Bunn DJ Company

Sunday started with me dj’ing the ceremony of Elizabeth and Trevor at the Carolina Inn in Chapel Hill in the Bryan Courtyard. They were very laid back about the ceremony and let me pick the music. The first three were pretty standard, but I chose the instrumental of the Verve’s “Bittersweet Symphony” as the recessional. It worked out great. I had a short break after the ceremony to break down my ceremony rig.

They let the guests into the ballroom a little before 8pm and we used a Spanish track from the Pet Shop Boys for the introduction music. It sounds odd, but actually it was really cool. They went right into their first dance which was “The Book of Love” by the Magnetic Fields. I have played Peter Gabriel’s version a couple of times, but this was the first time I had played this recording. It was a nice first dance.

Now, I have to talk about the really unique things at this reception. First, Elizabeth’s dress was truly one of kind. Yes, it was white, like all brides wear, but the cool part was that it had what can only be described as pink sparkly flames up the side. It was actually really cool. The Art of Cake designed a multi-layer cake with sugar crystals and shapes to match her dress. The room flowers were done by Twigs & Sprigs. It was a super unique look in a very traditional wedding venue. The back story is that both Trevor and Elizabeth are car nuts and I think the flames were like “hot rod” flames. In fact, they met in Michigan while arguing for their respective companies Honda and a spark plug manufacturer…it sounds like Elizabeth won the argument. What a great story.

Kristin with KPO Photo sent me some photos so you can check out all of this stuff yourself.

This was a really great high energy party at Cary’s Prestonwood Country Club. I met Dana and Peter last year when they were moving down from Boston. We clicked and they booked me for their wedding. I am glad they did!

Their introduction had a ton of energy coming in to U2’s “Beautiful Day”. Right after they were introduced and the crowd went nuts, they went into their first dance sung LIVE by the bride’s sister and her boyfriend. “When You Say Nothing At All” sounded amazing. After a nice seated dinner and the cake cutting, I opened the dance floor. From the opening notes of the first song, this party was ON! I played a mix of just about genre and they crowd kept dancing for the entire night. I was cranking the system so hard that it tripped the breaker on the club’s sound system! When it cut off the crowd kept right on singing “Shout” until it came back on right at the point where it goes “Now wait a minute!”. Everyone went nuts. This was a really great party and I had a ball. Check out the pictures below from Patricia Suzanne who was with them all day taking pics.

Emily and Matt’s early reception was great. This was my second week in a row at Raleigh’s Cardinal Club. This is an awesome place for a reception due to the view from the top floor.

After their introduction, they went right into their first dance “Crazy Love” by Van Morrison. The parent dances were next “Father and Daughter” (great song) by Paul Simon and “What a Wonderful World” by Louis Armstrong. The guests got through the food stations and then we opened up the dance floor with a mix of oldies, beach, and 70’s. The music that they picked was great and some of my favorite songs were on there. There was even a guest there that was in the Charleston Swing Club and she put down some serious moves! All in all, it was a perfect afternoon reception. Check out the pictures below by Bryan Stone.

Wow, what a weekend. I kicked it off with a great party for Kristen and Stewart at the Cardinal Club in downtown Raleigh. What a view! After the rehearsal, the guests showed up for a cocktail party for the first hour near the stairway. Later, we moved the party into the ballroom for an awesome slideshow that Mrs. Patch created. The father of the groom did a great job of MC’ing and introducing all of the members of a huge bridal party. There were a ton of toasts before my part finally kicked in. When I got to play, the party was immediately ON! I played alot of great party songs, Motown, 80’s, Beach, and some rock. We even had to add an extra hour. It was a ton of fun! I hope that they had as much fun the next day at their wedding.

Jesse and Shannon are an awesome couple. I met them through my friend Ellen that works at Hi5. She also happened to be the maid of honor at the wedding. Anyway, everything about this wedding was unique and fun. They had their ceremony at All Saints Chapel in downtown Raleigh and then came straight to Caffe Luna for the reception where I was ready and waiting. The guests and bridal party had to brave a nasty rainstorm, but it didn’t put a damper on this party.

They started off with an introduction to “Sexyback” by Justin Timberlake and “Let’s Get Married (remix)” by Jagged Edge. I knew from that point, it was going to be a good party. Their first dance was “Let’s Stay Together” by Al Green and it was super sexy. They were great together. After the parent dances and the food was eaten, the party was in gear. The guys switched out of their dark grey tuxes into those 80’s tuxedo t-shirts and hats with the tags still on. Oh, I forgot to mention that with the tuxes, they were rocking checkerboard Vans. Gotta love that! Anyway, below are the pictures from Neil Boyd. He captured the whole night.

The best part about these two is that I saw them last night (Thursday), 4 days later and they were still partying to my music at Hi5. They rock!

This reception is one of the ones that make me glad to be a pro DJ. It was a great time from start to finish. For the first time, I was at Pinehurst National Golf Club. It is a very nice older club in Pinehurst, NC. Kristen Smith and Jeff Rosowski were a lovely couple and Kristen’s bridal portrait from Azul Photography was one of the hottest I’ve ever seen (see below). I had the pleasure of shooting with Travis from Azul that day and am looking forward to posting some of his pics here as soon as they get into their new offices.

I think one of the best parts about this wedding is that they were really into new music. After about 30 minutes of some of the wedding standards, I started playing from their playlist which had stuff like Rihanna, Black Eyed Peas and other Top 40 and Hip Hop groups. I am really great at this type of music since I have a club background, and as soon as I switched over to the new tunes, the party went to a new level. Everyone had a ball and I definitely did too.

I had the pleasure of DJ’ing another beautiful weddings at one of NC’s premiere hotels, The Umstead. They were pretty much sold out at the hotel due to graduations in the area. When I went out to set up for the outdoor ceremony, the pool was hopping. It made me want to ditch my suit and go ever and hang out…but of course I didn’t. I had a job to do!!! Ruth and Matt’s ceremony went off without a hitch. The hotel audio guy George ran the mics and I handled the music. Ruth’s processional was the Hawaiian version of “Over the Rainbow” by Brother Iz. I love that song. Her recessional was “Learning to Fly” by Tom Petty. She picked 2 great ones! After the ceremony, guests enjoyed the perfect weather on the terrace for the cocktail hour. I got prepared in the ballroom for the introductions.

The ballroom, but the way, looked amazing especially since Lyn Graves with Fresh Affairs had put his touch on it. Greens and pinks and almost flourescent colors prevailed. I loved it. I also got to work with Kevin Milz again. He is a great photographer and a really cool guy. The brides and bridal party really seem to like him and he shoots some amazing stuff. I will post some shots as soon as he emails them to me.

Anyway, the night started off with a high powered introduction and then they went right into their first dance “Crazy Love” by Van Morrison. Dinner was served after the father of the bride welcomed everyone and then we did toasts, cake, parent dances, and anniversary dance all back to back so that we could get the party started! The dance response was great and Ruth and Matt had picked a ton of great songs from almost every genre. During the garter toss, I played the University of Miami’s fight song and Ruth had on a Miami Hurricanes garter, both of which were a surprise to the groom. After that, more dancing and a great party. I had a great time and the guests left happy. Most importantly, I impressed Ruth’s sister who is engaged and now I am going to be doing her June 2009 wedding!

Luckily, I had Friday night off and took my wife to see Kanye West’s Glow in the Dark Tour at Walnut Creek. I got on Craig’s List on Monday of last week and by Friday night was sitting 3rd row center stage! Gotta love the internet and ticket scalpers! Say what you want about Kanye, but he absolutely blew the roof off the place. The show started early with Lupe Fiasco (which we missed), then we got the end of Pharrell’s set with N.E.R.D. They rocked also. Next, Rihanna came out looking amazing. She ran through a string of hits with male and female dancers and a live band…very entertaining. As it finally got dark outside around 9:00pm, the house lights went out and the curtain came down. Basically, the whole show was only one person on stage, Mr. West. The show was more like a play with all of the songs from his three albums tied together to form a story about him crashing his spaceship and trying to get off this planet (which the stage looked like). Amazing show, really. Is he an egomaniac? Yes! He even had his 6 piece band behind the video wall. Is he talented? Yes! His talent bypasses the fact that he is a jerk, I really believe that especially after getting to see his live show. He banged out all of the hits and non-hits with an energy that I have rarely seen onstage and I have seen hundreds of concerts. The bottom line is this, it was a great show and more importantly a milestone for rap shows. Most hip hop shows are plagued with poor sound, terrible lights, and a bunch of idiots marching around on stage yelling into the mic. This was the absolute opposite. One man onstage, 90 minutes of energy, great sound, great lights, and the video screen backdrop was amazing. Rappers take note, this is the man to follow when planning your next tour. I took these with my iPhone, yes, I was that close.

When Liz and Aimee from Rocky Top Hospitality called me many months ago to do a benefit for cancer at 1705 Prime, one of their great restaurants, I couldn’t say no. I know that my friends and family have been affected by cancer just as most of you reading this have been affected in some way as well. It is a terrible disease and I was just doing my small part to help out by providing music and mics for the event. I will have to say, it was a great benefit despite a nasty storm right at the start time. They had a great casino night theme. I think the coolest thing to me was seeing former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Bill Cowher there hanging out drinking a glass of wine. He’s the man and I know some of my buddies would have died to have been there. There were tons of sports memorabilia items up for auction and even several huge door prizes. All in all, this was a great event that raised alot of money to support the American Cancer Society. I’m definitely in for the next one!

I DJ’ed Beyonce and Jay-Z’s wedding yesterday….ok, I’m lying, I didn’t, but Antonio and Autumn are the new B & J! They may be the best looking couple I’ve ever seen, LOL. I have to admit, Sundays are always tough when you work Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, but I got pumped up for this reception when I saw the song list and the roster of vendors working the reception! First and foremost though, I must mention the venue-Duke Gardens for the ceremony and the Doris Duke Center for the reception. This is a beautiful time of the year out there and if you have never been, you really should go and take a tour on a pretty day in NC. Amazing. Cara Zuehlke of A Southern Soiree helped the bride and groom pick most of the vendors since they live out of state and they picked supastars! Every time that I work with Cara I know that things are going to go smoothly. She does a great job of keeping things on track and making sure that the event flows well. I am a big fan of wedding planners, well, good wedding planners. I get alot of “my mom’s cousin’s sister is going to be working with you as the wedding planner…”, oooohhhh, not good! Neil Boyd was the photographer and had the bridal party all over Duke Gardens. Check out some of the formal shots below. Also, the flowers were done personally by Lyn and Michael from Fresh Affairs and they killed it! I can’t forget to mention Catering Works provided the excellent sit-down dinner. I actually got to eat and it was fantastic.

The day started with the outdoor ceremony, which I did the microphones for and then guests moved under a huge white tent by Classic Party Rentals for cocktails and music by a harpist and flutist (is that the right word?). I took a break during that time and then picked up back up during dinner with a speaker located outside. Finally, guests made their way inside for the toasts, cake cutting and dance party. Antonio and Autumn spent alot of time picking great music from the 70’s, 80’s, 90’s, and even brand new stuff. There was a ton of hip hop and R&B hits in there, and I rocked them all! I especially loved breaking out some old New Edition hits. They went nuts over that. This was a great party and fun way to end the weekend.

On Saturday I went to the Chapel Hill Country Club for the first time since it burned down last year. No, I didn’t play in the middle of the rubble and ashes. They have set up a very nice permanent tent just to the side of the location where they are breaking ground for the new club. This is actually a really nice place to have a reception. After getting the wedding party lined up (which was a chore in itself since these folks were ready to start eating and drinking), I got everyone inside to the Stones’ “Start Me Up”. Julie and Nate are a young, cute couple and their first dance to “Bless the Broken Road” was sweet. They also had their parent dances right after theirs which is always a great way to start a reception. My firm belief is that if you come in and go straight into the dances 1) you don’t have to worry about it later and 2) you have everyone’s attention at that moment after being introduced into the room. Trust me, I do receptions however the client wishes, but this seems to work best to get the party started later on in the evening. Anyway, that’s my 2 cents. This party turned out great and by the end of the night, I had them all dancing. Congrats to the new Mr. and Mrs. Auman! Check out the photos below by Diane McKinney, their great photographer.

I DJ’ed Beyonce and Jay-Z’s wedding yesterday….ok, I’m lying, I didn’t, but Antonio and Autumn are the new B & J! They may be the best looking couple I’ve ever seen, LOL. I have to admit, Sundays are always tough when you work Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, but I got pumped up for this reception when I saw the song list and the roster of vendors working the reception! First and foremost though, I must mention the venue-Duke Gardens for the ceremony and the Doris Duke Center for the reception. This is a beautiful time of the year out there and if you have never been, you really should go and take a tour on a pretty day in NC. Amazing. Cara Zuehlke of A Southern Soiree helped the bride and groom pick most of the vendors since they live out of state and they picked supastars! Neil Boyd was the photographer and had the bridal party all over Duke Gardens. I can’t wait to see his work from this one. Also, the flowers were done personally by Lyn and Michael from Fresh Affairs and they killed it! I can’t forget to mention Catering Works provided the excellent sit-down dinner. I actually got to eat and it was fantastic.

The day started with the outdoor ceremony, which I did the microphones for and then guests moved under a huge white tent by Classic Party Rentals for cocktails and music by a harpist and flutist (is that the right word?). I took a break during that time and then picked up back up during dinner with a speaker located outside. Finally, guests made their way inside for the toasts, cake cutting and dance party. Antonio and Autumn spent alot of time picking great music from the 70’s, 80’s, 90’s, and even brand new stuff. There was a ton of hip hop and R&B hits in there, and I rocked them all! I especially loved breaking out some old New Edition hits. They went nuts over that. This was a great party and fun way to end the weekend.

On Saturday I went to the Chapel Hill Country Club for the first time since it burned down last year. No, I didn’t play in the middle of the rubble and ashes. They have set up a very nice permanent tent just to the side of the location where they are breaking ground for the new club. This is actually a really nice place to have a reception. After getting the wedding party lined up (which was a chore in itself since these folks were ready to start eating and drinking), I got everyone inside to the Stones’ “Start Me Up”. Julie and Nate are a young, cute couple and their first dance to “Bless the Broken Road” was sweet. They also had their parent dances right after theirs which is always a great way to start a reception. My firm belief is that if you come in and go straight into the dances 1) you don’t have to worry about it later and 2) you have everyone’s attention at that moment after being introduced into the room. Trust me, I do receptions however the client wishes, but this seems to work best to get the party started later on in the evening. Anyway, that’s my 2 cents. This party turned out great and by the end of the night, I had them all dancing. Congrats to the new Mr. and Mrs. Auman! I hope to have some pictures up here soon from Diane McKinney, their great photographer.

Well, it’s Friday again and that means it’s prom time again. This is another prom that I have been doing for many years and I guess I will continue to do until I just can’t take it anymore. Millbrook High School decided to go all out this year and have it at Sister’s Garden on Millbrook Rd. I had alot of fun, but it’s alot of work to keep those kids rocking. Basically, you have to have every Top 40 song and every song off of the Urban Radio charts or you are going to get mobbed. Luckily, I had all but one. They kept asking for a song called “Get Silly” by VIC and I just didn’t have that one. Darnit! I rocked it anyway. I’ll be there were 700 kids in there and they went nuts on just about every song that I dropped as if I was the artist singing the song live at the prom. It is a great feeling to rock a room like that. The outfits and the dancing are unbelievable and I’ll just leave it at that with this post. If you ever get a chance to chaperone a prom, you will be thoroughly entertained, but bring your earplugs because I play LOUD!

My friends Marissa and Johnny Pratt are about to take a year long mission trip around the world, so went sent them off in grand style by having a fundraising/going away bash at Hi5 where I DJ on Thursday nights. They had a great turnout of friends, wedding vendors, and co-workers show up to support them on their journey. In the end, they raised several thousand dollars by selling raffle tickets for great stuff like camping gear and gift certificates, and also by having a silent auction with some things like a BMX bike and a giant magnum bottle of wine! It was alot of fun, but a long night since I had to play afterwards down there for college night. Luckily, DJ Mark T showed up and rocked around 1am when I started fading. If you want to learn more about their trip, you can check out The World Race. I wish them the best of luck on this amazing journey.

When Liz and Aimee from Rocky Top Hospitality called me many months ago to do a benefit for cancer at 1705 Prime, one of their great restaurants, I couldn’t say no. I know that my friends and family have been affected by cancer just as most of you reading this have been affected in some way as well. It is a terrible disease and I was just doing my small part to help out by providing music and mics for the event. I will have to say, it was a great benefit despite a nasty storm right at the start time. I think the coolest thing to me was seeing former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Bill Cowher there hanging out drinking a glass of wine. He’s the man and I know some of my buddies would have died to have been there. There were tons of sports memorabilia items up for auction and even several huge door prizes. All in all, this was a great event that raised alot of money to support the American Cancer Society. I’m definitely in for the next one!

Dawn and Gary had their wedding reception at a really cool relatively new spot in downtown Raleigh. The Long View Center has opened 1880 Hall in the lower part of the building and I must say, it is awesome! The newlyweds made their entrance to the song “Waiting for Tonight” by JLo and then guests were treated to an awesome dinner by Premiere Catering. My good friend Marissa Pratt, who will be leaving soon for a one year trip around the world (boo hoo, we’ll miss you!), was in charge of the gig that night and the reception went off without a hitch. Gail Stephenson was also helping out, she’s awesome. There was some great dancing and alot of Latin music thanks to a great list from the groom Gary! It was great to see Ron Anderson, a great guy and great photographer, there as well. I hope to have some pictures from him to post here in a few days. I think everyone had a great time and I even got to take home some leftovers for late night!

Wow, another year went by and it's time once again for Greenfield's Prom. I have been doing this small private school prom in Wilson, NC (my hometown) for many, many years. I think this is the first time that they've held it at The Elk's Lodge. They don't have alot of students, but what they lack for in size, they make up with in dancing. Most of the kids arrived fashionably late (of course) to the prom themed "Havana Nights". They had some great decor-fake palms, hanging lanterns, and a fog machine. I love fog machines, woo hoooo! I basically played every song in the Top 40, and played them loud. They had a a great time and I think I came to the realization that night that I am getting too old to do proms anymore. I am double the age of those kids, hmmm, depressing. Oh well, we'll see how I feel if they call me again next year. Young at heart baby!

Well, I just have to post another thing about my son. Sorry, I’m just a really proud papa. My friend Chris Perez from Azul Photography created this unbelievable slideshow from the first week or so of Davis’ life. It has my wife and I narrating on it and it almost makes me cry every time I watch it…okay, okay, I do cry every time, now leave me alone and watch this!

Davis’ Slideshow