2007-01-27 Ted & Amy Wedding at the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden - Coral Gables, Florida

This the place to be to catch the nuptuals. It was a beautiful evening and into the night. The night was perfectly sandwhiched between two cold fronts. The landscape at the Fairchild was lovely. If you haven't been, and you have the means, I suggest that you go and check it out. The plant and animal life there is very serene. It has a calming effect. The ceremony was scheduled for 5:15 pm so I got there at three to set up the sound for the entertainment. I set up the big system in the garden house, where the main dinner and reception party would be. There I met the staff of Aaron Catering already working to get the place gussied up for the BIG event. After setting up the main event, I made my way down to the grand garden that was to be the setting for the ceremony. It could not have been a prettier locale. I set my smaller system--perfect for ceremonies and cocktails--off to the side so as not to be too obtrusive. I met the officiant Lisa, who happened to be a family friend. She was very nice. The next person that I was fortunate to meet was the bride's sister, Sherry, who was to sing three songs during the ceremony. She gave me her music CDs with about 45 minutes to go to the ceremony. We did a short sound check to make sure that we were up to par. After achieving satisfaction, I threw on some classical tunes and waited for the guests to arrive. Everyone looked wonderful: The guests, the bridal party and especially the bride and groom. There were quite a few in the bridal party and in attendance. I could tell right away that this couple was loved by many. When the ceremony was done, I invited everyone to join me just outside the Garden House fro a cocktail hour. I played some upbeat jazz, as requested. Then it was time to get indoors for dinner and dancing. In lieu of a cake, Ted & Amy had a large chocalate fountain that was a hit. If you don't like cake, you might give this a try. The newlyweds asked for a mix of disco, 80's, rock, funk, country and freestyle. So I mixed it up for them and threw in a few requests to boot. The folks were dancing and smiling and having fun. There were quite a few youngsters in the crowd, so I whipped a few glowsticks out to keep them happy. They were a hit. I love it when I get the "thumbs up" from people in the middle of the crowd. It felt good to get Ted & Amy off to a good start. I was glad to be a part of it. The pics should be up at www.KeysDAN.com in just a little bit.


Public Service Message: Water your plants or they will die.

2007-01-21 Party for Sean & Ryan
It was a Power Ranger Party. Complete with two bounce houses, face painting, Barbecue, snow cones, popcorn machine, Red Power Ranger and yours truly, KeysDAN. I had a blast playing games with the kids. We played hula hoop games. I made baloon animals. It was a super afternoon. I will post pictures on www.KeysDAN.com soon.

Public Service Message: Hug your kids.

Sunday, January 14th, 2006 wedding...
Today we celebrated the union of David and Heather. They were at the beautiful Marriott Key Largo Bay Resort. The ceremony was presided over by Frank Henry. David and heather wanted a classical start to their big day, so I played some of the classical tunes that are the most popular so everyone would get in the mood. The ceremony was beautiful as was the day. The weather could not have been much nicer. After the ceremony, I invited the folks to join me under Gus' Grille for the cocktails while the bridal party got their pictures taken by Frank Panaro Photography (http://www.frankpanarophotography.com/.) I played some jazz favorites and light love songs for the folks to groove to whilest they mingles and partook of the beverages and snacks. After cocktails, I invited the guests upstairs to Gus' Grille's banquet room where the dinner and dancing was to take place. I announced the bridal party, had the first dances and the best man, Jimmy made the toast. Then dinner was served by the Marriott staff. I played the love songs and gradually picked up the tempo as the folks finished their dinners and were ready to dance. One last formality of cake cutting and then it was time to boogie. The bride and groom picked out a few tunes that they wanted to hear. The rest they left up to yours truly. I played disco, 80s, country, pop, hip hop, rap and, of course, threw in a few slow songs. The people were dancing and sweating and having a great time. I love it when I can help get a couple off to a great start. The staff of the Marriott was excellent as usual.My camera stopped working after the ceremony, so I don't know when I will get the pictures up on http://www.keysdan.com/. I hope soon. They were a great bunch. I was happy to be a part of it. All the best to David and Heather.

Public Service Message: Too much TV can rot your brain.

Sunday December 31st, 2006
This was the day for the Big New Year's Day Gala at the Marriott Key Largo Bay Resort in Key Largo in the Florida Keys. I got there two hours early at 6pm to make sure that the entertainment for the show was set up properly.The fine staff at the Marriott were happy to see me and I was happy to see them as well. The staff wanted the best for the guests of the grand ballroom event. in addition to the professional sound system, they wanted a light show and video projection. I put together a "2006: Year in Pictures" presentation together just a few days before the show so that it would be current. I got a lot of great comments on it. The drinks, the food, the people were all great. Everyone looked wonderful at this end of the year fiesta. I played jazz favorites for the cocktail hour and dinner. After dinner, I invited the folks to get up and boogie to some of the best dance music ever. I started off with some disco, then switched up to the 80's, back to the 40's for some slow dancing, then up to the 60's. A fine scattering of country and some shag music request and the place was jumping. the dance floor was packed for most of the night. I even got a few tips from the patrons! that was so nice. I did a few time checks throughout the night to make sure that everyone's clocks were synchronized. That worked out very well when I annonced the strike of midight. All of the people were hugging and kissing and smiling and loving on each other. It was beautiful. Even your truly got a few kisses and hugs from the patrons and the staff! After midnight the folks went out to watch the fireworks and enjoy each other some more. I mixed up some good old rock and roll for the party people as they came back in for the finish. I am so glad that things went well. I always have a blast at the Marriott Key Largo Bay Resort.
I will post a few pictures at www.KeysDAN.com.
Public Service Message: Dance Like Noone is Watching.

Saturday December 30th, 2006 I had the pleasure of providing the entertainment for Michael & Siobhan's wedding at the Elk's Lodge in Tavernier in the fabulous Florida Keys. The ceremony was on the beach adjacent to the club grounds. I set up some pre-ceremony love songs to get the folks in the mood. It was presided over by Bernadette D'Ornellas of www.akeyswedding.com. The Groom looked handsome in his tuxedo, red tropical print shirt, and flip-flops. The bride made a grand entrance in her limosine. She was stunning in her white gown with red roses stitched in the back. The sunset ceremony was lovely. Afterwards, while Jane and Dan from Tiger Photo & Video (www.tiger-video.com) took the formal pictures of the bride, groom, family, and wedding party, I invited the guests into the hall for the reception. The dinner music requested was light rock and pop. I was happy to oblige. The food was catered by Mangrove Mike's (www.mangrovemikescatering.com), so I knew that it would be delicious. The hall is huge so i knew that filling a dance floor built for 100 people would be difficult, but I was up to the challenge. The bride, groom, and family picked out a nice mix of pop, rock, country, r&b and hip-hop. The people ate, drank and were merry. I had a great time playing for them. It's so good to entertain for nice people.
I will post a few pics at www.KeysDAN.com.

Public Service Message: Friends Don't Let Friends Drive Drunk.