Today we are highlighting Destination Wedding DJ Heidi Jade who recently was our headlining entertainer at the destination wedding of Grace and Danyel. The ceremony and reception took place at the Hilton Sandestin in Destin, FL. When asked what their ideal DJ looked like, their reply was “carefree and fun.” We then had them describe their ultimate wedding reception to which they said “party of a lifetime”.
Assigning their wedding DJ was a no-brainer. We knew Heidi would fit the bill perfectly for this wedding. Her easy-going demeanor and impressive mixing skills would be sure to amaze not only the bride and groom but their 65 guests in attendance as well. We utilized one of our DJ assistants so it would be easy for Heidi to coordinate and get out from behind the decks and into the middle of the deck for the Grand Entrance announcements.
One of the best parts of a destination wedding is that you have your closest family and friends in attendance. This usually means they have no problem letting loose and having a good time. Grace rated her crowd as a 9 on a scale of 1-10 (10 being complete party animals). The love that these guests had for the bride and groom could be felt immediately and they lived up to the party rating.
From the moment the open dancing started, Grace set the tone and danced the entire evening. Her guests followed suit and the party was officially on! With some of their guests coming from New Orleans, Zydeco and Cajun music were on the request list as well as some of the popular line dances like “Cupid Shuffle” and “The Wobble”. These were the formality song choices:
Grand Entrance (Bridal Party): “I Gotta Feelin” by Black Eyed Peas
Grand Entrance (Bride/Groom): “Everything” by Michael Bublé
First Dance: “1000 Years” (Christina Perri Cover) by Boyce Avenue
Father/Daughter Dance: “Butterfly Kisses” by Bob Carlisle
Mother/Son Dance: “What A Wonderful World” by Louis Armstrong
Cake Cut: “How Sweet It is” by James Taylor
Check out this highlight reel of Heidi that we put together from the wedding below.
As B-Boy Productions’ resident Hilton Sandestin DJ/Emcee, I had the privilege to perform for the wedding of Nikki Young to current University of Tennessee men’s basketball head coach, Donnie Tyndall. Their ceremony took place on the white sands of the beach. The weather was gorgeous, the attire was casual, and the smiles were abundant!
Nikki and Donnie said their I-do’s, the crowd of loved ones and onlookers alike erupted in a cheer as they kissed, and within minutes the wedding guests were making their way up to the deck to enjoy some refreshments and the Florida evening air as the sun began to set and the newlywed couple tended to having their photos taken.
I have discovered in my time as a destination wedding DJ that the term “cocktail hour” is often a misnomer, considering one hardly ever actually lasts a full hour. But on this particular occasion, the bride and groom were in no hurry to rob themselves of one moment in the gorgeous outdoor surroundings offered by the Hilton’s beachside verandas. They joined their guests on the Sunrise Deck as the cafe lighting took over for the retired sun, and the merry crowd mingled and consorted for the entirety of the hour. I was happy to lurk a bit in the shadows, manning my laptop as the music offered a subtle soundtrack to the merriment around me, because it gave me a chance to observe the attendees and get a bit of an idea what sort of celebration they would be up for as the night progressed.
As cocktail hour came to a close, we moved indoors to the Coral Ballroom, for the reception. Inside the long and majestically high-ceiled hall, a massive dance floor and plenty of spacious seating around ornately decorated tables awaited their guests. A long banquet table for the bride and groom to sit flanked by their bridesmaids and groomsmen ran along the main wall in plain view of every guest.
Nikki and Donnie, along with Donnie’s two young daughters, made their grand entrance into the ballroom to “Rocky Top,” the fight song of UT, as their friends and family cheered their arrival with as much gusto as any sports crowd. As I had instructed them, they made their way to the dance floor to share their first dance … but that’s when a surprise was sprung on the bride. Donnie appeared on the large screen in a prerecorded message, offering a poetic tribute of love — which he “rapped” — to his new bride. The mixture of humor and genuine emotion on display as the video version of Donnie cracked a bit in his delivery had Nikki, and plenty others, giggling through happy tears. At the video’s conclusion, I cued up “Whatever It Is” by the Zac Brown Band, and Donnie and Nikki were in each others’ arms sharing their first dance as husband and wife.
Nikki remained on the dance floor as I invited her father to join her. Dad and daughter shared a few short minutes of closeness to the tune of Fleetwood Mac’s “Landslide” — which then suddenly transitioned into “Happy” by Pharrell. All sappiness abandoned, Nikki and her dad let loose and cut a rug, much to the delight of all in attendance. At Donnie’s turn to dance with his mother, the classic “Wind Beneathe My Wings” by Bette Midler proved a perfect choice.
Upon the conclusion of dinner, the Best Man offered a toast to the happy couple as did the Maid of Honor. Then I introduced another video presentation featuring a photo slide show of both Donnie and Nikki as they grew up. From baby pictures to present day, the memories played upon the screen and in the end there was hardly a dry eye in the room. I offered the microphone to the groom, who managed to say a brief but very heartfelt thank you to everyone before we moved ahead with the cake cutting and other festivities. The bouquet toss mustered a sizable crowd of fairly competitive single ladies, but the catch ended up going to one of the youngest (and most petite) girls in the group. Donnie removed Nikki’s garter to the sultry vibes of Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On”. Once again, the catch — or more accurately, the scoop, was scored by a very young lad who clearly wasn’t quite sure what it was he had there (I’m sure it will occur to him sometime when he’s older).
The crowd proved eclectic in their musical tastes, shaking it down to everything from golden oldies and 70’s disco, to 90’s hip hop and today’s hottest country! One of Donnie’s young daughters entertained with an impromptu karaoke of “Fancy” by Iggy Azalea.
Being on vacation in Florida, everyone related well to “Toes” by Zac Brown Band. Figurative boots were scooted to “Wagon Wheel” by Darius Rucker. I took great pleasure in teaching the bride (and a few unwashed others) how to do the “Cupid Shuffle.” Great classic rock hits like “Shout” and “Do You Love Me?” rounded out the energy of the night, and the evening drew down with the dance floor covered in couples as Jason Mraz sang “I Won’t Give Up” and finally, the legendary Elton John mused “I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues.”
For the multitude of memorable moments packed into this one single evening, I can’t help but consider Donnie and Nikki’s wedding to be one of the best I’ve had the pleasure to be a part of! When by the end of the night it genuinely feels like you’re not just DJ’ing another “gig,” but instead you’re celebrating with a room full of new friends — it makes it hard to stop. My hope for this happy couple is for all that same joy and exuberance to continue on beyond their wedding day and into the full length of their marriage. Because if so, their life together will be an absolute blast!
***UPDATE [This review just came in from Nikki on ourYelppage]***
“My husband and I just had the most amazing wedding on the beach in Sandestin, FL. Our DJ, Josh, was amazing! He was so professional and did a fantastic job. He called me a month before the wedding and went over the playlist with me. I felt assured he would do a great job and that is what ‘brides to be’ need! He did everything I asked and then some! The songs he picked were perfect for every occasion (grand entrance, dinner music, etc.). If you are a ‘bride to be’ looking for an experienced, friendly, professional DJ for your wedding…look no further than B-Boy and DJ Josh B.” – Nikki Tyndall, Sandestin, FL (event date 8/2/2014)
Whew! What a weekend. We are just now recouping from a phenomenal weekend where we had 12 events across Florida and New York. Here’s a little journey through our DJ Entertainment life in pictures.
On Thursday, DJ Brian B kicked off the weekend at McGuire’s Irish Pub of Destin in Destin, FL. It’s Destin’s best Ladies Night and DJ Brian B did not disappoint. He was rocking it along with the band, Grape Drink. It was packed! If this is any indication of what the summer is going to be like, we’re in for a good one. We’re there EVERY Thursday from 10PM – 2AM with a rotation of our DJs and there’s no cover! It even prompted this amazing text from management to Brian B.
Friday night, DJ Irving G was mixing it up for the wedding of Craig Farthing and Nicola Kirkham on the deck at the Hilton Sandestin in Destin, FL. Look at this view!
Saturday, we had 7 events on the schedule. DJ Dan Davis kicked it off with the wedding of Meagan Blais and Lacey Nivers at a private residence in Navarre, FL. Dan handled the ceremony sound and DJ/Emcee duties. He did so well that it even warranted a kiss from the brides at the end of the night.
We had a chair rental for a Seascape Golf Beach & Tennis Resort wedding at Whale’s Tale in Miramar Beach, FL. Our own DJ Charles and Mace Livingston handled the chair set-up. The wedding even featured a special appearance by Harry and Lloyd from the movie Dumb and Dumber to announce the arrival of the bride. Ha!
Meanwhile back at the Hilton Sandestin, DJ Josh B was rocking the turntables for the wedding of Ryan Murray an Liberty Getman. Check out this amazing cake by the Hilton Sandestin Beach Weddings’ own Yascha Becker. Incredible right?
DJ Brian B and DJ Charles did a tag team DJ set for the Bat Mitzvah of Sophia Feldman at Rutherford’s 465 in Destin, FL. We had 3 party motivators assisting us and the event went off without a hitch!
Meanwhile, DJ Brian B took an early morning flight back to New York for the wedding of Patrick Gillen and Chantal Lutin. It was held at Jericho Terrace in Mineola, NY. The venue was absolutely stunning.
That was a quick snippet of our weekend for you! We sure do love our job and our clients are absolutely the best. If you have a need for our services, contact us ASAP as we’re booking into 2015 right now. Not having your event in California, Florida or New York? No problem! We are a nationwide company that can be booked throughout the United States and abroad.
It was a sunny and great day for a wedding at Sandestin Hilton Beach Golf Resort and Spa for Johnny Bull and Danielle Elliott. The Hilton wedding team handled the coordination and catering. The bride’s bouquet and the arbor flowers were provided by It’s A Perfect Day. Photography was done by one of our favorites, Tay Gray Photography.
I was the Emcee and DJ Josh B mixed the tunes. The ceremony took place on the beach and we were in the Diamond Ballroom for the reception. The mother of the bride and the bride’s aunt took care of the design/décor and truly did a fantastic job! The décor colors consisted of blues, silvers, greens, and white. It was used throughout the room in the form of peacock feathers and other materials.
Something that was a little different for us with this particular event was the fact that Danielle, the bride, is hearing impaired. Not to worry, we were able to communicate through phone text throughout the planning process. The day of the event I worked with one of the bridesmaids who knew sign language. Danielle was so excited that nothing was going to get in the way on her day!
Danielle and Johnny set the party atmosphere right away by using “Crazy In Love” by Beyonce as their Grand Entrance song. From there, they went with the East Coast format where we go immediately from the Grand Entrance into the First Dance. They chose “Memories of Us” by Keith Urban. That was followed by the Father/Daughter dance to the song “My Little Girl” by Tim McGraw. The Mother/Son Dance had a little twist in that the bride and her grandfather joined Johnny and his mother as they danced to Izzy K’s version of “Somewhere Over The Rainbow”. DJ Josh B then played a cool medley for the Bridal Party Dance of “Cupid Shuffle”, “The Electric Slide”, “Apache”, and the “Wobble”.
We went into dinner so everyone could catch their breath and then transitioned into the toasts. Each speech was heartfelt and there were barely any dry eyes left in the room once they concluded. After the toasts, it was time to get our groove on. DJ Josh B got the crowd up on their feet and out onto the dance floor. We partied the night away and ended on a song Danielle and Johnny had pre-selected called “Stealing Cinderella” by Chuck Wicks.
The music was memorable, the dancing was hillarious (great job groomsmen!) and the bride and groom couldn’t have looked any happier. That is what we like to see DJ Josh B and I are so happy and honored that we were able to be a part of Danielle and Johnny’s day. We wish both of them many years of happiness!
