Carrie & Tom's Reception 9-25-10

Another 'dance fest' with a great time had by all! Highlights were the impressive reaction by the crowd on some new lighting I debuted for the first time. (I was actually able to hear the collective 'Oooooh' from the dancers!). I also was introduced to "Backthird Events - 2S Twin Strings ensemble" for the first time as they played the Cocktail hour in the hallway outside the room at the Marriott Oakbrook Hills Resort. They were fantastic! Their string renditions of popular new rock songs were most enjoyable and unique. I was impressed! Also, Benji (one of the group members) is a new addition to our wedding 'think tank' that meets the first Wednesday of each month.

9/18 Renee & Glenn's Reception

It was truly an awe-inspiring event for Renee & Glenn's big day at Concorde Banquets in Kildeer IL. We definitely had 'a tiger by the tail' with their friends and family that came to celebrate their marriage. The only thing we could have improved on (if we had the chance) was getting a bigger dance floor! The crowd consisted of party animals from all the age groups. The hardest thing was slipping in the occasional slow dance and line dance (or two). The next hardest thing was ending the evening as those guests still had a lot of party left in them.

A First for Crestline...

Jeanne & Larry's wedding marked a first (of sorts) for Crestline. In addition to avoidong the over-played, wedding standards, I was politely encouraged to play the 'uncensored' tracks of many of today's urban artists for their wedding on 9/11 at Maxim's Banquets in Chicago. While I had reservations about accommodating this request, there seemed to be only positive feedback. If you are a customer (or potential one) keep in mind that adding the 'explicit' versions to our repertory is not something we are changing. In fact, knowing the situation, Jeanne & Larry thankfully provided the these versions. While avoiding the typical tunes was no problem, I thought the rest was worth mentioning as we generally never hesitate to buy music when needed, provided it can be used for other events. Bottom-line: The party was a smashing success. All the best to Jeanne and Larry for a long and happy marriage. Congratulations!!

Carole's Surprise 50th Birthday Party 9/4/10

Carole was completely shocked as she walked in to what she thought was a wedding at Chandler's Banquets in Schaumburg. After all, she was supposed to be attending a wedding reception (albeit an informal one?!) Not only were the candles blown out, but the NITE was a blow out! This event stands to be one of the best of not the the best birthday party I have done in history - period! After picking the music up during the cake serving, we turned the corner and never looked back! 50+ people stayed glued to the party right up until 12 midnight. There had to be alot of soreness the next day! The honoree, her husband, her sister with her husband and the Mom Kathy (who hired me) spent at least 1/2 hour telling me what a great time they had. This is what I live for. :-)

9/3 Wedding Moved inside on account of Wind/Rain threat

It was an interesting weather day for Justine and Edgar's ceremony and reception at Hotel Baker. The day started off beautiful after an evening's worth of showers. However, it was not only the darkening skies that threatened to put a damper on their festive occasion, but the wind. 40mph gusts to be exact. Not great for picture taking when everything is being blown about! Even though everything was quickly moved inside, the ceremony could not have been more beautiful. The reception consisted of buffet stations and had a relaxed feel because there was no sit-down dinner. While it took an extra effort on my part to get the party rolling, a great time was had by all much to the satisfaction of Justine and Edgar.