By: We received an inquiry from our web site late on August 27 from Angela about her wedding at one of our favorite locations, Carnegie Institution for Science in Washington, D. C.
After doing a search online for wedding DJs, the couple found us and did their research by looking at the events we’d done along with our DJs.
Angela was hoping for some uplighting, custom gobo and a great time from a DJ for her wedding coming up the following April. After a couple of phone calls and a lot of questions asked, Angela and Brandon selected DJ Jarrod and Metro DC DJs for their wedding and reception.
Uplights, gobo and a beautiful facility
Little did we know at this point that we would be in for such a terrific evening with a wonderful couple. But at the Carnegie Institution for Science, that’s starting to become expected.
When they set their date, there were still some questions with the start and end times, we were happy to work with them and gave them the entire day. As summer turned to fall and the temperatures got colder, the holidays took over the planning process, so we agreed to meet after the holidays. It wasn’t until the end of January that we were finally able to sit down, meet each other and go over all the details.
Right away, you could tell they were excited, and just hearing of all the little things they had planned for their wedding day. Small details were taken care of and they had done their due diligence to make sure everything was ready to go, the way they wanted it, but trusted their vendors to make it happen for them. If they were unsure of something, they asked questions and came up with positive solutions. It was easy to work Brandon & Angela during the planning process.
We had speakers in the boardroom and ballroom so guests could hear what was going on in the rotunda. These speakers are necessary for events here.
Once at the Carnegie Institution for Science on the big day, Angela had her area in the second-floor library which allowed her and her bridesmaids to get ready. Brandon and his groomsmen were camped out in the boardroom which also had one of our speakers in there so the gentlemen could hear what was going on. This was also placed here as the boardroom would serve as the focal point during cocktail hour and was where the bar was located. During the reception, a photobooth was set-up in here so the speaker allowed guests to still be entertained by the music and not miss anything during the reception. This speaker was hooked up via wireless connection from our location in the rotunda.
As the men waited, and the bride was getting ready, guests started to arrive and mingled outside. The weather was a little rainy, but pleasant for an April day in Washington, D. C. Music was playing and family were taking photographs with the photographers and for themselves. They were amazed by the large drape that would be behind the altar and the gobo above the door in the rotunda. A pair of large sliding doors helped to close off the ceremony area as these doors hid the ballroom which was being set-up by Spilled Milk Catering.
The wedding, from the balcony. Photo courtesy of Brandon & Angela Kressin.
With just a few moments remaining until the start of the ceremony, guests were invited into the rotunda to take their seats. There were so many guests that all the seats were taken and a few were left to stand in the back of the rotunda.
There would be readings during the ceremony, so a microphone stand was set-up on the men’s side, while the officiant was armed with a lavaliere microphone used to grab his voice, along with Angela’s and Brandon’s during the vows. The bridesmaids had little pieces of advice they were going to give the couple and were prepped on the proper way of projecting their voice so the guests could hear. Some laughter ensued from some of the advice.
As the groomsmen took their place, the photographers grabbed a few pictures of the guests, the sound system was set-up so that the speakers were out of sight, and our set-up was such that nobody could see the booth or the equipment. As the bride descended the curved stairway to
Chinese Tea Ceremony after the wedding ceremony.
the main floor to Pachbel’s “Canon in D”, her dress flowed elegantly behind her and up to the altar which featured a large pipe-and-drape installation by Quest Drapes, in which a beautiful white drape unfurled behind the officiant.
After the ceremony was over, the bride and groom took an opportunity for some time to themselves while Angela changed dresses for the tea ceremony. Guests listened to love songs while mingling and meeting some new faces.
Following the beautiful tea ceremony, it was time for Angela to change back into her wedding dress and for the grand entrance as guests were invited to find their tables and seat in the ballroom where dinner would be served.
A couple of the highlights of the reception included the grand entrance which was a little different than normal. Since Angela and Brandon had their table set-up in the doorway between the ballroom and the rotunda, we had a
Mr. & Mrs. enjoying dinner while getting a wonderful view of the uplights.
little fun when setting it up. The bridesmaids would enter from the side of the table Angela would sit, while the groomsmen entered from Brandon’s side, they met together behind the table, and walked into the ballroom.
After the grand entrance, the couple took their seats and enjoyed listening to her brother, the best man and maid of honor recognize their love for each other.
The bouquet toss took a little different approach too, Angela went up to the balcony, while all the ladies remained on the dance floor. The toss from the balcony gave the brides more time to see the bouquet and it made for a wonderful toss.
Once the guests were on the dance floor, they had the opportunity to get their sugar rush from the Captain Cookie truck which was arranged to be outside during the reception. Many guests took the opportunity to view the truck from afar as it began to rain, however quite a few brave souls grabbed umbrellas to
Hey, did you hear there is a cookie truck? Yes, there was, and guests enjoyed it even in the rain.
head down and get a cookie, or several for themselves and their friends. It was a wonderful addition by Brandon & Angela that their guests enjoyed. A few guests even made sure we had some cookies to take home with us at the end of the night. Honestly, they barely made it out of the venue…and they were GOOD!
The music list was an eclectic mix of every party genre you could imagine. From “Dougie” to “In Da Club”, Empire of the Sun to The Safaris, there was something for everyone. Including some country, which we decided to play after Nelly. Yes, Nelly, then “Friends in Low Places”. The guests were dancing to everything and went from dancing closely to holding up their drinks and drowning out the sound system to Garth Brooks!
The guests enjoyed the dance floor when the light came down. It was the place to be all night!
Whether it was Cher, Aqua, or Snoop Dogg, this group danced, even though between Brandon’s and the guests requests, it would be hard to get everything in, we started with a set that wound up covering about 45 songs in 75 minutes and then mixed it up from there. There were so many great requests that blended so well, it made it great for the guests on the dance floor, at the photo booth, sitting in the ballroom, or just outside in the smoking area. It wasn’t a line-dance heavy reception, but there were some great requests and the guests had a great time, partying hard all through the night!
The happy couple getting ready to leave for the limousine, what a wonderful conclusion to the night. Photo courtesy of Sarah Mark.
You can’t have a quiet end to a like light tonight, so the happy couple had a limousine waiting for them on the street at the base of the stairs. As the guests lined up to send them off into the night, Brandon & Angela took a few moments to take in their first hours as husband and wife. Their friends and family saluted them on their way out the doors, down the stairs to the street and into the limousine which would whisk them away to a nearby hotel where they would wind down after a great evening.
The venue, one which we’ve worked before and transformed from a stoic gallery, to an elegant and romantic atmosphere, has many different elements to it. The rotunda, serves as the ceremony location and the dance floor. Immediately to the left of the rotunda from its large steel entry doors, is the board room where cocktail hour and the bar are traditionally kept. Opposite the steel entry doors is the ballroom which is where guests sit to mingle, eat and socialize. The rotunda itself features a portico in each corner that make for an elegant setting to add uplighting. The balcony that overlooks the main floor is an excellent vantage point for photographers to take unique pictures and allows us to add uplighting to further enhance the
The gobo in the darkened rotunda.
atmosphere to one of celebration, without being over-the-top. And the highlight of the three-sided balcony is it gives us the ability to place a custom gobo on the wall above the steel doors. This space is typically left blank, brides, grooms and guests adore how this space is transformed with a lighted monogram that the couple gets to keep after the wedding is over.
Ana, the Special Events and Building Coordinator, is one of the best in the business. She helps to make sure all the little details are worked out ahead of time, and that everything runs smoothly. Her communication ahead of time, through the reception made it easy on everyone. She was on top of the details from setting up a photo booth in the boardroom, to making sure the cookie truck was parked in the right space, to adjusting the pipe-and-drape, to coordinating the arrival of the limousine and the grand exit.
Photo booth!
She was the last to leave, even after we were packed up and ready to go. She does a lot of hard work that is not lost on her couples, or the vendors who are working with her.
Services Provided
- DJ/Emcee
- Sound system
- Second sound system with wireless connection
- Uplighting
- Custom gobo
Vendors:
Coordinator: Ana Lojanica
Facility: Carnegie Institute for Science
Caterer: Spilled Milk Catering
Flowers: Exotica Florist
Pipe & Drape: Quest Drapes
Cake: Amphora Bakery
Cookie Truck: Captain Cookie
Dress: Pronovias
Tuxedo: J.Crew
Photo Gallery: Metro DC DJs & Entertainment
