Boston DJ - 5 Star Events Disc Jockey Company

What a weekend!! Since this wedding was a good drive away, I thought I’d bring my family along and we’d stay for the night. We rented a room at the Fairfield Inn & Suites, Marriott hotel which was about a mile from the Exeter Inn. My wife and kids stayed behind enjoying the pool and Historic Exeter while I went to work. We were seriously gone for only a little over 24 hours but it seemed like a mini vacation.

Before I go any further, I have to say we loved the Fairfield Inn & Suites. We found the hotel to be immaculate and everyone that worked there to be extremely pleasant & friendly.  We especially enjoyed the complimentary breakfast!!

Now on to the wedding. What can I say, it was awesome!! It was my first time at the Exeter Inn and everyone there, especially Shannon Cote the catering sales manager, was accommodating and helpful. The food was excellent, I had the beef,  and the room was perfect for the 80 or so guests that were in attendance. I don’t think the guests traveled too far to get to the reception but the Inn and the historic town gave it a very “destination wedding” feel.

I’ve worked several weddings with Janet & Mark’s friends and I knew it would be fun, but these people were there to party!! Once the dancing started, it didn’t stop. I think I may have played 3 slow songs for about 3 1/2 hours. The crowd was mostly younger and the music was mixed to suit. We covered all the current Kiss 108 hits & club anthems as well as quite a few old school classics. Some crowd favorites included Diamond Girl by Nice & Wild, Buffalo Stance by Neneh Cherry, Be Faithful by Fatman Scoop, and Juicy by Notorious B.I.G..

Here are some photos below. If you’ve been following my blog, I’ve been working on my photography skills. My pics seem to be getting better every week thanks to my friend, genius photographer, Doug Bradshaw of Bradshaw Photography. He’s been showing me the ropes and has been very patient. 🙂 If you are in need of a very talented wedding photographer he should make your short list, seriously, he’s brilliant.

The latest edition to my camera bag is the Demb Flip-It.  It was created by an amazing local photographer – Joe Demb. Unfortunately, if you’re looking for a wedding photographer, he’s no longer for hire. He’s now using his camera knowledge to invent products for the photography masses. His device “turns the harsh shadows of ordinary flash photography into portrait-like lighting” (quote taken from his website) . I find that it takes images that would normally look flat & gives them dimension.  I could see the difference right away in my cameras display. For $28 (the cost of the flip-it)  I’m really happy with the results.  If you’re a professional photographer or a hobbyist like me, I highly recommend checking it out!!

Here’s a some pics from a Bat Mitzvah at Hotel Marlowe. Great time had by all!!

And what an amazing space. Maggie Kirk my liaison  from Hotel Marlowe could not have been more accommodating. We had are own “green room” stocked with soda, snacks, dinner and a tasty cheesecake from the Cheescake Factory!! Could life get better?

It could and it did. 🙂 From beginning to end the party-goers danced, danced and danced some more. What a night!!

A killer request list and a packed dance floor made Justin & Elizabeth’s Atkinson Country Club wedding a dream dj job. The bride & groom kicked off the party with Bruno Mars and the dance floor was jam packed till the end. Check out the slide show for proof!!

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Steve & Liz have an amazing story. 20+ years after high school they reconnected by chance through Facebook. Their FB chats led to an engagement and todays heartfelt & emotional wedding ceremony and reception.
Amateur photos in this slide show taken by me, Greg Hodges of 5 Star Events Disc Jockey. I was also spinning the tunes:-) Professional photos by Doug Bradshaw (bradshawphotography.com). Video cinematography by Tim Briggs of Visions Forever (visionsforever.com). Both are amazing professionals!!

Here are some of the detail shots from Amanda & Craig’s wedding. They spent a ton of time planning for this wedding and it was truly amazing. After the event, I heard the Black Rock servers mention that it was the funnest of all the weddings they had attended!!

What a party!! When I met Brendan & Michelle, I knew their reception was going to be crazy. Up front, I was told there would be 4 hours of dancing and no slow songs!! Most receptions get 2 1/2 hours of dancing if we’re lucky. 4 hours is just AWESOME!!.

Michelle told me this was gonna be a party that wouldn’t stop & I believed her. I’ve driven by their house on several occasions when the street was lined on both sides with cars attending parties at her house. People everywhere, and you drive by the next morning, and everyone is still there. Let me tell you, this wedding lived up to the hype. It was ridiculous!! There was dancing, dancing and more dancing, oh and some drinking too!!

Check out the pictures. Some highlights included Bagpiper – Bob Ferguson for the ceremony, a monogram by creative uplighting (www.creativeuplighting.com), an entrance to Crazy Train by Ozzy and a Piano Man last song. I got to work with some long time friends including Nancy Green (www.nancygreen.com) and Reverend Donna Cunio. The Canoe Club Ballroom was the perfect place for this reception. In my mind, no better spot for a party.

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A collection of photos from Kurt & Holly’s September 11th ceremony & reception at the beautiful Pierce House. Musical highlights at the ceremony included the Vitamin String renditions of Don’t Stop Believing, God Only Knows & All You Need is Love and from the Movie Juno, Barry Louis Pollisar’s – All I Want Is You. At the reception, spotlight songs included Ray LaMontagne’s – You Are The Best Thing, Stevie Wonder’s, Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I’m Yours), Let My Love Open The Door by Pete Townsend and the Kings of Leon’s smash – Use Somebody.
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To make the day just perfect, Kurt & Holly hired an exceptional team of vendors including:

Catering:
Tastings Caterers
www.tastingscaterers.com

Photographer:
Bob Perachio
www.rdphotography.com

Videographer
Dennis Carroll

Officiant
Justice of the Peace
Beverly Cook
beverly@beverlycookjp.com

Labor Day Weekend 2010 from Greg Hodges on Vimeo.

It’s been a long time coming, but here’s my new website and blog. I’m excited it’s finally here. Now I just need the time to keep it up to date. That seems to be the biggest issue with blogs.

So here’s my first installment and it’s only fitting that Pia & Brian have the first post. Their wedding just passed and I’m happy to say I’ll be adding them to to my Top 10 Weddings of All-Time. I really don’t have a list per-say, but after 25 years there are weddings that I’ve been part of that I’ll never forget. This is surely one of them.

Pia & Brian are a couple that as soon as you meet them, you feel like you’ve known them your whole life. They’re warm & thoughtful and really take the time to make you feel appreciated. Today it seems as though everyone’s in a rush and these niceties are often overlooked.

In addition to the music Pia & Brian entrusted me with the lighting and some of the décor. I am part owner of Creative Uplighting an event lighting company that typically provides wireless LED uplighting and monograms. We usually don’t do anything that involves ladders or scaffolding. This event was different, Pia and Brian contracted us to provide the uplighting but also 50 chinese lanterns, a fabric lined ceiling & an 18’x20′ black & white checkerboard dance floor. This space has 30′ ceilings so we had our work cut out for us.

Rather than ramble on about the details, I’d love you to see the results. Here’s a Same Day Edit video produced by the very talented wedding videographer Jeff Brouillet. If you’re looking for a wedding videographer, I highly recommend his work. You can see it at www.hdjeff.com.

Pia & Brian had an amazing staff including:

Photographer – Nancy Gould
Videographer – Jeff Brouillet Films
Celebrant – Cindy Matchett – Meaningful Weddings
Florist – Nicole Pirani – Blooms of Hope
Caterer – Cuisine Chez Vous
Event Lighitng – Creative Uplighting