Bunn DJ Company

Tess and Tyler’s reception was on a lovely Saturday evening in downtown Raleigh at the new Cobblestone Hall. My buddy James Auerbach does a great job running this event center. The afternoon began with an awesome and energetic introduction of the bridal party to “TNT” by AC/DC. Get it? T & T for Tess & Tyler. Ok, never mind. Immediately afterwards, there were three great toasts and then a welcome from the father of the bride and a blessing before dinner. Next, time to eat! A huge buffet was laid out for the guests and it looked like everyone really enjoyed themselves!

After the dinner, Tess and Tyler made their way over to the lovely cake by Sweet Memories. Not only did they have a traditional cake, but had two tiny dog cakes that looked incredible! Check out my iPhone picture below. As soon as the cake was cut, Tess and Tyler moved to the dance floor for their first dance as husband and wife to Adele’s “Make You Feel My Love”, then she danced with her dad to a medley. First, they started off with one of my favorite Van Morrison songs “Tupelo Honey” and I quick mixed into “Rock the Casbah” by The Clash! Everyone loved it! Finally, Tyler got to dance with is mom to “Have I Told You Lately” by Rod Stewart. Next, it was time to DANCE!

I opened up with some of my favorite oldies since they kinda let me do my thing with the music. I was rocking all kinds of songs from the 60’s, then to the 50’s, and then all the way to the current stuff. I closed out the night with some of my favorite party rockers, “Jump Around”, “Let Me Clear My Throat” and “Shout”. Then I sent them on their way with “Come Away with Me” by Norah Jones. Everyone cheered as the newlyweds rode off in a rickshaw down the cobblestone road! What a great ending to a great reception. I will have to say that this reception ran very well due to the efforts of wedding planners Cara Zuehlke & Megan Gillikan with A Southern Soiree. They also had a full team of assistants and Laura, Kailey, and Stephanie helped out as well. I am looking forward to seeing the work of James and Meridith Walters of Walters & Walters

I didn’t actually DJ this wedding, I was a guest! How weird! However, I did fly down one of my top jocks, DJ Jerry Thompson and let me tell ya, he rocked it! The reception and ceremony took place on a rainy Saturday at The Eastern Green in Rosemary Beach, Florida. The rain could not put a damper on how awesome this little beach town is. It was my first trip there, but won’t be my last. It was SO cool there. The ceremony went great and was short and sweet and their recessional was U2’s “Beautiful Day”. After cocktails, the bridal party was introduced to one of my favorite songs ever, “You Are the Best Thing” by Ray Lamontagne and Rob and Amber then danced to “You Belong to Me” by Lenny Kravitz. During the delicious dinner, several guests gave heartfelt and funny toasts. Finally, it was time to dance and Jerry crushed that tent! It was a hot night, but so much fun that nobody cared about sweating! I’m very happy for my friends Rob and Amber and was glad to be a part of their wedding. Check out a few of the pictures below from photographer Taun Henderson

I am proud to announce today that we won yet another Best in Show award at last night’s Forever Bridal Vendor Blender! I am always trying to come up with something new and with the help of alot of great people, we designed a giant boombox with graffiti walls, a brick floor and enormous “Bunnacell” batteries. As usual, it was wild, but cool…I think. I also had a hand in creating “The Confessional”, a brand new video booth created with my friends from Barton Creek Weddings.

I gotta thank everyone that helped:
-Jason Lenhart, a DJ and architect friend of mine built the boombox
-Leslie Ivey helped me create the batteries and came up with the flooring ideas
-Ken Holmes, one of my DJs, helped with alot of the construction
-DJ Randy Bennett was spinning the beats -Alex Marshall with Corporate Graphic did all of the cool graphics on the batteries and dj booth
-Victor Knight did the killer graffiti panels on each side of the boombox
-Rick Bryda with Total Production Services did the cool lighting
-and James Walters with Walters & Walters took the photos below!

After a busy week with a show at Pup’s Steakhouse in Wilson on Thursday (owned by an old friend, Michael Dunn) and a return trip to Wilson for my buddy Adam Chesson’s after rehearsal party, it was time to get down to wedding business on Saturday! Bailey and Nick’s ceremony and reception were both held at Chapel Hill’s historic Carolina Inn.

The day began with an evening ceremony in the Bryan Courtyard and one of my DJs, Kris Cox, handled this part for me. Guests came inside right after to the area outside of the Old Well Room for cocktails. I was setting up inside, ready for my 8:00 start time! As soon as the guests entered, I went out to line up the really fired up bridal party. They were introduced to “Let’s Get Married (remix)” by Jagged Edge. It was so awesome and they rocked it when they came in! As soon as Nick and Bailey hit the floor, it was time for them to do their first dance to “If I Ain’t Got You” by Alicia Keys. Great song, great dance.

Nick’s sister then gave a blessing and it was time for a HUGE dinner. There were four courses! However, they did implement a great idea. They did the toasts between courses. After dinner, we moved into the cake cutting and then Bailey danced with her dad to “Little Miss Magic” by Jimmy Buffett (sweet song), and Nick danced with his mom to “What a Wonderful World” by Louis Armstrong (always a classic). Finally it was time to open the dance floor! I opened with a few Motown songs and then actually worked in a dollar dance for Bailey. We had to move fast so I was rocking through their set list since the night was coming to a halt at midnight. I got a chance to play some awesome hip hop that I haven’t gotten to play in forever! Can you say SNOOOP?!! What a blast!

The crowd was into it and I closed out with “Shout”, “Crazy Love” by Van Morrison and then “Over the Rainbow” by Brother Iz as everyone made their way out for the bubble departure. I have to say, on the way out, I grabbed an awesome piece of cake made by Sugarland. I was also pumped that I got to work with two other amazing vendors Saturday. Tracy Adams with Adams & Events directed the ceremony and Robin Lin was the photographer. Check out her work below!

Jessica and Jason held their reception at Durham’s Cotton Company owned by Triangle Catering. I played here last year before the renovation and let me tell you, that wasn’t pretty. But now? Amazing! This place is great for events! I love it!

The night started with cocktails and pass hors d’oeuvres and some soft rock choices picked out by the couple. After lining up the bridal party, it was time for the intros to U2’s “Beautiful Day”. The bridal party surrounded the dance floor as Jason and Jessica made their way out and danced to “Over the Rainbow” performed by Jessica’s brother Jason. It was an awesome rendition! A quick blessing followed and the delicious food stations opened. Guests enjoyed great food and music by bands such as Band of Horses, The Sundays, and other cool stuff picked up by J & J.

After the plates were cleared, we moved into the toasts, cake cutting (made by Jessica’s step mom!), and then Jessica danced with her dad(s) and Jason danced with his mom to “Landslide” by Fleetwood Mac. After that? Dancefloor OPEN! I started with a mix of Motown and Beach, and then moved into some rock and finally Top 40 and Old Skool Hip Hop. There was a really great hardcore dance crowd that hung ‘til the very end. At the end of the night, the couple made their way out and the guests grabbed the coolest party favors…the letters J and W made out of bird seed. So cool!

Check out the images from photographer Nicole Faby including the area’s first brand new videobooth called “The Confessional” by Barton Creek Weddings. This was the first event for the booth!

Thanks to the new Mr. & Mrs. Walsh for having me. I had a blast!

Elizabeth and Michael had their reception Saturday at the lovely Cardinal Club. I have been here several times lately, and it’s always a pleasure to see Shelly Rhem there. She does a great job keeping the party running smoothly. I’m looking forward to rocking her wedding next year. But anyway, I digress…

The event started with a cocktail hour in the foyer area of the club and then guests made their way into the ballroom where I was set up. I introduced the bride and groom to “Everlasting Love” by Natalie Cole and then they went right into their first dance “Our Love is Here to Stay” also by Natalie Cole off her Unforgettable album. This is a great version. Next, Elizabeth danced with her dad to “The Way You Look Tonight” by Frank Sinatra and Michael danced with the best man’s mom to “What a Wonderful World” by Louis Armstrong. After that, it was dinner time! They had a great seated dinner and even the vendors got to grab a quick bite!

After dinner, Elizabeth and Michael went around to each table before toasts by the best man and maid of honor. Finally, Michael and Elizabeth got on the mic to thank everyone for coming and then Elizabeth surprised her dad by announcing his 68th birthday and telling me to fire up “Birthday” by The Beatles. This opened the dance floor and the party had officially begun. I played a mix of oldies, rock, and Top 40 throughout the night and finally ended with “Shout” and “At Last”. This was a great party! Check out the amazing photos from my friends at Bella Rose Photography.

Katie and Derrick’s reception took place in downtown Raleigh at the lovely Cardinal Club. This place has one of the prettiest views of the city…amazing. Guests were treated to a photobooth by Shutterbooth live piano for the cocktail hour outside the ballroom. After being let in, we lined up the bridal party (with help from my buddy Shelly Rhem at the Cardinal Club).

They entered the room to “Purple Haze” by Jimi Hendrix and then went right into the first dance, “Crazy Love” by Van Morrison. After that, Katie danced with her dad to “The Way You Look Tonight” by Rod Stewart and Derrick and his mom danced to Rascal Flatts’ “My Wish”. I have to say that I loved when couples knock out all of their special dances up front. After the dances, the parents of the bride gave a short welcome, the food was blessed, and the food stations opened.

Dinner concluded with the matron of honor and best man’s toasts and then we immediately hit the cake cutting. Finally it was time to open the dance floor! We dropped the lights and the party took off. I played a ton of Motown, beach, and oldies. I even tossed in a few of the more current hits for the younger crowd. I was playing a little of everything (after all, that’s why you hire a DJ!). There was a brief break for the bouquet (“Single Ladies”-Beyonce) and garter (“Hot Legs”) by Rod Stewart.

The night ended with their last song “Let’s Get It On” my Marvin Gaye and then a big sparkler departure downstairs. Check out the pictures from superstar photographer Shane Snider below! What a great reception! Thanks for the new Mr. and Mrs. Jones for including me!

Gail and Jonathan had their ceremony and reception at one of my favorite hotels, The Carolina Inn. Kris, my sound guy, started the day off by running the audio for the officiant (Ed Sansbury and his wife Becky are always a treat to have!). The musicians for the ceremony Arioso Strings provided the soundtrack, and also played during the cocktail hour. They were very good!

After the cocktail hour, guests were moved into a GORGEOUS Old Well ballroom! The flowers were once again out of this world thanks to Lyn Graves with Fresh Affairs. The other thing that really made the room POP was our lighting and it was PINK! We also lit up the dance floor with some LED par cans and intelligent lighting. After the intros to “Battle of Honor and Humility” (you’d recognize this song from the movie “Kill Bill”), Jonathan and Gail went right into their first dance by Jefferson Starship “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now”. The couple then addressed their guests and dinner was served.

After a delicious dinner, we knocked out the toasts and cake cutting (another great one from Sweet Memories and then they danced with their parents to “Hero” by Enrique Iglesias. As soon as the song ended, it was time for open dancing. I think I am going to post her song list on here soon because it was THAT GOOD! There weren’t many oldies or typical wedding songs, it was basically Top 40 madness and the guests went NUTS from song one! They danced hard and we took a short break for the bouquet and garter, and then got right back on it! I had that room rocking and the dancing was non-stop until the last song played right around midnight. We ushered the guests out for a big bubble sendoff at that time and their new life begins! Angie Wright with Chic Details did a great job keeping the night on track and Caroline Ghetes’ Blog up! Thanks to Dr. and Mrs. Ho for having me at their wedding!

I had the pleasure of DJ’ing Janet and Simon Bentley’s 10 year vow renewal in September of 2008. Last year, they contacted me to DJ Janet’s 50th birthday party. However, bad news happened. Janet was diagnosed with cancer. The good news? She’s beat it and this party was more of a celebration of that than the birthday! They had a great group of friends and family join them at the Hilton RTP also known as the “Mansion on the Hill”. This is quite a unique and cool hotel with an amazing Southern front porch. Their party took place in the Magnolia Room, which many years ago was actually a nightclub called Horsefeathers! It definitely doesn’t look like that place anymore!

After guests enjoyed cocktails outside on a steamy summer night, they came inside and were treated to a buffet dinner put on by the hotel. I actually was invited to eat, and the food was great! Simon then said a few words and the dancing started. I was open to any and all requests and said “I’m your human jukebox tonight!”. The catalyst that really started the party though was the live version of “Wonderful Tonight” by Dire Straits and Clapton. This was their song at their 10 year renewal party. A few tears were definitely shed. It was a great moment and a great dance. Another big song that people really got into was “Hi Ho Silver Lining” by Jeff Beck (must be a British thing, lol). All of the guests had a great time, and so did I. I’m so glad that they invited me to DJ for them again. They also re-hired photographer Shane Snider and he sent me a few awesome images (below).

Jessica and Graham’s reception yesterday was really top notch! I mean they had it all and with the best wedding vendors in the industry all represented! Grace Beason with Grace Leisure Events was on hand to make sure the day ran smoothly and she did a great job as usual.

Guests arrived to cocktail hour at American Tobacco’s Bay 7 in Durham as I played standards and drinks and light apps were served. As the bridal party started to arrive, guests found their seats upstairs and downstairs for the introductions. I introduced the party to “I’m Yours” by Jason Mraz and then the father of the bride gave a brief but humorous welcome. Shortly after, the incredible beef, seafood, and Asian stations were opened courtesy of Premiere Catering. Heather and her staff pulled out all the stops for this party! Great food! Near the end of dinner, we were ready for the “special” dances. Jessica and Graham danced to Lady Antebellum’s “When You Got a Good Thing”, Jessica and her dad danced to Heartland’s “I Loved Her First” and then Graham and his mom danced to “My Wish” by Rascal Flatts. Next up…open dancing! It took me a few songs to get people going, but once they did, it was a party!

We took a short break a half hour later to knock out the cake cutting (as I played “Lucky” by Jason Mraz). This cake was another masterpiece by Donna at Sweet Memories. Immediately after they cut the cake, another one was brought out. It was a surprise for Jessica’s brother Jay who was celebrating his 30th! It was a cool moment for sure! Next, back to dancing, and by this point, people were really ready to rock! The party took off and the only other stop was to do the bouquet toss (“Single Ladies”) and garter toss (“Eye of the Tiger”). In addition to great music, the room had incredible lighting by Jeff Simpson and his crew with Simpsound and they really made the LED uplighting go nuts during that final dance set.

I closed the night out to some of my favorite closers like “Shout”, “Hey Ya”, and “I Gotta Feeling”. Before I played their last dance, I played a huge sing along song “Chicken Fried” by Zac Brown Band. Everyone went nuts and then we brought it all back down with “At Last” for the final song. As guests filed out for the departure, I fired off the ECU and NCSU fight songs for the guests and bride and groom. What a great ending to a great party. Check out the killer photos from Tammy Wingo.