October 2022

Before Autumn officially takes hold and exposes us to tempestuous winds, and eventually Winter’s harsh grasp, it was nice to have a final spin around the summery block to warm the bones. And for the lucky few, that warmth came from the beautiful wedding of Joanna and Michael! At every step of the way, the wedding party enjoyed sights of beauty, with everything from the rolling hills of the green, to the classic, romantic structure building, to the giant ballroom on site. It truly was a perfect setting for a perfect day!

After a beautiful off site ceremony, the newlyweds and the party were ready for some drinks… and you know what that meant… cocktails! With our jazz trio, the cocktail hour was a success! Our Altitude Band, set the tone as the party mingled and drank. With everyone sufficiently warmed up, it was definitely time for something to eat… and perhaps some dancing! And that could only mean one thing… it was time to party!

While their time on the patio and the foyer was wonderful, the grumbling stomachs and dancing feet were calling for the reception, so the party made their way inside! After entering and jamming to songs such as “Smells Like Teen Spirit”, the parents and the bridal party had taken their seats. And that meant that it was time for the couple of the hour to arrive, and to “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” by Queen no less! Nascha and Elsa had a blast singing such fun songs. But now it was time to slow things down a bit… and get ready for the first dance! By the time that Joanna and Michael took the floor as the band’s male vocalist sang “In Your Arms”, there wasn’t a single tear unshed. But they weren’t out of the woods yet: it was time for everyone to get prepared for the next tearjerkers: the father/daughter and mother/son dances! Between “My Wish,” and “That’s What Mamas Do” sweetly sung by the Altitude Band’s lead vocalist, the party had earned another round of dances. So it was time for the party to take to the floor once again, and cut a rug!

While there were tons of highlights of the night, there was a particularly good round of dancing for “I Go Blind”, “Mr. Brightside”, and “Don’t Stop Me Now!” For their special day, Joanna and Michael wanted nothing more than to spend a happy night with their loved ones, and they certainly got exactly what they asked for.

There are few things sweeter than a romance that begins as friendship–and with Anndrea and Omar, that’s exactly how it began! After meeting through friends of friends, Anndrea and Omar began hanging out with their friends, Steve and Kim, as they also grew closer (romantically speaking)! After months of friendship, Omar asked Anndrea to brunch–and even though she wore casual clothes, the rest was history! Three and a half years later, through a long distance relationship, lots of moves, job changes and a pandemic, they were ready to tie the knot–and we got to tag long!

Anndrea and Omar picked a classic ATE favorite for their dream wedding destination: St. Clements Castle! After everyone took their seats for the ceremony, our pianist began the ceremony with his gorgeous piano playing! From “Perfect”, to “I Get to Love You’, to “Signed, Sealed, Delivered”, the ceremony was accompanied by beautiful music, and before they knew it… they were married! From there, we moved on to the cocktail hour… when things really started warming up! Our cocktail trio, made up of a guitar, bass, and pianist set the tone for the hour, as everyone mingled, drank, and got ready for the main event… the reception!

Once everyone took their seats, it was time for the night’s events to begin! The bridal party kicked off the evening by entering to Amanda’s rendition of “Can’t Stop the Feeling”, and the party officially had begun! From there, the dance floor cleared for the woman and man of the hour… Anndrea and Omar! For their entrance, they took the floor to “Lady (You Bring Me Up)”! After the crowd settled, it was time for the first dance! “Heaven” lived up to its name, as the entire ballroom couldn’t help but shed a few tears at the beauty of the newlyweds.

From there, it was the party’s turn to dance–and dance they did! Our sound team queued up some traditional Arabic songs, and played away! “Allah Alak Ya Sidi”, “Habibi Ya Nour El Ain”, and “Hatgawez” all shaped up to be the perfect dance break lineup–before we moved back into tugging at the heartstrings for the parent/child dances! The band belted out “It Won’t be Like This for Long” for Anndrea and her father, and “A Song For Mama” for Omar and his mother! With plenty of sweat and tears now properly shed, the party could use a pick-me-up–and what better pick-me-up than some cake? For the slicing of the sweet, the band treated everyone to their rendition of “How Sweet It Is”! 

With bellies full, and blood sugar high, it was definitely time for some serious dancing. Cutting a rug was definitely in order! There were so many highlights of the night, but the crowd went particularly wild for “Shut up and Dance”, “Levitating“, and “September”, among some others! As the night wound down, and everyone headed home, no one wanted to leave! Congratulations to the beautiful couple!

Here at Around Town Entertainment, we see lots of different ways that true loves come to be; sometimes it’s their love of pizza, their mutual crushes on each other… and for Bonnie and Austin, it was their love of Taylor Swift! Their story begins simply, after graduating college – in the big city! They bonded over their mutual love of Taylor Swift, but remained friends… until they officially started dating in March of 2017. Through marathons, meeting T-Swizzle herself, and the pandemic, they stuck together. Cut to a short few years later… and they’re engaged!

Even though there was a little bit of rain (the tail end of Hurricane Ian), the weather eventually produced clear skies. And we got a perfect view of it at the Guilford Yacht Club! With the ceremony off site, the party arrived to the patio ready for some drinks! Our cocktail group had a wonderful time underscoring the post-ceremony conversation with smooth, jazzy tunes. By the end of the cocktail hour, the entire party was ready for some dancing and dining!

With cocktail hour at an end, the party took their seats. The ballroom was absolutely stunning, the room glittering, as the newlyweds entered the room to “This Will Be”, beautifully sung by our very own Carmen!  Before everyone else got the chance to cut a rug, it was time for the first dance. In true Swiftie fashion, the two danced to “Lover” as Bonnie and Austin took their first turn as husband and wife! Of course, there wasn’t a single dry eye in the house! Before the stream of tears was through, however, it was time for the father/daughter dance! Bonnie and her father danced to “Isn’t She Lovely”, and that it truly was!

With tears sufficiently shed, the party needed a boost–and that meant it was time to party! As everyone made their way to the dance floor, the heat was truly turned up! There were plenty of highlights over the course of the night, but the highlights definitely included “Shout,” “Harvest Moon”, and “Head Over Boots”!

By the time that the clock struck just after 10pm, the party still had plenty of dancing to do… but the bad news was, our time was done– but not soon forgotten! Congratulations to the happy couple!