It was a wonderful day in Riverside Park in Wausau, WI. The sun was shining, people were smiling, and all was well with the world. Our very good friends, John Enk and Bonnie Anderson were (finally) getting married, and we had the pleasure of being able to provide the music and entertainment for them.
Our day started at 12:00 noon, where we set up our equipment and played a variety of up-beat music based on selections by the bride and groom and their wedding party. It was music for the set-up crew, who were there doing decorations and organizing - well, stuff. You know how it is with weddings. There's lots of stuff to set up. Actually, because there were a variety of both indoor and outdoor activities, we set up equipment in two locations, and played different music in each. At 1:00 the official pre-wedding ceremony started, and we changed to a different set of music, designed to give the guests an environment where they could talk easily and still hear great music in the background. The selections were targeted to specific guests, making sure each of the most important ones heard a 'favorite' or two.
The ceremony itself went beautifully. It was held outdoors, and fortunately, we had brought along a wireless microphone, because the pastor didn't have one with her. We were able to get her 'wired' so that everyone could hear the ceremony, and we also were able to use our system to amplify the readers and the vocalist. All in all, it's a good thing I bring all those extra microphones!
After the ceremony, we played more music both indoors and out for the reception. Many of the selections were show tunes from John and Bonnie's favorite musicals and there was frequent impromptu line dancing and chorus dancing as the music carried people away.
At 5:00, we cooled things off for dinner, and played very quiet selections from a wide variety of jazz, popular, and classical artists. It was actually very challenging for us, because the hall at Riverside Park is acoustically obstinate, and we had to constantly adjust the sound level to make sure the music could be heard, but wouldn't make it impossible for the 150 or so guests to talk at dinner. At 6:00 we had the official cake-cutting, and we surprised John and Bonnie with a tune from Annie Get Your Gun, which they knew and lip synched. It was hilarious to watch these two loving people get brassy and contrary, singing to "Anything You Can Do I Can Do Better". After that, the music picked up a bit, getting people ready for the dancing later in the evening.
The dance started at 7 (well, 7:30, really - we were flexible). Much of the crowd was, let's say, 'older', because John and Bonnie are not exactly in their twenties. We chose dance music from the 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s, which is music they could identify and enjoy. And of course, John and Bonnie are square dancers, so we also mixed in some square dance music for them. Theresa and I dedicating one song in particular to them, Mockingbird, a duet we wrote especially for them.
Line dance, waltz, polka, fox trot, square dance, jitterbug, jive, rhomba, rock, slow - we covered the whole gamut as we partied through the night. One of my best memories is our dedication songs set where we chose one song in particular for John, Bonnie, and each of their children.
All in all, it was one of my favorites. I like putting on Weddings and Anniversary parties, but it's especially wonderful when you can do it for close friends. Thank you John and Bonnie for a wonderful opportunity, and a very good time.
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