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September 8, 2010

Willowbrook Ballroom Weddings

Filed under: Willowbrook Ballroom Weddings — Tags: , , , — admin @ 7:25 pm

Ameritune is the DJ of choice for Willowbrook Ballroom Weddings. On September 5th, 2010 Ameritune’s Al Mitchell  played for the wedding reception of Cassie and Rich Facko.  I was booked from 6 pm to 11:30 pm, but unfortunately, they only had the hall until 11pm. That was a little uncomfortable, because I was booked to  play till 11:30. I’ve never seen a banquet package that was only 5 hours long, but every hall is different. Something to keep in mind for those of you who are planning a wedding- make sure everyone is on the same page as far as start and end time goes. I’m not sure why the hall wouldn’t let me play that last 1/2 hour anyway, but they were pretty firm to say the least…. BTW- The food at Willowbrook Ballroom was really good! They had family style and everything was top notch! Atmosphere was cool too. A little dark, but they had lots of stage lights that could be turned on to brighten things up. After the exciting entrance of the bride and groom, (on a tandem bicycle mind you) they immediately had their First Dance which was Long as I live by John Michael Montgomery.

Dr. and Mrs. Rich Facko

Dr. and Mrs. Rich Facko

The cake cutting was immediately after the first dance and got a little messy

Getting a little messy

Getting a little messy

…then on to dinner with 3 beautiful toasts by the Mother of the Bride, Best Man, and Man of Honor. Dan, the Man of Honor was feeling a little tipsy so he delivered his toast while seated at the head table, he had everyone laughing and set the mood for some wacky animal sounds. If you wanted Cassie and Rich to kiss, you had to make an animal sound in my mic!  One little snafu during dinner was the video presentation. They made it themselves and were going to use the house video system at the ballroom to show it. I’m not sure what the problem was, but they could never get it to work. BTW, did I mention that Ameritune offers a video montage service? Yes we do. ’nuff said…..

Anyway this was an A+  group, they danced like crazy, I played tons of requests and 11:00 came way too soon. They would have gone till 1 or 2 am if we had more time. The last song was Holidae Inn by Chingy, cause that’s where everyone was going. I thank Cassie and Rich and their parents for having me and for their more than generous tip at the end of the night . My camera ran out of batteries, so I couldn’t take many pics but there are more pics on our facebook page. Just do a search for Ameritune. If you’d like to read more DJ Tips click here. Call (630) 372-TUNE (8863)  for booking and availability.

September 2, 2010

Barrington Weddings

Filed under: Barrington Weddings — Tags: , — admin @ 10:33 pm

If you need DJs or video for Barrington Weddings, check out Ameritune. Last weekend on August 27th, 2010 Ameritune’s  Al Mitchell played at Macray Memorial Golf Club for the wedding of Libby and Justin Gullion. What a great party it was!  Justin and Libby split their cocktail hour outside the room in the beautiful Macray foyer with a pianist and inside the room with my music. Of course, I wasn’t there for the first few minutes because I left my pants at home and had to go back and get them.  I thought about doing the wedding in my shorts, but nahhhh, my legs are too hairy. No problem, just start the cocktail cd and drive like hell. Good thing I was really early…….. I got back in plenty of time and no one noticed that I wasn’t there.  Justin and Libby went right to the cake from introductions. I’m not sure why all the halls are making us do it this way. They always say “We need to cut the cake for desert”, but then they just let it sit there for most of the dinner.  Intros were I got a Feeling by the Black Eyed Peas. They cut the cake to How Sweet It Is by James Taylor. Those songs don’t really go together which is why I’d prefer to do the cake cutting after the prayer and toasts….

Dancing in to I Got A Feeling

After Justin’s Grandfather said grace (in his shorts), I knew then that I liked these people. Darn, I didn’t have to drive home after all, I coulda matched grandpa! Hey, he had nicer legs than mine, btw. I remembered several of the guests from the last time I worked for them. I DJ’d for the brides sisters wedding a few years ago, and they were a fun bunch then, too.  The dad/daughter dance was joined in halfway through by all dads and daughters as was the mom/son dance. This is a nice touch and really gets your guests involved. Not that they needed any help, they were pedal to the metal from the beginning. I love to DJ these kinds of parties! I’d like to thank Justin and Libby for being so kind and gracious to the videographer, photographer and me by setting up a separate dinner table for us. We were able to order off the menu from the restaurant downstairs. Very nice, I had tilapia that was perfectly prepared.

Justin and Libby Gullion

Justin and Libby Gullion

First Dance was It’s Your Love by Faith Hill and Tim McGraw. I played a healthy amount of oldies and a few country songs for this group.  But mostly because there were a lot of younger people, I played lots of newer dancy stuff.  They loved it and I mixed it up to keep everyone involved. There were lots of requests from the guests, and I think I played them all. Justin and Libby didn’t pick too many songs giving me the freedom to do what I do best, read the crowd. It worked. Here’s a link to a short clip of the last dance,  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCkxKWT7SKQ and if you’d like to see more pics visit our facebook page http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=23755&id=106679629369457&saved#!/pages/Elgin/Ameritune-DJs-and-Video/106679629369457?ref=ts and if you still want more, you can read more of our blog here DJ Party Tips.

August 26, 2010

D’Andrea Banquet Weddings

Filed under: D'Andrea Banquets — Tags: , , , — admin @ 2:50 pm

This past weekend I played at D’Andrea Banquets for Kim and Adam Collins. D’Andrea Banquet Weddings  are always well run affairs, as they pay great attention to all the small details.  As usual, food and bar service was excellent, and my dinner was scrumptious! Kim and Adam had a great group of friends and relatives in attendance. There was a great vibe in the room, especially after the Sports Themed intro, I played a jock jams mix and then a special mix of the Blackhawks goal song. They entered the room with Adam in a Cubs jersey and Kim in a White Sox jersey. After the Father of the Groom gave a beautiful, emotional toast, he was followed by the Maid of Honors, and Best Man’s funny toasts.  Everyone was in the mood to party! During dinner, in order to get Kim and Adam to kiss you had to do the hula hoop. This is one excellent way to get everyone in party mode.

Hula hooping to get Kim and Adam to kiss

Hula hooping to get Kim and Adam to kiss

 

Eventually it was first dance time, they went old school with Elton Johns Your Song. Notice Ameritune’s cool dance lighting- Kim and Adam are in a spotlight with white daisies revolving around them in a mirrorball pattern, the red and green dots are Al’s lasers.

Adam and Kim Collins

Adam and Kim Collins

Here’s a short video clip  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSOtFmy9F9o    This was primarily a younger group, but we took care of all the age groups attending, and the dance floor was packed from start to finish.

Having a good time!

Having a good time!

Watch a short video of this party http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95XvyHp0BCg

I wish Kim and Adam all the success in the world and thanks them for their generosity! For more info on Ameritunes DJ or Video sevice, give us a call at (630) 372-8863   read more DJ BLOG    For more pictures of this wedding, and others visit us on facebook.

August 23, 2010

Villa Olivia Weddings

Filed under: Villa Olivia Weddings — Tags: , — admin @ 6:20 pm

This last weekend I played close to home at Villa Olivia in Bartlett. Villa Olivia Weddings are usually six hours long, and many times the ceremony is there too. Not this time, though. Reception only for Ron Richard and Becky Marto. It was on Friday August 20th, 2010. If you are looking for Bartlett DJs, then you should call Ameritune at (630) 372-8863. Since we started off late (at 7:15), everyone was a little anxious to get dinner going. This was a 2 hour open bar event, so we were careful not to waste any of the open bar time. We had 1 hour before dinner and 1 hour after dinner. After that, the guests could go to the lobby bar and purchase their own libations. Which they did!

Ron and Becky Richard

Ron and Becky Richard

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiloUlVQEW8   to see a short video of their first dance. Click here to see another video of people dancing http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lP8LOk_B34

After 3 beautiful toasts,  the staff served us dinner in their usual quick fashion. Villa Olivia dinners are probably the fastest in the area at about 1 hour long. The best thing about dinner- sounds crazy but I love their ranch dressing. I know, I’m weird. Actually all of the meal was great, but I wish I could buy a bottle of that Ranch. First dance was Cater To You by Destiney’s Child.  Followed by The Dad/ Daughter dance and the Mom Son dance.

Becky and Dad Dance

Becky and Dad Dance

Becky and her Dad, Chris danced to Daddy by Beyonce and Ron and his mom Pat danced to Mama by BoysIIMen. Ron submitted a list of songs to me that I was able to get for the wedding and I played requests of course. The party went a lot later than Ron and Becky thought it would. I think it was around 1 AM when we played the last song. We sent Becky and Ron off to their Hawaiian honeymoon with a romantic song by Elvis. Everyone made a circle around them and moved in and out and we ended a beautiful reception for the new Mr and Mrs Richard. Click for more DJ Blog.

August 18, 2010

Concord Banquets

Filed under: Concord Banquets — Tags: , , — admin @ 2:46 pm

This past Sunday I played a wedding at Concord Banquets in Killdeer, IL. The wedding of Michael and Michelle Cataletto (formerly Perez). This was an interesting wedding for several reasons. Michaels family was from New York and were of Italian descent. Michelles family were from around here and were of Mexican descent. As a gift to her relatives, the mother of the Bride contracted for a Mariachi group to play during dinner. Now, one of the reasons that Michael and Michelle picked me to play at their wedding was because of my live dinner music.  Mom wanted Mariachis, so I didn’t play my live dinner music. Oh well, that’s how it goes. The band was a little too loud, but played very well. The brides side loved them and I think the New York contigient enjoyed them too. I felt a little funny not playing my live stuff, but I liked their music and sat down and enjoyed a wonderful dinner at the Concord. Dinner began with some a pasta course with marinara, then a mixed green salad with an oil and vinegar based dressing, followed by a huge Filet Mignon main course with potato and vegetable. Dessert was Cherries Jubilee with a flaming presentation on the dancefloor. The mariachis kind of ran over their flaming presentation, but I don’t think anyone really cared. There was also a coffee and sweets table that people were chowing down on for dessert as well. Food quality was excellent.

Michael and Michelle picked some interesting songs for their reception. The first dance was a very romantic version of Historia del Amor (sorry can’t remember the artist). The dad- daughter/mom- son dance was together at the same time to La Vie en Rose by Melissa Manchester. In total, they picked about 50 songs (heavy on  Gloria Estefon) for dancing and a lot of them were not your typical wedding reception songs. I was able to play almost all of their songs, as well as several requests from the guests. Folks had a good time, and the dancefloor was pretty much full till the end  of the party. That’s real good for a Sunday night. We sent them off on their Italian honeymoon with That’s Amore by Dean Martin with Michael and Michelle in the middle of the circle of guests on the dancefloor. Great party and I wish them the best of luck on their bright future. Read more DJ Party Tips.Call Ameritune at (630) 372-8863 for info on how to book Al or any of our DJs.

August 12, 2010

Kemper Lakes Wedding

Filed under: Kemper Lakes Wedding — Tags: , — admin @ 1:21 pm

I’ve been lazy on my blog for a while, so back to work! This past weekend I played a Kemper Lakes Wedding for Kyle and Kelly Laudermilk. There were one hundred and seventy five guests, so it was a good sized event. Kelly and Kyles instructions to me were to play more for the younger guest, and not too much for the older relatives. They had been to a wedding recently that dragged as the DJ they saw was playing mostly for the oldsters. Since they had a lively, young group, they wanted more of an up tempo, party atmosphere, rather than typical wedding favorites. And not too many slow songs.  When you book me (Al Mitchell) as your wedding DJ , you get what you want, so I followed their wishes.

Wow, what a blast.  It started with a very messy cake cutting and then the toasts. There were three of them and they were all really good. All 3  were a little long, and I teased Frank, the Father of the Bride that there was no time left for dinner or dancing after his speech and that we hope everyone had a good time. I knew I could get away with busting him a little because he was making everyone laugh (and cry) during his toast. After a delicious dinner, their first dance was Time Of My Life  from the movie Dirty Dancing. Kelly and Kyle had a dance instuctor correograph some moves for them and the crowd went wild as they danced their first dance as husband and wife. I played a few 60s songs for the older crowd, but after that, it was all 80’s, 90’s 2000’s and 2010’s. The dancefloor was packed all night from start to finish, and I think I only played about 4 slow dances. It’s a good thing that I have an aircard for my laptop as they were requesting music that I never heard of. No problem, I just downloaded on the spot- Thanks Itunes! I wish my camera wasn’t at home, I would have a bunch of awesome pics to show you.

Best of luck to Kelly and Kyle, we got them off to a tremendous start. Want to read more DJ Wedding Tips?

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

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.

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