McKenzie & Alex

June 18, 2016

It’s 3:00 am and I just got home from McKenzie & Alex’s wedding at Tierra Retreat Center, just outside of Leavenworth. Two things: one, what an AWESOME party despite the fact the weather didn’t cooperate the day of and had us resort to Plan B; and two, I’m not sure what I was thinking driving to and from Leavenworth on the same day. Thank you to adrenaline from the dance floor and Matt, who was tonight’s photo booth host for The Puget Sound Photo Booth Co., who trailed behind me and kept me awake. I may be a young 30-year-old, but I’m learning my limitations. 😉

Now, a little bit about McKenzie & Alex: I’ve known Alex since high school football, as both of us are graduates of Sumner Senior High School, although I was two years ahead of Alex. McKenzie also went to Sumner High School, but I did not know her at the time. Nevertheless, she is awesome and her and Alex make for a great couple. Their outgoing personalities are a perfect match. And they have a fantastic group of family and friends who couldn’t wait to celebrate with them.

I absolutely loved the setting for their ceremony, cocktail hour, and dinner: out in the woods, completely isolated from the world. Kier with Firstlight took a brilliant photo of the ceremony that demonstrated this perfectly; I just had to include it in the image set below.

As many know, the Grand Entrance is my absolutely favorite formality of the evening. McKenzie and Alex loved the idea of introducing each wedding party member with a funny bio before entering the reception, but with only a tent ceiling, feared if it wouldn’t go over that well. And where would they hide for their Grand Entrance? Well, in cases like these, I like to do a little Presentation Idea called “Who’s Be Introduced Next?” where my entire Wedding Party stands together in a cluster and are introduced one-by-one “into” the reception, with the catch being they don’t know who’s introduced in what order. Obviously, McKenzie and Alex would be introduced last, and so they were in the middle of their cluster of friends. It works every time, there is laughter and smiles the entire time, and it’s a great way to make the Grand Entrance, well, grand.

Two other awesome interactions we included during the dinner portion of the evening: The Centerpiece Dollar Pass & The Mystery Raffle Giveaway (one winner got McKenzie’s bouquet, the other winner was tossed McKenzie’s garter from Alex). Totally awesome ways to keep guests engaged in the reception and segue from one formality to the next. And the best part is the reactions – they are totally unpredictable and 100% authentic. That’s what makes weddings fun again.

And despite the fact the weather forced us to move the dance party into the tiny confinement of the lodge’s Great Room, it just may have been to the party’s benefit – it had a real “house party” feel, which was probably better suited for the group anyways. As a DJ, I can really feed off the energy on the dance floor when it’s literally right in front of me, and such was the case as we flipped through Top 40 and party classics. Such a fun mix; I loved it and judging from the last photo below, NO ONE LEFT.

McKenzie & Alex, thank you so much for having me as your wedding DJ; it was well worth the trip out, and it was an honor to serve you both. Congratulations, Mad Dogg and Tank; now I’m off to get some sleep!

Tony Schwartz