I recently played at the wedding of Abbie Martin and Brian Moore at the Cress Creek Country Club. The date was September 12th, 2009 and the weather couldn’t have been any nicer. 76 and sunny. For those of you who are thinking about when to have a wedding in Chicago, September is definitely the best month for weather. A couple of interesting things about this wedding- First,they had the receiving line outside the room. Big mistake!
Receiving Line outside the room is bad for the party
All those people (about 180) who were in line (for almost the entire cocktail hour) were not in the room taking advantage of Hors d’oevres and open bar. This is a giant waste of your money. I recommend having a receiving line either in Church or at least in the middle of the room so your guests can get properly lubricated. Speaking of being lubricated, they wouldn’t serve me alcohol. Wow. Not a good thing. I hate it when a hall has that policy. You might be thinking that I am a working professional, and I shouldn’t be drinking on the job. I see your point. But that applies more to a waiter, photographer, valet, or videographer. As the DJ, I need to be the fun leader of the party. Believe me, I’m a lot more fun when I’ve had a few. I’m not talking sloppy drunk here, that’s unprofessional and embarrassing. I’m talking about a little buzz, matching your group. If everyone is drinking and I am not, I am an outsider. That’s OK if you want a juke box, or a robot- but if you want me at my best, I need to be on the same level as your guests. OK, I’ll get off my soapbox now…… Anyway, suffice to say, I worked around the rules and got where I needed to be. Oh, and it was nice of the country club to leave me about 2 square feet to set up in.( I’m really not liking this place.) Load in is difficult too, with steep ramps, hairpin curves, a thick carpet and a looooong way between your vehicle and the room. Enough about the lame Cress Creek Countryclub, back to the party….After a Blues Brothers themed intros, there were 4 long but outstanding toasts before dinner, and everyone was in a good party mood.
Leggo my Cake Cutter
Leggo Cake Top made by The Groom
The cake was a special leggo design created by the chef for Brian, who apparently is a big Leggo fan. He made the topper himself. I loved the idea, but it must be hard to make a cake like that. Not very pretty, it was kind of bowed in the middle and sagged in some spots. I didn’t taste it, but they had it cut up with some cookies and coffee on a table later in the evening. Dinner took forever, (about 2 1/4 hours) so we started dancing while people were still eating. This worked out because they had 4 big slow dances in a row, and by the time we finished those songs, most people were about done with their food and ready to dance. Dancing went very well, and it was primarily an older group, so I stayed away from anything rappy till very late in the evening. The floor was packed till the end.
Abbie and Brian Moore
Abbie and Brian and their guests really had a great time at their wedding and were very gracious and generous with me, they are a couple that seem to be true soulmates, and I wish them all the best. And how’s this for cool- they are headed for Thailand on the honeymoon! Awesome. Al from Ameritune is available for your wedding or special event. Call (630) 372-TUNE (8863) for availability and pricing. Read more helpful hints for a great party- Chicago Wedding DJ