Sound Advice: Cleveland Courthouse and City Hall

It has been about 10 years since the professional sound and entertainment specialists of Troy Entertainment had first arrived on the scene producing weddings at Cleveland Court House and Cleveland City Hall.  Since then there have been some interesting articles written about the so called "Truth" about sound at these venues. So as a service to those who love the ambiance of these majestic structures lets start by dispelling misleading information about sound correction and acoustical challenges.

When researching previous articles on the acoustical challenges of the Cleveland Courthouse and Cleveland City Hall you will find an earlier article suggesting the use of a "Bose Sound System". This is a common name brand that consumers know, so if it sounds good in my living room, why not?  The theory behind the Bose approach to sound distribution is simply this. Bose had taken the conventional approach to sound distribution, which is having a speaker projecting the sound pattern direction forward, and placed it upwards so as to disperse the sound pattern evenly across the sound field. That's it, simple and nice in your living room while watching a movie, right? The fact is at Cleveland Courthouse and Cleveland City Hall your challenge is not distributing sound. In fact, if you push sound in this method it ECHOES MORE!

Then later the "Truth" article was suddenly changed to suggest the acoustical challenge must be met by using a Bi-Amplifying speaker systems. This method stated that by having a separate mid and high frequency cabinet placed on a pole at 6 foot high will project sound across the room thus everything will be heard clearer. Any sound reinforcement professional will tell you that throwing sound further or raising the volume will bounce sound off the walls and ceiling in a endless loop creating a muddy sound or worse.

Troy Entertainment produces weddings at Cleveland Courthouse and Cleveland City Hall almost on a weekly bases for over a decade. Their highly trained sound, lighting, and music programming staff are there to help you to a successful event. In fact, the owners and sales staff managers at A Taste of Excellence Catering have used Troy Entertainment for their own family weddings at these venues. Not because we have a magic fix for the acoustical challenges of these beautiful venues. They just know a few more things then the average DJ about sound AND equally important "can pack your dance floor".

As you do your research for your Cleveland Courthouse or Cleveland City Hall wedding you'll notice DJ's that claim to have successful events at these venues do not show you videos of the actual weddings. At best, you may see a video with the sound either replaced or added into the video directly from the mixer as to fool you into believing this is how it sounded. Troy Entertainment has done more events in these venues and has more videos online from weddings at these venues than any DJ company in Cleveland. They can also provide you with "video interviews and testimonials with brides and grooms AT their Cleveland Courthouse and Cleveland City Hall Weddings"! 

Troy Entertainment offers the best in decor lighting options for these venues as well. Uplighting that is battery operated so that we are not limited to where we can place fixtures and eliminate trip hazards and unsightly cords. Unlimited color options and the ability to project higher on the pillars and arches. Your ceiling can be washed in beautiful color to match you wedding color scheme. Don't be lured by free lighting, no one can match the quality of decor lighting fixtures Troy Entertainment licensed lighting technicians provide.

Ask to see the beautiful sharp custom monograms projections for the dance floor. There is no one else that uses their method of monogram projection.

See videos from Cleveland Courthouse and Cleveland City Hall over the years. There are 100's of examples of pictures and videos available for review online and at the new TROY ENTERTAINMENT SHOWROOM. Connect with Troy Entertainment today and see and hear the difference.

- Independent Cleveland Sound, Lighting, and Entertainment Professional 

Help I'm Getting Married!

OK, you found that perfect someone to share love and life with. they proposed, you accepted, and up until now everything has been pretty much stress free. In fact the idea of planning for the big day sounds like fun, as it should be. Now comes the time to choose the who, what, where, and when. Shall I have a sophisticated soirée or opt for a much simpler affair? Sounds easy so far, I'll just Google my way to wedding day bliss :)

Now, are you sitting down?  Good.  here is where it get's interesting.  Most of the decisions couples make will be of things that they can actually hold in their hands. They have a brand, size or color. But what about the entertainment?  Can't I just point and click my way to party hosting success? The answer is yes and unfortunately no.  What the web can do is make you aware of local choices.  What often happens is we ask for more information in email.  And why not, it seems less intrusive. However websites and email are a cold media. No personality, no charisma... you know the warm and fuzzy. To add to the confusion DJ's all start sounding alike. It's just not enough to make an informed decision as important as the heartbeat of reception. The music and entertainment.

Here is how we start on the right path to wedding reception happiness. When we meet with you to see what your reception vision is there is something very important in it for you.  Let me explain. Have you ever met someone you just clicked with? You should know within the first few minutes if this is gonna work or not. It's a very good indicator of how good they are at first impressions, which is what the situation is going to be with the DJ and your guests at the wedding reception. After exchanging ideas during this informal chat you'll walk away knowing if you have found a match! And if not, nothing is really lost except for a whole lot of wedding day stress.

We not only love music and parties,  we love to talk about them too! I'll follow up soon with more tips on successful reception planning. If you have any immediate questions about finding what's right for you, we are here to help, call us anytime... Let us entertain you!

Photo by Linczak Photography

Cleveland Courthouse Wedding DJ

This Saturdays wedding was extra special to me. Taking place a the Cleveland Courthouse working with the caterers at A Taste of Excellence I met the bride Ari when she was just 3 years old. You see I was the head DJ and Promotion Director at the Cleveland Beach Club in the Flats. Ari's mom Myrna worked there too. She would bring Ari into the club during the day visiting to chat with then manager Scott. After all these years it is an honor and privilege to be chosen to entertain friends and acquaintances from so long ago. Ari & Zack had an amazing wedding at the Courthouse. There was lots of love in the room for the two and everyone packed the dance floor the whole night threw. See all the action on video on our Facebook page.

Cleveland Wedding DJ's at Troy Entertainment give you the Top 5 Wedding Trends of 2015

So as another Cleveland wedding season approaches our Cleveland wedding dj's take a look at the top wedding trends of 2015. Below is what we found. Are any of these making their way to your wedding plans?

1.) Wild West or Barn Weddings
Leather accents, cowhide rugs, and wildflower bouquets. A relaxed atmosphere. We recently did a bridal event at The Mohicans Grand Barn. What a unique venue it is. Couples can have their ceremony overlooking the Mohican forest then proceed to celebrating their nuptials in the Grand Barn. The property even boasts it's own Tree House Brewery and the bride and grooms spend their wedding night in a private Tree House!

2.) Macrame
A relaxed atmosphere. Your BOHO wedding. Backyard or open field settings with picnic style seating. Keep the colors bright and festive, yet earthy. Mismatched bridesmaids gowns and hand drawn maps with your invites.

3.) Drone Wedding Photos and GoPro Videos
Want to see your wedding from every angle, even from above? Then try this trend. Google Drone Wedding Video and see this trend in action. Our friends at Mystic Image Photography & Video are equiped for the task.

4.) There's an App for that!
lots of couples are enlisting wedding planning help through apps like TaskRabbit for the small things, TouristEye to plan the honeymoon. All of the major registries make it easy to buy gifts straight from your phone, and Uber and Lyft ensure guests find a ride at the end of the night.

5.) Creative Food Presentations
hanging salad stations, doughnut dessert walls that double as escort cards and beer-garden-inspired stations, complete with beer steins made of ice. Ask your Caterer about creating a unique idea just for you. We recommend A Taste Of Excellence for your Cleveland Wedding Reception.

As always, we'd like to hear from you. Let us know what you think. You can also comment with your own wedding ideas or finds below.

Wedding & Event Showcase Event Planners VIP with David Tutera

Thursday Jan 31st the Cleveland wedding DJs & lighting staff of Troy Entertainment joined Cleveland's top wedding professionals for a VIP meet & greet with David Tutera.

David, the Wedding Planner of the Stars and star of "My Fair Wedding" on WE TV did his morning show rounds at Fox 8 studios prior to arriving at Catan's Fashion in Strongsville. The event was deliciously catered by Zack Bruelle. After catching up with the who's who in Cleveland's wedding planning industry we all had an opportunity to take some photos with David.

Lines formed as preregistered brides-to-be filed in to get a change to hear David speak about Dreaming Bigger and provide tips on planning the event of a lifetime. There was a wonderfully produced fashion show of the latest in bridal gowns and Patrice Catan, owner of Catan's Fashions provided some insight as to the new and exciting things Catan's and Socially Artistic Events offers.

We provided decor uplighting and monogram gobo projection in the display rooms to give brides a look as to what can be made possible.  They also had the chance to meet David and take photos as well as receive autographed promo pictures.

There were representatives of local event catering and several well respected wedding planners that we have worked with many times. It was great to be able to catch up with others after the very busy 2012 bridal season.

Afterwords, we went to dinner at J-Bella Italian restaurant with Niky and Alina of Party Decor. They are our favorite and one of the most popular companies in decor that includes table linens, chairs and covers, mandaps, and draped fabrics. As we were finishing Patrice Catan and her staff along with David Tutera had walked in to relax and enjoy a late dinner as well. So we all joined together for some stories and laughs.

Below is my photo opp with David and more can be found on the Mystic Image facebook page.

Cleveland DJ Troy Entertainment Wins Couples Choice Award 2017

Cleveland, Ohio – January 10, 2017 – WeddingWire, the nation's leading online wedding marketplace, is thrilled to announce that Troy Entertainment DJ & Event Production Company has been selected as a winner of the prestigious WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards™ 2013 for Wedding DJ in Cleveland Ohio!

The esteemed annual awards program recognizes the top five percent of wedding professionals in the WeddingWire Network who demonstrate excellence in quality, service, responsiveness and professionalism. Troy Entertainment’s selection as a Couple's Choice Award 2017 winner was selected based on the positive experiences expressed by past clients on WeddingWire, the world’s largest wedding review site with over one million reviews.  While many industry awards are given by the host organization, the WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards™ winners are determined solely based on reviews from real newlyweds and their experiences working with Troy Entertainment.

The WeddingWire Couples' Choice Awards™ 2017 are given to the top local wedding vendors in more than 20 service categories, from wedding venues to wedding photographers, based on professional achievements from the previous year. Award-winning vendors are distinguished for the quality, quantity, consistency and timeliness of the reviews they have received from their past clients.  As a Couples' Choice Awards winner, Troy Entertainment is highlighted within the WeddingWire Network, which is comprised of over 200,000 wedding professionals throughout the United States, Canada and abroad.

“Each year, WeddingWire looks forward to celebrating the success of the top-rated wedding professionals within the WeddingWire Network,” said Timothy Chi, CEO, WeddingWire. “Now in its eight year, the Couples' Choice Awards™ program continues to recognize  the elite wedding professionals who exemplify a commitment to quality, service and professionalism. These businesses were chosen by our bridal community for their responsiveness and dedication to their clients over the past year. We are honored to recognize Troy Entertainment for their impressive achievements within the wedding industry.” 

Troy Entertainment is thrilled to be one of the top Wedding DJ's in Cleveland, Ohio in the WeddingWire Network of sites, which include leading wedding sites such as WeddingWire, Project Wedding, Brides.com, Martha Stewart Weddings, and Weddingbee.

"Again, we would like to express our gratitude to all of you.  We feel so fortunate to have such great clients that fill our lives with joy and offer us such amazing opportunities". - Troy Entertainment

Planning a Cleveland Wedding?

Insight on Cleveland wedding DJ entertainment:
Most couples who are planning a wedding reception share a common desire or goal. They want the wedding DJ to fill the dance floor from the beginning to the end and they want their guests to have fun. So let’s look into what makes a wedding reception such a unique set of circumstances.

First, most wedding receptions are frequented by a wide range on ages from grandparents to siblings, as well as friends, relatives and co-workers. Unless you are socially connected to these people on a weekly basis you really wouldn't be able to determine what would drive them to the dance floor. That’s the reason various genres of music should be chosen as well allowing the DJ to exercise their ability feel out the crowd and try various styles of dance music. This broad range approach to music programming from the very beginning of the dancing portion of the wedding reception will send the message to the audience that there will be something for everybody from the very start.

The second thing to keep in mind about wedding reception entertainment is that the DJ is limited to playing danceable music and that those selections are a qualified hit. That means it’s either popular at the moment, a recurrent hit, or a hit that stands the test of time. You have to determine if the request is dance music or just good listening music, if your ultimate goal is to drive guest to the dance floor.

A good wedding DJ will arrange music into sets. These sets will fit together in a way that not only seamlessly transitions from song to song but builds energy and excitement. A good Wedding DJ will be able to use various mixing techniques to smoothly blend in an out of dance music or change the genre of the music without losing the floor. A good wedding DJ will also be able to play requests by fitting them into a set at the best harmonic and sensible time within the music program.

Slow music is a very important tool used by wedding DJ’s as it will most likely ensure to get everyone, especially guys with their dates to participate.

What separated wedding DJ’s from one another is talent and experience. Talent in this case is having a musical vocabulary in their head that they can draw upon almost instantly. If your requests include Motown and you like “sugar pie, honey bunch (can’t help myself) you’ll probably like “build me up buttercup” as well. And if guests request Pitbull they probable like Flo Rida too.

Lastly, you should always leave room for your guests to make requests. The wedding DJ should have that "approachable personality" that makes guests feel welcome to stop by the DJ booth. A mix of the couples requests, request from the guests, and the wedding DJ's ability to “think on their feet” will ensure your wedding reception is a dance floor hit for you and your guests.

Cleveland Wedding DJs from Troy Entertainment keep the dance floor packed
photograph provided by Making The Moment Photography

Three Things That Make A Wedding DJ “Good”

What makes a wedding DJ “good”? Caring. “Caring” feeds passion. “Caring” motivates and creates action.Very little can happen without it. Talent. Defined many ways, but is easily recognized when experienced. Love. Love fuels all great performers. Unconditional Love with no expectations. That’s why they “give” a performance – it’s an act of giving. When a wedding DJ loves his/her clients everything stems from that-every action; every decision; everything.... (read more here: Mark Ferrell's Blog) - Mark K. Ferrell

Glenmoor Country Club Party in White

Glenmoor Country Club hosted their annual "Party in White" last Saturday. Arriving on the grounds of the beautiful country club golf course and spa the area of the event (poolside) was draped in white fabric. There were long displays of hors'doeuvres and a stocked bars. LED ice cubes, flame omitting heaters, water floats (hamspter balls)are just a few neat touches to the party. Things really took off as we mixed a blend of current and recurrent dance remixes as well as some big eighties and disco. Then a lady in white on stilts walked the crowd having pictures taken with members. at dusk Chinese lanterns were released into the sky above as guests cheered them on. The dance floor was packed while party people waved LED foam batons and sang to the music. We like to thanks the great staff at Glenmoor, The director of events Lisa Sadeghian, Chairperson to the event Sandy Grassi-Doll and the rest of the people who worked on the planning of this great happening. Video and pictures to follow:

Looking Back at This Time Last Year

About this time last year our very own Kimberley worked with David Tutera party planner to the stars and new reality TV series “The Party Planner” on the Discovery Channel. Kim was presenting for the fashion show while David did a meet and greet for bride’s to be at Catan’s Fashions in Strongsville. Lots of great deals in fabulous fashion and one of a kind apparel can be found at Catan’s. They have great events like this often. We are proud to be in such great company with talented and professionals in the wedding and prom industry. Patrice (owner) and Brenda (Special Events Director) were present. Just a great time on a Sunday afternoon.

Amy & Kevin's Wedding at Cleveland City Hall Rotunda

The Cleveland City Hall Rotunda Wedding of Amy & Kevin. It was an honor and pleasure to work with the Sue and Bill Allen to create this fun Disney themed wedding experience. Complete with essential acoustic support, uplights, green screen photo booth, monogram gobo, video presentation screen, interactive entertainment and even a surprise appearance by Mickey Mouse...Happily Ever After!

WEWS-TV Channel 5: Cleveland Rocks! Rock & Roll Hall of Fame InductionInterview

Cleveland Wedding at the Courthouse

March 3, 2011 - One of the fabulous things about being in music and entertainment production is when are asked to perform for people you have meet a long time ago and haven't seen for years. We first met the groom (Andy Fernandez) when he was just a high school student at a teen night dance at Club Rio. He came up to the booth with his brother Bob and friend Dave. I invited them into the booth and we quickly all became friends. I also made them club representatives by having business cards with their names on it to pass out for free admission to their friends at school. The club became the place to be for young adults with over 800 in attendance weekly.

Years later We had the pleasure of doing Andy and Bob's sister Julia's wedding about 16 years ago.  Then surprising enough we ran into each other while Andy, his fiance' Jennifer, and his mother Mariana were looking at the Cleveland Courthouse and A Taste of Excellence to stage the event.

Above is a picture of Jennifer and Andy's first dance in a elegantly decorated Cleveland Courthouse reception. The wedding coordinator for the event was Eileen Benson. She was a pure pleasure to work with. The bride Jennifer was stunning and everything was absolutely beautiful. They even incorporated their little chiwawa Chuey into the ceremony. The music for the reception was a blend of current pop, big 80's dance and Merengue. Everyone had a great time. I was visited many times by their guests saying that they have been to many Troy Entertainment weddings. This is one of the greatest things that frequently happens to me and my staff and we are forever grateful to have met the nicest people that give us such amazing opportunities.

The grooms brother Bob was there with his beautiful girlfriend. At the end of the reception as we were saying our goodbyes he said there might be a Tri-fecta in the future :)

We congratulate Jennifer & Andy Fernandez on their Wedding and hope them love, hope, and happens throughout their lives together.

Eventfully Yours,
Pete
Team Member
Troy Entertainment

Cleveland Weddings : David Tutera, SA Events, Troy Entertainment

David Tutera, the wedding planner of the stars greeted brides at SA Events/Catan's Fashions in Strongsville.
Our friend and colleague Brenda Kucinski called upon us to help enhance and beautify her showroom at Catan's Fashions in Strongsville as they launched their new and exciting SA Events. SA (Socially Artistic) offers amazing centerpieces, table linens, chair covers, napkins, LED lighting, and unique glassware to the bride that is looking for the best of the best all in one place.  We set the stage to showcase their offerings with beautiful colors of pink and purple LED uplighting and illuminated the head tables beautiful iridescent fabric.
After the event started lines formed to meet David Tutera as he autographed his book and promo photos. His appearance always draws a crowd and this time was no different. We had the opportunity to meet David and work with Brenda before and admire their passion and enthusiasm working with brides to make their wedding day dreams come true. Just prior to this photo David took the time to give alteration advice to a young bride who was trying on a gown. This impressed me that he really has genuine passion for people and his craft. Brenda of SA Events has the same passion to share her expertise in the effort of making each brides vision a reality. We enjoyed the opportunity to work with Brenda, David, Patrice and SA Events, and wish them future success.

Onward and Upward,
Pete Troy

Bravo from a bride about her Cleveland County Courthouse wedding

John & Courtney Bevilacqua

Courtney Bevilacqua says:

Pete exceeded my expectations as the DJ for our wedding downtown at the Cleveland Courthouse. He did the most amazing job all night long. Though I was nervous about how the acoustics would sound in the Courthouse, Pete’s sound system allowed for the music to project, not echo, and let everyone here the speeches clearly. The music selection was perfect. Slow songs when people needed a break, and young music most of my friends like to dance to. EVERYONE was still there wanting more by the time the reception was over. Troy Entertainment will keep everyone going and excited to be at your party al night long! Thanks again Pete!