Sam and Alex came to me with a very specific vision for their wedding at the Preserve at Chocorua in New Hampshire. In fact, I was not the first DJ they booked for their wedding! Sam and Alex attended a friend’s wedding that happened to feature the DJ they initially booked… and subsequently decided to walk away from their already paid deposit! I was referred to them by another DJ in the area who was already booked and we clicked from the first call. Immediately we got deep into the music and atmosphere that they wanted. They shared playlists, I shared live recorded sets from past weddings to convey the energy I bring to the table. Did we just become best friends? YEP.

It was a crisp November day in Tamworth at The Preserve. The ceremony was at the barn with overflow seating outside for the extra spry guests among us. Their extra large wedding party almost didn’t fit up front! But this was just a sign of things to come, as they came to party. 

Cocktail hour was originally scheduled to be held outside under the tent, but not even the outdoor patio heaters and fireplaces were enough to keep everyone warm. We crammed into the cozy bar and reception area to keep everyone’s blood flowing. Seating would be on both levels today, ensuring there was plenty of room for the dance floor which would be heavily taken advantage of. This however required some logistically maneuvering for their spotlight moments, as seated guests on the second floor would not be able to see what was occurring down below. I placed an extra speaker upstairs for fill, explicitly so guests could more easily hear all toasts and announcements. We also intentionally scheduled as many spotlight moments together so that everyone could gather around the balcony – we wouldn’t want them getting up and down multiple times throughout the night if we could help it. 

The reception officially opened with a Grand Entrance of the entire wedding party going straight into Sam and Alex’s first dance. The couple’s parents then took advantage of the moment to welcome everyone for coming before dinner service began, but not before the food would be blessed. 

Dinner was concluded with toasts, parent dances, and a big group photo to pull everyone down on the dance floor to easily light the match with the Hora. Shortly thereafter, we surprised everyone by spotlighting the bride’s father as he put on a spectacular lip sync performance to Jailhouse Rock. Fun fact – he was a PROFESSIONAL lip syncer, which was how he met his wife!

It was quickly apparent these dancers had no chill, so despite dancing for several hours Sam and Alex opted for overtime for even MORE dancing! An eight hour wedding! Having so much fun myself, I happily obliged. 

Tamworth was a bit of a drive for me, but this was one of those weddings I’ll remember as a highlight of the year. 

The Preserve at Chocura Wedding Specs

Venue: The Preserve at Chocura

Guests: 177

Age Groups: Mostly 25-35, plus some older family 55-65, a few kids

Wedding Party: Yes | Introduced: Yes

Dinner: Salads and plated dinner 

Music Likes: 90’s, 90’s Hiphop, 2000’s hip hop and 2000’s pop, current country hits

Vendors

Venue: The Preserve at Chocorua

Photography: The Wild Bunch Photography

Planner: Willow Tree Events

Video: Meghan Ann Imagery 

Catering: Common Man

Agenda

3:00 PM – Ceremony

3:30 PM – Cocktail Hour at Pavilion 

5:00 PM – Reception

Introductions, First Dance, Welcome Toast

5:45 PM – Dinner

6:50 PM – Speeches

Mother/Son Dance, Father/Daughter Dance

7:05 PM – Dancing, Hora

10:00 PM – Conclusion [Overtime booked!]

11:00 PM – Conclusion, for real

Song Selections

Processional (Everyone):

A thousand years by Riyandi Kusuma

Processional (Bride):

Lifetime by Paul Hankinson Covers

Recessional:

ILY by Surf Messa, Emilee

Introduction:

We Found Love by Rihanna

First Dance:

Yellow by Coldplay

Mother/Son Dance:

Just The Way You Are by Billy Joel

Father/Daughter Dance: 

Somewhere Over The Rainbow by Eric Clapton

Last Dance:

Stand by Me by Ben E King

Photos by TheWildbunch Photography