Energetic Cornelius Pass Roadhouse Wedding

Published June 9, 2013 | By Rich Ellis

The wedding season is officially under way and for Claire and Travis’ wedding and reception held at McMenamins Cornelius Pass Roadhouse in Hillsboro on Saturday, June 8, 2013, it felt like mid-summer under a sunny blue sky and a comfortable 76 degrees.

The ceremony took place in the secluded Cornelius Pass Roadhouse Wedding Grove and I was fortunate to be given a shaded, semi-hidden spot under a tree to set-up my sound system. The audio projected perfectly from this location and kept the speaker and me out of the pictures.

Cornelius Pass Roadhouse Wedding Ceremony Highlights:

Bridal Party Entrance: Wonderful Tonight (Piano Only)
Bride Entrance: Train – Marry Me
Bride/Groom Exit: Lumineers – Hey Ho (chorus only)

The reception was in the historic Octagonal Barn and adjacent outside Barnyard and as guests made their way over from the Grove, I hustled along a back trail through the rear entrance of the building, to start the background music with my main sound system I had set-up earlier.

Next, I returned to the Grove to pack up my equipment there and in the process, brought an extra speaker back to the Barnyard area (most people were seated outside for dinner) and used a wireless microphone to provide music and announcments, including the toasts in the dining area.

For background music, Claire and Travis requested a mix of modern adult contemporary, that included selections from Michael Bublé, John Mayer, Ray Lamontagne and Norah Jones.

Cornelius Pass Roadhouse Wedding Reception Highlights:

Grand Entrance: Beyonce – Love on Top
Cake Cutting: Blake Shelton – Honey Bee
First Dance: John Legend – Stay With You
Bride and Father Dance: Edwin McCain – Walk With You
Groom and Mother Dance: Toby Keith – Heart to Heart
Money Dance: Zac Brown Band – Whatever It Is, Frank Sinatra – The Way You Look Tonight, Stevie Wonder – Signed Sealed Delivered
Bouquet Toss: Dusty Springfield – Wishing + Hoping
Garter Toss: Indiana Jones Theme Song
Last Dance: George Strait – Give it All We Got Tonight

With the great weather, guests had every reason to want to be outside to enjoy the evening, but there was a lot of energy with this group. They packed the dance floor at the first opportunity and never let up, getting their groove on to everything from the Beatles ‘Twist and Shout’ to ‘Party Rock Anthem’ from LMFAO.

Most members of the wedding all went to school together at Linfield College and played on the softball and football teams. At one point, I was informed that ‘Cat Ball’ (softball players) were showing up ‘Cat Dome’ (football players) on the dance floor. After announcing this, it was game on and I gave the guys a chance to get back in it with the current hot hit ‘Can’t Hold Us’ from Macklemore and Ryan Lewis. The place nearly exploded 🙂

There was a little bit of everything to move the masses, including some Country for Claire (she requested Luke Bryan’s ‘Country Girl (Shake It For Me)), a few oldies (Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ and ‘Kiss’ from Prince for the family members visiting from Minnesota) and plenty of the latest hits… ‘Gangnam Style’ and more.

Congratulations Claire and Travis! Your guests were a blast and it was a pleasure being a part of your big day. Thank you for choosing PRO DJs.

Post Event Satisfaction Survey:

“Rich did an amazing job. When we first met with him we told him we wanted people dancing all night. He chose songs that kept the partying going. We actually extended our time because nobody wanted to leave. I would highly recommend PRO DJs and Rich to anyone.”
-Travis and Claire Tocher