Dani & Patrick McGuiness Video Testimonial, July 24th, 2010, Vells Party Center
Sunday, July 25th, 2010Something New Entertainment video testimonial
Wedding Date: July 24th 2010
Something New Entertainment video testimonial
Wedding Date: July 24th 2010
What stands out to me most about Jenny and Pat is that they're the kind of fun-loving people who don't take themselves too seriously -- the kind of people who throw a party you know you'll have a great time attending. True to form, Jenny incorporated lots of whimsical touches into the evening's design elements.
The bride wore a gown by Paloma Blanca that had pockets (style #4006).
Yes, that's right, ladies, you heard me right: POCKETS! Goodness gracious, I do wish that this didn't have to be notable. Why can't women have more pocket-ed clothing options? We can't wear jeans everywhere, you know! I look forward to the day when I'll say "the bride wore a gown that didn't have any pockets. Isn't that bizarre?!?!?"
In any case -- this gorgeous dress had 'em. How cool is that? She sported a special "something blue" -- a deep blue pair of peep-toe pumps by Nina. And last but not least, a Twigs and Honey (etsy) hair flower. Her hair was styled by Cheryl Cornich at X-Tatic About Hair.
Her wedding day gift to the groom? Old School Star Trek logo cuff links. Plus -- Pat was rocking the wingtips!
The cookie table is a Youngstown tradition. When a wedding is planned, friends of the family offer to bake cookies for the reception. Being the sort of fun folks that they are, Jenny and Pat have quite a lot of friends, and that means two things for their wedding reception: lots of people and lots of cookies! While the Lake Club's generously-sized dining area was plenty large enough to seat all approximately 400 of their guests, there wasn't quite enough room left over to seat all the cookies they brought. ;) The Lake Club has a fantastic set-up to accommodate situations like this, extending the dining area by adding an elegant tent annex.
The club's adjoining tent housed the enormous Youngstown-style cookie table crowned by an elegant two-tier cake (made by the bride's cousin, Dawnyel Monroe) boasting a very unique "cake topper."
Jenny also set up a fun DIY photobooth with lots of crazy props from hats and glasses to a microphone, a mustache, a feather boa, and more. Definitely click to enlarge that first photo, below, of all the cool props they had to play with! This made for a fun activity for guests of all ages for the entire evening!
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Speaking of which: you know what else the guests enjoyed the entire evening? Dancing! Jenny and Pat have a very eclectic musical taste ranging from Michael Buble and Frank Sinatra to Insane Clown Posse, Flight of the Conchords, S Club 7, and the Black Eyed Peas.
We started out the evening slow with some special requests from the bride by a Madeline Perot, a jazz singer with a Billie Holiday/Ella Fitzgerald sort of style, as well as Northeast Ohio's own Joshua Radin, Jack Johnson, Josh Groban, and others.
Later on, Jenny and Pat shared their first dance to Meiko's How Lucky We Are, followed by the traditional father-daughter dance to Sinatra's The Way You Look Tonight and the mother-son dance to Mother's Day by Jim Brickman.
Afterwards, the dance floor opened, and it didn't stop for the rest of the evening! The couple ended up extending their contract to include additional time to accommodate the energetic dance floor! They rocked out to a variety of songs including Love Shack by the B-52s, Paradise by the Dashboard Light by Meatloaf, Don't Stop Believing by Journey (which one groomsman declared to be "the song of the night!"), All That She Wants by Ace of Base, as well as tunes by Justin Timberlake, Michael Jackson, Beyonce, the Beatles, some Motown, and a variety of 80's rock and dance hits.
Jenny chose a midnight blue convertible-strap transforming bridesmaid dress from Dessy, which allowed each girl to express herself from the comfort of breathable cotton stretch knit. Ahhhh.
Each dress was tied in a different configuration, and some of them were pretty creative with complicated twists, cap sleeves, one-shoulder action, etc. I was pretty impressed! Click that thumbnail to enlarge.
This great idea led to a freer range of motion for dancing for our bridesmaids, who were ready to boogie down! It also accommodated a variety of body types flatteringly, including the bride's sister, who is with child. Plus, these dresses are so en vogue right now that they probably will be able to actually wear them again! They all looked great!
Client feedback: In Pat's own words, Something New Entertainment "played all the songs on the 'must play' list and stayed away from songs on the 'Do not play' list. Kept the evening flowing very smoothly. Overall, great people to work with. Very customer oriented."
Thanks, Jenny and Pat, for allowing us to be part of your special day! We enjoyed working with you, too, and I'll be expecting a call for entertainment for your fiftieth anniversary party!
On Saturday, May 1, 2010, we had the privilege of providing disc jockey, master of ceremonies, and uplighting services for Lisa and Scott's Youngstown-area wedding reception, catered by Mr. Anthony's at the Maronite Center at 1555 South Meridian Road in Youngstown, Ohio.
Lisa and Scott's color scheme was inspired by the springtime colors of French Impressionist painter Claude Monet's gardens at Giverny as featured in one of his many paintings of his Japanese footbridge (below), including rose, lavender, periwinkle, yellow, and green.
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Since the painting itself features lots of flowers, trees, plants, and other vegetation, and since Lisa and Scott had pink napkins (which Mr. Anthony's had beautifully folded into the shape of lotus/waterlily blossoms), as well as pink, blue, lavender, and yellow flowers, we added green uplighting to transform the room from a simple ballroom to something simply spectacular. One of the huge advantages of working with lighting -- you may not be able to change the wallpaper in your hall to suit your color scheme, but you can certainly "paint" it with light!
We were fortunate to work with photographer John Popio of Robert Senn Studio of Photography, who has generously provided many of the images for this blog post, sparing you for the most part from the arduous task of trying to decipher meaning from looking at DJ AJ9's dark, grainy photography. Thank you, John and Ashley from Robert Senn Studio!

Custom Cake designed by the White Flower Cake Shoppe -- Photo by John Popio, Robert Senn Photography
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Lisa and Scott chose a variety of classic and non-traditional music for their special events, including the ever-popular "How Sweet It Is" by James Taylor for the cutting of the cake and Etta James's "At Last" for the first dance. Since Lisa loves Disney Movies, especially the fairytales, and chose the title track from Disney's "Beauty and the Beast" as sung by Celine Dion and Peabo Bryson for her dance with her father (fun fact: animator/Film and the BBs percussionist Bill Berg worked on this film!). Then, Scott escorted his mother for a twirl on the dance floor to Patsy Cline's "Crazy" before breaking into what was one of the best choices for a bridal party dance I have ever seen, "Safety Dance" by Men Without Hats. We had a very lively dance floor, making the lyrics " 'cause your friends don't dance, and if they don't dance, then they're no friends of mine!" particularly appropriate for this group!
Client feedback: "We were highly impressed by Something New Entertainment's broad knowledge base. They were able to assist us with selections that we would not have thought of on our own. We found them extremely accommodating to our vision for our event, making our wedding reception even more perfect." -- Lisa and Scott.
Thanks for visiting us this past weekend while we were DJing at the Akron area singles mixer! We had a great time playing with some of our newest DJ lights, including the newest components for Light Emitting Diode (L.E.D.) Celebration Lighting (dance floor lighting) and L.E.D. uplighting (aka up-lighting or up lighting)!
You might have already heard my opinion about L.E.D. UpLighting and Celebration Lighting if you've been following this blog or if you read Northeast Ohio Wedding Expert Brandi Hamerstone's blog "A Day in the Life of a Planner." Last week, when All Events Planned interviewed me, they caught me raving about how gorgeous the lighting is!
These delicious lights draw as little as 3 watts per hour (that's less than 1/33 the wattage pulled by a standard light bulb!), so they are extremely environmentally-friendly. In most cases, we could fill your entire reception hall with these lights and still pull less energy than the existing ceiling lighting! How green of you! ;)
Plus, with cool temperature L.E.D. technology, you'll save energy on your venue's air-conditioning system, as well. Really: they're so cool that after 3 hours of running continuously, Heidi (one of our 2011 brides) and I put our hands right on the L.E.D.s, and they were only slightly warmer than room temperature.
LED If you're looking to add drama and elegance to your venue, uplighting can transform your ballroom into something magical! Our dynamic, state-of-the-art DMX system allows us to control the saturation, hue, and intensity of these lights with the touch of a button. Virtually every color of light is achievable, and the lights can also be programmed to respond to sound.
Limited dates are still available for 2010 wedding Celebration Lighting and UpLighting, and just a few days remain to take advantage of the Spring Special -- add any UpLighting package of 8 fixtures or greater and get 20% off your DJ Service. This offer applies to existing clients, as well!
If you're interested in learning more about UpLighting or Celebration Lighting, please contact DJ AJ9 by e-mail, phone, or Facebook for details!
Join Something New Entertainment this Friday Night, April 16, 2010, for a DJ dancing double-header!
Beginning at 8:00 PM, DJ Justin will be spinning at a laid-back dance at Giavonna's Banquet Hall at 740 Munroe Falls Avenue in Cuyahoga Falls. Enjoy all your party favorites as well as newer tracks to get you on your feet! This event is hosted by Akron-area singles, but this is a public event, and all are welcome and encouraged to attend! Don't worry -- we know you're taken
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Then, at 10:00 PM, it's DJ Triple D down at Whiskey's Akron for a high-energy dance party in the club! Join us downtown at 1 West Exchange Street in Akron for some great drink specials and lots of excitement at the home of the "fishbowl!"
If you've been hoping for a chance to see Something New Entertainment in action or to check out Giavonna's Banquet Hall, these are excellent opportunities! Please send AJ9 a quick note or RSVP on our Facebook Events so we can let the door know to expect you! See you soon!
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on Guess what! Something New Entetainment Bridal DJ Services' own DJ AJ9 was interviewed last week by All Events Planned owner/founder Brandi Hamerstone.
Brandi is one of the area's leading wedding planning experts, having been featured in the media and winning multiple awards, and even personally planning Karrie Ploss of the Knot's 2009 green wedding. In 2009, alone, All Events Planned was voted the Top Cleveland Wedding Wedding Planner by brides on WeddingWire, the Top Cleveland Wedding Planner by brides on OneWed, one of the top Cleveland Wedding Planners on the Fox 8 HOT LIST, and A Day in the Life of a Planner was hailed "Best Wedding Blog" by Get Married Magazine. All Events Planned has also been featured on WEWS NewsNet 5 and a number of print publications, or you might recognize Brandi from her active participation as a (much sought-after) expert on several national wedding forums.
The full interview is now available on All Events Planned's blog A Day In The Life of a Planner including AJ9's thoughts on what makes a great Disc Jockey and Master of Ceremonies what you should look for in your contract, some things to watch out for in your DJ/MC, and why it can actually be dangerous to DIY uplighting.
This interview is a must-read for any of you that have not yet hired your Wedding Reception Entertainment (whether you're in our market or not, whether you're considering us or not) or for any of you who just want to get a look at what makes AJ9 tick! We've always known her to be the passionate type -- and very, very frank. If you're looking for someone to level with you, AJ9 is your girl. She really just doesn't pull any punches, and this interview is no exception!
If you have a question of your own for DJ AJ9, you can always e-mail her, call 330-253-2900, or catch her on Facebook.
Just in case there were any lingering doubts left over from Thursday's April Fool's Day entry, I just wanted to clarify that, no, we did not actually give away any puppies (or dogs of any age, or animals of any kind) last week as add-ons to wedding reception Disc Jockey or DJ/lighting services or for any other reason. That ending sentence about DJ AJ9 freaking out if anybody tried to take her precious pups away way very, very true, however, after last week's pet and special offer tease, I felt obligated to write to you with a remedy for both of those needs.
First and foremost, your Spring Special: prior to May 1, 2010, book any uplighting package of 8 fixtures or greater for your wedding reception and get 20% off your DJ service. This offer is open to existing clients, too! Add uplighting, and we will take 20% off your existing Disc Jockey Entertainment Agreement total! This offer has no cash value and is subject to availability; first come, first served. There are limited engagements available for lighting, so please let DJ AJ9 know via e-mail if you are interested as soon as possible. Don't worry: expressing interest is not a commitment, just a heads-up to us if we need to acquire additional lights!
Secondly, but also very important: how to get a puppy for real. Doggie DJs Rusty and Lily were both rescued, and they asked that I make sure you know that grown-up doggies are just as loving, loyal, and eager to learn new "tricks" as puppies, plus, they're more likely to be socialized and potty-trained. If you are looking for a furry or fluffy friend of your own, there are many, many Akron-area animals hoping for a home. What better wedding gift to your bride or groom than the gift of unconditional love from a loyal partner AND a loyal pet? There are a number of great possibilities available to Akron-area prospective pet owners. Here are just a few of my favorites:
PetFinder is one of the largest resources for pet adoption online and a great place to start your search. They represent a number of local shelters and rescues, as well as shelters and rescues across the country. PetFinder's reach even includes the Summit County Animal Control Department, our county-sponsored facility located at 460 East North Street in Akron, Ohio, and Dog #03-138 (left), a female hound mix. For more information about Dog #03-138, click her picture (left), visit them online, or call (330) 643-2845.
For those of you who have pets, already, the City of Akron's Department of Environmental Health hosts several low-cost vaccination clinics in park locations around the city each summer for both dogs and cats featuring vaccines for rabies, bordatella, parvo, and many other common vaccines, as well as micro-chipping services to help your little buddy find his way home quickly should he ever get lost. Dates for this year's clinic have not yet been announced, but keep a lookout in your Water Bill for an index card-sized flyer in May or June (2009 flyer images above), or contact the Department of Environmental Health directly at (330) 375-2405.
City of Akron Pet Clinic services are provided through local shelter and clinic PetGuards, which provides shelter, vaccinations, and clinical visits year-round. PetGuards has two locations -- the shelter at 950 Hardy Road in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio and the clinic at 4040 State Road in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. For more information on adoptable shelter animals, visit them in person or online or call (330) 849-0634. For a list of health services and fees or to schedule a visit for your current pet, visit them online or in person or call the clinic at (330) 849-0635. You can also see adoptable pets on PetFinder, including Spike (right), a one-year-old Shar Pei/Staffordshire Bull Terrier male. For more information about Spike, click on his picture (right). Photo credit: PetGuards.
The Humane Society of Greater Akron (at 4904 Quick Road in Peninsula, Ohio) is more than just a shelter, as well. In addition to pet rescue and adoption services, they also host a variety of activities ranging from rummage sales to poker tournaments and much more with one thing in common: fun! Since their program is so vast, the best way to find the information you're looking for about the Humane Society of Greater Akron is to visit their website and check out all of their offerings, then call (330) 657-2010 for more information about specific topics. You can also view their available pets on PetFinder, including Juneau (left), a four-year-old Chow/Husky mix. Click the picture for more information about Juneau. Photo Credit: the Humane Society of Greater Akron.
Another one for prospective and current pet-parents alike: One of a Kind Pets with it's two catty-cornered locations at the intersection of Market and Exchange in West Akron (1699 West Market Street and 1700 West Exchange Street, respectively). You might have noticed their hot pink signs driving by. The Market Street location is their shelter, while the Exchange Street location provides low-cost spay and neuter services, as well as a variety of vaccines and other services to pets undergoing a spay or neuter procedure. You can also view their available pets at PetFinder, including Butterscotch (right), a red and white long-haired cat. Click on the photo (right) for more information about Butterscotch. Photo credit: One of a Kind Pets.
But, seriously: how cute are my dogs, huh? Awwwww. For more information about how much I love my dogs (or to schedule a consultation to talk about your DJ or up-lighting services for your wedding) contact DJ AJ9 at (330) 253-2900
With our growing demand for uplighting services and consequent growing LED lighting stock, I am sad to announce that we no longer have room for our mascots -- Prince Rusticus "Rusty" McFreckleson and Princess Tigerlily "Lily" McFreckleson (the dog registry requires a "unique" name, and I was confident that no other dogs had these, yet), therefore, we are seeking new homes for these two puppies (well -- dogs, really). So, for today ONLY, we will be offering one free puppy (dog) with any Disc Jockey or uplighting package.
This offer is subject to availability, is while supplies last (there's only the two of them), and has no cash value. You may be subject to barking, howling, digging, chewing, defecating in undesirable locations, and shoe theft. Something New Entertainment cannot be held responsible for beagled-related damage caused to person or property.
Here are some photos of the two of them; click to enlarge:
They're very smart -- Rusty has recently learned to use a chair to get up to the top of a table, and they sometimes work as a team -- one will distract you while the other one steals food or shoes. They also have a fairly wide vocabulary and understand advanced words, phrases, and sarcasm that they have heard frequently in response to their sometimes outrageously mischievous behavior such as "really?" "are you serious?" and "are you kidding me?"
The pair are up-to-date on all shots and will come with a variety of doggie accessories which will vary based on which pup you choose, including 6 months worth of heartworm medication and flea/pest repellent, two crates, two leashes, one leash coupler (though I wouldn't recommend walking them on the same leash, as they are pretty strong ), water and food bowls, a month's supply of dog food, and outrageous number of treats (including homemade organic peanut butter biscuits, blueberry biscuits, Kong(TM) biscuits and toy, about 6 lbs of chicken basted American beefhide), a ton of chew toys (trust me -- you'll need 'em) two dog beds, one pink dog "princess" couch, several sweaters and hats, a pair of antlers, two hot dog costumes, a lobster costume, a fireman costume with hat, two tuxedos for more formal engagements, two headset microphones, and a mini-sized sound mixer (the regular-sized mixers are difficult for them to use with their small hands).
For more information, visit Topeka (formerly known as Google) and search for "April Fool's Day Jokes." Don't contact DJ AJ9, whatever you do, because she will totally flip out if she finds out about this!
A Love Story Memory Montage or Memory Slide Show is probably both our most unusual and most inquired-about service to add on to your wedding Disc Jockey entertainment package. Unfortunately it also seems to be one of those things that's difficult to explain if you haven't seen it! As they say, "a picture's worth a thousand words," so I'll keep my descriptions short and give you some photos!
If you've visited us at any of our bridal show or open house events like the Today's Bride Show in Akron or Giavonna's Catering and Banquet Hall's Bridal Tour, then chances are you actually may have already gotten a sneak peek at a Memory Montage without even realizing it -- ours! Our booth display includes Something New DJ's own Wedding Memories Slide Show with photographs of our past weddings -- brides and grooms, excerpts from testimonials, special offers, and other cool wedding stuff.
Simply put, our Memory Montage is a looping multimedia slide show presentation that plays constantly throughout your wedding reception. The Montage is presented on a flat screen TV surrounded by a elegant, gold-gilded frame.
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Pay no attention to the blue wallpaper behind the frame. Each Memory Montage is custom-designed just for you using your wedding colors or theme, as well as fonts you like from your wedding invitations, and, of course, your photographs and favorite quotes from song, literature, and scripture.
A Something New Entertainment Love Story Memory Montage is a great way to share your special memories with your guests in a format that doesn't require you to stop what you're doing, bring out bulky equipment, and turn off the lights. Your out-of-town guests who may be meeting your new spouse for the very first time will still be able to see all the reasons why you fell in love from the very beginning, but you'll probably be able to fit another table for eight in the space that big old projection screen would have taken up!
The Love Story unit is entirely self-supported and can be placed in a variety of locations around your reception venue space. Typically, we recommend placing the Memory Montage adjacent to an out-of-the way, highly trafficked area, such as your wedding guest book, reception seating chart or escort cards, candy buffet, wedding gift table, photo booth, or another spot of your choosing about three feet square within reasonable distance of an electrical outlet. This allows your guests to view the presentation at their leisure while the party continues and provides a great conversation piece.
This service is available as an add-on to any wedding reception's Disc Jockey or Uplighting booking, and is available wherever we serve -- including Akron, Canton, Cleveland, Youngstown, and the surrounding Northeast Ohio area, and limited dates are still available for 2010. For more information about a Something New Entertainment Bridal DJ Service Love Story Memory Montage, please contact DJ AJ9 at 330-253-2900.
We had a great time yesterday evening visiting our friends and colleagues the DJ Crew down at the Tangier on West Market Street just North of Downtown Akron to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. Tangier's unique and opulent decor has been the backdrop for hundreds of concerts, corporate events, banquets, and wedding receptions since 1948. With capacity for up to 1,000, and a fully-customizable menu, they can handle just about anything! It's definitely a place of interest if you're still looking for a fabulous and unusual reception venue in the Akron area.
The DJ Crew staked their claim on the Tangier's gorgeous Fountain Room as "Club Crew" for the evening, and DJs Justin, Triple D, Sweet T, and I (AJ9) headed down to say "hello."
The club was super-crowded when we arrived -- there was a band playing earlier in the evening, and they were just finishing up. It was getting to that time in the evening when everyone is ready to stop sitting and start dancing, and Club Crew was just beginning to pick up.
We couldn't help thinking that this room in particular, with it's strong color scheme, vaulted ceiling, stained glass accents, green marble tiling, and rich wood flooring would be absolutely fabulous with variable-hue uplighting and/or semi-intelligent dance lighting to really transform the room into a very different kind of space for the dancing portion of a wedding reception, beginning cocktail hour with the sumptuous elegance of the Fountain Room and then after dinner to begin transitioning into more of a dance club feel.
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I spent a little time the night before making these fun hats for several of the Disc Jockeys, though I only got DJ Thunder to wear his for about fifteen seconds for the photo. I am a little sad that March 18 is not a day that one traditionally wears a green glittery hat, because I really enjoyed mine. :'(
While we were there, we ran into Hartley from Memory ProductionsWedding Photography, Videography, and Photo Booth Rental who was set up for the evening with one of his Digital Vintage Styled Photo Booths. As you can see, we had some fun with that, as well!
The whole process is very interactive; the computer screen inside lets you choose from three different print colorings -- black-and-white, sepia toned, or full color -- and then prompts you as it takes six individual shots. There's a warning flash before each shot and you can see your reflection in the screen so you know what your face looks like.
It was really an experience just to sit inside it! The photo booth itself is strong and sturdy just like the ones you used to see at malls and amusement parks, and has a cool retro design.
The prints come out super-fast -- I think it took maybe a minute -- and are crystal-clear photo quality. That strip down the middle can be personalized for your wedding with your colors, name, date, theme, fonts -- pretty much anything that will fit!
These Photo Booths are becoming more and more popular at weddings, and after yesterday evening, I can really see why! Normally, when I'm working a wedding, I've got a bride and groom depending on me every minute, and it's not really a good time to just run off and go play in the photo booth, so this was my first time getting to use a photo booth since real film photography went out of fashion fifteen years ago and they started pulling these beauties out of malls. It was a great St. Patrick's Day treat to get to use one, again!

Something New Entertainment Bridal DJ Service March 2010 Wedding Disc Jockey Special Discount Offer - Click for a more detailed view.
Don't forget -- even though St Patrick's Day 2010 may be over and gone, our St. Patrick's Day Special is still in effect until the end of the month. If you're thinking about booking Disc Jockey or Lighting Design services with Something New Entertainment Bridal DJ Service for your wedding reception, book before March 31, 2010 to take advantage of this special offer: add any one basic additional service at no additional charge.
Choose from Celebration Lighting, a Memory Slide Show presented on a flat screen TV mounted in gallery-worthy elegant gold-gilded frame, wedding ceremony music, or an additional hour of reception play time with your DJs.
This offer is good on any new booking for both the limited number of 2010 engagements we have available, as well as 2011 dates, but call soon, because both are filling up quickly!
For more information about Something New Entertainment Bridal DJ Service, to schedule a consultation, or to book your wedding reception, please contact DJ AJ9 at 330-253-2900.
For more information about the Tangier, contact them directly at 330-376-7171, or use their web form.
For more information about Memory Productions, contact Hartley Grimm at 330-245-0947.