Bend Wedding DJ at Seventh Mountain Resort

Published July 18, 2013 | By Rich Ellis

This weekend has been circled on my calendar for about a year-and-a-half… a trip to Bend, Oregon to DJ a good friend and fellow professional DJ’s daughter’s wedding.

I have known Dan Dubay since the early 90’s and he is a true professional. He was the DJ at my wedding in 1996 and when he contacted me to perform at his daughter’s wedding this year, I was honored.

Marissa and Patrick were married on the Broken Top lawn near the main entrance of the Seventh Mountain Resort in Bend on Saturday, July 13, 2013.

I set-up a small sound system off to the side where a tree provided some seclusion for my sound system. For wedding ceremonies, I try to set-up in a place that receives as little notice as possible, yet provides guests with a great audio experience.

Nearly everything about this ceremony was like a fairytale… amazing weather (79 degrees with only a tiny breeze and shade for everyone), birds singing in the trees, horses walking by in the distance… it was picture perfect.

Bend Wedding DJ Ceremony Highlights:

Bridal Party Entrance: George Winston – Variations on Canon
Bride Entrance: Brian Crain – A Walk in the Forest
Bride/Groom Exit: Beatles – All You Need Is Love

The reception was held in the Three Sisters Ballroom at Seventh Mountain. It was a short walk from the lawn and guests arrived to a variety of background music that leaned heavily on indie selections and oldies as requested by the bride.

Bend Wedding DJ Reception Highlights:

Grand Entrance: Coldplay – Paradise
Cake Cutting: Someone Still Loves you Boris Yeltsin – Oregon Girl
First Dance: Death Cab for Cutie – Stay Young, Go Dancing
Bride and Father Dance: Elton John – Tiny Dancer
Groom and Mother Dance: Otis Redding – Stand By Me
Bouquet Toss: Destiny’s Child – Independent Women Part 1
Garter Toss: Justin Timberlake – Suit and Tie
Wedding Party Dance: Daft Punk – One More Time
Last Dance: City and Colour – The Girl
Exit Song: Metric – Eclipse (All Yours)

Sometimes guests can perceive a large dance floor (this one covered much of the middle of the room) as a stage and with the lights on, inhibitions can limit participation, but that was not the case here and many couples came out right away for the first slow dance and kept going the entire evening to a mix of music that featured everything from Etta James and the Beatles to Calvin Harris and the Black Keys.

Following the bouquet and garter toss, the house lights came down and the celebration really took off with the current smash hits ‘Can’t Hold Us’ and ‘Blurred Lines’.

The evening ended with remaining friends and family members gathering around the newlyweds during their selection for last dance and exit song. It was a great finish and Marissa and Patrick received a rousing sendoff.

Post Event Satisfaction Survey:

“Rich’s questions for us (the bride and groom) during event regarding our preferences was highly appreciated, showing how much care and effort he took to incorporate our choices. We received so many compliments from our guests on the music quality and the dancing experience. Because it was such a great party, we were on the floor during the entire night, and our guests gravitated toward that. Rich’s playlist set the tone and flow of the event very effectively and efficiently; timing was precise from beginning to end. We were also very satisfied with his utmost respect for our music selections, as obscure as a few of them were! We had the time of our lives and can attest that the music, and the DJ behind it, makes the wedding. Thank you, Rich!” -Marissa Byfield