When it comes to weddings, having knowledge of the people you ask to be vendors is a good idea. In the case of Kelly and Greg, they not only knew some quality vendors, but had connections even with the ones in which they weren’t related!
After getting engaged, the couple asked his aunt Dawn to assist with the day-of coordination, one of her best friends Michelle to be the photographer, and one of his friends DJ Jarrod to play the music. The caterer, RSVP Catering of Fairfax, Virginia had ties to Upstate New York where she was from and provided a delicious selection of appetizers with an Upstate feel.
Michelle Day Photography Photo Album
We’ve known Greg for several years now with his role with Guest Services for the Washington Capitals. Greg has advanced through the organization to now be responsible for hiring Metro DC DJs for some events. It was a no-brainer as the basic details were hashed out in November of 2013. In fact, Greg paid his balance before a Capitals game which also featured a Chalk Talk in which he’d hired us to run sound. The final meeting took place at The Greene Turtle at Verizon Center.
The biggest detail, the venue, wasn’t nailed down until much later as their original choice became unavailable. Sunset Crest Manor in Chantilly, Virginia, came through for the couple and provided a wonderful setting for the ceremony and the reception.
Meeting Kelly for the first time at the site visit a couple of months before the wedding led us to learn that she is a teacher at a feeder school to one of our schools. We had connections to both the bride and groom!
See More Pictures From Kelly and Greg’s Wedding Here (Metro DC DJs)
The ceremony took place on the patio adjacent to the three-floor converted barn. The patio provided a beautiful space with a wonderful backdrop that made for some amazing photos taken by Michelle Day Photography. The reception room served as a wonderful staging area for the ceremony with the bridal suite in the basement of the replica barn. The groom and his groomsmen hung out around the bar on the main floor, which would serve as the reception area. The guests arrived and were seated in beautiful white chairs on the patio, overlooking the hills of Loudoun County.
Music for the ceremony reflected their similar tastes in music with selections from The Piano Guys, Vitamin String Quartet, and Pentatonix. The groom walked to the altar to “A Thousand Years” covered by The Piano Guys. The bridesmaids made their entrance to “What Makes You Beautiful”, also covered by The Piano Guys. The bride’s grand entrance was another selection by The Piano Guys, their version of Bruno Mars’ “Just the Way You Are”. After saying, “I do” and being pronounced husband and wife by Celebrant, Diane Stanley. They walked together to Stevie Wonder’s “Signed, Sealed, Delivered”.
After the ceremony, the bride and groom went with Michelle Day to take pictures with their bridal party, family and other important people in their life. They took many great pictures and the sun was perfect for some amazing opportunities that people were taking pictures from inside the reception area and the two were the talk of cocktail hour, even before they came in to greet their guests.
RSVP Catering served hors d’ouevres to the guests in the upper loft and on the main floor during cocktail hour. Guests were also encouraged to sign the “Guest Bat” instead of a guest book. We’ve always enjoyed seeing how couples add personal touches to their weddings. Since both have a love for baseball, they decided to add a bat that they can put on their mantle with signatures of all those who attended their wedding!
The introduction was inspired by the couple’s love for baseball and something the found on the internet. Josh Paulson, one of our connections from the sports world, also records custom wedding introductions just like we do. One of his pieces of work inspired the happy couple to use a baseball-themed introduction, including organ sound effects, the introduction in baseball-announcer style, and the theme from the move “The Natural” welcoming the happy couple to the dance floor for their first dance.
Following the first dance to Michael Buble’s “Close Your Eyes”, the new Mr. and Mrs. Gosselin took their seats at the sweetheart table. DJ Jarrod switched roles to emcee Jarrod and welcomed Kelly’s father, along with one of the groomsmen and bridesmaids to speak and toast the newlyweds. A lot was learned during both speeches, with a lot of laughter and a lot of love.
Dinner was served buffet style which allowed the guests to interact with each other once again in a more casual setting. Following dinner, it was time for dancing. First, it was Kelly and her father on the dance floor to Darius Rucker’s “It Won’t Be Like This For Long”. After the beautiful dance, Greg and his mother came out to the dance floor.
Greg assumed a dance position similar to that of John Travolta form Saturday Night Fever. Quick on his feet, DJ Jarrod cued up and played a short snippet of “Stayin’ Alive”, much to the delight of the guests. They danced to a shortened version of Israel Ka’ano’i Kamakawiwo’Ole’s “Somewhere Over The Rainbow”. After the final “formal” dances, the couple cut the cake to Maroon 5’s “Sugar” before the dance floor opened to all to “Uptown Funk” by Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars.
The dance floor was rocking for the remainder of the reception, which included the bouquet toss and garter removal along with some inside jokes for the crowd. Greg and Kelly capped off the night with a dance to Ed Sheeran’s “Thinking Out Loud” before posing for a picture from above by Michelle Day.
It was a great Sunday wedding and reception, in a beautiful location, with a great couple, and their family. We were honored to be selected to DJ and emcee their special day.
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