Best staff EVER!

Ed and Holly had their wedding reception at the Courtyard by Marriott in downtown Chicago. Flavia led a kickin’ catering staff that was the friendliest and most hospitable hotel staff I’ve EVER worked with. As fun and successful as the gig was, the gig did run into a few trouble spots. One was the timing of the dessert. I find this transition to be the most challenging of the evening. People finish their entrée at different times, so dessert is often pushed back 15 minutes, sometimes more. People start getting antsy and the dilemma is do we go ahead and start dancing because they are ready, or do we wait until dessert is served? If we start dancing, then people will either leave the dance floor to eat their dessert or it will sit on the table and go to waste. If we delay, then people will get upset and wonder why nothing is happening. I prefer to start dancing unless dessert is right around the corner. It’s important to have good communication with the caterers and the back of the house to ensure good timing if the dessert is to be served at the right time. The timing didn’t work out quite right on this gig; the dessert was slow to come out the communication wasn’t accurate from the back of the house. I’m hesitant to say any of this because I don’t want anyone reading this to get a bad impression. The hotel staff was wonderful to work with from my perspective. I just would have liked more accurate data so that I could make the best decision for the party. It didn’t have much impact on the dance floor, if any. People just get a little bit upset, then I come in and play great music and everyone has a ton of fun.
I mentioned they were the friendliest and most hospitable hotel staff I’ve EVER worked with, right? No joke. Everybody there was ready to help out. We were unloading our equipment and staff passing by helped us out by either moving equipment, getting a cart, showing us where to go, carrying things, etc. It didn’t matter who they were or what their role was. The banquet captain, Alfredo, was the best host and served us and the party well. He really understood that the dj makes or brakes a party. He kept checking in on us and asking if we needed anything. He grabbed us a ton of water. After we finished with that, he grabbed us energy drinks. After we finished with that, he laid out an array of beverages next to us: juices, waters, Gatorades, Starbucks Frappucinos, etc. I’ve never seen anything like this before. Usually, we are left to fend for ourselves and grab the beverages ourselves. Alfredo, wherever you are, good lookin’ out.

--jonathan; deejay operations manager and resident deejay

Kate and Brian (deejay version)

This wedding was by best deejay performance I've had to date. The gig started with my first meeting with Kate and Brian about a month ago. We clicked right away. Michele, who sold and produced the gig, thought that I would be a great fit with them, and I was. The gig continued in the week of walk-thru at the Newberry Library, and concluded on the Saturday, April 14th at Kate and Brian's wedding reception. For the cocktail hour, I put together a mix of songs by various artists (The Shins, The Decemberists, Belle & Sebastian) that they liked, but guests may not be able to get down to. During dinner I played various artists (Wilco, Coldplay, Bright Eyes), again accomadating the bride and groom's taste in music. During the announcement of the wedding party and bride and groom, I told myself to just be yourself on the mic. I was myself, and turned out great. Hafeez, my assistant, made sure the music cues during introductions and first dance were blended to perfection. Dancing was awesome. I'm glad that fig cinematographers Melissa and Lauren were there, along with Hafeez, to create a buzz of energy as I played from song to song. It was a great night all around. The second to last song was One by U2. Kate and Brian were saying their goodbyes to their guests at this point, and slowly making their way out of the room. When I went into the last dance (The Arcade Fire's "Neighborhood #1"), they were out of my site. So, I turned the speaker to face the Newberry hallway, hoping that the music would reach their ears. It did, and they came back into the ballroom. As they did, I announced them one more time. It was a great moment for them, and it brought closure to the night.

Brian A Carey
deejay, photographer

Kate and Brian

Being a wedding cinematographer, there are certian couples that I just click with. They are the type of couple that I smile while filming them, cry when they cry during thier ceremony, and have a lot of fun filming them.
Kate and Brian were like that. Not only are they super cute with each other, but they have a great genuine manner.

On April 14th at St. Andrews Church and then the Newberry Library, Kate and Brian got married.

I learned the value of preparation on this shoot. This was my first wedding of the season, and i was afraid that i would be a bit rusty. To get into the heart space to do a wedding, i made sure that i was well taken care of, well rested, and also rehersed. The night before i watched a heartfelt film and thought about my well wishes for the couple. This allows me to connect to them in a way that makes my footage better.
When i was training at Fig, James Gustin, a lead cinematographer that I learned from told me that " if you havent fallen in love with your couple and your footage by the end of the night, you haven't done your job."
I have found this to be true. When i am able to fall in love with my footage and the couple the peices that come out of it are amazing. Those who i have not, my product is not bad, but not great either.
It also has a lot to do with the couple, and Kate and Brian were very much in love and I could tell from the moment that i met them.

Lauren and I attended the rehersal. We planned out how we were going to shoot the ceremony, and while they rehersed, we rehersed our shots. This proved to be extremley valuable the day of. Knowing what each of us were doing and when...worked out great.
We had a 2 hour break after the ceremony and used that to review footage. We watched what we shot and then gave each other feedback and came up with things that we wanted to do for the reception.

We arrive at the reception to be greeted by our fellow DJ partners: Brian and Hafeez, of fig.
They were busy practing thier cues and getting things just right.
We set up for ourselves and then Lauren filmed the cocktail hour and b-roll, while i filmed the bridal party.
I got beautiful shots of the bride and groom in the hallway of the newberry library, holding hands and stealing a kiss.
I loved filming hte introductions, Kate and Brian entered the room to thunderous applause.
Dancing was a lot of fun. Brian our DJ was tearing it up, keeping me dancing while i was working. I love working with our DJ's.
We filmed lots of dancing and people mingling.
At the end of the night we said our goodbyes and headed back to the office to watch our footage, sad that we had to leave such a great dance party.
Lauren and I watched our footage and loved what we saw, i am exicted to see the new edit.
We meet with the couple when they return from Paris, and I can not wait to hear thier story of thier travels.
I have such a cool job.

Molin/Smith @ Park Hyatt Chicago

My Saturday—as it was for many of us Figs—was notably wonderful. Here are pictures from a wedding reception I deejayed for my clients, Kelly and Matt. More to come!











– Brent Rolland, resident deejay

(Special thanks to Elizabeth @ Asrai Garden, Jimi and Kate from Jimi Allen Photography, Gordon and Steve from Count Video Productions, and all the great staff of the Park Hyatt for a fantastic Saturday evening!)