I DJ’ed a wedding in Dripping Springs yesterday, at Camp Lucy, a venue at which I frequently perform. This was my third time playing there this year, and I’ll be there again next month. Happily, it’s a great venue. It’s easy to load in and out of the various event spaces, of which they have many, the venue staff is friendly, and the in-house catering makes fantastic food. Best of all, wedding guests always seem really happy and relaxed at Camp Lucy, and events there have a posh, yet laid back, vibe that is perfect for a wedding.
Yesterday’s wedding had a lot of moving parts, all of which came together seamlessly, with the result being a perfect wedding. Between a 3 microphone ceremony setup, sound systems set up in 3 distinct areas, and a full lighting package that included custom lavender-colored uplights, I had many elements to attend to, and happily, it all worked exactly as hoped.
Usually, it’s the bride who hires me and handles the bulk of the planning, but this time around it was the groom. He was really easy to work with, and had some great ideas for the music, including the Midnite String Quartet tracks to be played before the ceremony began. He chose the bride’s processional song, which was a surprise for her, and the Gordon Lightfoot song he chose was perfect, as was his choice for their recessional. He also chose one of the dance tracks, an uptempo electronic song by his daughter Sofia, aka So4py Sof. That energized the crowd, and kept things lively on the dance floor. Despite being a slightly older group, last night’s guests hit the dance floor from the moment it opened– actually, they hit the floor earlier, as there were already some dancers when it was time to switch to “official” dance time and have the couple’s first dance– and stayed there until the very last song.
Nothing makes me happier than seeing dancers react positively to the songs I choose for them, and I really do believe that my song selections, and microphone work, along with the couple’s pre-event requests, were a large part of what turned what could have been an event that ended early into a fun and energetic dance party. And on that topic, here’s a recap of everything I played yesterday.
Pre-Ceremony
Ocean Eyes – Midnite String Quartet
Crazy in Love – Midnite String Quartet
Ghostbusters – Midnite String Quartet
The Killing Moon – Midnite String Quartet
Smells Like Teen Spirit – Midnite String Quartet
In Your Eyes – Vitamin String Quartet
More Than a Woman – Midnite String Quartet
Good Luck Babe! – Midnite String Quartet
Fade Into You – Vitamin String Quartet
Best Day of My Life – Vitamin String Quartet
Ceremony
Bride’s Processional: Beautiful – Gordon Lightfoot
Recessional: loml – Sarah Kang
Cocktail Hour
Still a Friend of Mine – Incognito
Hypotheticals – Lake Street Drive
Surprise Yourself [GRYFFIN x Manila Killa Remix] – Jack Garratt
Opendoors – Jitwam
From the Start – Laufey
Good Kisser – Lake Street Drive
Get Down – Hudson Scott
Stockholmsvy – Hannes and waterbaby
Fast Lane – Rationale
Breakout – Swing Out Sister
Pumped Up Kicks – Foster the People
Cry Out for Me – DREAMERS
Tangerine – Glass Animals
Island in the Sun – Weezer
Sunkissed Dreamland – Summerdrive
Careless – Vacation Manor
Growing Pains – COIN
Dinner
LoveStoned – Justin Timberlake
Power of Love – Huey Lewis & The News
You’ve Got the Love – Florence + The Machine
I Will – The Beatles
Get On the Good Foot – James Brown
Introduction of the Bride & Groom: The Promise – When In Rome
You Make My Dreams – Hall & Oates
Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You – Frankie Valli
All Night Long (All Night) – Lionel Richie
Long Train Runnin’ – The Doobie Brothers
Dancing in the Moonlight – Toploader
Africa – Toto
Love On Top – Beyoncé
A Thousand Miles – Vanessa Carlton
I Knew I Loved You – Savage Garden
Piano Man – Billy Joel
You Are the Sunshine of My Life – Stevie Wonder
I Will Always Love You – Whitney Houston
Unchain My Heart – Ray Charles
Squib Cakes – Tower of Power
Rock With You – Michael Jackson
Fantastic Voyage – Lakeside
Rhythm of the Night – DeBarge
In the Air Tonight – Phil Collins
Nights on Broadway – Bee Gees
Sledgehammer – Peter Gabriel
Dancing
First Dance: Wicked Game – Chris Isaak
Dancing Queen – ABBA
Stayin’ Alive – Bee Gees
Play That Funky Music – Wild Cherry
He’s the Greatest Dancer – Sister Sledge
Under Pressure [feat. David Bowie] – Queen
Tripping – So4py Sof
Hot to Go! – Chappell Roan
Brick House – Commodores
I Think I Love You – The Partridge Family
Le Freak [Oliver Heldens Remix] – Chic
Savage [Major Lazer Remix] – Megan Thee Stallion
Sabrina Carpenter – Espresso
More Than a Woman – Bee Gees
December 1963 (Oh What a Night) – The Four Seasons
That’s The Way (I Like It) – KC & The Sunshine Band
Respect – Aretha Franklin
Uptown Funk [feat. Bruno Mars] – Mark Ronson
Apache – Sugar Hill Gang
Motownphilly – Boyz II Men
Poison – Bell Biv DeVoe
1, 2 Step – Ciara
It Takes Two – Rob Base & D.J. E-Z Rock
I Will Survive – Gloria Gaynor
Vogue – Madonna
We Are Family – Sister Sledge
I Wanna Dance With Somebody – Whitney Houston
Pink Pony Club – Chappell Roan
Mr. Brightside – The Killers
Dancing in the Dark – Bruce Springsteen
We Got the Beat – The Go-Go’s
Mickey – Toni Basil
Tainted Love – Soft Cell
Tennessee Whiskey – Chris Stapleton
Killing Me Softly – The Fu-Gees
Still Not a Player – Big Pun
What Is Hip? – Tower of Power
Dance Wiv Me – Dizzee Rascal
Let’s Dance – David Bowie
Gonna Make You Sweat – C & C Music Factory
Ice Ice Baby – Vanilla Ice
The Promise – When In Rome
