Wolfgang Kulhanek and Barbara Ofenboeck were married on Saturday October 17th at the Siena Hotel and Il Palio Ristorante located in Chapel Hill, NC. The Siena is a four diamond hotel and restaurant and was the perfect location for Wolfgang and Barbara to tie the knot. Celia O'Brien did a wonderful job coordinating the ceremony and getting me all set-up in time for the reception. This was my first time experiencing the atmosphere at the Siena and I'm sure it won't be the last.
The first time I met Wolfgang and Barbara was at The Forever Bridal Wedding Show in April. I remember them vividly from the unique questions that they asked and of course by Wolfgang's name. I spoke with them for quite some time and they left to check out the other DJ companies in the show. Approximately one hour later, I looked up and saw Wolfgang and Barbara smiling. "We want you". I knew this reception was going to be a lot of fun after speaking with Wolfgang and Barbara about it. I believe what makes Finest Entertainment stand out from all the other DJ companies is the unsurpassed personal service we provide and our experience.
Shane Snider did a wonderul job taking action shots during the event. Shane is known for "different" wedding photography. I'm excited to take a look at his prints and will post them on here when I receive them. The evening was full of entertaining toasts as well. It was told that Wolfgang and Barbara, both from Vienna, Austria, met on E-Harmony 2 years ago to the date. Janice Mrkonjic stated during her toast "The secret to success is to harmonize". Wolfgang and Barbara danced a waltz as their first dance to Donauwalzer. The dance floor was opened up to Pink "get the party started" and was packed till the end of the evening. I played a mixture of 80's, German and Top 40. We ended the night to Robbie Williams "she's the one".
I wish Wolfgang and Barbara all the best in their life together.
Rebecca Newton and Jared Pope were married on October 10th. Their reception was held at The NC Mutual Life Building located in City Center Durham, in downtown Durham. The families of Rebecca and Jared did a wonderful job decorating the hall for this joyous event. The Bridal Party came into "Supermassive" by Muse while the newlyweds were introduced as Mr and Mrs Jared Pope to "Welcome to the Jungle" by Guns N Roses. Rebecca and Jared then danced to "When I Said I Do" by Clint Black as their first dance. I had goosebumps listening to this song while watching Rebecca and Jared sing to each other. Rebecca then danced with her father to "My Little Girl" by Tim McGraw while Jared danced with his mother to Boyz II Men "A song for mama".
After the buffet, Rebecca and Jared cut one of their three cakes that their families made for them. The dance floor was officially opened to Chris Brown "Forever" and the party began. I felt like I was at a Dancing With the Stars competition throughout the afternoon. Rebecca and Jared's friends take dance lessons at a couple studios in the Triangle area and boy does it show. I was ready to score them after each song (Even Bruno would've gave some high scores). LOL. The Cha-Cha Slide and Cupid Shuffle were hits as well as Brad Paisley's "She's Everything" and John Denver "Annies Song". The last song of the afternoon was Dirty Dancing's "I've had the time of my life".
I had the pleasure of working with Joshua from Elite Photographics and meeting his wife Candy. The newlyweds are honeymooning in The Bahamas (sooooooo jealous right now). I wish you two the best of luck!!
NC State Sorority Delta Zeta had their fall social at The Berkeley Cafe on Friday October 2nd. For those of you who have never been to The Berkeley Cafe, it's located in downtown Raleigh. This venue is well known for having live bands perform. There is a bar area when you first walk in with seating available and the "club" is in the room next to the bar. I had a great set-up there, on stage and being able to use the sound system from Berkeley (which was thumping). I'd like to give a quick "thank you" to Evan, the sound guy, who made sure the music was perfect from his sound booth on the dance floor.
The girls of Delta Zeta, along with their dates, packed the dance floor as I was mixing a little bit of everything for them. Some of the favorites include Lady Gaga "Just Dance" remix, Snoop Dogg and Dr Dre "Gin N Juice" and ACDC "Shook Me All Night Long". I must say that Miley Cyrus "Party in the USA" was by far the most requested and sang to song. At some point during the evening a pair of shoes ended up in my DJ booth. Not exactly sure how that happened (note the pic). LOL. All the sisters from Delta Zeta had a fun and safe evening at their fall social and I look forward to their semi-formal in November.
So the time has come and I'm in search of a few good individuals to work for my company. I figured where else would be a better location then on my blog to advertise. I'm in search of the following 3 positions:
WEDDING CONSULTANT I'm in search of someone to help out and run the wedding industry of Finest Entertainment. This person would make phone calls, send e-mails and meet with prospective brides (through the leads I obtain weekly). This wedding consultant would become part of the entire wedding aspect from the bridal shows, consultations and ceremony/reception. This position is perfect for someone who would like to work from home, besides the occasional weekend gig.
STREET TEAM I'm in search of High School and College students from the area to become part of our street team. The street team helps promote, market and advertise the company through word of mouth, fliers, e-mails and phone calls. This position is perfect for students looking to gain some knowledge in this type of field and earn some extra cash.
DISC JOCKEY/MC I'm in search of a DJ/MC to help out with the overflow of events. I would prefer this person to have their own equipment, however it's not required. Your availability must be week nights (especially Friday nights) and weekends (when required). All types of genre are welcomed.
If any of these positions interest you, please send a quick resume (or bio) along with references (work and personal) to info@FinestEntertainment.net In the subject line please put the position you are interested in (ie "DJ" or "Wedding Consultant"). Interviews will begin shortly. Thanks for you time. My next event coming up is NC State's sorority Delta Zeta's bash on Friday. Until then, stay safe and I'll see you soon.
I had the pleasure of DJ'ing Julia Karcher and Derek Hagen's wedding on Saturday September 19, 2009 at The Castle McCulloch in Jamestown, NC. The ceremony was held at 11am alongside the lake next to the castle. This was my first time DJ'ing at the castle. This was the perfect setting for Julia and Derek's wedding. Julia and Derek are both comedians and have a great sense of humor. I knew this was going to be a great wedding from the initial consultation.
The Bridal party came into U2's "Beautiful Day" and the ring bearer came into the Star Wars Dark Vader Theme while holding onto a lightsaver. Julia and Derek walked into Counting Crows "Accidentally in Love" followed by their first dance by Marc Cohn "True Companion". Julia danced with her father, Robert, to Jessica Simpson's "You don't have to let go" while Derek danced with his mother, Annette, to Bette Midler's "Wind beneath my wings". Julia's Papa, Robert, gave the blessing before the luncheon buffet was served with all the sweat tea one could ever imagine.
The Maid of honor, Jackie Karcher, and bestman, Leland Parker, gave toasts that had everyone cracking up. Even Julia's father, Robert, gave a hilarious thank you toast that started off by saying "When I first met Derek, I thought he was the school janitor". The cake cutting was cut to Pat Benetar's "Hit me with your best shot". Take a look at the cake topper on their wedding cake. It was AWESOME! The girls came out to Cyndi Lauper "Girls just want to have fun" while Derek took off the garter to "Mission Impossible" and threw it to the guys while Queen's "Another one bites the dust".
Even though there wasn't too much time to dance, this reception was hopping the whole time. I played a mixture of oldies, 80's, dance and top 40. A few of the big hits include "Cotton Eyed Joe", the Cha Cha Slide, Cascade's "Every time we Touch" and Sister Sledge's "We are family". Take a look at the picture from the Cha Cha Slide. This crowd could get down, literally. The last song of the afternoon was Dirty Dancing "Time of my life". Julia and Derek are heading to guess where? DISNEY WORLD. Congrats Julia and Derek. You two are made for each other. I look forward to attending one of your comedy shows in the near future.
The Forest Apartments in Durham held their annual resident appreciation pool party on Thursday September 17th. This pool party was originally scheduled for the end of August but was postponed due to rain. The rain held off this afternoon and the pool party was a success. Sheena had the pleasure of DJ'ing this party and played a mixture of new and old music. The place was rocking and the police actually responded for a noise complaint (Sheena, I guess you rocked a lil too much). The music was great as well as the food. We look forward to next year DJ'ing at the Forest.
Being in New York City with all the hype from MTV's VMAs live at Radio City Music Hall, I decided it's a must blog. There is only one word I can say about them. WOW. For those of you who watched the VMAs you know exactly what I'm talking about. Kayne West is by far the biggest jerk of all time and I'm going to boycott him after his latest tirade. Taylor Swift won the VMA for Best Female Video. This was her first award and she was giving her acceptance speech on national television. Kayne came out from nowhere, jumped on the stage, grabbed the microphone from Taylor and stated "Yo Taylor. I'm really happy for you and I'm going to let you finish. But Beyonce had one of the best videos of all time. One of the best videos of all time." ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Not to take anything away from Beyonce's video "Single Ladies" which is a great video. But Kayne stealing the moment from Taylor as she was giving her speech? Kayne "HEARTLESS" West should be ashamed of himself. Not only did he embarrass himself, he embarrassed Taylor, Beyonce, MTV, all artists and furthermore everyone watching the VMAs. After this tirade by Kayne, he was escorted off the premises by MTV officials. Beyonce won video of the year for "Single Ladies" and she had Taylor come back to the stage to finish her speech. Beyonce said "I remember being 17 years old...it was one of the most exciting moments of my life... so I would like for Taylor to come out and have her moment" I think Kayne should be banned from all future MTV award shows. On the red carpet earlier in the evening Kayne was observed drinking from a bottle of Hennessy. Are you kidding me? Maybe he should have left the bottle and acted like a human being and not an animal making a fool of himself. If I recall, last year Kayne was 0-5 in categories he was nominated for and stated "I lost to the ******* Black Eyed Peas last year man. I'm never ******* coming back to MTV." Maybe he should do himself and everyone else a favor and take his own advise and not come back. On a side note, what was Lady Gaga thinking about all of her outfits and her performance of "paparazzi"? At one point Lady Gaga looked like the lion from Wizard of Oz. I knew Lady Gaga was eccentric from the first time I personally met her at a conference but this was extremely eccentric. On an ending note, the VMAs are always full of drama. Then again, isn't everything?
So the summer has come and gone unofficially with Labor day weekend upon us. I was please to have enough time to get away from North Carolina and head home to NYC/MA. It was a really nice weekend meeting up with family and friends. I even had a chance to check out my old DJ'ing spot, which was happening as usual. To cap of the weekend, we enjoyed the demolition derby at the 3 County Fair. I am enjoying the rest of my vacation in NYC and will be attending a Special VIP Single Release Party on Friday for my personal friend Clara Lofaro. I will be posting some pictures from my Labor day weekend in the next week.
I had the pleasure of DJ'ing Sallie Bissette and Andy Renflow's wedding on Saturday August 22nd at the Willow Springs Country Club located in Wilson, NC. I met Sallie and her mother at The Perfect Wedding Guide's Bridal Show earlier this year. Sallie was actually the first bride I booked with down south. From the beginning Sallie told me that she envisioned a "special" grand entrance. Sallie is an alum from Eastern Carolina University. Sallie, like all ECU alum and students, is a die-hard ECU Pirates football fan. I really enjoyed working with Sallie and Andy on this GRAND ENTRANCE. Before every home football game there is a pirate video played that fades into "Purple Haze" as the players run out to the field. Sallie wanted this video to be played while her and Andy ran out during "Purple Haze". However, this wasn't the only "special" part to the entrance. With all the hype involving Jill and Kevin's Wedding Dance Entrance to Chris Brown's Forever on youtube Sallie wanted to incorporate this into the entrance. Everyone who was involved in the wedding came out dancing, even Grandma. Keep looking on our web-site for a link to this entrance.
Andy is an active military officer who wore his dress uniform during the ceremony and reception. Hilton Pittman Photography took some amazing pictures during the wedding. Sallie and Andy's first dance was to Corey Smith's "first dance". Sallie danced with her father, John, to Bob Carlisle's "butterfly kisses" while a slide show of them was being shown through the years. Lisa and Trey were the lucky catchers of the bouquet and garter. Andy took the garter off of Sallie to the Blue Brothers "peter gun theme" and even managed to "bite" Sallie. I played a little bit of everything during the reception. The Glen Miller Band's "stardust" was dedicated to Sallie's grandmother while I played John Denver's "annies song" to celebrate Sallie's parents 35th wedding anniversary. The last song I played was "gone fishing" by Chairmen of the Board. Sallie and Andy exited the ceremony to a sea of bubbles as they left to their awaiting car.
Congratulations Sallie and Andy! You two make a perfect couple and I wish you both the very best.
The Cumberland Cove Apartments located in Raleigh, NC had their resident pool party and BBQ on Saturday August 22nd. This pool party was a blast to DJ. As soon as we arrived their were residents hanging out by the pool waiting for the tunes. The staff at the Cove were busy making hamburgs, hot dogs and "brats". Boy was this food great as well. We played a mixture of music, as we usually do at pool parties. The rain actually held off until the last hour, then it down poured. And when I say down poured, I mean DOWN POURED. LOL. This party was a nice way to start off our extremely busy day. Everyone had a grand ol' time and I look forward to the next pool party. Special shout-out to Sarah from the Cove and Nikki, our lil DJ helper.
