On Friday evening, September 19th, Jellyroll performed at the wedding of the beautiful Chrissy Haldis (an accomplished New York model), and her groom, Cory DeForrest. The reception was held at Cairnwood Mansion in Bryn Athyn, PA which is a unique wedding location where Jellyroll is always excited to perform.
The night started as the bride and groom performed their first dance to “Harvest Moon” by Pearl Jam. After which, Jellyroll immediately got the crowd up and dancing to the new hit by the Black Eyed Peas, “I Gotta Feeling”. It really is the perfect song to set the mood for a fun and memorable night. After a few high energy dances, the guests enjotyed a delicious dinner, prepared by Jimmy Duffy Catering in the outside tented area.
Following dinner, Jellyroll was quick to restart the party by playing the parent dances. Chrissy and her father danced to Jellyroll’s rendition of “Do I Make You Proud” by Taylor Hicks. Cory and his mother danced to “What a Wonderful World” by Louis Armstrong. After these sentimental dances, Jellyroll kicked it up a notch for the rest of the evening and kept the dance floor crowded until the end of the night.
The following night, Saturday, September 19th, Jellyroll played at the wedding of Jill Galbally and Lieutenant Peter Murphy. Jellyroll always appreciates the opportunity to perform at the wedding of military personnel. Peter was truly a gentleman, as his bride was lovely. The reception was held at the Union League of Philadelphia, and as always the staff did a wonderful job of ensuring a flawless evening for the bride and groom.
Others who helped to make the evening unforgettable for all in attendance were wedding planner, Lynda Barness, from I Do Weddings, and photographer Marie Labbancz. Jellyroll’s great friend Tim Sudall, of Video One, was the videographer for the evening.
Jill and Peter performed their first dance to “Nothing at All” by Ronan Keating. The bride danced with her father to “Landslide” by Fleetwood Mac. Jellyroll especially enjoyed learning “Bright Side of the Moon” by Van Morrison for Lt. Murphy to dance to with his mother.
The evening was a great success and guests were dancing all night long! In fact, everyone was having such a good time that the bride and groom asked Jellyroll to perform an extra 30 minutes longer than originally planned!
The Hotel du Pont is widely regarded as one of the most beautiful and exclusive wedding reception sites anywhere in the Delaware Valley. We’ve played in the Gold Ballroom many times, and we never fail to marvel at the beauty and history of that room. When the lights get low, the hand-crafted carvings on the walls come to life, including medallions of 20 of history’s most famous women – from Helen of Troy to Cleopatra.
But it was one woman in particular who took all the attention on this night – the lovely newlywed Andrea, and her husband Rick. Andrea and Rick chose Midnight Hour after meeting us at a showcase, and I’m happy to say we went over the top for them to make the night truly special.
The bridal party entered the room dancing to “September” by Earth, Wind and Fire. When it was time to welcome the Bride and Groom into the room, the band kicked into “The Way You Make Me Feel” … maybe one of the top ten grooves ever, and a great song if you’re looking for something to WALK to. Andrea and Rick even WALKED cool. Once they reached the dance floor, we played their choice for their first dance, “Lucky” by Jason Mraz, and when it was over the dance floor filled with their guests all joining them for a Motown set.
In working with Andrea and Rick leading up to the wedding, I came to know that Rick and his friends are big Dave Matthews fans, so the band learned a song called “Grey Street” for Rick … and it was a great pick. All of Rick’s friends got up to jam to some Dave Matthews and really loved what we did with the song, especially our saxophone player, Darren, who covered the long solo at the end of the song on his soprano sax.
Jillian Cournoyer is the Senior Catering Manager at The Hotel du Pont, and was on site as always to oversee every detail. Jillian is just the best, a true professional to be sure – but it’s the way she makes it all so much fun that leaves us wishing she could come with us every week. Jillian saw to every detail, made sure the timing of the night flowed perfectly, and from start to finish she was right there whenever we needed anything. Our thanks to Jillian, as always!
We had a fantastic time with the Denney and DiCesare families – just wonderful people.
Saxophone Player Darren Lucis performing “Europa” at The Hotel du Pont
On Saturday September 19th 2009, Midnight Hour headed north to play for the wedding reception of Jeff & Grace Boivin, two beautiful people who chose a truly beautiful venue for their special day. Nestled in Somerset Hills, The Olde Mill Inn has all the charm of a traditional Country Inn, but doesn’t lack in any of the modern touches.
We helped the family and guests welcome Jeff and Grace into the room to thunderous applause as we played their first dance, “Into The Mystic” by Van Morrison. Later, Grace danced with her father as we performed the classic “You Are So Beautiful” by Joe Cocker, and Jeff and his mother danced to our version of Louis Armstrong’s “What A Wonderful World”, which they chose after hearing us perform it on our web site.
We also performed some new songs we just added to our repertoire by The Black Eyed Peas and Lady Gaga, and the crowd loved them. There were some Boston Red Sox fans there, including our groom, so we made sure we played “Sweet Caroline” for them … and at the very end, we couldn’t resist mentioning our World Champion Phillies! Sorry Jeff, we’re proud Philadelphians, so we had to mention our team, too! Thanks for being a great sport!
It was just a great day – we even enjoyed the drive from Philly to Basking Ridge. There’s nothing like a clear, cool day in late September, with the leaves just turning color. Jeff and Grace had a terrific reception.
Here’s a shot of Tiny getting down with the crowd!
Jellyroll had the honor of returning to the Manor House at Commonwealth on Friday evening to play at the wedding of Marisa Ammendola and Greg McLaughlin. As always Amy, Cristy, Jennifer, and the rest of the Manor House staff ensured success in putting together a fantastic evening.
The bride and groom’s first wedding dance together was to “Into the Mystic” by Van Morrison. Later in the evening Mr. Ammendola danced with his beautiful daughter to “My Girl” and the groom and his mother danced to “Song for My Son,” sung by Jellyroll’s Tesa Williams.
The bride and groom requested the band play “Stuck on You” by Lionel Richie. Jellyroll was happy to oblige and used the song to kick off the dancing which continued well into the night.
On Saturday, Jellyroll played at the Lewes Yacht Club in Lewes, DE. The club is a very unique wedding location where Jellyroll always enjoys performing. The bride and groom, Becky Rogers and Clayton Serman, made a lovely couple and were a pleasure to perform for. Becky is a member of the Fox 29 Philly team, and it was exciting to see Fox Philly personalities dancing to the sounds of Jellyroll.
Below is a picture taken by Humbled Eyes Photography of the bride and groom sharing their first dance to “Wonderful Tonight” sung by Jellyroll guitarist Steve Sheppard:
Other important dances of the night included the bride and her father’s dance to “Lullaby,” and the groom’s dance with his mother to Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Simple Man.” This song was a first time performance for Jellyroll!
Here are some more pictures taken by Humbled Eyes Photography at the Rogers-Serman wedding:
Both of the weekend’s weddings were great successes. Jellyroll and everyone else at BVT wish the best of luck to both couples!
Jellyroll kicked off Labor Day Weekend on September 5, playing the wedding of Kelly McCleary and Ace of Cakes staff member, Duffy Nagle, at the Engineer’s Club in Baltimore. The evening was a success from the cocktail hour through the couple’s first dance together, “You are the Best Thing” by Ray Lamontagne, and into the evening as the crowd danced the night away.
Asha, the Engineer’s Club’s catering manager, was a pleasure for Jellyroll to work with. Her enthusiasm and attention to detail made the night all the more enjoyable for everyone in attendance.
The photographer for the evening was Meghan Elliott, and the floral arrangments were done by Teresa Kastner of Floral Impressions.
Below are some pictures taken by Jellyroll’s sound tech of band members with some members of the Ace of Cakes staff.
Jellyroll continued the weekend on Sunday, September 6, when they performed for Jennifer Wolbransky and David Baronoff at their amazing and unique Philadelphia wedding, creative executive for Bad Robot (the production company responsible for TV series such as Lost and Alias, and the feature length film, Star Trek). Here is a bit of what David had to say:
Kurt,
My WIFE and I can’t thank you and your band enough for being so incredible. Everyone, including and especially Buzz, was just beyond phenomenal and all of our guests have been raving about you, including all of my coworkers.
You all performed beautifully, in every way, and have made this reception one of the greatest memories of my life. From working with my family on crazy things to dealing with my nutty song list requests, you were always an incredible collaborator and friend.
We must stay in touch, please, and more thanks are due when we get back.
My Sincerest Gratitude,
Dave
Jellyroll was excited about the opportunity to perform for a group of high profile people from across the globe. Guests came in from places such as China and Hollywood. The crowd was a joy to play for, and the dance floor stayed packed all night.
Brandywine Valley Talent helped orchestrate the wedding entertainment for the entire evening, including the wedding ceremony performance of the “Jehovah’s Choice” gospel choir, who have been receiving rave reviews! Below is a picture of the choir performing and another of the crowd dancing at the reception. Both were taken by Jellyroll’s sound tech, Buzz.
The reception was held at the Ballroom at the Ben, and as always, Maitre d’, Ott Ricci, did a spectacular job there. Coopersmith Hernandez did the photography for the evening and Paul Joslow was the videographer. The floral arrangements were done by Event Creations.
Overall, it was a fantastic weekend and a great end of summer for Jellyroll!