Krishnan & Shilpa

September 6, 2015
Krishnan & Shilpa

It’s not often that I’m asked to DJ an Indian wedding reception. Most of the time, my audio-visual rental company – PLAY Event Rentals – will provide the sound and lighting, as an out-of-state Indian DJ is flown in to perform. However, Krishnan and Shilpa said if I could manage a playlist of Indian music for background music through dinner, I would be good to go. Once the dance floor opened after their first dance, I was free to play an American-style open format set.

I said that wouldn’t be a problem, and was happy to oblige. And what a fun night it was at The Westin Bellevue in Bellevue, Washington, for two of the nicest people I’ve ever met, despite the fact Krishnan was a 49ers fan… 😉

One thing I will never forget from Krishnan and Shilpa’s wedding day is their ceremony, which was performed in traditional Indian style. Despite not knowing the music or understanding the language, I sat there for sixty minutes absolutely fascinated at what was going on before me. Not only was it a nice change of pace from a traditional American ceremony, but it was nice to learn about Indian wedding traditions, such as the sudden atmosphere change from seriousness to absolute silliness when Joota Chupai happens. For those that don’t know, Joota Chupai is also known as the stealing of wedding shoes.

You have to attend an Indian wedding ceremony to understand it… and believe me, it’s worth seeing.

Krishnan & Shilpa, congratulations on your wedding! Thank you for letting me be a part of your wedding celebration, as it was an honor to serve you and a pleasure to learn a little more about Indian wedding traditions. What a blast your ceremony was!

Tony Schwartz

Musical Selections

Cocktail Hour: Rat Pack, Crooners, Indian Music

Grand Entrance (Wedding Party): U2 – “Beautiful Day”

Grand Entrance (Krishnan & Shilpa): Jay-Z & Beyonce – “Crazy In Love”

Dinner: Indian Music, Upscale Lounge, Indie Music, Motown

Formal Selections

Dancing: Classic Rock & Roll, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, Top 40, Electronic Dance Music, Hip-Hop, Alternative & Modern Rock, R&B, Reggae/Latin

Photo Courtesy: Mandev Sidhu Photography