As we come off a holiday weekend with family, what better way to kick off this Monday than with a Nashville DJ Diary entry that's all about keeping it in the family! We've had the honor of working with the Rice sisters in the last two years. Last year Brad Ford provided the entertainment for Sydney's wedding. One year later, he was called back for her sister Ivey's wedding in Asheville, North Carolina! (Do we travel? Absolutely!) Snyder Entertainment doesn't just see you as a client; we build personal relationships with you and your family. We aren't just a random guy that shows up to play music at your wedding. Instead, we are a friend there to help make your day as memorable as possible with great music, laughing, and dancing.
Fields of Blackberry Cove, Asheville, North Carolina
Ivey, Nick, and Brad Ford.
On June 13, 2015, I had the honor of performing the second wedding for the Rice family. Just under a year before I performed for their oldest daughter Sydney at her wedding out at Circle S Farms. You can get a recap of that fun night here. It was such a joy to work with Sydney and Logan and their family that when Sydney's mom Stacy called me about Ivey's wedding, I jumped at the chance. The bonus for me was that I was going to beautiful Asheville, North Carolina to do it! There is something beautiful about working with a family multiple times. You get to know all of the extended family members, songs they like, personal stories, and the perfect quirks that make families tick. The Rice family is kind and generous and truly a gracious group of people. And in terms of partying, nobody dances more! So suffice to say I was very excited to begin this journey out of state to watch Ivey and Nick get married.
The wedding and reception were held at a beautiful location called Fields of Blackberry Cove nestled between the mountains just ten miles or so outside of downtown Asheville. This location sits on 21 acres and boasts a beautiful lodge and reception barn that was transformed from a 3,200 square foot stable into a reception hall with over 21 chandeliers. The ceremony took place under a gorgeous 200 year old oak tree. After Nick and the officiant came forward they paused in the procession to do a beautiful dedication. Sadly, one of Nick's good friends passed away not long before the wedding in a accident. Nick's groomsmen brought a torch down the aisle and the officiant gave a beautiful dedication to him. We played "When I Get Where I'm Going" by Brad Paisley while the groomsmen planted the torch in the ground behind the cross where the ceremony took place. It was a sad moment but I also felt that it was a beautiful one. Ivey chose some different songs for her ceremony which is always fun. We used a string version of "Use Somebody" for the processional and then Ivey and her dad walked down to "Heartbeats" by Jose Gonzales. I liked the fact that she chose "You Are the Best Thing" as a recessional when a lot of people use it as a first dance. That horn beginning just feels right when the officiant announces them for the first time. It's very triumphant!
The reception moved up the hill into the barn for a great combination of rustic but elegant decor. Most of the decorations were made by Ivey herself or her family. There was a beautiful letter "C" that represented their married name, Cunningham, that resided on top of the cake. The "C" was gorgeous. We found out that Ivey made it herself out of family jewels passed on down to her. This was just a small part of 100 things that made this wedding so perfect for this couple. As far as music goes we introduced them to "Best Day of My Life" right into Ed Sheeran's amazing song "Kiss Me." But the amazing part of the night was the open dance. Having worked with many of these guests before I knew what to expect, and I was still blown away. Both of the weddings I have performed at had no alcohol and I'll be straight up honest with you...I would put their dancing up to ANY wedding I have ever done that had full open bar the entire night.
It's nearly impossible to give you a synopsis of great dance floor moments. It was the whole night. As I remember "Shut Up and Dance" was a great moment. Everybody just became animated and sang along with every word. The crowd favorites with this group are "Wannabe" by Spice Girls, "UpTown Funk," and always always always "Don't Stop Believing!" I could play that song 2-3 times just to hear everybody sing. But there was one moment that stood out tonight above all others. A young man came up to me that I honestly don't remember seeing at all before that moment and asked me if I had any Footloose. Of course I have Footloose I told him. He had the jeans, boots, flannel shirt and the belt buckle. He looked like he belonged in the movie actually. Then out of no where he unleashed all the moves from the film that actually cleared everybody off the dance floor. He jumped, two stepped, spun around like nobody I had ever seen before. Covered in sweat he actually fell to the ground while Ivey's sister Renzey performed CPR and rejuvenated him for a big ending. If it weren't for the look of utter surprise on everyone's face, especially Renzey who is the more animated sister, I would have thought it was planned. But it wasn't and it was to date one of the greatest dance floor moments I have ever seen......EVER.
This wedding and this blog is not so much about the music I played or how great the decor was. This blog is really about how lucky I am, or any of us are, when we get to work with a special family more than once. It doesn't happen a lot but when it does we have to relish it. I am honored the Rice's asked me to work with them again. I would do so again in a heartbeat. We finished the night on a beautiful high note watching Nick and Ivey move through lines of sparklers up the hill while we played "On Top of the World" by Imagine Dragons. The night felt like everyone there was feeling on top of the world. It's tough to even write about how much fun this Asheville trip was so I took as many pictures and as much film as I possibly could. So please enjoy the video and the amazing "Footloose" moment.