Joe Bunn DJ Company Blog - Home

Grimes/Goeken Reception 8/2/08

2008-08-05T16:12:00Z

Elaine and Chris had an amazing reception this past weekend at Prestonwood ,one of my favorite places to DJ a wedding. Gail Stephenson was the wedding consultant for this event and things flowed very smoothly thanks to her help. She’s definitely a pro. After making their entrance, the couple went right into their first dance, “Groovy Kind of Love” by Phil Collins. Next, Elaine danced with her father and then we moved into dinner. They had an amazing buffet and soon after Chris danced with his mom. We then had the best man and maid of honor toasts, two cakes were cut, the bouquet and garter were tossed, and the dance floor opened. We were a little behind so we did all of those things together boom, boom, boom. I will have to say this crowd came to party, it was alot of fun. I do have to mention that Michael with Fleurtations did an amazing job with the flowers and decor and it was all topped off with some amazing lighting by Rick Bryda with Total Production Services. A great reception indeed!

Summer Concerts Abound!

2008-08-02T03:23:00Z

I have seen 2 awesome shows in the past week at Walnut Creek Amphitheatre. Last week was Snoop and 311. I haven’t seen Snoop in years and he opened the show with the HEAT! He is still as hot as ever and killed it! I have seen 311 many times dating all the way back to the Mad Monk in Wilmington, NC. These guys are amazing and their live show is unreal. One of my DJ’s, Randy Bennett, and I had a blast.

Just a few days ago, my wife and I went to the Counting Crows/Maroon 5 show. I will say that Counting Crows is one of my favorite bands of all time, but they just didn’t deliver and I’m not sure why. The singer, Adam Duritz, came out with a cane saying that he had landed wrong on his foot several shows before. Maybe he was hopped up on painkillers or something? I don’t know, but I was disappointed. Maroon 5 saved this show hands down. They always seem bad on TV shows, but not live. They killed it! Great sound, lights, and song choices. Killer show!

Quallen/Vincent Reception 7/26/08

2008-08-02T03:10:00Z

Nicole and Brad’s reception was at Chapel Hill’s gorgeous Governor’s Club. From the start, I knew this was going to be a great crowd. They were even hard to get lined up since they were so amped. The bride and groom had actually picked songs for most of the bridal party so each person had a theme song. It was a great introduction! They picked a classic “At Last” by Etta James for their first dance. After dinner, toasts, and cake, the party was on! This crowd really did come to party. I played a mix of just about every genre. They loved it and it was awesome to be able to mix it up like that. I really liked working with Scotti over at the Governor’s Club and once again I was with Neil Boyd and will post the pictures as soon as I get them.

The Select Group 7/31/08

2008-08-02T03:02:00Z

Last night I dj’ed a great corporate event for The Select Group at their new office by the RBC Center. This was their grand opening and customer appreciation event. It was an awesome party with casino tables, open bar, big time door prizes, and much more. In fact, Mayor Meeker spoke as did “the voice of the Carolina Hurricanes”, John Forslund. I have to say thanks to Maria with Maranna Designs for hooking me up with Sheldon and The Select Group.

Record of the Week 8/4/08

2008-08-02T02:55:00Z

I am going to try to write a short blog entry each week about a record that I am loving that week. This first entry I am going to have to mention a record that Randy Bennett turned me on to. The group, or guy I guess, is called Girl Talk. You can either check out Night Ripper or Feed The Animals. Basically, it is a continuous mix of mashups, but not the terrible ones that these kids are putting out on the internet. In fact, they are so unbelievable that I will have to classify this guy as genius. As soon as you recognize the sample he is using, it flips to the next one. Trust me, it is unbelievable. Word of warning-the lyrics are explicit. Enjoy!

Quallen/Vincent Reception 7/26/08

2008-07-27T14:54:00Z

Byrd/Kennedy Reception 7/19/08

2008-07-20T21:59:00Z

Blair, the bride, is a friend of mine and I recently met her fiance, Phillip. They are a great couple and looked fantastic on Saturday! This day was really strange weather-wise. As I drove to Pine Lake Pavilion in Mebane, NC, it rained almost the whole way from Raleigh. However, just before the ceremony, it cleared up for the 30 minutes that they needed and they were able to have their perfect outdoor ceremony. Just as it ended, the rain started back up, but everyone made it into the tent for the reception before getting soaked. Talk about perfect timing!

After the introduction, Blair and Phillip went right into their first dance “I’ve Got You Under My Skin” by Frank Sinatra. It was perfect. They then did their parent dances to the same song “The Way You Look Tonight” by Michael Buble. Again, another great choice. After the excellent food by Catering Works was served, we cut the cake, Blair’s father toasted, and the party began! Blair picked some great songs and then I threw in some of my favorite mixes to create the perfect party atmosphere. I felt like people screamed every time I mixed in the next song. I loved this reception and really liked playing at a new spot, Pine Lake Pavilion. I hope to have some pictures posted here in the next few days. Check out some of the photos below by Joey Seawell

Gibson/Miller Reception 7/12/08

2008-07-16T13:06:00Z

Jill and Chris’ reception was held at the Embassy Suites Cary off Harrison Avenue. We had a busy day there since Randy Bennett, one of my other DJ’s, did an early reception for Kristen Riordan. I actually caught the end of his show! He rocked it! Anyway, back to mine. We did a huge introduction to U2’s “Beautiful Day” and then they actually went to their head table, not their first dance. The father of the bride gave a welcome and then there was a blessing and an amazing slideshow presentation that the mother of the groom composed. A buffet dinner was served and as soon as it was over we knocked out their first dance which was “I Only Have Eyes for You” by the Flamingos. They didn’t really have a song of their own so they “borrowed” this one from Jill’s grandparents that had been married for 56 years. When I announced this, everyone gave a big AWWWWWW. It was perfect. The matron of honor and best man gave great toasts and then the party took off.

Jill promised a big dancing crowd and she didn’t let me down. She had picked a great song list and people of all ages were on the floor from the first to the last dance. It was a great night altogether and by the end Jill was worn out (just as I had promised…:)

Welch/Stewart Reception 7/11/08

2008-07-12T17:08:00Z

I had the honor of playing Maura and Brad’s Friday evening wedding at the beautiful Highgrove in Fuquay Varina, NC. Maura works for Alexia’s Bridal as their seamstress and that is how we met. I actually dj’ed both the ceremony and the reception for this event since they got married by the lake at the gazebo. Ceremonies are very difficult and nerve racking due to so many variables and things that can go wrong (with a bad DJ), but this went off without a hitch. Immediately afterwards, guests moved up the steps to the cocktails and the (thankfully) air conditioned permanent tent they have there. The tent looked amazing with Lyn Graves’ touch put on it. He is the owner of Fresh Affairs here in Raleigh.

I did a basic introduction and they went right into their first dance, “Fly Me to the Moon” by Frank Sinatra. It is a great song to start any event. Dinner was served and then cake by Sweet Memories and parent dances followed. Soon after, we got the party started with “Celebration” by Kool and the Gang. I played alot of oldies and there were several beach music shaggers there. It was a great Friday reception and Maura and Brad seemed to have a great time. The event was captured by Marthanna Yater and her assistant (see below for their work).

Delsorbo/Frederick Reception 6/28/08

2008-07-10T19:36:00Z

Tara and David’s wedding was at one of my favorite reception sites in NC, Prestonwood. If you have never seen the large ballroom there, you are missing out. High ceilings with massive chandeliers and a grand staircase that the bride and groom use to enter the room during introductions are the highlights. Also, don’t let me forget to mention the sound system that is installed there. Banging! All the DJ has to do is bring in their coffin (cd players/mixer) and plug in, and we are ready to rock. Anyway, enough about the room, on to the wedding reception.

The bride and groom looked great, and Tara’s dress from Alexia’s Bridal was one of the most gorgeous I have seen. After their introduction, Tara and David went into their first dance which was “I Will Be Here” by Steven Curtis Chapman. The song was actually performed live by one of their friends who sang and played acoustic guitar. It was a great moment. After a huge dinner, parent dance, and cake cutting, we opened up the dance floor. In this case, Tara and David didn’t pick any songs except “Baby Got Back”! They told me to just “do my thing”...which I did. The dance floor stayed full for pretty much the entire night and everyone had a great time. I was fortunate enough to have Angie Wright from Chic Details working with me to keep the event flowing smoothly. In addition, Neil Boyd was there to photograph the big day.

Golden Margaritas July 4th and 5th

2008-07-08T15:17:00Z

I got the pleasure of actually going to the beach on July 1st and staying the whole week. It was a nice break with my wife, 2 sons, and mom and dad. I guess my sister was somewhere out in Montana where she lives doing who knows what. Anyway, it wasn’t all play and no work. I DJ’ed two nights at my yearly gig at a small beach bar in Atlantic Beach called Golden Margaritas. The crowd was not as big as it has been in the past primarily I think due to the fact that there are so many other things to do in AB now. There were bands playing, new bars, and then of course the people that drank all day on the beach and never came out. Oh well, both nights were fun anyway. I saw alot of old friends (most of them much younger than myself), and made some new friends. All in all, it was a good 2 night stretch getting to play whatever I wanted to play…and I made enough to pay for my trip…NICE! I hope that you all had a nice, safe holiday as well.

Delsorbo/Frederick Reception 6/28/08

2008-07-08T15:00:00Z

Jones/Collins Reception 6/21/08

2008-06-23T19:49:00Z

I was on the road again for this Saturday, not to Chicago, but to Pembroke, NC. This wedding was probably the most extravagant one that I have done in a long time. Alot of work and planning from Ivy Robinson Weddings & Events made this event hugely successful. Let me start from the top and try to do it justice. The tent and most of the rentals were from Chair & Equipment Rentals out of Rocky Mount. I can’t even imagine how many square feet this thing was, but it was awesome with the peaked roof resembling a circus tent complete with white carpet, silver dance floors and pink EVERYTHING! It was killer. In the middle of the tent over the “lounge” area with white leather sofas was a 12 foot floral chandelier by Blue Thistle out of Charlotte. At the far end of the tent was the cake created by Greg Bingham of The Art of Cake. This is hard to explain, but it was basically hanging from a pergola with a winch and looked like a chandelier. It was awesome! They lowered it with a winch when it was time for the cake cutting! So cool! The bar was a pink, wavy LED bar provided by James and “Duck” from Showtime Events. Lighting and audio was provided by my buddy Jeff Simpson and his assistant Josh Andrews. I will have to say, if you are planning a wedding and can afford it, lighting will set your event apart from everyone else’s. When it got dark and he fired up those dance lights, people went NUTS! It was so cool looking in there, I wish you could have seen it! Triangle Catering had an incredible spread of fruits, vegetables, and meats laid out for everyone in some of the most unique ways I’ve ever seen. Everyone worked really hard to pull this wedding off.

On to the party, Whitney and Benjamin are a young, in love couple that couldn’t be more sweet. From the very start, their friends and family hit the dance floor. They loved line dances and I played them all from the “Cupid Shuffle” to “Soulja Boy”. I also mixed in some beach music and by the end of the night got to spin some of the bride’s favorite hip hop songs. It was a great mix and the crowd ate it up! This was a great wedding reception for sure! Check out some of the photos from Amanda Caldwell. They are amazing!

Carpenter/Pitman Reception 6/14/08

2008-06-23T18:27:00Z

Well, this isn’t your typical NC wedding report. I actually got up on this Saturday and flew to Chicago! I know the Pitmans through my aunt Linda and they booked me over a year ago for their son’s wedding in Wilmette, IL outside of the city. The location of the reception with the Michigan Shores Club. I will have to say, I have done alot of beautiful places in NC and this one rivaled alot of them. It was very old school, but gorgeous inside. It actually reminded me of an old Episcopal Church with the high ceilings and dark arched wooden beams at the ceiling. From the stage, I was looking directly out at Lake Michigan and a gorgeous, cool, breezy day. Wow. Awesome.

Jenny and Halston finally arrived after a long session of pictures and a lost limo driver. I got them all lined up and they entered the ballroom to “Down with the Sickness” by Disturbed. It was hardcore, but apparently that was the only time the groom was going to get to hear some heavy music, so the bride let him have his pick, LOL. Actually, I thought it worked out great! Their first dance came next and was “At the Beginning” by Richard Marx and Donna Lewis. I had only played this one other time, but it is a great first dance. I think the best of the special dances was when Halston danced with his mom to “She Drives Me Crazy” by the Fine Young Cannibals. Now that was a first, but it got the party started for sure!

All in all, this was a great party. I tried to get some photos for this blog post from John Dowling of Edward Fox Photographers, but I don’t think they really got what I was trying to do. Anyway, once I get something, I will edit this post and add them. Thanks to the Pitmans and the Carpenters for a great trip up to IL! It was also great to get to see some of my friends and family from Wilson there as well.

Gunn/Christie Reception 6/7/08

2008-06-09T20:12:00Z

Rebekah and Nathan’s reception took place at Fearrington Village in Pittsboro, NC. If you have never been, you have got to go. I just celebrated my 5 year anniversary there a week ago, spent the night, and had an unbelievable dinner. It is great. Ok, back to the reception. Right after being introduced, Nathan and Rebekah went into their first dance “Happy Together” by the Turtles. Let me tell you, they had been practicing…and it showed. They were great and the crowd was loving their dance. It was true “Dancing with the Stars” material, sexy! After a toast by the best man, a welcome from the father of the bride, and a blessing, the dinner buffet began. During dinner, I was asked to recognize Fearrington’s chef, Tony. He had been a friend of the Gunns for a long time. He loved that.

The dance kicked off after dinner with “I’m a Believer” by Smashmouth and then I ran through their requests in the hour or so that we had for dancing. The crowd reaction was great for a small wedding and the dance floor stayed pretty full throughout the party. The bride and groom left under a shower of bubbles from their guests. Once again, Kristin from KPO Photo was on the scene taking the pictures and I should have them up there soon!