I had the pleasure of being the wedding DJ for Katelyn and Kevin Giltner’s wedding ceremony and reception at The Crest Center and Pavilion in Asheville on Saturday, August 12, 2017.

The Wedding Ceremony

I drove through several patches of rain on my way from Charlotte to Asheville.  I was a little worried, knowing the ceremony was supposed to be outside.  As guests started arriving, the bottom fell out and we had a significant amount of rain.  Fortunately, the Crest Pavilion is completely enclosed by glass and can be opened up to the outside.  So, I was able to set-up safely inside with a speaker facing out to the ceremony site.  It would have been an easy transition if the ceremony would have needed to happen inside.  Luckily, we saw a break in the rain and started making moves in order to begin the ceremony early.  The Crest crew went to work drying seats and I announced that guests could make their way outside.  Once everyone was seated, the wedding party entered, followed by the bride who was escorted by her father to an instrumental version of “All Creatures of Our God and King.”  Pastor Matt Steelman did a great job officiating the ceremony.  I played “The One I Love” by Tyrone Wells for the recessional as the newlyweds and wedding party exited.

Cocktails and Dinner

Katelyn supplied a carefully curated playlist for the cocktail hour.  It was a great mix of country, classic rock, and singer-songwriter jams.  Guests moved between the main hall and outdoor stone terrace, enjoying beverages, hors d’oeuvres, and the beautiful view as the wedding party and family took photos.  Not only did Mozingo Photography shoot the entire day, but they also had an awesome “photo booth” area set up for the duration of the event.

I introduced the wedding party into the main hall to “Good Life” by Kanye West.  The couple had their first dance to “All On Me” by Devin Dawson.  Both Katelyn and Kevin drew an “awww” from the crowd with their song choices for the parent dances.  Katelyn danced with her dad to “You’ve Got A Friend” by James Taylor.  Kevin and his mom danced to “Have I Told You Lately” by Rod Stewart.  Following an awesome dinner by M7 Event Solutions, there were a couple of toasts, then we got straight into dancing.

The Dancing

Katelyn and Kevin left the music for the dance portion of the night up to me.  I knew from our conversations that they wanted the reception to turn into a dance party, quickly.  Their only song request was “Thinking Out Loud” by Ed Sheeran.  However, they added that it should be the only slow song of the night and to play it early.  From then on I was reading the crowd and using live requests to shape the night.  Requests ranged from older hip-hop like “The Humpty Dance” and “anything by Nelly” to newer chart toppers like Calvin Harris’ “Slide” and “Rolex” by  Ayo and Teo.  The dance floor stayed packed all night as I weaved guest’s requests in with other Hip-Hop and Top 40 hits from the 90’s and 2000’s, as well as some danceable favorites from the 70’s and 80’s.  We ended the night with “We Are Family” by Sister Sledge.  Then everyone headed out front with sparklers to see Kevin and Katelyn off in a trolley.