Sarasota’s new Carlisle Inn, located in the heart of the Pinecraft Amish and Mennonite district, provided the backdrop for an intimate and unique September Sarasota wedding for David Turner Music.
Interestingly, my cellphone’s 305 area code (Miami) almost got me overlooked for this wedding, as the bride thought I would be coming from South Florida, and couldn’t imagine how I could stay within her budget. Once I assured her that I’ve been a Sarasota resident for seven years, everything was good. In fact, I was really pleased to find out that the venue would be the newly constructed Carlisle Inn, as it is right around the corner from me. For this wedding I would be behind the DJ booth…no saxophone.
I took a few minutes to check out the new hotel and it’s built-in PA system the night before the wedding, since I would be DJ-ing using the house sound system. Of course, as musicians and DJs know, sometimes it’s pretty hit or miss when you’re using the hotel’s sound. Luckily, I was greeted by a nice pair of QSC speakers suspended from the ceiling, and a wall mounted LCD QSC mixer. So, I knew that I wouldn’t have any problems with sound quality at this wedding venue, once I made the connections and got the levels correct.
Wedding décor for Viviana and Dante’s wedding included white hydrangea and beautiful vintage-looking cream and pink roses. The Carlisle provided a buffet style dinner with traditional fare, including salad, chicken, baked potatoes, and more. Dessert was a terrific looking wedding cake.
As guests arrived to the reception from a local church, I played a nice mix of newer popular music that wouldn’t be too distracting. A family’s arrival at a wedding usually kicks off a lot of conversation, so it’s important to keep the music light, initially. For the first dance, Ed Sheeran’s Perfect was quickly recognized by the guests in attendance. When it was time to kick things up a little after dinner, some top 40 from the last decade or so, with some pre-requested Argentinian music got things moving (The late Rodrigo was featured, among others). Some of the hits I played from my personal music collection included songs by Pit Bull, Calvin Harris, FloRida, Ne-Yo, Justin Timberlake, Dua Lipa, Alessia Cara, Chainsmokers and more. I tossed in a couple older songs but, for the most part, Vivana wanted to stick with songs from the last 10-15 years. Later in the evening, I was even able to throw in one of my nice recent remixes, Attention by Charlie Puth.
Since this was a second wedding, the bride and groom were very chill. It created a perfect, fun atmosphere for everybody at the party, and I’m happy to report that Viviana just left a nice 5-star review for me on Bark.com.
Bride and Groom:Â Vivian and Dante
Wedding Venue – Carlisle Inn Sarasota, FLÂ http://www.dhgroup.com/inns/carlisle-inn-sarasota
Disc Jockey Service – David Turner Music Sarasota, FLÂ https://www.davidturnermusic.com
Flowers – Hydrangeas and Vintage cream and pink roses
Guests – about 75
Video – family videographer
photo – family photographer
Arrival and dinner music – Mostly current Pop
Dance music – Argentinian pop/rock and 2007+ Pop/Top40
First Dance – Ed Sheeran’s “Perfect”