{Lighting} Maria and Steve

With New Years Eve fast approaching, I thought I would share some images from one of our events last NYE.

Maria and Steve had a beautiful Wedding at the Loews Hotel complete with a midnight balloon drop :).

Thanks so much to Craig of Single Exposure for the images!

{Video} A Carinwood Wedding with Lighting

Michelle and Sam

It took six workers and almost six hours of labor, but when our team was done setting up for Michelle and Sam’s wedding, we knew we had created something extraordinary.

They had their ceremony and reception at the Loews Hotel at 12^th and Market Street. The Loews is quite an impressive venue and it’s perfect for weddings of 300+ guests like Michelle and Sam’s. Located in the oldest skyscraper in Philadelphia (the PSFS building), the Loews links history and modern elegance as its immaculate renovations deliver a very sleek and contemporary feel. Michelle and Sam came to Synergetic to enhance this beautiful venue with added lighting, draping, A/V upgrades, and of course, good music.

The production crew and I arrived at the Loews at 11:30am. We had a lot of work to do before the ceremony at 6:00pm. We first got to work on the lighting in the Millennium Ballroom where the reception was held. Michelle and Sam added up-lighting in amber, a dance floor wash, and pin-spotting to highlight their 27 centerpieces. We also set up a projector screen directly over the DJ booth that allowed guests to view slideshows of Michelle and Sam throughout the night. Their guests really got a kick out of that!

We also contributed to the ceremony by setting up 40 feet of drape with amber up-lighting.This created a beautiful backdrop that made for some wonderful pictures of Michelle and Sam exchanging their vows.

During the cocktail hour in the Millennium Foyer, I brought Sam into the ballroom to make sure he was satisfied with all the work we had done. He was speechless! The room itself accompanied by the city-scape that surrounds the ballroom made for an amazing sight. After all that work, the party was just getting started.

Michelle and Sam had a lot they wanted to do throughout the reception. They had parent dances, bouquet and garter toss, a traditional tea ceremony, and several slide shows that we projected on our screen. It was important that I kept strong communication between myself and the staff at the Loews to make sure we stayed on schedule. When there is a lack of organization among vendors, a wedding will tend to drag, usually resulting in less dance time at the end of the evening. Dance time is my favorite part of the night! So, before every wedding, I always review the timeline with photographers, videographers, day of coordinators, maître Ds, and any other professional involved in the reception.

On this night, I was able to get a solid two and a half hours of dance time. This is the point where the DJ can make or break your reception. I was recently at a wedding where the DJ was very professional: well-dressed, well-spoken, and handled formalities well. But at the end of the night when he had to show his true DJ skills, he was exposed. If you have guests at your wedding, like Michelle and Sam’s, who are expecting to dance, you need a DJ who can deliver in this spot. It’s these last two to three hours that separates me from your average wedding DJ. So what do I do to keep your guests on the floor?

Before anything, I come to the wedding prepared. Michelle, Sam, and I talked about songs and genres that they thought would work really well with their guests. We also discussed other factors that would contribute to my song selection: the length of the reception, demographic breakdown of guests, and their overall vision of what they wanted from me as a DJ. This information allows me to make a mental blueprint for where I should take the night weeks before the event.

When I’m spinning my music, I try to put myself in the position of the guests on the dance floor. If I was out there with them, what would I want the DJ to do? When mixing song to song, I am constantly aware of tempo, dynamics, and rhythm. By managing these factors, I make seamless transitions and can continuously build the energy in the room without any awkward breaks in the music. This the part of the night your guests will remember the most, so make sure you have a DJ that can keep the dance floor alive.

Michelle and Sam’s wedding was one that I will always remember. It was certainly quite a production! I was very pleased that the Synergetic team and I were able to meet and exceed their expectations with our lighting design and my service as a DJ. Best of luck to them in the future!

For more information on Synergetic, or to set up an appointment, contact Kelly at our office: 215-633-1200.

-Kyle

Thanks so much to Jea Lee Photography for the images.

{Video} Lighting at Cescaphe

{Video} Lighting at The Inn at Penn

Lauren and Martin

Every wedding is different. They each seem to have a life of their own. They unfold before us, sometimes just as you expect, and other times unexpected situations pop up. It is the unexpected situations that I love the most as a DJ. At Lauren and Martin's wedding at the Mendenhall Inn an unexpected situation popped up, but it was a good one.

Lauren and Martin were the quintessential bride and groom. They wanted to dance! And so did their friends. From the second the last meal was served, until the end of the night, their close friends were glued to the dance floor.

Now, Lauren and Martin knew what they wanted. First, they wanted a wow effect in the room. So as you can see from the pictures, up lighting in blue, dance floor wash in amber and a monogram to top it off, gave them the wow factor they were going for. The room really looked elegant. But, there were some things that needed to be addressed to get the room to look this way. Thanks to our Project Manager, Michael, we got all of the calculations we needed, lined up with the right fixtures in the right places to get the room looking the right way. All of our clients work with a project manager when they contract with us.

The Mendenhall Inn is a great place to get to married. The staff is so easy to work with and they serve dinner in a way that allows you and your guests the most amount of time for dancing. I love that.

We also were able to work with Marc from Marc Anthony Photography. Marc took some great pictures and was just so much fun to work with. I have worked with him quite a few times and we always have a good time. Thanks for the pictures Marc!

From there, Lauren really wanted to get people to dance. And she was trusting enough to leave most of the programming up to me. And boy did I get creative. Songs such as “Regulators,”
“Good vibrations,” and “Call On Me,” were played. In fact, as the night went on, the R&B of the late 90’s started to be the music of choice for Martin and his group of friends. It was amazing to see the groomsmen dance to “Billie Jean!”So you might ask what was so unexpected about this wedding. Well, it was the bride and groom. Very rarely do I ever see my bride AND groom on the dance floor at the same time for the WHOLE night. Lauren and Martin did just that. They danced to almost every song and that was so great to see!

Thanks for letting me spin for your family and friends Lauren and Martin. I had a great time.

-Jason

Melissa and Matt

Melissa and Matt's wedding was a blast! They had their July reception at the Double Tree Hotel on Broad Street, a beautiful venue for an unforgettable wedding in the city. Everything went great: the flower arrangements from Grove Floral Shop were tremendous, the food and service from the Double Tree were top-notch, and the music and lighting we provided took Matt and Melissa's big day to the next level!

When I met with Melissa and Matt at the Synergetic office prior to their wedding, I knew I would be a great fit for them. They needed a DJ that could handle all formalities with eloquent professionalism, and also someone who could give their guests a night of non-stop dancing. I ensured them that I was their man! Matt and Melissa were also interested in our lighting which made the already-beautiful Symphony Ballroom even more picturesque.

They selected uplighting in soft pink, dance floor wash in amber, and a custom monogram on the wall that really brought the room together. Marc Matteo from Marc Anthony Photography took some great shots throughout the night that highlight the added lighting.

My 2nd DJ for the night was Jim Gosser. We knew from early on in the night that Melissa and Matt's guests were a fun bunch, as they were on the dance floor even during dinner. I even had to make an announcement to remind them that their meals were being served! Here are some fun dinner songs that worked really well at the beginning of the night: "Give It Up," by Marvin Gaye, "Rock With You," by Michael Jackson, "Start Me Up," by the Rolling Stones, and "Roadhouse Blues," by The Doors. Jim and I were also able to incorporate all of Melissa and Matt's dinner selections.

Once the guests were finished eating, I kicked the music up a notch and got everyone on the dance floor. With my ability to read a crowd mixed with a great list of Melissa and Matt's selections, the floor was raging all night. During some songs, like House of Pain's "Jump Around", it was borderline-dangereous! I played a little bit of everything, from oldies to modern hits, to ensure that everyone heard something they liked.

Like many guests, when I played the last song, I couldn't believe the night was already over. It was a pleasure being a part of Melissa and Matt's wedding day, and giving them and their guests a night to remember!

If you're planning a wedding and need a DJ, contact Kelly at the Synergetic office (215-633-1200) to set up a meeting. Find out how we can "wow" your wedding!

-Kyle

{Video} Lighting at the Merion Tribute House

Here is a video of some lighting we did at the Merion Tribute House. If you're interested in learning more about our lighting options, give Matt a call at 215-633-1200 - he's happy to answer any questions you have!

Candice and Daniel

We had the pleasure of providing the lighting for Candice and Daniel's special day at the beautiful Crystal Tea Room. We up lit the ballroom, did a dance floor wash with the couples monogram on top, and we also pin spotted their beautiful centerpieces.

Thanks so much to Matthew Andrews of The Artist Group for the images!


-Becky

Jasmine and Aidan

Located in Blue Bell, part of Montgomery County, is a great historical hotel and conference center called Normandy Farm. I'm sure a number of you have driven by Normandy Farm without knowing it, as it is surrounded by white, stucco-covered stone walls. Once you enter through these great walls you'll see just how much character it has. Jasmine and Aidan, like many other couples, loved the charm and history of Normandy Farm.

Jasmine and Aidan are a very laid back couple. At our meeting, they stressed that they just wanted to have a great time. They told me to do whatever I had to do to get everyone dancing, while staying away from worn out "corny" music. They selected a couple of must play songs and left the rest up to me.

Unfortunately, as their wedding day approached, we had one of the first rain storms we had, had in awhile, but Jasmine and Aidan did not let it affect them. With the help of their amazing photographer Jennifer Childress they were able to get some great pictures before the ceremony even though they could not go outside. Due to the rain, the ceremony was also forced inside. It was held in the Silo Ballroom, the same place the reception was to be held.

Jasmine and Aidan chose our conventional lighting and DJ package with purple up lighting and a wash on the dance floor. We arrived earlier than normal due to the move of the ceremony. We wanted to put the up lighting around the room to add to the ambience and make it more special for them, (just something we try to do a Synergetic). We did amber gels instead of purple so it would have a different feel when guests came back into the room after cocktail hour.

Once the ceremony ended and the guests moved to another area for cocktail hour, we set up our DJ system, replaced the amber gels with purple and projected the wash onto the dance floor. The rest of the night went on without a hitch, thanks to the staff at Normandy Farm and of course Jennifer Childress and Joe Bleiler (her second shooter for the night). This was one amazing reception! The crowd danced to everything from "Ain’t Too Proud To Beg," to "Dirty Bit" and "Sandstorm." I felt like I could play any kind of music at this wedding and they would dance, it was just that great of a crowd. Come to think of it they may have just kept dancing even if I shut the music off for a couple of seconds.

All in all it was an amazing wedding even with the weather. Jasmine and Aidan are two genuine people who were just happy to marry each other and wanted their family and friends to share in their happiness. They threw one ROCKIN’ WEDDING!

-Kurt

Thanks to Jennifer Childress Photography for the amazing images.