The Knot Best of Weddings 2007 Pick The Knot Best of Weddings 2008/2009 Pick

Chicago Wedding DJ 630-372-TUNE (8863)

December 9, 2009

Lake Geneva Wedding

Filed under: Lake Geneva Wedding — Tags: , , , — admin @ 5:26 pm

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.

October 24, 2009

Dupage County DJs

Filed under: Dupage County DJs — Tags: , , — admin @ 3:50 pm

Recently Dupage County DJs  Ameritune played at the Morton Arboretum in Lisle for the wedding of Rebecca Nowell and Madison Beresford. The ceremony was right there on the grounds, and it was a beautiful place to get married. Neither the banquet room, or the ceremony location wereeasy to get to, as far as a roady’s  point of view, so I would advise anyone working here to allow for at least an extra hour and one half  for set up. Fortunately, that’s what I allowed for and I needed every minute of it. For me, this was not a regular ceremony, I was really running sound for their very talented musicians. First there was an Uncle playing Classic Guitar for Prelude, followed by a keyboard and vocal (brides sister) duet before the processional, back to the Uncle on Guitar, then another guitarist/singer(groomsman) during the ceremony, and I provided a couple of songs on CD for the recessional, and we all beat the rain by about 15 minutes. Unfortunately, I left the camera in the truck for the ceremony, so I can’t show you how beautiful it was.

After the ceremony, I had just enough time to pack everything away and schlep it the 1/4 mile or so back to my truck, while the guests had cocktails indoors at the visitors center. The dinner and dancing room was gorgeous and overlooked one of the many ponds at the Arboretum. During the day it is a cafeteria style restaurant, but it really transformed well to a beautiful venue for the reception.

Dancefloor was packed all night
Dancefloor was packed all night

There were several touching, and funny toasts and dinner moved by at a slow pace, it took a little too long to finish so we started dancing before everyone was done with desert. Wow did these people come to party! When a Bride and Groom are so deeply in love, it seeps through every nook and cranny at the reception- a great feeling of joy was buzzing in the room. It wasn’t the alcohol either, because this was a Christian wedding and there really wasn’t a whole lot of drinking.  There were many highlights, but one especially funny moment was when the grooms’ sister got even with her brother when she had me play “Like A Virgin” and dedicate it to her brother on his wedding night. I played it right after the serious song that he wanted me to dedicate to her, so it really was quite funny.  Apparently, he did something similar at her wedding, lol…. 

If you like the YMCA then we like the YMCA

If you like the YMCA then we like the YMCA

The YMCA is about 50% requested that I don’t play these days, but Rebecca and Madison wanted it. Almost every song that I played packed the dancefloor and people were just in fun mode. This is why I love DJing!
Everyone stayed till the end
Everyone stayed till the end

 If you are planning a wedding at Morton Arboretum, or anywhere in Dupage County, or the Chicago area, We’d love to be your DJ and Video company! Call us at (630) 372-TUNE (8863) and see why brides from The Knot voted us best of weddings for the last 3 years!  Read more tips and wedding stories here Chicago Wedding DJ

October 7, 2009

Hilton Lisle Naperville

Filed under: Hilton Lisle Naperville — Tags: , , , — admin @ 12:04 am

Last weekend, Ameritune’s Al Mitchell played at the Hilton Lisle Naperville for the wedding ceremony and reception of Sandy Condon and Sean Bordenave. The ceremony was at 3 pm in one of the downstairs meeting rooms.

Sandy, Sean, and their moms

Sand Ceremony with Sandy, Sean, and their moms

The ceremony was simple and elegant, then they went for pictures for a couple of  hours while the guests retired to their rooms or the Hilton bar upstairs. This is most unusual for an on-location ceremony, normally they are back to back with the reception. It makes for an easier time for the Bride and Groom to do it this way, stretching their day out a little and not being so hectic trying to get pictures done in not enough time. I took advantage of the down time to set up for the reception, while RJ, Ameritune’s videographer, traveled with the wedding party for pictures. I was grateful for the break and after setting up, relaxed for a bit after finding a local Starbucks.

Frozen Martini Slide

Frozen Martini Slide

Cocktails began at around 6pm and were accompanied by some outstanding hors d’ouvres served butler style. They had giant, and I mean GIANT shrimp cocktail, stuffed mushrooms and a few other goodies along with a martini luge. The bartender poured the premixed martini into the ice sculpture at the top and it came out of the little silver spout on the right, nice and cold. Not my style, but many of the guests were enjoying martinis. The father of the bride was having a great time with all the guests. He had some stylishly cool Pink Floyd black gym shoes on that looked very comfortable. 

Mr and Mrs Sean and Sandy Bordenave

Mr and Mrs Sean and Sandy Bordenave

Sandy and Sean are unique and creative people, so their wedding was bound to be different and fun. One highlight was the “Carlton off’” dance contest between two of the guests. Carton was the conservative brother on the sitcom Fresh Prince.

Carlton Off Dance Contest

Carlton Off Dance Contest

These guys danced to It’s Not Unusual by Tom Jones. They were very dorky, and everyone was in stitches! Another unusual dance was for Sean and his sister, dedicated in memory of their recently deceased father. It was a touching moment that brought tears to my eyes as well. Later, Sandy’s Uncle entertained us all by singing a couple Bobby Darrin songs with a Karaoke disc that he brought along.

Brides Uncle singing Bobby Darrin
Brides Uncle singing Bobby Darrin

I was ready for him to be really bad, but I was pleasantly surprised- he was really good. This guy was a pro that was obviously used to performing, and he knew how to sing in a mic. All in all Sandy and Seans wedding was a great time, and I’ll have to tip my hat to the banquet staff at the Lisle Hilton. They did a great job and the food was tops. Al Mitchell from Ameritune is available for your special occasion and includes live dinner music and intelligent lighting at no extra charge. Call (630) 372-TUNE (8863) for more info. Read more tips from Chicago Wedding DJs about Naperville weddings on our blog

 

Older Posts »

Quality is what separates Ameritune for the rest... We pledge to make your affair the best it can be! Call 630.372.TUNE (8863)

Map / Directions : Contact Us

Blog Customization and SEO by Chicago SEO

web design & development by doejo