Jessica and Connor McGee June 9 2012

It was way back in October of 2010 when Jessica Pryor and her Mom walked into our office to talk about Jessica and Connor’s June 2012 wedding reception.  Jessica was a very busy medical student and wanted to get an early start on her wedding plans so she could focus on her future medical career.  Jessica struck me as someone who was focused, organized and had a bright future ahead.  I was delighted when she selected Black Tie as her entertainment provider and knew ahead of time that it would be a great party!

Flash forward, almost two years later, and Jessica and Connor McGee arrived at their wedding reception to find a fantasy land awaiting them, alive with colors of pink, purple and orange.  All of this was arranged by Peg and Jim from Exceptional Events in Moline, creators extraordinaire of perfect wedding receptions.

Jessica and Connor are ready to celebrate!

Jessica and Connor’s family and their 225 guests at the iwireless center in Moline were a DJ’s dream, packing the dance floor from the very first dance.  This was a great group!

Jessica and Connor’s wedding party included:

Parents of the Bride – Ron and Joanne Pryor

Parents of the Groom – Mike and Taylor McGee

Ushers – Mike Renfro, Chris VanTiem

Bridesmaids – Kate Wojcicki, Sunita Saigal

Groomsmen – Ryan Stack, Liam McGee

Maid of Honor – Caitlin Pryor

Best Man – Sean McGee

Jessica and Connor danced their first dance to “I Won’t Give Up” by Jason Mraz.  We created a custom mix of Phil Vassar’s “She’s On Her Way” for the Father Daughter dance, featuring the voice of Jessica singing at the age of 2.  It was a special moment!

Here are some photo highlights of Jessica and Connor’s unforgettable wedding reception.  Please visit our Facebook page for more photos of the party.

Pink uplighting highlights the columns and pink color wash accents the area behind the head table.

Wedding cake from Heller Cakes. Yummy!

Photo of the parents of the bride at the place card table.

A view from the DJ area.

Custom made guest register.

This is the kind of moment I love to see, when the bride and groom get lifted up on the dance floor by their friends. Totally spontaneous!

Wedding professionals who helped Jessica and Connor celebrate their marriage included:

iwireless center – Venue

Levy Entertainment – Catering

Rick Jennisch – Photography

Exceptional Events – Overall Event Design

MI Studios – Videography

Lori Heller – Wedding Cake

Staack Florist – Floral design

Ducky’s Formal Wear – Formal Wear

A Storybook Ending – Bridal Attire

Radisson on John Deere Commons – Lodging

Black Tie Entertainment – DJ/Emcee/Accent Lighting

Thank you and congratulations to Jessica and Connor as you begin your new life together!  It was an unforgettable evening filled with memories that will last for a lifetime!

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Audra and Brad – April 21 2012

There is one concept that every wedding D.J. must embrace enthusiastically:

Wedding receptions are all about FAMILY milestones and memories.  

Audra and Brad Daufeldt

On November 19, 2005 I was first introduced to the Daufeldt Family at the wedding reception of Kelly Hauser, who married Brent Daufeldt.  Their reception was in the Radisson Quad City Plaza ballroom.  I have a very distinct set of memories from that reception.  The setting was beautiful, one of the most beautiful that I recall from that year.  But more importantly, Brent and Kelly were an amazing couple, and the guests had an absolutely incredible time that night.

Brent and Kelly Daufeldt – First Dance in November 2005 at the Radisson Quad City Plaza

Brent and Kelly cut their wedding cake – 2005

One of Kelly’s bridesmaids was Brenda Daufeldt, Brent’s sister.  Brenda got engaged to a man named Michael Bany, and on August 26, 2006 their wedding reception was held at the industrially chic Hotel Vitro in downtown Iowa City.  I was again honored to be the D.J. at my second Daufeldt wedding reception.  And just like Brent and Kelly’s reception, this was a truly great party!

Brenda and Michael’s wedding cake was stunning, the venue was incredible, but again, the families and the guests in attendance were simply the best.  I have a very vivid set of memories from that amazing night also!

Brenda and Michael Bany – August Wedding Reception at the Hotel Vitro, Iowa City, August 2006

Brenda and Michael’s stunning wedding cake (2006)

The Daufeldt family loves music, country music in particular, and every song selected for their events were what I would call timeless classics.  There were songs from Conway Twitty, Tammy Wynette, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Johnny Cash, The Eagles, Neil Diamond and more.  That makes for a really fun time on the dance floor!

One of the men in Brenda and Michael’s and Kelly and Brent’s wedding party was Brad Daufeldt, the youngest brother in the family.  We were thrilled when he contacted us to announce his upcoming wedding!  The date was to be April 21, 2012 at the Clarion in Iowa City.

There is nothing more heart warming to see the same fun-loving family, after almost six years, getting together to celebrate another family milestone!  There have also been a lot of little additions to the family!

Flower Girl and Ring Bearer’s had been practicing their photo posing, and were really good at it by the time they got to the reception!

Audra and Brad had around 350 guests looking forward to welcoming them when they arrived at the Clarion for their grand entrance around 5:45 PM.

Audra arrives in style in her private tour bus!

The wedding party made their grand entrance to “Thunderstruck” by AC-DC.  Members of the wedding party included:

Parents – Tim and Deb Grieves, Don and Pat Daufeldt

Ushers – Clint Huntrods, Charlie Uthe

Bridesmaids – Callie Pederson, Kelly Littleton, Tracee Wellik, Amy Ducharme, Kay Galvin

Groomsmen – Jeff Wiele, Travis Maurer, Jeff Vedepo, Nolan Grieves, Bryan Daufeldt

Maid of Honor – Emily Grieves

Best Man – Brent Daufeldt

Below are some of the beautiful details of the banquet room:

Pink and Purple floral arrangements, pink sashes, white chair covers and table settings

White and Pink chair covers and pink uplighting. (Uplighting by Black Tie)

Tempting sweets table!

Brad’s wedding cake with the familiar IH logo.

Brad and Audra’s beautiful wedding cake.

Bridal table with pink uplighting

As we expected, Audra and Brad’s guests danced the night away, and we stayed longer than we had planned so that even more fun could be had!  For more photos of the dance floor memories please visit our facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/blacktieentertainment

Wedding professionals that played a role in Audra and Brad’s special day included:

Venue – The Clarion (Highlander) Hotel and Conference Center Iowa City

Photography – Gwen’s Photos North Liberty Iowa

Table Linens and Chair Covers – Best Dressed Bridal and Linens, Cedar Rapids Iowa

Floral – HyVee Waterfront, Iowa City

Ceremony – St. Josephs, West Liberty Iowa

Entertainment and Uplighting – Black Tie Entertainment, Quad Cities

Don and Pat Daufeldt

When the music was over and the dust was settling, it was a privilege for us to again say farewell to Don and Pat Daufeldt, Brad’s parents.  I mentioned to Don that all the children were now married and this would be the last party we would get to do for them.

Don replied, “We still have the grandchildren’s weddings to look forward to!”

Spoken like a true family man.

Congratulations to Audra and Brad, the Grieves and Daufeldt families, as you all begin a new chapter in your lives.

And again, thanks to the Daufeldt family for sharing your children’s milestones with us.   I am sure you will cherish the memories, as will we.

More Elegance, More Value, More Fun in 2012

Our 2012 brides are awesome, and we at Black Tie think they are worthy of “Rock Star” treatment.  Every year we explore new ways to make our brides’ events more elegant, exciting and memorable, and this year is no exception.

So we are happy to announce that we have added a complimentary Focal Point Up-Lighting feature to our Signature Wedding Packages for 2012.  This feature is now offered (free of charge) to all Signature wedding events this year, even if we weren’t offering the option when you booked your event!

The Focal Point Feature means that we will up-light any particular area of your event you wish to highlight, in the color of your choosing.  Many will choose the head table area, but other options include the wedding cake area, dance floor, buffet, you name it!

With this starter package it now becomes even more economical to light your entire venue if you so choose.  We make it easy for you!

One thing that sets our Focal Point Feature apart is the enhancement of our newer up-lighting fixtures.  Most fixtures create a particular color by mixing the primary colors of red, green and blue.  Almost all popular wedding colors can be simulated with a mixture of these three.

However, some colors, such as orange, pink, and white are difficult to reproduce with just these three colors as a base.  White can be accomplished, however the result is a very cold, bluish shade of white.

Our new fixtures simulate colors with the standard Red, Green and Blue L.E.D.’s and add a fourth color, Amber, to the mix.  With the addition of this color we can now create a warmer shade of White in addition to the popular wedding colors like Honeysuckle Pink and Tangerine Tango.  These are all much more realistic when mixing 4 colors instead of 3.

We have also added some battery powered light fixtures to our inventory to assist in lighting areas that may not have convenient access to an electrical outlet.

At Black Tie we believe that investment in innovation is an important part of providing Black Tie Service.

“Let The Fun Begin!”

Breanne and Blake October 1 2011

Breanne Buckrop and Blake Boster celebrated their marriage with an energized and memorable reception at the always elegant Radisson Quad City Plaza in downtown Davenport Iowa.

This likable and photogenic couple had a 2PM ceremony at the Trinity Lutheran Church in Moline on 10/1/11.  Guests began arriving at the tropical atrium inside the hotel shortly thereafter and cocktails were served starting at 5PM.  One hour later the banquet room doors were opened and guests’ jaws dropped as they viewed the floral arrangements designed by Mimi Gabrilson and Ann McCarthy Weber of BASH, and pink up-lighting by Black Tie.

The wedding party was an energetic group and they were anxiously looking forward to their grand entrance!

The Father of the Bride, Dr. Brian Buckrop gave a warm welcome speech and the party was underway!

Members of Breanne and Blake’s wedding party included:

Parents – Brian and Susan Buckrop, Mary and Drew Boster

Ushers – Wesley McCorkel, Joe Fredrickson, Jordan Foy

Bridesmaids – Hanna Koenig, Jamie Carroll, Erin Smith, Erin Koenig, Adrienne Hoffman

Groomsmen – Chris Drish, Ben Hagener

Man of Honor- Kullan Buckrop

Maid of Honor – Amanda Emrick

Best Men – Eric Boster, Andrew Boster

Blake and Breanne made sure that every guest had something to satisfy their sweet tooth after a great sit down dinner served up by The Radisson.  First of all, there was a great candy buffet featuring candies in the couple’s colors of Black, Pink, Gold and Ivory.

And then, to really set this event apart, guests received their own bowl of Whitey’s Ice Cream instead of the usual wedding cake.  What a treat!

Blake and Breanne also had a unique formal dance set to open the dance floor.  Their original selection of songs for the first dance, father daughter and mother son dances set the tone for the fun to follow!

Blake and Breanne used “I Want You To Be My Love” from Over The Rhine as their first dance song.  Breanne and her Father danced to “What a Wonderful World” recorded by Katie Melua and Eva Cassidy.  And the hauntingly beautiful “Blessed” by Elton John rounded out the traditional dances for Blake and his Mother.

Blake and Breanne’s guests put a lot of mileage on the Radisson’s dance floor as the night wore on!

Be sure to visit our facebook page at www.facebook.com/blacktieentertainment for more photos of all the fun!

Wedding professionals who assisted Blake and Breanne included:

The Radisson Quad City Plaza

Duckys Formal Wear

House of Brides

Whitey’s Ice Cream

QC Trolley

Rick Jennisch Photography

Jenny Tunberg (video)

BASH (Mimi Gabrilson and Ann McCarthy Weber – Designers)

Trinity Lutheran Church Moline

Black Tie Entertainment (DJ, Emcee, Uplighting, Dance Floor Monogram)

Thank you to Breanne and Blake and their families for having Robin and I help you to create a memorable day!  We wish you all the very best in your new life together.

Keri and Kenny July 23 2011

Wow, what a party!  Keri Cannon and Kenny Swanberg celebrated their marriage, along with their families and close to 400 guests, in the beautiful Jumers Casino Grand Ballroom on July 23.

It was easy to see that Keri and Kenny are truly loved by their family and friends, and this energetic group of people created a lifetime of memories in one evening.

We arrived mid afternoon to find an amazing variety of floral arrangements being set up by Cathy from Hy-Vee in Silvis.  My wife Robin began setting up the accent lighting in Blue and Teal while I set up our digital BOSE sound system near the dance floor.

It is always our goal to have our sound and lighting equipment set up in such a way to blend into the room and not be visually obtrusive or overpowering.  The photo below is an example of that concept.  The paper lanterns are from Exceptional Events.

Wedding cake was illuminated by lighting from Exceptional Events:

Members of Keri and Kenny’s fun loving wedding party included:

Parents – Kelli and Mark Hoague, Mike Cannon, Debbie and Erik Swanberg

Flower Girl – Taryn Nees

Ring Bearer – Harry Alfonz Van Vooren

Bridesmaids – Katie Douglas, Laina Lagomarcino, Natalie Cartwright, Michelle Imig, Emily Hoague, Rachel Hoague, Nicole Hoague

Groomsmen – Paul Friedrich, Andy Witte, Alvin Carbajal, Jeremy Lundgren, Steve Owen, Kaj Holgersson, Drew England

Maid of Honor – Breanne Forgie

Best Man – Derek Swanberg

Here are some of the stunning floral arrangements:

Floral arrangements were in the colors of Blue and Teal and featured Peacock feathers.

Feathers on the head table:

After a cocktail hour and a plated dinner the guests viewed the video Love Story of the couple, produced by Ruby Media.

Then Kenny and Keri opened the dance floor with their first dance to “”Me and You” by Kenny Chesney.  That dance floor was packed for the duration of the night, right up until the last song of the evening.

A great team of wedding professionals was on hand to help Keri and Kenny, including:

Exceptional Events, Peg and Jim  – event planning and coordination

Jumers Casino – Venue and Catering

I Do Events – Linens

Ducky’s Formal Wear

Celebration Bridal

Vanessa Biasi and Jerousch Bakery Chicago – Wedding Cakes

The Boom Boom Bus

Hy-Vee, Silvis, Cathy- Floral

Ruby Media

Ericandi Photography

Broadway Presbyterian Church

Black Tie Entertainment – Emcee, DJ, Up-lighting

Thank you to the Hoague, Cannon and Swanberg Families for an absolutely wonderful evening!  It was a pleasure being with all of you and we will remember the night for a very long time!

Allison and Colin July 3 2011

The Radisson Quad City Plaza in downtown Davenport Iowa was the setting for the wedding reception of Allison Sanyi and Colin Stringer on the Sunday night before the 4th of July.  Their reception was a fantastic event indeed, framed by a soccer-style introduction of the wedding party, fireworks outdoors at dusk and lots of action on the dance floor until 11:30 PM. 

Black Tie provided the couple with purple and pink up-lighting to accent their décor, featuring the hotel’s premium lighting package for the head table and cake, black chair covers and flowers from Milan Flower Shop.  We also opened Allison and Colin’s Love Story for all to hear for the very first time.

Guests enjoyed cocktails in the atrium until the banquet room opened at 6:00 PM.

Guests enjoyed seeing an elaborate cake displayed on the dance floor along with lots of flower petals and cupcakes.  The cupcakes tasted fantastic!

The flowers from Milan Flower Shop were, as usual, exquisite:

The ballrooms at the Radisson are always a great place to have a wedding reception.  It’s a wonderful setting for a good party!

Members of the wedding party included:

Parents- Ken and Sharon Sanyi, Dennis and Maribeth Stringer

Ushers- Anthony Bacino, Tim Lepore and Kevin Lepore

Bridesmaids – Laura Scherbring, Brittany Stringer, Katie Ryan, Laurie Fritz

Groomsmen – Brandon Violette, Tim Miller, Ryan Lancaster, Calvin Dane

Maid of Honor – Anne Sanyi

Best Man – Andrew Smith

Allison and Colin’s dance floor was packed right up until the last song of the night.

Vendors involved in making their night special included:

The Radisson Quad City Plaza

Ducky’s

The Bridal Room

Olde Towne Bakery

Rick Jennisch Photography (Rick)

GCH Video (Tana)

Milan Flower Shop

St. Paul Lutheran Church

Black Tie Entertainment (Love Story, Emcee, Up-Lighting)

Thanks to Allison and Colin for allowing me to be a part of the big day!

 

Mara and Matt July 2 2011

The wedding of Mara Wiebel and Matt Fanello took place on a typically hot and humid 4th of July weekend in the Quad Cities.  Mara and Matt are two of the nicest people I have worked with this year and it was a pleasure to help them celebrate their once-in-a-lifetime event.

Mara and Matt’s guests were young, full of energy and danced the night away at the i-wireless center banquet room.  Their wedding cake (below- from Heller Cakes) was delightful and delicious!

Here are some of the details of the event.

The wedding party included:

Parents – Ken and Meg Wiebel, Bob and Lori Fanello

Ushers – Josh Marolf, Chris Knock

Bridesmaids- Kelli Fennel, Michelle Greuel, Lisa Harker, Katie VanLauwe

Groomsmen – Scott Valleroy, Austin Greuel, Greg Wiebel, Aaron VanLauwe

Maid of Honor – Emily Wiebel

Best Man – Scott Nelson

Mara and Matt danced their first dance to Etta James’ “Unforgettable”

The last song of the night was the ever popular “Free Bird”.

Mara and Matt spiced up the appearance of the banquet room with our up-lighting in the colors of Blue and White.

Note the great “Candy Bar” below. This is becoming a popular feature at weddings lately.  It’s a feature I’m all in favor of!

Mara and Matt arriving via trolley:

Guests begin arriving:

The Dancing Begins:

Our LED lighting can be used to enhance décor such as the paper lanterns hanging over the dance floor:

In addition to Black Tie, Mara and Matt were assisted by:

The i-wireless center

Rick Jennisch Photography (Felicia and Kristie)

MI Studios (cinematography)

Mens Wearhouse

A Storybook Ending

Lori Heller Cakes

Quad City Trolley

Jane Zimmer (florist)

The Radisson on John Deere Commons

St. Pius Church

Thank you Mara and Matt for allowing me to play a role in your big day!

Guests may use the comment section to send well wishes to the new couple.