedding DJ or Video needs (630) 372-TUNE (8863). Click if you’d like to read more helpful party tips on the Chicago DJ blog.

March 15, 2010

Palatine DJs

Filed under: Palatine DJs — Tags: , , — admin @ 3:52 pm

Ameritune is one of the most popular Palatine DJs.  On February 5, 2010 we played at The Cotillion Banquets for the wedding of Brock and Melissa Sharapata. The Cotillion is one of the nicer Palatine Banquet facilities. Being that we are so close to them, we play there often, and like it. They are reasonably priced, its beautiful,  and the food is always good, so they are always busy with weddings. They have a longer package than most halls, so I think that is one of their selling points. Anyway Brock and Melissa had a beautiful reception with everything going as planned. I was excited to see a couple friends of the family there. I had coached baseball with Steve a couple of seasons ago and I enjoyed catching up and remembering over old times with him.

Brock and Melissa

Brock and Melissa

For cake cutting, Brock and Melissa chose Its Your Love by Faith Hill and Tim McGraw. That’s a classic wedding song that I would say was one of the most popular first dances of the 2000’s.  Before we showed our Photo Montage to thunderous applause, I might add, we had a suprise visit from The Little People. Actually the official name is “Those Funny Little People”. This was a special gift from Grandma and was a total suprise to most of the people in the room including the bride and groom. Most of the older Wedding DJs in Chicago remember those days in the late 80’s when The Little People were seemingly at every other wedding. They were a huge fad that lasted about till about 1995 or so, and since then I see them about once a year.

The little people

The little people

They put on a twenty minute show and really warm up the mood of the guests nicely.  People get all giggly when the dancers extend their lips out about 10 inches to give a kiss. I still like their show even though I’ve seen them many times but they are especially entertaining the first time you see them. Dancing followed with Truly, Madly, Deeply as the first dance. Another classic  favorite, that doesn’t get played a lot these days.  The party and dancing went on til  12:30 when it was time to boot everyone out.  I’m happy to report  it was another successful Ameritune wedding and I know they’ll treasure their memories for a lifetime! You can see videos of all Ameritune’s entertainers by clicking on this link  Chicago Wedding DJs  If you’d like to read more blog and  helpful wedding tips, DJ Wedding Tips For more info call Ameritune at (630) 372-TUNE

December 9, 2009

Lake Geneva Wedding

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If you’re planning a Lake Geneva Wedding , Ameritune is a great choice for DJ and Video services. Last week, Ameritune’s Al Mitchell played at The Abbey in Lake Geneva for the wedding of Nicole Carvelli and Ryan Conway. The Abbey did a great job with the room adding a lighted curtain backdrop and uplighting in different parts of the room. Combined with my intelligent lights, the atmosphere was awesome.  Food and service were excellent and the staff was extremely accomodating and easy to work with. I didn’t mind the hour drive back to Elgin, as a matter of fact, I’d like to work at The Abbey every weekend. Nicole’s folks contracted a band to play for cocktail and dinner music, and the room was big enough so that we weren’t stepping on each other toes. The band was excellent, playing a lot of 80s classic rock and some people were even dancing during dinner. This bodes well for later, when it’s really time to dance.

Ryan and Nicole Conway 11/28/09

Ryan and Nicole Conway 11/28/09

 

As I figured, this group of people loved to dance and party. All night I rotated my sets, and played a little for everyone. They had fun with whatever I played, mostly I stuck to Nicole’s list. She picked about 200 songs, so I had a lot to choose from.

A busy dancefloor all night

A busy dancefloor all night

One of the highlights of this wedding was when I played some hip hop and Ryan asked for the mic. He rapped along with Vanilla Ice word for word, singing to his bride. And he sounded good.  Bonus. We did a few more of these later, and that kept the good vibe going.

Ice Ice Baby

Ice Ice Baby

Later, there was a late night snack- Hot Dogs.  The father of the bride owns a hot dog stand and one of his gifts for the Newlyweds was this tasty treat at 10:45pm. I had a bad feeling when I asked “where’s the ketchup”? Yes my suspicions were confirmed. They were Hot Dog Nazis. They said you want ketchup?… NO HOT DOGS FOR YOU. Some say ketchup is for morons. OK I admit it, I’m a moron, but we all had a good laugh. Seriously though, why do people get so upset when you want ketchup on your hotdog?

If only they had ketchup....
If only they had ketchup….

All in all, a very nice wedding reception. Good Luck and Best Wishes to Nicole and Ryan. Al Mitchell from Ameritune is available for your Chicagoland or Southern Wisconsin wedding. Call (630) 372-8863 for booking and availability. Want to read more blog? Chicago Wedding DJs

December 1, 2009

Cotillion Banquets in Palatine

Filed under: Cotillion Banquets in Palatine — Tags: , , — admin @ 10:34 pm

Al Mitchell from Ameritune played at Cotillion Banquets in Palatine for the wedding of Jennifer Mehlhop and Fabricio Pimenta on November 13, 2009. It was a fun filled wedding with lots of dancing.  Jennifer and Fabricio had the right attitude, they were going to enjoy their wedding and they had a great time too. Dinner became fun when we played the pass the napkin game. Then wild when we ended the game with the Chicken Dance!

Pass The Napkin Game

Pass The Napkin Game

 

Since Fabricio was from Brazil they brought some Brazilian music to play, including the first dance, which we now have in the Ameritune library.

Mr and Mrs Fabricio Pimenta

Mr and Mrs Fabricio Pimenta

Fabricio has a great sense of humor and so do his friends who orchestrated this cute prank for the garter removal. He started off dancing toward Jennifer as she was seated on the dance floor. When he got down on his knees, his friends stopped him and put a blindfold on him, and tied his hands behind his back.

The old switcheroo

The old switcheroo

 

Then, they switched the bride for a guy with very hairy legs. There was a huge roar of laughterin the room when he went for the garter on another mans leg. He shook his head violently back and forth yelling, no, no, no. Then they let Jennifer sit back down and Fabricio got her garter off with his teeth and everyone applauded.

The Real Thing

The Real Thing

 

The night progressed on and everyone had a good time and partied till the end. The food and drink at The Cotillion was good and the service is always excellent. We love to play there because they are well run and easy to work with. Read more about Ameritune’s DJs . They have received the Best Of Wedding award from The Knot for the last three years. Read more Chicago DJ Tips.

November 19, 2009

St Charles DJs

Filed under: St Charles DJs — Tags: , , — admin @ 7:08 pm

St Charles DJs  and video professionals,  Ameritune has a reputation for being fun, tasteful, and great with groups of any age. On November 7, 2009, Ameritune’s Al Mitchell played at the Hilton Garden Inn St Charles for the wedding of Courtney Sensor and David Lowitzki.  Courtney and Dave had contracted a lighting compan to provide ambiant lighting for their reception.  Not really needed when I’m the DJ, because I bring about $30K worth of lighting with me, and I can create any mood that you want, but I did like the logo light that they rigged up in the ceiling. I thought the curtains behind the head table looked nice as well. I’m not sure that it was worth the $1100 or so that they payed, however.

David and Courtney Lowitzki

David and Courtney Lowitzki

 

In this pic you can see that for their first dance,  I have Dave and Courtney in a spotlight with white, rotating daisies against the curtains in the background. The uplighting on the curtains and the logo light on the floor are from a separate lighting company.  This was like a Twilight Zone wedding for me. I kept running into people that I either knew, or had done their weddings. There was also one of our former DJs there with his wife ( I did their wedding too), and some people from my daughters high school. There were no less than 12 people that I knew at this wedding and almost none of them were connected. So, yes, it’s true it is a very small world, even in Chicagoland.

Dance lighting creates the right atmosphere

Dance lighting creates the right atmosphere

 

This was one of those weddings that kept getting better as the night wore on, and people loosened up. They really liked 80s music, which is not unusual.

Circle Dance at the end of night

Circle Dance at the end of night

 

Of course the end of the night was the last dance in a circle with Dave and Courtney in the middle and everyone joining in. It was a great night and a wonderful beginning for Mr and Mrs David Lowitzki. You can get availability and pricing by call AMeritune at (630) 372-8863. Read more Chicago Wedding DJ tips.

November 13, 2009

Turnberry Country Club

Filed under: Turnberry Country Club — Tags: , , — admin @ 4:20 pm

Last week Ameritune DJ’s, Al Mitchell played at the Turnberry Country Club for the wedding of Keeley McDonough and Justin Nauman. Another smashing Ameritune reception with lots of smiles and a bunch of people with sore feet at the end of the night. Turnberry did a nice job with hors d’oevres during cocktail hour. There was a veggie with dip and cheese/cracker tray on a table on the dance floor and there were other goodies being served butler style by the courteous and helpful wait staff. Overall food and service was excellent, including dinner, coffee, and even the cake.

Keeley and Justin wanted to spice things up a bit during dinner, so instead of clinking their glasses, the guests had to sing a song with the word “love” in it to get them to kiss. Someone even brought a list of lyrics with songs that have the word love in them.Usually this is well received, and helps get the room into party mode. Hey that’s our main job as DJs- to get people into a fun, happy, celebratory state. Once they’re in that frame of mind, everything just flows, and it’s easy to have a super party.

SInging "Stop In The Name Of Love"

SInging "Stop In The Name Of Love"

Well, these folks were not shy and Keeley and Justin probably needed some chapstick because they had to kiss so much! After dinner, Keeley and Justin went from table to table greeting their guests and then it was time for their first dance. I put them in my spotlight and played Van Morrison’s “Crazy Love”. I’m a big Van Morrison fan, and that song just doesn’t get picked enough for weddings. It’s a perfect, romantic way to start the dance floor off.

Keeley and Justin Nauman 10/24/09

Keeley and Justin Nauman 10/24/09

 

This was a bit time dancing group that made lots

Jump On It

Jump On It

 of requests. One of the big songs of the night was Jump On It  by Sir Mix A Lot. They liked 80’s, country, classic rock, and slow songs. We ended up extending the room till midnight, and still people were wanting more…. I had a fun time playing for Keeley and Justins wedding, and I wish them all the luck in the world. Want more info about Ameritune DJs and Video? Call (630) 372-TUNE (8863)  More Tips from The DJ

November 10, 2009

Hoffman Estates Wedding

Filed under: Hoffman Estates Wedding — Tags: , , — admin @ 12:53 pm

Recently, Ameritune played at another Hoffman Estates Wedding at The Stonegate Banquet and Conference Center. Here’s what our DJ Jim Schneeberger had to say-  After eighteen years with well over a thousand weddings under my belt, I had the pleasure of DJing the smallest wedding of my career on Octber 3rd 2009. Michelle Lisowski and Chris Melby were having their ceremony and reception at The Stonegate in Hoffman Estates.  When I reviewed the details with Michelle, she informed me that there would be 45 guests attending.

Michelle and Chris Melby

Michelle and Chris Melby

While being initially suprised, I was able to keep the frame of mind to think of it as a wedding and that size doesn’t matter. (Right girls?)  The ceremony took place in a small room directly next to the reception room. It was a very nice and to the point ceremony that was no longer than 20 minutes. We then moved to the main room for coctail hour and I was very impressed. Stonegate dimmed the overhead lights and the room looked phenomenal. They were using accent lighting of tall magenta columns, the linens and the tables looked great too. Just before dinner, we announced in the Parents and Wedding party to the Black Eyed Pea’s “I gotta Feeling”, and Michelle and Chris entered to ACDC’s “Thunderstruck“. The dinner was good- Filet and Chicken Yum.  Between courses, we played a  fun centerpiece giveaway game. We had one guest at each table donate a dollar, and we passed the dollar around the table to the right, while I played “The Benny Hill Theme Song”. When the music stopped, the person with the dollar had to shake hands with the person to their right. Then we passed it to the left, and when the music stopped, the person holding the dollar had to hug the person to their left. We passed it to the right again and this time the person ending up with the dollar had to kiss the person across from them. One of the guys would not kiss another dude and we all laughed. Then we passed the dollar again, and when the music stopped, whoever held the dollar got to keep the dollar and the original donator got to keep the centerpiece. It turned out to be a lot of fun and there was a cheerful buzz in the room for a while after that.

Having a good time

Having a good time

 

As the dancing portion of the evening started with Michelle and Chris dancing to  Nickelback’s “Never Gonna Be Alone”, I was a little concerned about the small crowd getting into the dancing mood, but as usual leave it to the ladies…Most of the women, younger and older, came out after the second dance and boogied like there was no tomorrow. The Bride, her friends, their moms, all got jiggy with it all night long. When the dancing began, you never would have guessed the group was only 45 people. The dancefloor looked packed most of the night, and it turned out to be a great wedding. For pricing and availability on DJ Jim Schneeberger contact Ameritune at (630) 372-TUNE (8863). More helpful wedding tips

November 9, 2009

Naperville DJs

Filed under: Naperville DJs — Tags: , , , — admin @ 5:02 pm

Ameritune’s Byron Parker, one of the most popular Naperville DJs  played at  Naperville Country Club for the Wedding ceremony and reception of  Katie Censky and Simon Read October 24th, 2009.  Here’s what he had to say-Hello again everybody, this was a wedding that was so much fun, and original, too. The ceremony was inside (thankfully) at the Naperville Country club, and Katie and Simon picked out some interesting ceremony music. The processional was “At Last” by Etta James, but the recessional was “We Got Us” by Miss Piggy and Kermit The Frog!  The guests roared with laughter when they heard this, and from that moment on everyone knew we were going to have a great time.  I’m glad they had also booked wedding video service to capture that moment, it was priceless!

Katie and Simon Read

Katie and Simon Read

 

For kissing, instead of just clinking their glasses, they passed out comment cards, asking their guests to write something memorable on them. I collected them and when the clinking started, I chose which ones to read aloud to the group, then Katie and Simon would kiss. Whoever’s card that I read aloud received an autographed copy of a book written by the Groom. (Simon is an author of 5 published murder mysteries.) Now that’s original! The stories and comments kept the mood light, and dinner was fun and lively. Simon and Katie had rehersed a special routine for their first dance, which was a hit , as they moved very well together. The Father of the Bride was a big Dancing With the Stars fan, so he and his friends gave them 8-9-9 scores and everybody had a nice laugh, which got the dancing portion of the night off to a smashing start. Here was a fun loving crowd and the reception was extended by 1/2 hour because nobody wanted to go home.

Dancing the night away

Dancing the night away

They were definitely the tallest couple I have ever played for, Simon was 6′10″. I look like Kermit the frog between them!

Yes, I am standing up

Yes, I am standing up

All in all, another successful wedding, I’m glad they picked me and I can’t wait for the next one from their family, these guys know how to have fun. See a quick video demo of DJ Byron Parker.  Call Ameritune at (630) 372-8863 for pricing and availability for Naperville DJs or Naperville Wedding Video. More helpful wedding tips

November 1, 2009

Wedding at Stonegate

Filed under: Wedding At Stonegate — admin @ 8:04 pm

If you are having your Wedding at Stonegate, then you need Ameritune DJs and Video, our offices are only about 2 miles away, so we’re real convenient, and we’re really good!  While playing the reception of  Noreen and Joe Smrz, who had their wedding at Stonegate Conference center in Hoffman Estates, we had a request to play a song where everyone could take a turn dancing with the Bride. Noreen was dancing  now and then, but wasn’t in the room at the time, so I waited till she got back and was on the dancefloor with her friends. I asked her if she was up for it and she was, so I played I Knew The Bride When She Used To Rock and Roll and dedicated a special dance for all the Bride’s friends and relatives to come up and take a turn dancing with her.

I Knew The Bride

I Knew The Bride

As you can see, this was well received and as it was kind of late in the party (after a few hours of open bar!) they were really getting into it, clapping, and getting rowdy with The Bride. It’s kind of hard to see, but she’s dancing with her grandmother here.  I wished they would have had a videographer, to preserve that memory. They all had a turn though, and it really injected a lot of energy on the dancefloor. I thought about asking Joe, the Groom if he wanted a dance with all of his friends and family, but he wasn’t really a dancer, and I didn’t want to make him feel uncomfortable. If he was a dancer, there are a few choices to play, such as Another One Bites The Dust, I’m too Sexy, Sex Machine, Just A Gigolo, He’s The Greatest Dancer, The Wanderer, etc… Doing specialty dances with your guests is not a new idea. There is a variation called a dollar dance, where people pay money to dance with the bride and groom. Or a Snowball Dance, where the Bride and Groom begin by dancing with each other, then break to find new partners, over and over, so that everyone ends up dancing with everyone. Any kind of interactive dance is usually good for your party, as sometimes people need a little help on the dancefloor. If you need a DJ or Video for a party or wedding in Hoffman Estates or anywhere in the Chicago Area, call Ameritune at (630) 372-8863. Want more helpful tips? Chicago Wedding Tips

The Stonegate

Filed under: The Stonegate — Tags: , , , — admin @ 7:25 pm

Recently, Ameritune’s Al Mitchell played at The Stonegate Banquets in Hoffman Estates, IL for the Wedding of Noreen Baldassano and Joe Smrz. The ceremony was there too and it went well. The Stonegate had a room available in the main building, so we didn’t have to have the ceremony in the same room as the reception. The reception was in the Pavilion (tent). Of the rooms at The Stonegate, I like playing in the Pavilion the best because it’s white, and shows off the DJ lighting a lot better than the darker banquet rooms in the main building.

Ceremony with Bagpiper for Reccessional

Ceremony with Bagpiper for Recessional

 

A fun twist for the recessional was the bagpiper, who escorted Noreen and Joe down the aisle at the end of the ceremony. He stayed and played a few songs as the guests made their way to the cocktail area outside the Pavilion. I was glad to see two bartenders as this was a thirsty and rowdy group. I moved my ceremony music  set up to the cocktail area and played background  music for them, and awaited the dinner hour in the Pavilion. I like doing ceremony and receptions at the same local, but if you are planning on that for your wedding, its a good idea to  get your pictures done before the ceremony, so that you can be available to meet and greet your guests during the cocktail hour. A fast photographer helps, too. I know there’s the superstition thing about not seeing each other before, but look at it this way- It’s bad luck to be superstitious. No, really, if you have some time between your ceremony and reception to take pictures, you can get everything done before your reception. This is the way to do it because your main job at your reception is to meet and greet. If you don’t have, scheduled downtime for pictures after your ceremony, then you’ll be missing your cocktail hour to take pictures. Not good. Get those pictures out of the way early, and you will have a much easier time the rest of the day, (knock on wood).  Al Mitchell  from Ameritune DJs and Video was born on Friday the Thirteen of April , so he’s not real worried about superstition. Read more helpful wedding planning tips here Chicago DJ Tips Call (630) 372-8863 for more information.

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