Real Weddings

Since I've got a bit of relaxing downtime on this Memorial Day weekend, I thought I would catch up on a few blogs from some of my 2018 spring weddings here in Charleston. Becky and Josh were married at the lovely Hyatt House in the heart of the Charleston Historic District at 560 King St back on April 14. I was the DJ for their wedding ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception. I met Becky and Josh, along with Becky's mother back in January. I knew from the some of the comments made during our first meeting that we were going to be putting together a playlist that was quite a bit different that what you hear at most other Charleston weddings. But, as the old saying goes: "Different is good." How was the music going to be different?" Well, I knew when her mom said she liked Led Zeppelin and Alice In Chains that things were going to be dramatically different. :) With bands like that, I definitely knew there was going to be some classic rock thrown into the mix at some point. You'll want to read on and see what they added to their Charleston wedding playlist.

You know it used to be that Charleston's busiest wedding season would encompass the month's of April, May, and part of June, and then pick back up in the second half of September, go through October, and most of November. Maybe it's all the accolades that our beautiful city has received over the past several years from the likes of Conde Nast and other travel magazines that have allowed Charleston to grow into the Number 2 wedding destination in the country. I think it's our reasonably good weather all year round (except for the Great Snowstorm Of 2018 to start the year) that makes Charleston a place where you can plan a wedding all 12 months of the year. For my first wedding on the schedule for 2018, I travel outside of Charleston up off Exit 194 off I-26 west of Summerville. Medicine Wind Farm is a rather large (nearly 50 acre) farm and event center that provides the perfect setting and backdrop for a farm-styled wedding. This was actually my first time doing a wedding out at Medicine Wind Farm, and I must say it was a great departure from the hustle and bustle of weddings that are closer to the city of Charleston. For those brides and grooms looking for more of a rustic, country styled wedding, Medicine Wind Farm offered a real laid-back feel that was very relaxing. 

Casey found me online back in the spring of this year by way of recommendation from one of her professional wedding planner friends who lived out of state and who had scoured the internet looking for one of Charleston's top wedding DJs. When we spoke on the phone briefly, she had told me what she did not want and within minutes of our conversation, I knew we were going to work very well together. Casey has a career that has her overseas a lot, so we had to wait until August to actually meet face to face, at which time I also got to meet her fiancee Brad during a site survey at the luxurious Dewberry hotel. The Dewberry Hotel is a 5 star luxury hotel that opened in the summer of 2016 at 334 Meeting Street. The old FBI Federal building had been gutted and completely remodeled by Dewberry Capital, which was started in the late 1980s by John Dewberry. There was no stone left unturned in the development of the Dewberry, as the once dull federal government building was transformed into a world class 5 star luxury hotel, in an absolutely perfectly location. If you are interested in incorporating a bit of luxury into your wedding day, then I highly recommend you take a look at The Dewberry In Charleston. At the time I am writing this blog post, it was reported by the local media that the developers of the Dewberry were on their way of potentially winning a small battle with the city that would allow them to open a roof-top bar. If The Dewberry were able to open this roof-top bar, it would add another area to hold a luxury wedding ceremony in Charleston.

Charleston, SC is a top wedding destination in the country and for the matter, the world, for a wide variety of reasons. The accolades that the city has received have caused a tremendous growth in the amount of destination weddings being held in and around Charleston. Some brides and grooms come down here for the rich historical backdrop that the Holy City provides. Some brides and grooms come down here for the close proximity to the water in combination with the beautiful plantations that the area has. When you combine its rich history, Southern charm, exceptional food, and seasonal weather year-round, it's hard not to want to get married here in charming Charleston. If all of this is not enough to get you to book your flight right now and begin planning your Charleston wedding, how about one more thing? Would you believe that "music" is what brings some couples to the Holy City? Well, at least that's the draw that Erin & Alex had in coming here and getting married on a cool and blustery Veterans Day.

Happy Veterans Day Weekend! As I write this post, the temperatures here in the Charleston area are in the lower 40s with some breezy and gusty winds this morning. It sure is feeling more and more fall-like than it has in recent weeks. Thank you to all the men and women who have served our country and continue to serve this country today and give us the freedom to have these beautiful weddings all over the Lowcountry. It sure has been a great Fall wedding season for Mike Bills Entertainment and I am still catching up on some blogs from some of my events and one of those posts was a recap of Katie & Ricky's beautiful day over at the absolutely gorgeous Creek Club At Ion back on October 1, 2017.  If you just got engaged and are looking for a venue, I strongly encourage you to check out the Creek Club At Ion. It's waterfront location right on the creek provides one of the beautiful backdrops out of all the wedding venues in the Charleston area. There is a luxurious lawn that overlooks the creek where Katie & Ricky had their wedding ceremony. Music for their wedding ceremony was performed by Carolina Trio. Mike Bills Entertainment provided the sound and PA for the ceremony.  It was a beautiful afternoon for an outdoor ceremony, we just had a cold front pass ushering the first hint of Fall. The humidity was lower and there was a bit of a gentle Fall breeze.  Please read as we go into a little more detail of their playlist selection.

There is no doubt about it. Charleston remains a stronghold at the number 2 spot in the country for destination weddings. Maybe it was because a bride and groom met each other here at the College Of Charleston  and wanted to come back and experience it's rich history, beautiful beaches, and excellent menu of fine restaurants. Maybe a bride used to travel here as a young girl with her family and remembered just how beautiful the city was and wanted to get married here? Whatever the reason, brides and grooms from all over the United States continue to flock to Charleston for it's romantic scenery and history. Kara & Ian were one of those couples who chose to get married down here in Charleston. They found Mike Bills Entertainment back in the early summer of 2016 shortly after getting engaged. They were married on Sunday, October 8, 2017 at the Historic Rice Mill. They currently reside in the greater Washington DC area and had guests coming down from the DC area, New York, and all over different parts of the country. For early October (even in Charleston), the weather was really very warm and humid with a heat index of 97. It felt more like August, but after a lovely ceremony with those harbor breezes that provide refreshing breezes to wedding guests, we quickly inside for a great cocktial hour, dinner, and an amazing night of dancing, fun, and memories.

Variety is the spice of life. I like a little variety when it comes to DJing weddings here in lovely Charleston. My aim as a professional wedding DJ has always been to help couples create their own personal soundtrack for their wedding day. This day (which is the biggest of their lives) should include music solely about them. I met Kate with her mom back in June and they introduced me to a new and quiet place to meet clients over in the Mt Pleasant area. Vintage Coffee Cafe During our initial meeting Kate briefly mentioned that her and Jon would want to hear a tropical house playlist during their cocktail hour after their ceremony at Coleman Hall & Chapel in Mt Pleasant. At the time, I took notes, but it wasn't until I met Jon with Kate in early September at one of our consultations that I learned a little more about tropical house. I've always been a big fan of house music, as Charleston used to have a pretty nice house music scene with some great DJs spinning all sorts of house at various areas around downtown Charleston. I knew there were many different sub-genres of house, I am just glad that Kate & Jon allowed me to get more acquainted with the tropical house genre. These are some of the tracks that got played during their Sunday, October 15, 2017 wedding and some I will be adding into my future cocktail hour playlists and receptions.

Katie & Paul were married back on September 23rd and had their wedding reception at the Francis Marion Hotel inside the Gold Ballroom. They are one of the many, many destination wedding couples who choose Charleston's history and beauty for the backdrop of their most special and important day. Katie grew up in North Carolina and says she used to come here for family trips, so she knows the beauty and charm of Charleston. Paul grew up in the Chicago area. Currently, they reside out in Arizona as Katie proudly serves our country in the United States Air Force. After you doing so many weddings, you thought I had seen it all. After the first dances on Saturday, Katie's father did a quick welcome speech and at the end of it thanked all the men and women who were present as guests serving in the military, which was about 1/3 of the guests. After the mention of the service men and women, there was a standing ovation and tremendous applause. Mike Bills Entertainment has always been a professional wedding DJ company in the Charleston, SC area who is proud to support our active duty military. The Gold Ballroom at the Francis Marion Hotel created an atmosphere of elegance for the entire evening. Also, a tremendous thank you to the staff at the Francis Marion Hotel for making the entire evening run very smoothly.