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August 28, 2009

Christian Wedding in Chicago

Filed under: Christian Wedding in Chicago — Tags: , , , , — admin @ 3:08 pm

Last weekend I played for the wedding of Megan and Nathan Perez. It was a Christian Wedding in Chicago . Acutally it was a Christian wedding in Elgin. Anyway, the reception was held at the Highland Golf Club in Elgin. This is a newer hall, being only about a year old or so.

Highlands Golf Club in Elgin, IL

Highlands Golf Club in Elgin, IL

The staff struggled a little at times. Because of the time of year when summer help goes back to college, there were a lot of new people working their first party there, so some things didn’t go as well as they could of on the halls part. Service was uneven, dinner took took long, and some tables had dirty dishes left on them for way too long. Kathy was in charge of the room and was working very hard to make things run smoothly and to her credit, she pulled it off. I’m sure that once the newbys get accustomed to the routine, these problems will quickly go away. They had an lcd projecter and screen mounted in the ceiling that they rented to Megan and Nathan (as her sister made a slideshow presentation). You could tell that it was a good quality presentation, but there was no sound and the picture kept turning deep blue. Another obvious problem they need to fix at Highland Golf Club. Other than that, the only weird thing was that there was no dance floor. Nada. The room was packed with tables and there was only a small space left  for me to set up on with a table and a sliver of carpet about 8 feet wide and 12 feet long. I wasn’t totally shocked, because when going over details with Megan and her mom, I found out that Nathans side was not really comfortable with the idea of dancing, or drinking at the wedding. Megans family were also Christian, but they wanted to have to dancing and a bar available for their friends and family. So the compromise was a cash bar,  a small dancefloor, and careful instructions on what music was to be played. No problems, everybody ended up happy! I played a little game near the end of dinner that ended up in the Chicken Dance and that was well received.

Chicken Dancing

Chicken Dancing

Later we did other fun family dances such as The Hokey Pokey

Hokey Pokey

Hokey Pokey

…And the Cupid Shuffle

Cupid Shuffle

Cupid Shuffle

Of course Megan and Nathan picked some slow, romantic songs to dance to as well.

Megan and Nathan Perez

Megan and Nathan Perez

There was a Bouquet toss, and Dad/Daughter and Mom/Son dances as well. What I really liked about their wedding was the Sparkler sendoff. Shortly after 10:00 pm (They had an early flight to Hawaii) Everyone gathered outside for the big sendoff with sparklers. Being a bit of a Pyro myself, I thought is was an awesome idea!

Sparkler Sendoff

Sparkler Sendoff

Off to Hawaii

Off to Hawaii

 From the very beginning, the Brides Parents were very concerned that the guests enjoyed themselves, and I think everyone did! They even brought me a cool goodie bag at the end of the night to express their gratitude. It had a nice thank you card in it (with a generous tip Thanks!), a couple bottles of water, some coffee, and a little bag of wedding themed cereal. Megan and Nathan are lucky to have such wonderful Parents, friends and relatives; everyone was so nice and easy to work for. When they rode off into the night with the background of sparklers still glowing and waving, I thought it was a perfect ending of a delightful evening, and a wonderful beginning for a delightful couple. For more wedding ideas read all our blog posts. Chicago Wedding DJ For information on booking Al Mitchell or any of our DJs, call us at (630) 372-TUNE or email us at info@ameritune.com

August 22, 2009

DJs in Elgin, Il

Filed under: DJs in Elgin Il — Tags: , , , — admin @ 4:11 am

If you’re looking for the best DJs in Elgin, IL  , Ameritune DJs and Video is your answer. Last weekend, I played at the wedding of Jennifer and Jake Fuller on the West side of Elgin in a tent at the grooms parents estate. This was a first class affair all the way. Their Bridal Consultants ( Cathy and her assistant from Tying The Knot in Hinsdale, 630-920-3771) were working doubletime to keep everything flowing smoothly.  They had their hands full trying to keep the caterer on schedule, and coordinating valet parking, florist, DJ, photographers, a large bridal party, and a guestlist of over 200 people with a large area for them to roam.  They pulled it off nicely and even managed to rig up some cool candles in bags, so people could see between the tent and patio area. The weather man cooperated with an 85 degree sunny day, it was a little warm in the tent, but there were a lot of fans, and it cooled off to about 75 after sundown.

Beautiful table settings and flowers

Beautiful table settings and flowers

 Jennifers parents and many of their guests were  from Poland. There is a fun traditional Polish sing along called Stolat that ends with a toast to the happy couple. After his speech, the Father of the Bride  introduced cousin Marlin who led the singing and got the dinner started off with a great vibe.

Stolat led by Cousin Marlin

Stolat led by Cousin Marlin

Cocktail and dinner music was specified by Parents of the Bride to be a mix of  my live dinner music  along with some favorites by Dean Martin, Michael Buble, and Frank Sinatra. I made a 2 cd set and gave it to them at the end of the night and they were very grateful. Jennifer and Jake picked a lot of songs and their guests made lots of requests. For a normal length wedding this would have been impossible to do, but their reception went from 5pm to 1:30 AM. Thats 8 1/2 hours!! Holy cow, these folks know how to party! The dancefloor was packed for the whole time. It actually would have gone longer, but the neighbors were tired and wanted to go to sleep. Time is the biggest advantage of having the wedding at a house. A hall will kick you out after about 5-6 hours, but no time limit when you are in your own backyard. I was glad for staminas’ sake that I had set my equipment up the day before. I wasn’t tired at all because it was a kicking party, we really could have gone on all night.

Sexy Back or Sweaty Back?

Sexy Back or Sweaty Back?

DJs in Elgin, Il

Jen and Jakes choreographed first dance (Everything by Michael Buble) set the tone for a great night, and later, they got a chance to really have fun on the dancefloor when all the pressure was off. Other cool things about this wedding was that the Photographer (Glen Abog) set up a laptop outside the tent and had his pictures from the day running on a slideshow. That was awesome, but his hourly package was over by 9:30. I really hate it when the photographer  leaves early. They force the DJ to do all the traditions waaaaay too early. Its not good for the party. I recommend finding a photographer with an all night package, or at least a late night package. One other really cool thing was the anti portapotty. I’ve never seen anything like this before but they had a spacious converted utility trailer for the mens and womens restrooms. It was elegant inside and hooked up with water and electric so you could flush the real toilets and wash your hands in a real sink, three stalls too. I felt like I was in an upscale restaurants washroom. I would’ve taken pictures, but people always look at you funny when you bring a camera to the bathroom…..If you are looking for the best  Elgin DJs andElgin wedding video in the Chicagoland area give Ameritune a call at (630) 372-TUNE (8863).  Wanna have a great party? Read more of our blog posts and learn. Chicago Wedding DJ

August 20, 2009

D’Andrea Banquets

Filed under: D'Andrea Banquets — Tags: , , — admin @ 12:45 am

On August 8th, 2009 I played at D’Andrea Banquets for the wedding reception of  Jackie Chybik and Malcolm Heath. The reception was unusually long- from 5 pm till midnight. It takes a special group to dance four and one half hours, and these folks rose to the task. Right from the start, I knew it was going to be a good party because it was a younger group and it was at D’Andreas in Crystal Lake. The food and bar are excellent and I always seem to have great parties there. I took a picture of the beautiful sweets table that was opened after dinner.

Sweets table looked and tasted great

Sweets table looked and tasted great

There were all ages at this wedding, especially a large number of 20-30 year olds, which usually makes for a dance floor with more stamina.

Younger group that was ready to dance

Younger group that was ready to dance

 They placed Heath bars at every table for each guest. Everyone likes edible party favors! (Malcolms last name is Heath)

Heath Bars at the Heath Wedding

Heath Bars at the Heath Wedding

Malcolm and Jackie picked a lot of music, some songs I had never heard of before, like around fifty songs in total.  For a lot of weddings, this would be impossible, but they had an extra long reception. It wasn’t easy, but I got almost all of their requests in. The guests made a lot of requests too, these people were party animals! I played a lot of 80s at this party.  I dedicated “God Bless The USA” for all the quests who had served in the military. 

D'Andrea Banquets

I took that picture after four hours of dancing and they were still going strong! Ienjoyed playing for Jackie and Malcolm, they are a sweet couple, and I love that family.  Looking for a DJ? You can see a two minute version of  Als demo online, or a longer version at the Ameritune office. Call (630) 372-TUNE (8863) for pricing and availability. For more great wedding ideas read our blog at Chicago DJ

August 19, 2009

Hawaiian Theme Wedding in Chicago

Filed under: Hawaiian Theme Wedding In Chicago — Tags: , , — admin @ 7:13 pm

Last week, I played a Hawaiian Theme wedding in Chicago at The Seville Banquet Hall in Streamwood, Illinois. We do a lot of weddings at The Seville, as they have recommended us there for the last 15 years or so, the food and service are always great there, btw. The Bride and Groom, Mark and Kim Mendralla had actually gotten married a few months earlier in Hawaii, and wanted to have a somewhat casual Hawaiian themed reception to celebrate with friends and relatives. They wanted a lot of Jimmy Buffet, and Island music played during cocktails and dinner, so I made them a nice 2 cd set to play, and later gave it to them it as a gift. Outside in the lobby, there was a cutout of a Hula Dancer “handing Out” leis.

A cutout Hula Girl to welcome guests with a Lei

A cutout Hula Girl to welcome guests with a Lei

Inside the room, there was more Hawaiian Theme, thanks to a family friend who has this stuff and volunteered to bring  and set it up.

Hawaiian theme decorations

Hawaiian theme decorations

Mark and Kim just wanted to have a good time with their friends and family. Their great attitutude, the island music, and Mark (The bartender) proved to be all it took to create a real positive vibe in the room. Since Mark and Kim had their wedding videotaped in Hawaii, and wanted to show everyone their video, we set up The Big Screen Presentation and let their video run without sound during cocktails and dinner.

Chicken Dance with video screen in corner of room

Chicken Dance with video screen in corner of room

 Near the end of dinner, Dr. Nick showed up in his Hawaiian Elvis get up and started the party off with a bang. Here he is singing  I Can’t Help Falling In Love With You while Mark and Kim open the dancefloor.

Elvis Singing the first dance

Elvis Singing the first dance

Well needless to say, these guys had an awesome wedding! Lots and lots of good times, and the dancefloor was packed all the way to the end of the night. It was my pleasure to be their DJ. You can learn a lot about weddings if you read all our blog posts- Chicago wedding DJ . Ameritune DJs and Video is available for all occasions. Call us at (630) 372-TUNE (8863) and see why The Knot rated us Best of Weddings for the last 3 years.

August 7, 2009

Arlington Heights DJ

Filed under: Arlington Heights DJ — Tags: , , , — admin @ 12:39 am

This week, on August 1st,  I was an Arlington Heights DJ. Sort of… I provided sound at the annual Mitsuwa Marketplace Japanese Summer Festival. The Mitsuwa Marketplace is a great place to get hard to find Japanese items, and delicious food. My job was to provide a sound system with mixing board and microphones for the various groups and MC. Its always an adventure with the weather when you’re an Arlington Heights DJ playing outside. Mother nature gave us some sprinkles, and I had to get out the tarps a few times, but by the end of the days events, (about 8:30) the weather was perfectly clear and the temperature was comfortable all day.

JASC Tsukasa Taiko Drummers

JASC Tsukasa Taiko Drummers

The  events began with a Montessori group singing some Traditional Songs, they were cute, young and very talented. They were followed by a large adult group pictured above. Taiko Drumming is beautiful to watch as they dance while playing. It sounds awesome, and I was hearing it in my head as I layed down to sleep that night. The ryhthms were intoxicating and the group was very precise. In between performances, while the main group was setting up their various drums, a duo played traditional Japanese instruments. Unfortunately, I did not write down the names of the performers or their instruments.

The duo played while the larger group changed sets

The duo played while the larger group changed sets

This group performed intricate dancing while playing their drums. The costumes were vivid, the beat made me want to dance too.

taiko-dancing-drummers

taiko-dancing-drummers

Later, there were more musicians and the singer, Yoko sang some traditional Japanese folk songs.

Arlington Heights DJ

There was an impressive Karate demonstration, more drummers, some airline ticket giveaways, and the grand finale was a Japanese Tradition call the Bone Dance. It’s actually a series of dances performed over and over while traveling in a circular pattern. The leaders of the dance (decked out in their traditional Kimonos)  invited everyone to participate. The moves were simple enough to figure out, but also challenging enough to make it interesting. The music was simple, and happy and there was lots of smiling. I can hear the melodies in my head again when I look at these pictures. I made the Kimono ladies laugh when they saw me trying to follow along with them. Yep, I usually have that effect on people when they see me dance!

The Bone Dance Was A Hit

The Bone Dance Was A Hit

After a brief break, we went right back to Bone Dancing, and this time just about everyone in attendance joined in the fun. Young, old, all shapes and sizes having a good time.

Fun for all

Fun for all

This is about the 10th year we have provided sound for the  Mitsuwa Summer Fest as Arlington Hts DJs. Every year the attendance seems to climb, and its always a great time.  If you have a chance to come out next August, I highly recommend stopping by, its FREE!!! If you’d like to book Ameritune for your special event, call (630) 372-TUNE (8863) for pricing and availability. For more blog - Chicago DJ

August 4, 2009

Chicago Northwest Marriot

Filed under: Chicago Northwest Marriot, Hoffman Estates DJs — Tags: , , , — admin @ 12:09 am

Last weekend Ameritune’s Jim Schneeberger played at the Chicago Northwest Marriot in Hoffman Estates, IL. Here’s what he had to say- Guillet/Schulte Wedding 8/1/09. Wow. This wedding was for over 400 guests, and took all the room the Chicago Northwest Marriot had to offer. The room looked wonderful. I believe the Groom’s family came from the Millwaukee area and were huge Packer fans. The wedding colors were Green centerpieces and Yellow napkins, Vince Lombardi himself would’ve been proud. Cocktail hour was held in the lobby, as hotels seem to be doing these days. Intros were scheduled for 6 pm, but we didn’t start getting the guests  in the dinner room till  just after 6, and it took a good twenty minutes.

Chicago Northwest Marriot

The Bridal Party entered to “Freaks Come Out At Night” by Whodini and they all did a little routine as they crossed the dancefloor. The Bride and Groom entered to Todd Rundgrens ‘Bang On The Drum”. They play this at all the Packers games when the Pack scores. There were 4 speeches, a Prayer and Cake Cutting to do before dinner was served. The speeches were all very entertaining (but went a little long)  By the time dinner was served, it was 7PM. This wedding was unique because various relatives of the happy couple wished to play instruments and sing songs to them during dinner. This was a very musical and talented family. This did not interrupt the food service at all. The service took a very long time. Even though it was a large group, much of the staff seemed to be working slow and waiting to be told what to do, but  I must say, the food was excellent! We enjoyed the filet and chicken, and the filet was cooked perfectly, even though it probably sat for a while, waiting to be served. It was already after 9PM and desert was just being served. We decided to not wait any longer, and began the dancing at that time. Once we started dancing, the floor was never empty, all night. I started  with a request list of 35 songs, and added 17 more throughout the night. I was able to get 34 out of the 52 in, that’s a lot! Everybody seemed to enjoy almost every song played- young and older. It was a dominant younger crowd, but this seemed to bring out the inner children of a lot of the elder guests.

Having a good time

Having a good time

Huge songs were The Cha Cha Slide, Thriller, Shout, Ice Ice Baby, Cher’s Believe, Since You’ve Been Gone, and Go Your Own Way. Ballroom music like Cha Chas and Tangos were big hits as well. Again, a very entertaining and talented group. The Bride and Groom had graduated from the University Of Iowa and had a lot of Hawkeye alumni there to celebrate with. They took a Hawkeye alumni picture in the lobby then I played their fight song and they carried the Groom over their head to the dance floor. I saw the groom raised in the air several times that night.

Dollar Dance

Dollar Dance

The dollar dance was about 4 songs long and as guests came up to dance with the Bride and Groom, they pinned money to the tuxedo or dress, as you can see, this made for a fun picture of them  all decorated with $$$. Ameritunes Videographer  (Robert) would set off into the crowd on the dance floor, and 15 or 20 minutes later, he would come out like he had been in a battle. I would give him a napkin and water like a prizefighter in his corner. At the end of the night, all of the guests looked like they were at a sporting event. The local cleaners should thank Ameritune, Hoffman Estates DJs,  for all the business this week. In summary this was a Large, Very Fun, Wild, but well behaved group. Everyone was so nice, and had a lot of good clean fun. No spilled drinks on the dance floor either. Amazing!  For booking info call Ameritune at (630) 372-TUNE (8863). Read more blog at Chicago DJ

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