BANDS

AKA at Gambitta’s Party Center for a benefit.

DJs

Scott E. Jones at the Cleveland Renaissance for a wedding.

Mike Alexander at Sammy’s at Legacy Village for Euclid Hospital’s Medical staff dinner dance.

JAZZ & SPECIALTY

Esto Jazz at Fairlawn Country Club for Valentine’s Day dinner.

Guitarist Will Cheshier at Chagrin Valley Athletic Club for Valentine’s Day dinner.

Guitarist Pete Cavano at Sammy’s at Legacy Village for Euclid Hospital’s staff dinner dance.

Solo steel drum at Fairview Hospital for a Pediatric open house.

Harpist Virginia Dickson at Fairview Hospital for an open house event.

Solo violin at the Ritz-Carlton for Valentine’s Day dinner.

The beast was among them…dressed as one of them..and it was hungry.

The newlyweds were flushed with excitement.  They had painstakingly planned every detail of the reception….the perfect flowers…the perfect band…gourmet dinner…special dances…the……toasts…

It wouldn’t be long now. It had been too long since the thing had fed.  The unsuspecting victims were just now enjoying the salad course.  Soon the thing would eat too.  Only one thing would satisfy its insatiable appetite…time.  And lots of it.  It was just waiting for its cue…

…”and now ladies and gentlemen…a special toast from the Best Man…”

SUPPER TIME!!

The timeline was dead.

Fiction?  Unfortunately in too many cases, no.  I always remember a “toast” being something along the lines of “over the teeth and through the gums, look out tummy, here it comes!”..but too often a well-wishing Best Man or Maid of Honor sees this custom as their 15 minutes of fame – literally…15 minutes.

One question I always like to ask clients is “what is your goal for this reception”?  Most people say that they want their guests to have a great time, to stay and dance and make the event one people have great memories of.  In short, they want to throw a great party.

So why do so many people seem to forget what makes a great party?

True, a wedding reception is not an ordinary party…but there are some ingredients for successful parties that are universal, no matter what the occasion.  One of those ingredients is the ability for the hosts to take the focus off themselves and put it onto their guests.  This may seem contradictory to the very reason this event is happening in the first place- to celebrate the new union of the two most important people in the room.  But the happy couple is THE reason everyone is there in the first place and the big white, fluffy dress is a big clue as to who the center of attention is.  Making 200 guests – who have already dedicated an entire day to celebrating the rookie-weds – continue to sit through long speeches and toasts to further drive the point home can be the very definition of overkill.

And it can kill your timeline.

The bride and groom are most likely not going to be aware of what time it is – or rather, how much time they’re losing – at any given point of the reception.  Nor should they. But the band the bar and the bus boys definitely know what time it is.  That’s our job as planners and bandleaders and DJ’s – to keep things moving and on schedule.  And ready or not at the end of the night, the party is going to come to a close.  Hopefully by this point it’s your guest’s feet that are tired from dancing and not their rear ends from sitting all night.  You’ve probably paid good money for the band or DJ.  You should get the most out of your investment and let them do what they do best..fill the dance floor.  I’ve seen more than a few brides with that surprised look as though the dancing just started, and it seems we’re “already” thanking the audience and going into our last dance.

Besides, wedding toasts are kind of like inside jokes – filled with memories that approximately 2% (according to statistics I just made up for this blog post) of the entire crowd were involved in and thus, care about.  Making guests endure long winded speeches about things they weren’t involved in is kind of like inviting friends over to sit through  a slide show of your last trip to the Grand Canyon.

Don’t forget the show business aspect of throwing a party.  Appeal to the larger audience.  More elements that everyone can enjoy  – like dancing, eating and drinking – can help ensure a fun reception.

None of this is to suggest toasts should be done away with.  But if brides and grooms make it clear to their respective Best Men and Maids of Honor from the very beginning of the planning process that their timeline is limited, things can move more swiftly to the true business of partying.  A brief toast can still be funny, congratulatory and heartfelt.

And the time-eating beast will have to eat elsewhere.

Geoff Short

Geoff is the Sales and Promotions Manager at Jerry Bruno Productions and is the bandleader of JBP’s band The Avenue. Contact him at geoff@jerrybruno.com.

THE AVENUE – from Jerry Bruno Productions

Seated: (l. to r.) Tiffany Marchak (Vocals), Geoffrey Short (Vocals), Leigh Peterson (Vocals
Back Row: (l.to r.) Ray Porello (Drums), L.R. Smith (Keyboards), Ian Indorf (Trumpet), Joe Blues (Guitar), Bob Kessler (Bass), Chris Vollstadt (Saxophone), B.J. Bishop (Trombone).

But sometimes it can be hard to choose. Sometimes, who the DJ is doesn’t matter as much as the fact that he or she is professional, reliable, and insured. That’s where our new Best Choice DJ Program comes in: For just $499, you get a 5 hour DJ service with a trusted Jerry Bruno DJ, professional sound, and the assistance and expertise in planning your entertainment from the Jerry Bruno Productions’ staff.

All you have to do to get this great rate is leave it to us! We’ll choose the Best DJ available for your date and handle all the details. Rather than working with the DJ on the details leading up to your event, you’ll speak with our office.  We’ll handle it all for you! You get a great DJ and big savings in time and cost.

This program allows you to save up to $1,000 on a DJ from the Jerry Bruno Productions roster of professional entertainment hosts. Ask a sales agent at the office about the Best Choice DJ Program today!

It’s so easy to help us reach our goal. Simply click the yellow “Vote” button on our page at the Hot List contest site. You may have to register quickly, but you will not be spammed.

Voting ends November 6 and we will post the results as soon as they are announced. Thank you!

Cleveland couple Mary King and her groom Andrew Rothacker, are huge Cavs fans. (No surprise there.) They wanted to do the Cavs’ style grand entrance that is becoming popular at Ohio weddings.

But Mary had a great idea, and went one step further. Not only would her bridal party run in to the reception to Young Jeezy’s “Put On” and Kevin Rudolf’s “Let It Rock,” they would do it while the real, live voice of the Cavs, Ahmaad Crump, announced their names. And, she completely surprised her groom in pulling it off!

“It was amazing and it electrified the entire reception,” said DJ Scott Jones, who was also hired by the smart bride. “Ahmaad was a stellar guest MC and he really helped kick off the party.”

Here is Ahmaad announcing the party at Tom’s Country Place in Avon, and posing with DJ Scott and the happy couple.

Visit Scott’s blog for more info on the wedding and more pics!

If you’ve talked to me recently, you know that I’m loving my new iPhone.  And now I’m taking pics while DJing and posting work and personal family pics on my Personal Blog!

I’ve linked it from my Jerry Bruno page as well so that everyone can get an inside, personal look at what I’m up to when I’m not in the office helping brides and planners secure the perfect acts for their events.

Thanks for checking it out!

The Knot Best of Weddings magazine is a coast-to-coast, by-brides-for-brides guide to the top wedding sites, photographers, florists, and more in over 40 key cities across the United States.  It is published by The Knot Inc. (www.theknot.com), the #1 wedding website and most trusted wedding resource. The Knot conducted its second annual survey of over 20,000 recent brides to capture detailed feedback on every business that couples hired for their wedding celebration.

Cleveland newlyweds contributed their raves and reviews on the area’s wedding professionals. The newlyweds were asked to rate their vendors on multiple criteria, from creativity to professionalism, and to comment on their experiences. The resulting ratings—and detailed feedback—were aggregated by the editors of The Knot to create this one-of-a-kind publication highlighting the best wedding resources in each region according to local brides. The survey was administered by Harris Interactive.

Allow me to introduce you to my latest love:  The BOSE “Dual L1 – Quad Bass” PA system. It is state of the art!

Not only does it look good, but it sounds amazing and takes up less then half the space of a traditional sound system.  Plus, I have re-organized my light package to highlight the simplicity of my new system. 

To all of my currently booked 2008/2009 brides & grooms – YOU’RE GONNA LOVE IT!

To all of my possible future brides & grooms – I hope you will consider this as just another reason to hire me as your DJ! If you have any questions about this amazing new technology that is sure to please, send me an e-mail:  scott@jerrybruno.com

Here are the basics:

What makes the L1® portable line array so different? It begins with the shape. Each L1 system contains a column of many closely spaced drivers mounted in a tall, slim enclosure. This unusual design has profound effects on the sound.

Consistent sound levels:

Because of its shape, the L1 system projects sound waves that expand out and to the sides, but sends very little up and down. Sound spreads more evenly across the stage and into the audience, and the sound level drops off much more slowly than from a conventional speaker.

For example, imagine a conventional speaker and an L1 system placed side by side, set to produce the same sound level at a distance of one meter. At 10 meters away, the conventional source already has 10 times less sound intensity than the L1 system.

Sound levels stay so consistent throughout the venue, there’s no need for separate monitor and PA speaker systems—and the L1 system provides sound for both stage and audience. You have complete control over your sound, and you no longer have to wonder what your audience is hearing.

Smooth, uniform sound coverage:

L1 systems spread the sound at nearly 180 degrees, so tone quality stays smooth and even from side to side. The L1 Model II system takes this uniform coverage even further with proprietary Bose® Articulated Array® speaker technology. Individual drivers in the line array are angled slightly to the sides in an alternating pattern to help deliver our smoothest, most uniform coverage. Even people off to the sides can enjoy crisp, detailed sound.