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

• Event Date: Saturday, June 8, 2013
• Event Type: Wedding & Reception
• Event Location: McMenamins Cornelius Pass Roadhouse – Hillsboro, Oregon
• Event Staff: Rich Ellis
• Quality of Customer Service via Telephone: Excellent
• Quality of Customer Service via Internet: Excellent
• Quality of Customer Service at Event: Excellent
• Friendliness of your Entertainer: Excellent
• Promptness of your Entertainer: Excellent
• Professionalism of your Entertainer: Excellent
• Entertainer’s Performance: Excellent
• Entertainer’s Appearance: Excellent
• System Appearance: Excellent
• Sound Quality: Excellent
• Overall Volume Levels: Excellent
• Music Selection: Excellent
• Incorporation of Your Requests: Excellent
• Lighting Effects: N/A
• Equipment Appearance: Excellent
• Overall Customer Service: Excellent
• Planning Assistance: Excellent
• Entertainer’s Cooperation with Other Vendors: Excellent
• Overall Performance Rating: Excellent
• Would you recommend this service to others? Yes

 
Hilary and Brian were married and celebrated their reception at the Grand Ballroom in downtown Salem, Oregon on Sunday, May 18, 2013.
 
Salem Wedding DJ Ceremony Highlights:

• Parents/Family Entrance: Vivaldi’s Four Seasons – Winter, Movement #2
• Bridal Party Entrance: Bach – Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring
• Bride Entrance: Jason Mraz – I Won’t Give Up (Instrumental Piano Version)
• Bride/Groom Exit: Coldplay – Strawberry Swing

The ceremony took place in the main ballroom, which also served as the dance floor later on. Cocktails were served and guests dined in a large adjacent to the ballroom. I had to turn up the music in the ballroom so it could be heard at background level in the dining area, but once the dancing started, it provided a nice refuge for some guests when they took a break.
 
Salem Wedding DJ Reception Highlights:

• Grand Entrance: Black Eyed Peas – I Gotta Feeling
• Cake Cutting: Hall and Oates – You Make My Dreams
• First Dance: Snow Patrol – Chasing Cars
• Bride and Father Dance: Sting – Fields of Gold
• Groom and Mother Dance: Beatles – In My Life
• Last Dance: Michael Bublé – The Way You Look Tonight

Guests danced to a little bit of everything from the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s and the newlyweds requested songs from Earth, Wind & Fire, Michael Jackson, Queen, Will Smith and more. Sunday afternoon really got going though when I spun the big hits from the last few years… ‘Party Rock Anthem’, ‘Dynamite’ and ‘Gangham Style’, plus the hot track of the moment from Macklemore and Ryan Lewis ‘Can’t Hold Us Down.’

Hilary and Brian chose to finish their reception with Neil Diamond’s ‘Sweet Caroline’ and most of their guests joined them in a circle for a group dance.

Big thanks to the bride’s brother Philip for referring PRO DJs (we performed at his wedding in July 2010) and best wishes to Hilary and Brian.