Pittsburgh Wedding Vendor Reviews

so, you know. don't play these.

i'm a lyric-listener. i love the music, but i'm all about the lyrics when thinking about my favorite songs, the ones that really move me.

some folks aren't. some folks are all about the beat and the mood of the notes but don't really care much about the lyrics. or just assume that the lyrics go right along with the music.

you'd think!

when choosing the music for your wedding and reception, maybe have a gander at this list of songs that might not be about what you think they're about.

DJ Jimmy Mac - A+

Jimmy works with the Hampton Banquet Hall and we are SO happy we went with him. He is a really great guy and we had so much fun working with him!! He kept everyone on the dance floor all night and even kept playing after we really should have been leaving. We let him do the crazy hat thing at
one point (I'm sure a collective groan is going out - my family is cheesy, we don't take ourselves very seriously at all, so the hat thing was right up our alley!! :)) and it was GREAT!! We had 300 people at the wedding about 100 on the dance floor and I'm not joking when I say that everyone had a hat. It was such fun and he really did a great job. If you use the hall, use Jimmy.

Andy Hutelmyer DJ

Andy Hutelmyer, DJ (A++)

hutelmyer@gmail.com

What can I say about Andy? He is awesome. He played everything I asked for, nothing I banned, and the songs I gave him freedom to choose for me were fabulous. Tim wanted a special version of the Pitt fight song for our entrance song which neither one of us had, so Andy went to the Pitt bookstore and bought a CD with the special version on it and told us he had found it. He kept the evening moving and everyone was commenting about how great he was.

Eat End Brass Quintet (A)

Pierce Cook was great to work with.  We had some glitches with the Grand Hall with insurance on some of the musicians which created a tad amount of stress during planning.  However, Pierce went above and beyond and the music was perfect.  I almost started crying when I heard Trumpet Voluntary but I didn’t . . . and everyone LOVED the fact that we recessed to Ob-la-di Ob-la-da by the Beatles (played by the quintet).

AllPro DJ Bob Harnett (A)

Bob did a great job and everything I asked (and didn’t ask) of him.  There were 1-2 songs that I wasn’t thrilled about BUT in the grand schema, I didn’t care because he had the dance floor jam-packed which was my only ‘demand’!  In the end, who cares – I trusted him and he came through!!!  If you want a good stay behind the scenes DJ, Bob fits the bill and is reasonably priced. 

Andy Hutelmyer (A-)

When I met Andy, I loved his prices and he was such a nice, genuine guy. He came highly recommended, and he did a great job. People were dancing all night. He followed our timeline with great ease, and kept things moving. My only complaint was that he did not play a lot of the popular group wedding dances (Conga Line, Chicken Dance, Hokey Pokey, etc.)...even though we had marked on his info sheet that we wanted them played.

DJ Jerry - A+

DJ Jerry - Love him so much! He really kept the party going and was a great announcer during the special events.  I loved his selection of music and it all sounded GREAT.  A+

advice from LisaBe

Well, I'm always full of advice, so I have no idea how I'd ever put it all in one post, but here's a bit as I look back through my wedding pictures.
1. Look like you, only better.
2. Spend the day with people you love. Not just the ceremony and reception, but all the getting-ready parts, brunch, whatever. All of it.
3. Wear comfortable things from the skin out, from head to toe. And the only way to know things are comfortable is by doing trial wearings of everything, for a whole day, on a day that has a climate much like you expect your wedding day to have. Of course, you can't wear your wedding gown all day, but everything else--undergarments, shoes, accessories, hair, makeup--do a test run. If you can feel it in any negative way by the end of the day, find a substitute for it on your wedding day. Because you'll feel everything more that day.
4. Love everything about that dress. The way it feels, the way it looks, the way it hangs, the price you paid, the place you bought it, and the person who altered it.
5. Love your shoes. If you want to wear slippers, wear slippers. If you want to wear sneakers, wear sneakers. If you want to wear red shoes, wear red shoes. If you want to wear heels wear them. Love your shoes.
6. Before your wedding day gets here, pack a bag of things to take to the ceremony and reception. Don't wait till the wedding day, even if you'll have time. Your hair will frizz and your makeup will spoil.
7. Put someone in charge of pinning on corsages and boutonnieres if your florist can't do it.
8. Enjoy every minute.
9. Hire a great photographer to capture you enjoying those minutes.
10. Carry a hanky.
11. Love the ones you're with.
12. Turn off your cell phone before you go into the ceremony.
13. Reserve a parking space outside the ceremony for whomever is dropping you off, if you need one.
14. Before you begin your processional, pause and look at everyone gathered to celebrate and witness your union.
15. Before you begin your processional, lock eyes with your husband-to-be, and don't let go.
16. When the unexpected happens, and it will, laugh. Smile. Roll with it. It's a party, all for you, and no one wants to see you unhappy. No matter what, never let anyone see you sad, pouty, angry, or hurt. It shouldn't require any effort at all, if you're focused on what matters. :)
17. Listen to the vows you're making.
18. Enjoy the trembling, the crying, the laughter, whatever comes out. Everyone else will, too.
19. Hire a coordinator to take the details off your plate.
20. Let your friends help. They will.
21. Embrace the spontaneity of children. Hire child-care help if you can.
22. Kiss with joy.
23. Run into the arms of your new family.
24. Thank your vendors like they're the most welcome guests there--they are among them.
25. Spend time with every person there. If you can't, you've invited too many people.
26. Eat, drink, and dance. In whatever proportions you like best.
27. Choose vendors you like and whose work you trust, then let them do their jobs. Remember: *your* job is to be the bride. You wouldn't want them doing that, would you? ;)

Appropriate Moods - DJ

DJ: Appropriate Moods

No complaints here. Our DJs kept the party going, and insisted that the evening was ours.  They also made sure to pronounce the names of the wedding party perfectly.  We had two guys.  John Behren, and an assistant.  The music dinner was perfect for conversing (not too loud!), which our guests did a lot of.  And despite the snow causing our guests to run off early, John kept the dance floor as full as could be with everyone who stayed.  John was really cool about being flexible with last minutes changes too.  Just don't plan on feeding him seafood.  I think I almost heard him gag when I asked about that!  He's a meat eater. :P

Appropriate Moods-- Matt

Matt gets an A+, as does everyone at Appropriate Moods. They called me regularly to check up on everything, conducted a lot of the business by phone and mail (considering I was planning from out of the country!), and set up a last-minute meeting for us with the DJ. When we met him, he was very kind, very thorough, and listened to everything we said. On the night of, he looked very smart, and was extremely professional. He played exactly what we wanted, kept our guests dancing, and kept the cheese (ie, big grand announcements, a lot of talking) to a minimum, as we'd asked him to. He was great. Everyone raved about the dinner music being at a good volume, and the party music being fun. At the end of the night, my step-sister's husband, upon hearing it was time for the last dance, shouted "OH, NO!" which has to be a good sign, right. The cost was also excellent, and they offer a 10% discount for November-March weddings.