Our first Wish Upon a Wedding Chicago
Posted by Tamara Sims | Filed under News and Updates, Wedding Resources, Wedding Venues
Kristy & Anthony say "I Do" at the Chicago History Museum
After months of planning, our first Wish Upon a Wedding took place on September 4, at the beautiful Chicago History Museum. For those of you who are not familiar with the organization, Wish Upon a Wedding’s mission is to provide free-of-charge weddings, allowing couples facing serious life-altering circumstances to concentrate on the issues affecting their lives. From the venue to the cake, and most everything between, they take care of all the wedding planning and details.
DJ Jay Sims had the honor of working closely with wish recipients Kristy & Tony, along with Chicago wedding planner Kelly Cavanaugh of Clementine Custom Events to bring their wedding wish to life. Hilda Burke of Angel Eyes Photography captured this beautiful event on film & Jason Groh of Lexoria Wedding Films was the cinematographer. The gorgeous centerpieces were designed by Andrew’s Garden in Naperville.
Gorgeous purple & fuchsia centerpieces from Andrew's Garden.
The day after their wedding wish was granted, Kristy & Tony had this to say about the numerous Chicago wedding professionals who donated their time and love:
“Thank you all for being a part of our special day! All our dreams came true last night! It was beyond anything we expected! All of you are very special people. It’s people like you that make this world a better place! With much gratitude and appreciation, from the bottom of our hearts, thank you! It was the best night of our lives!”
To learn more about this amazing organization please visit: www.wishuponawedding.org
Tags: Ali Phillips, Andrew's Garden, Angel Eyes Photography, Chicago History Museum, Clementine Events, Hilda Burke, Jason Groh, Jay Sims, Kelly Cavanaugh, Lexoria Wedding Films, Something 2 Dance 2, Wish Upon A Wedding
Venue Spotlight: The Herrington Inn Geneva
Posted by Tamara Sims | Filed under Wedding Reception Ideas, Wedding Resources, Wedding Venues
The beautiful Herrington Inn!
It was another gorgeous day on July 28, for the wedding ceremony & reception of Maureen & Greg at the beautiful Herrington Inn in Geneva. DJ Jay Sims provided the music and coordination for their beautiful outdoor ceremony, and was also their DJ and Master of Ceremonies for the reception.
The Elegant Petal's beautiful flowers are highlighted with Pin Spot Lighting from Elegant Event Lighting
Floral Designer Casey Murdough of The Elegant Petal provided lovely baby pink and ivory centerpieces that were pin-spotted by our team at Elegant Event Lighting. We also carried Maureen & Greg’s color palette throughout the room with baby pink uplighting and as the cherry on top of the sundae, Maureen & Greg’s names were illuminated on the brick wall for all guests to enjoy.
Thank you to Deanne Mitchell and her wonderful staff at The Herrington Inn for always being such a pleasure to work with and for helping our team create the wedding of Maureen & Greg’s dreams!
Maureen & Greg celebrating their wedding day with DJ Jay Sims!
Tags: Elegant Event Lighting, Herrington Inn Geneva, Jay Sims, Kristina G Photography, Something 2 Dance 2, The Elegant Petal
11-11-11: The Perfect Wedding Date!
Posted by Tamara Sims | Filed under News and Updates
TIffany & Drew Say "I Do" on 11-11-11!
11-11-11 has finally arrived in much anticipation for so many of us in the wedding industry! The perfect date for so many Brides & Grooms around the country. But for Jay’s bride & groom Tiffany & Drew the number “11″ has a much deeper meaning in their journey together.
Tiffany and her best friend from college had started a fun game where they would text one another at 11:11 am or 11:11 pm and they would each make a secret wish. Tiffany’s wish was simple…she always wished that things in her life would work out the way they were supposed to. On October 11, 2009, Tiffany caught the bouquet at a friend’s wedding, and at the time she never really thought much about it, as she wasn’t dating anyone. Fast forward a few months later when Tiffany and Drew’s high school friends helped connect them on Facebook. Tiffany was living in Nashville and Drew was living in Naples, Florida, and when I asked about their first date, Tiffany said she flew out to visit Drew in February. At that moment, a light went off in Drew’s head and he went to his phone to look up the date of the visit…sure enough it was on February 11! Neither of them had realized that there was yet another connection to the number 11 until now! They fell head over heels in love and Drew proposed on September 11, 2010, exactly 11 months to the day that Tiffany caught that bouquet. And as no surprise they selected 11-11-11 as the perfect date to say “I Do.” I think we can all agree that 11 is a beautiful and magical number for this couple!
And another added bonus on this date as Tiffany reminded Drew, “No excuses for forgetting our anniversary!” Congratulations to all of you who are saying “I Do” today!
Tags: Jay Sims
Beautiful Bolingbrook Golf Club
Posted by Tamara Sims | Filed under News and Updates, Wedding Reception Ideas, Wedding Resources, Wedding Venues
Elegant Event Lighting: Ceiling Canopy, Ivory Backdrop, Room Uplighting and gorgeous White Dance Floor
Tracy & Matt’s August 26, 2011 wedding couldn’t have been more picture perfect! The weather was beautiful for an outdoor Ceremony at the gorgeous Bolingbrook Golf Club where our bride Tracy entered on a horse and carriage! Talk about unique!
Tracy has loved horses her whole life and she shared with me that since she was a little girl it was always her dream to ride in on a horse on her wedding day. DJ Jay Sims provided the music and coordination for both ceremony & reception along with the lighting and decor from our sister company Elegant Event Lighting. Jay worked closely with Tracy to bring her vision to life which included an Ivory Backdrop, White Dance Floor, Ceiling Canopy and Amber Uplighting around the room.
Tracy & Matt’s first dance was also very creative. Jay had the couple record personal messages to one another that were played before their First Dance. Our amazing Videographer, Robert Mazur with R.E.M. Video captured every moment!
Tracy & Matt’s guests danced the night away and after working up quite an appetite they were treated to a delicious Flambe’ Dessert Table and late night snacks!
It truly was a Fairy Tale wedding just as Tracy & Matt imagined it!
Our Fairy Tale Bride & Groom Tracy & Matt with DJ Jay Sims!
Tags: Bolingbrook Golf Club, Elegant Event Lighting, Jay Sims, R.E.M. Video, Something 2 Dance 2
Chicago Wedding DJ Entertains for 30 Hours!
Posted by Tamara Sims | Filed under News and Updates, Upcoming Events
Chicago Wedding DJ Jay Sims at Dance Marathon 2009
Chicago Wedding DJ Jay Sims will keep the crowd going for 30 hours at Northwestern University’s Dance Marathon March 4-6, 2011. Students will dance the night away to raise funds for The Children’s Heart Foundation.
This will be the 15th year Jay, a Northwestern University Alum, will be providing DJ Entertainment services for the annual event.
Northwestern University’s Dance Marathon began in 1975 as a way to raise funds for The American Epilepsy Foundation. The event has grown over the years and is one of the world’s largest collegiate philanthropies. Last year the event raised over $800,000 for Stand Up For Kids.
Chicago Wedding DJ Jay Sims looks forward to entertaining over 1200 dancers and additional guests from around the country. Upon completing the event this year, Jay will have donated 450 hours to raising funds for various charitable organizations.
He is proud to be involved with such an important and exciting event in the community. If you would like to donate please visit: http://nudm.org/donate
Tags: Chicago Wedding DJ, Dance Marathon, Jay Sims, Northwestern University, Something 2 Dance 2, The Children's Heart Foundation
The Best Wedding Reception…Ever!
Posted by Tamara Sims | Filed under Wedding Reception Ideas
Peter Merry shows off his book "The Best Wedding Reception...Ever!" at the Windy City Wedding Expo in Chicago
On January 15 & 16 we had the opportunity to showcase our business at the Windy City Wedding Expo at the beautiful Intercontinental Chicago O’Hare. Directly across from our booth was Peter Merry, author of “The Best Wedding Reception…Ever!” He spent 2 days at the Expo selling and autographing his book for hundreds of Brides and Grooms who attended the expo. This is the first wedding planning book for couples who want their wedding reception to be Fun! It features 230 creative ideas for planning a more enjoyable and engaging celebration and includes over 100 photos of actual weddings. This book is a must read for brides, wedding planners, and DJ Entertainment Professionals. In fact, Peter has included several ideas from our very own DJ Jay Sims, on page 16o of his book, and we at Something 2 Dance 2 love to share creative wedding ideas from his book with our Brides and Grooms.
You can find “The Best Wedding Reception…Ever!” at Barnes & Noble, Borders, Books-A-Million and Amazon.com.
Tags: Intercontinental Chicago O'Hare, Jay Sims, Peter Merry, Something 2 Dance 2
Knot.com hosts amazing event at Chicago History Museum
Posted by Tamara Sims | Filed under News and Updates
Carley Roney of Knot.com shares a photo with DJ Jay Sims
On Wednesday evening, Jay & I had the opportunity to attend an amazing Wedding networking event at the Chicago History Museum hosted by Knot.com. We were surrounded by beautiful flowers, delicious food, and the top wedding vendors throughout the Chicago area including Elizabeth Wray Design, Melissa Phillips of Simply Perfect by Melissa, Jim Verraros & Bill Brennan of Bridal Expo Chicago, and the marvelous wedding planning team of Jena Warren & Audra Byrne of An Affair to Remember just to name a few.
I had a great conversation with Jim & Bill who had recently returned from New York (my favorite city next to Chicago) where they attended Bridal Market. They were so excited to talk about the beautiful designer wedding gowns they saw go down the runway. I was especially delighted to hear about the new partnership between Vera Wang and David’s Bridal. Gowns will range from $600 to $1,500, with most coming in under $1,200, which will make a designer gown much more affordable for today’s Brides. And of course we had fun talking about Kleinfeld’s Bridal in New York City, made famous by the TLC show “Say Yes to the Dress.”
The highlight of the evening was meeting cofounder and editor in chief of The Knot Inc., Carley Roney. She was so generous with her time and spent the evening speaking with Chicago Wedding Professionals about current trends in our industry.
It truly was a beautiful fall evening in Chicago…and what could be better than sharing ideas with so many wonderful wedding professionals!
Tags: An Affair to Remember, Bridal Expo Chicago, Carley Roney, Chicago History Museum, David's Bridal, Elizabeth Wray Design, Jay Sims, Kleinfeld Bridal, knot.com, Say Yes to the Dress, Simply Perfect by Melissa, Something 2 Dance 2, Vera Wang
The Best Wedding Reception Ever hits Book Stores!
Posted by Tamara Sims | Filed under News and Updates
Peter Merry's book "The Best Wedding Reception Ever"
Peter Merry is one of California’s leading DJ Entertainers who trademarked the title “Wedding Entertainment Director” and founded the prestigious W.E.D. Guild (a professional group of Wedding Entertainment Directors that Jay Sims is the only Chicago member). This week Peter Merry’s book, “The Best Wedding Reception Ever,” hits bookstores and is sure to become a best seller with brides, wedding planners and anyone who works in the wedding industry. This book is a must-have for any Bride who wants her reception to be fun, memorable and everything she dreamed it could be! Peter’s book is filled with over 200 creative ideas for making your wedding reception a true reflection of YOU! And we are so grateful to Peter for including several of Jay Sims‘ creative wedding ideas in his book on page 160. I have already read the book from cover to cover and have become even more inspired about our industry and the fact that every single Bride & Groom deserves to have “the best wedding reception ever!”
To order your copy of “The Best Wedding reception Ever,” please visit www.thebestweddingreceptionever.com
Tags: Best Wedding Reception Ever, Jay Sims, Peter Merry, Wedding Entertainment Director, WEDGuild
Wedding Professionals unite for joint ABC & ADJA Meeting in Chicago
Posted by Tamara Sims | Filed under Wedding Resources
Chicago Wedding Coordinators Judy Alden, Jane Skarosi and Melissa Phillips at joint ABC/ADJA Meeting
June 8, was a first for our Chicago ADJA Chapter as we hosted a joint meeting with the Association of Bridal Consultants, headed by Illinois ABC Coordinator Judy Alden and ADJA Vice President Jay Sims…and moderated by yours truly! Our goal is to bridge the gap between Wedding Coordinators and DJ Entertainers to work together to provide the best possible service for our Brides & Grooms.
Our panel of Wedding Coordinators included Judy Alden, Master Bridal Consultant, ABC Illinois Coordinator, and owner of JulWil Weddings, Melissa Phillips, owner of Simply Perfect by Melissa, and Jane Skarosi, Master Bridal Consultant and Owner of Bridal Mansion of Lisle and Weddings by Jane.
Our panel of DJ’s included Peter Merkle Chicago ADJA Chapter President and owner of Global Heart Entertainment in Chicago, Jay Sims, Chicago ADJA Chapter Vice President and Owner of Something 2 Dance 2, and Ken Overbey, Owner of Sounds Abound Entertainment and Wedding Shop in Naperville.
Our distinguished panel of “wedding experts” were posed a variety questions about their experience in the wedding industry. They discussed the importance of organization, trust and personality in finding the right vendor for your wedding and how crucial it is to work together as a team by always having your Bride & Grooms best interest at heart. Melissa stated that when Brides are surveyed after their wedding they remember the Food and Entertainment, and each coordinator agreed that a DJ can truly “make or break” a wedding reception. Our panel of DJ’s all agreed that working with a Professional Wedding Coordinator can make their job easier and can truly add to the success of the reception.
To find a Professional Wedding Coordinator in your area please visit: www.bridalassn.com and to find a Professional DJ Entertainer in Chicago please visit www.adja.org/chapters/chicagoland
Tags: ABC, ADJA, Bridal Mansion Lisle, Jay Sims, Judy Alden, JulWil Weddings, Simply Perfect by Melissa, Weddings By Jane
