Another Great Night

Saturday 06/19/10 I was a part of Matt & Heidi's reception at Evergreen Events in Paola, KS(What a Great place and wonderful people). Matt & Heidi had their ceremony in the town square on an absolutely beautiful day after a small rain shower. Encore Elite Entertainment provided all the sound for the ceremony (Lapel Mics, Handheld Mics, Music, Etc.). Matt & Heidi wrote their own vows and you could tell not only that they were in love but that they also valued each other. There were many fun things we planned and carried out for Matt & Heidi like a Twisted Recessional song at the ceremony. At the reception, the entrance of the bridal party, a football for the garter toss and kissing couples during dinner, were just a few of the many highlights. The Father/Daughter dance was one I will remember for a long time. It was the first time I had ever seen a complete dance done to Welcome to The Jungle by Guns n' Roses. Their wedding cake was 9 small cakes 3 Red Velvet, 3 Grasshopper and 3 Strawberry all were excellent, and yes, I tried them all. It was a great night filled with dancing and laughter until we all sent Matt & Heidi on their way to Hawaii. I cannot wait to see the photos taken by Mark Leonard Photography, Mark & Shauna were great to work with.

Then to top off the night I got into my car and was listening to my voice mails and heard this.

What are you going to do at your reception?

Encore Elite Entertainment was recently at The Eldridge Hotel in Lawrence for the reception of Travis & Caitlin Reiter. First of all The Eldridge was excellent! It was Beautiful and the staff was very professional. I am sitting here looking over our reception time line and remembering a great night. This union brought together a Family from the Midwest town of Topeka and the other half from the East coast New York City. I would love to share the entire night with you. Instead I will share one of the most unique things Travis & Caitlin had at their reception. Being the huge KU Jayhawk fans that they are, they had the KU marching band drum line perform. I introduced them into the Crystal Ballroom. Then the drum line helped create an exciting and very memorable kick off to the dancing for the night. I love this idea it is one that we will all be thinking of as we remember Travis & Caitlin’s reception.
What are you thinking about doing at your reception?

On 05/29/10 I was at the Marriott for Kevin & Megan’s reception and what a great night it was. The Marriott in downtown Kansas City, MO is an excellent location for a reception. Pax and John are true professionals extremely attentive to the clients every wish. I look forward to working with them every chance I get. Not only was Megan looking beautiful as ever Kevin looked great also as many of the ladies commented . The guests were definitely there to celebrate and have fun all night. Kevin & Megan put their personal touches into everything including a very special guest. Kevin & Megan are K-State Graduates and absolutely love their cats. A surprise guests traveled all the way from Manhattan, KS for Kevin & Megan's reception “ Willie The Wildcat”. (I hope to get some of the photos soon from Sarah Dickerson Photography to share.) He showed up just after the Garter Toss where Kevin tossed the garter placed around a K-State football. Willie burst into the room to the K-State fight song and after his K-S-U Fight, Fight, Fight we had all the K-State fans to the floor and they all danced to the Wabash. Then we danced for 2 more hours and ended with a great send off of Kevin & Megan on their honeymoon. What a great night and very unique to them.
What are you planning to do at your reception?

Wedding Receptions

Wedding receptions I have been involved with more wedding receptions than I can tell you. I have truly enjoyed being a part of every one. I wish I could tell you I remember them all in detail, but that would not be true. There are those, however, that I will never forget. The ones where everyone can tell the couple is truly in love and wants to celebrate. These couples will spend the time it takes to plan a night that is tailored to them and involves each and every person allowing them to experience the fun all together and leave with great memories.
I just received a Thank You card from one of those couples that made me feel great and I have to share it with you.
“ Dear Danny, We cannot thank you enough for DJing our wedding. We had the best time of our lives and you were a huge part of it. Everyone kept telling me it was the most fun reception they had ever been to & I have to agree…the dance floor was never empty. Your professionalism from pre-event planning until the end of the wedding night was unmatched. Besides the man I picked to marry, you were the next best decision thanks again! If you ever need to use us as a referral…let us knowJ.” From Adam & Kayla Young August 1st, 2009 Lawrence, KS
I think this fun really starts off with the entrance. Adam & Kayla had a Basketball themed entrance in mind and went all out. They even brought Headbands and Black eye stickers for the Bridal party to wear. This video is provided by our very talented friend and videographer Andy at Studio 32 Productions.
The night continued from there and, as you can see from the card, was one I will never forget, Thank you Adam & Kayla for the huge pat on the back.

Using Your Resources

Recently Danny & myself were invited to the Ritz Charles as part of their Bridal Extravanganza. We spoke with dozens of prospective bride & grooms concerning their upcoming weddings, one thing we stressed was using your resources. What is "Using your resources" mean? Simple: asking questions and recommendations.
If a friend buy's a car at a dealership and has a wonderful experience, statics show they will tell 10-15 other people, and they are likely to buy a car at the same dealership. As mobile entertainers/MC's we see and hear many things. We experience first hand what another vendor has or doesn't have, as well as seeing their product in use. We were asked questions concerning catering, photography and reception sites, and were glad to give our perspective on those subjects to those who asked.
If you are planning an upcoming event, seriously think about booking your DJ/MC BEFORE you look at booking your next vendor. As much as our staff experiences, we may be able to help create a "short list" of vendors for you that matches your personality, desires & budget.
Ladies and gentleman, you only have 1 chance at the biggest day of your life, 1 chance to make all of your dreams a reality, don't be afraid to ask questions, it will only make your special day an ENCORE event.

Boomer Goyer Wedding

Anxious, Nervous, and Restless were the nights leading up to August 22nd, and the day of the wedding was by far the most emotion I have ever felt in my life. The night before, a good friend of mine insisted that I spend the night with him and his wife so that I didn’t continue to get any worse. When I woke up the morning of the wedding it was still dark out and I laid there thinking about all the events ahead. I had no particular thing that made me anxious, I have been to hundreds of weddings and receptions, some that were spectacular, some that needed some more work but most all of them filled with Love. This event was different, I knew that the best wedding professionals in Kansas city would be there, and all the plans had been discussed in great detail to ensure a near perfect event. The Bride seemed to be extremely calm at our last meeting and she had all the confidence in the world so why would I be so anxious?
I was pacing! It was just before the special moment where the bride and groom see each other for the first time, and I was pacing. Trying to look like I wasn’t nervous trying to play it cool, The photographer, Rebecca Peters, asked me to turn around and I saw the most beautiful white dress, sunlight dancing through the beads, and the great big smile that complimented the most stunning bride I have ever seen. Suddenly I was calm, the most calm I have ever felt then joy rushed through me as my smile grew and I embraced my bride for the first time. I have been in the wedding industry for over 12 years now and knew about almost everything that happened on a clients wedding, but now I truly understand the pressure, anxiety and most of all the JOY that happens on their wedding day.


Our wedding reception was held at one of the most picturesque venues in the Kansas city area. Personality of a venue is very important, Some people are fit for a nice ranch and barn, some fit for a historic mansion in the city, and some fit for a ritzy hotel ballroom. Not only is the personality of the property important to match your own but also the personality of the venue coordinator. Marsha Gibson at the Longview Mansion was an excellent match for Amy and I. Wow, what a coordinator. She helped in the many planning meetings to draw out our vision and assisted us in choosing the best options to maximize our budget. The day of the wedding she was there; Marsha was there to greet us at the door, she was there to make sure every napkin was in it’s place, and Marsha was there to make my bride feel even more special than she already did. The mansion looked every bit as fancy and elegant as I had seen at so many weddings that Encore Elite Entertainment has been a part of at the Longview Mansion. Our entire wedding party floated down the grand staircase one at a time to their individual entrance songs artfully compiled by our Emcee/DJ Mark O’Leary. The crowd was pumped up and ready to party, then Mark mixed in the entrance for my bride and I as he announced the new "Mr. and Mrs. Goyer" skillfully drawing the crowd up to a climax. With a small pause my bride and I descended the grand staircase to an absolute roar, with flashes of Rebecca’s camera we felt like movie stars. The dance floor was packed all night long. I can hardly wait to see the footage shot by our videographer Studio 32 Productions. At one point, the crowd was covering the entire dance floor so Mark O’Leary assisted Rebecca Peters to stand on his DJ table to get some the of the best party shots I have ever seen. Andy Liebsch was moving around the dance floor with his camera capturing the fun, excitement and all of the celebration on video.

"Personality, Experience, and Quality of work is how you choose the best wedding professionals in Kansas City. Magical, Emotional, and Exciting is how you describe your day when you have chosen the best." -Ryan Goyer

The Smith's Take-over Loose Mansion

This past Saturday evening, I had the pleasure to be a part of Erin & Dan's special evening at Loose Mansion. Although heavy rain greeted the guests upon arrival, the Mansion was in it's usual spectacular form. As the guests arrived, I noticed something about this group, they were truely excited to be at the Mansion with Erin & Dan and families.
GAMETIME:
As the guests mingled & visited with each other, I began the formalities. From the middle of the steps I addressed the 190ppl and gave them a quick overview of the evening to help make this reception more spectacular. With the greeting over, it was time to get the crowd ready for an energetic entrance by the Bridal Party. As I announced the Bridal Party members they strutted and danced their way down the beautiful mansion staircase to "Sexyback". By the time I got to the last couple (Best Man & Maid of Honor) the Mansion was filled with eletricity & anticipation for our Guests of Honor. The song switched over to "Can't get enough of your love, baby" by Barry White, "Ladies & Gentleman it's an honor to introduce to you, Mr. & Mrs. Dan Smith" as the last name was said, the 190 guests screamed it along with me. Here they come down the staircase, strutting, dancing and celebrating what is going to be a wonderful marriage.
As the evening progressed on the new 3rd floor addition, I witnessed 2 firsts. The very first first, was a bride's maid doing the chorographed step-by-step dance to "Bye Bye Bye" by N'sync, and receiving a rousing ovation. The second firsts, was when guests were in a circle dancing, a gentleman with a prostetic leg brought his chair to the center, loosened his leg, spun it around, reattached it and went back to his table. From that point on, I knew this was the party crowd they showed they were going to be during the entrance.
With all the guests fully engaged in dancing, I looked around and said to myself "this IS truely an ENCORE event".

Remarkable Evening @ The Intercontinential

On May 16th, I had the pleasure of working at the Intercontinental Hotel for my first time and with a wonderful couple Matt & Melissa. Matt & Melissa have an awesome story of how destiny brought them together. Matt happened to be at a bar with a bachelor party and Melissa was at the same place seeing friends, and as fate has it, they created a wonderful relationship. God truly made them for each other.
The Rooftop Ballroom was elegantly set for a wonderful evening of dinner & dancing, and the staff was professionally dressed and briefed before the guests arrived. Matt & Melissa treated their family & guests to a expertly prepared three course meal. Our evening did have some surprises. Melissa's father was celebrating a birthday on the same day. Melissa also surprised Matt with a groom's cake made to look like Bob Dylan and some other of Matt's favorite artists. The couple started their evening with a classic, "At Last" by Etta James. As the evening progressed, the guests made my job look effortless, there was one problem, too many guests dancing and not enough dance floor. That's right, the guests were dancing on both sides of the dance floor and not even noticing it.
To conclude, I appreciated the opportunity to work with Melissa & Matt, The Intercontinental along with Matt & Melissa are truly a Class Act.

My Road Trip

This past weekend, I took my family out to western Kansas to see some of our old college friends and see the sights. Saturday afternoon I noticed a wedding reception was being set-up by the staff. Now I'm snooping around like the CIA. I proceed to speak with the event coordinator and ask "Did the emcee/dj contact you prior to the event?" I got a look that still hurts my eyes. "Did the emcee/dj send you a copy of the reception planner?" She asks "what are you talking about & why?". I'm sure you see where I am going with this. I explained who I was, where I'm from & the level of service we offer our clients. If I lived in that area, she told me I would be booked year around, Friday & Saturday nights.
I admit, I'm a telephone book junkie. I look at the DJ's and entertainment companies, and called 1 in particular that has a "5Star rating" in the phone book. He told me he got this from "some friends that said he was really good". OK ??
We receive several calls daily requesting information for our services. The most frequent statement we hear lately is "well, what would it cost for 4hrs instead of 6?" Let me ask the general question: Do you really want your dj/emcee stomping thru your dinner,cake cutting or toast to set-up gear? If a company is guoting you 4hrs, a red flag should come-up. This should mean this individual is looking for the quick buck, and doesn't have the experience to manage a quality reception. As I was on my road trip, I witnessed this dj setting-up his gear while the guests were having dinner. Classy right? As he was finishing, he reached in his truck, grabbed his shirt & tie, and got dressed between the head table & dance floor.
As our Saturday evening in Western Kansas progressed, my wife & friends kept looking noticing how "figitty" I was, I have to admit, I wanted to get back to that reception and show the dj how to make his reception and Encore event.
p.s. I brought the phone book home.

David & Payal Ebeltoft 03/14/09

I was in for memorable experience with this event from the beginning. David & Payal live in Brooklyn, New York and did not make it to Kansas City very often. We did all of our planning for their reception through email and over the phone. David is a project manager and he managed this part of their wedding very well. Payal’s extended family and many friends are from India. The theme of the decorations and food reflected her Indian heritage. David & Payal wanted a few Indian songs spread through out the night so that both families would have a great time. I have been involved in other events where I had played this music so I had some idea of what was needed. Just like here in the U.S. India has all different kinds of music. I knew what I liked and what I thought would work, but I was not yet sure what they would like. I was fortunate enough to get a little guidance from Payal’s brother Pretesh and a gentleman from England (who I feel terrible I do not remember his name). What was nice was they helped me feel more comfortable about the choices I had made. The songs I chose for the cocktail & dinner music sounded great, but I did not know if the language in the songs was appropriate. So I was lucky to get a little help from a few ladies in Payal’s family. As I was setting up I would play a song and the ladies would give me a thumbs up if it was good or down if it was bad. The mix of Indian and American music went over well. They enjoyed it all and danced all night.

There are so many things about this event I want to share, but I will try to bring this to a close. The reception was at The Hobbs Building which is a great place to have an event. I love the look, the feel and the age of the building it has real character. Denise is the location and catering manager she runs a tight ship and things looked outstanding. The food by Feasts of Fancy was excellent you would have thought it was brought straight from India.
I will end this with a request David had made for a Greek song Sirtaki by Andre’ Rieu From the movie Zorba the Greek. The wedding guests loved it and you would have sworn we were at a Greek celebration. They quickly raised David above their shoulders and danced around with him held high. Next thing you know they had Payal up in the air and danced around the floor as the floor it’s self bounced, no jumped up and down. I thought they were going to bring the place to the ground with this crazy fun. I tried to take a picture with my cell phone. It was terrible quality especially compared to the beautiful photos taken by Ryan Hill at Versluis Photography .
When couples bring great friends and family together no matter where they are from. The love fills the room and you can’t help but have fun. Thank you David and Payal for allowing me to be a part of your celebration.

Shawnee Mission West Prom 04/25/09

Brad and I had the opportunity to be a part of the Shawnee Mission West High School prom and had an excellent time. The Union Station was decorated by All Seasons. All Seasons started with two huge Giraffes with their heads coming together to make an arch as you entered the Sprint Hall. They went on from there with lighting gobos on the walls and on the dividing curtains that separated the tables from the dance floor of other animals it was great. The sound we put together was perfect for that room (Union Station is a very very impressive venue and very very hard to control sound in) and everyone danced all night. We had to ask them to leave the floor when the night had ended. It was fun to see the King and Queen announced and how exciting it was for the winners. The dancing was a blast. We had students dancing on the King and Queen stage, on our stage and on the subs having a great time. We are looking forward to next year and hope to make it even better for the class of 2010.
Here are a few pictures I took with my little camera not great quality but you get the idea.

Tom & Robin Addleman 04/18/09

I was at Loose Mansion last night as a part of Tom & Robin Addleman’s wedding and reception. Tom is a lawyer from Harrisonville and Robin is in real estate after being a nurse for a few years. This is a great couple and will have many wonderful years together. Let me give you an example of how great Robin and Tom are. The person that was doing the Flowers and helping with the decorations met Robin while giving birth to her first child. She and Robin have kept in touch and they have become good friends since then. Tom comes from a family that,as the Best Man Brett said ,“ welcomes everyone with open arms”. Tom’s parents will be celebrating their 5oth Anniversary in August. Now that is impressive.
It was a very nice wedding with a little of their style showing through. You see, when Tom and the Groomsmen entered the room, they entered to “I Walk The Line” by Johnny Cash. The Groom hardly ever gets attention. The day is all about the Ladies. As men, we accept this and enjoy making it so. When we can have a little focus on the men, we try to accommodate that. This was a song that fit a country boy like Tom and his Groomsmen. The lyrics worked well for the entrance and hey, it was fun.
The Mansion was exceptional as usual. The Mansion is on the top of my list of excellent locations to have an event. Hannah was the person in charge for the Mansion last night, and even though this was her first event to do solo, she was flawless. As I was making rounds speaking to people at their tables, one of the guests asked me if I was a supervisor for the Mansion. This happens to me a lot where ever I go because we try to work so closely with the venue and staff. I told her I was not but I can get one for you. Hannah went to speak with them and they simply wanted to tell how much they were enjoying the staff and their evening. That was wonderful to hear, especially for her solo. I know the owners of the Mansion would be pleased.
During the cutting of the cake, Tom & Robin wanted to recognize Tom’s parents for their up-coming anniversary. After Tom & Robin finished their ceremonial cutting of the cake, they cut another piece and presented it to Dr. Duane & Nancy Addleman. Everyone in the room was touched by this poignant moment. I had a great night and could go on and on. Needless to say, Tom and Robin were a lot of fun and they have great friends and family that danced right up to the end of the night. Thank you Tom & Robin

The Goyer Family Spring Break

No this is not about a wild week of crazy parties that lasted all night on the beach somewhere in Florida. This is about my beautiful wife Katie and I taking a short trip with our two boys Forrest & Grayson to Saint Louis. With Katie in her first year in a new job, we were limited on time so we spent 3 days in the Gate Way City to the West. I thought it would be fun to try using the online service Price Line to get a Hotel. I was able to get a room at the Westin a 4 star hotel in downtown Saint Louis for a 2 star price it was great. When we were walking in to the lobby check in, my youngest son Grayson was saying out loud for everyone to hear, Wow, dad! We have never stayed in a place this nice before! It was very nice, located next to the new baseball stadium and a few blocks from the Arch.
We visited the Arch, Laclede’s Landing, Union Station, The Science Museum, The City Museum, the King of Beers and took in a movie at a local theater.
It was fun to go up in the arch. I have put a picture of door #7 that opened for us to get into the egg we rode to the top of the arch. Katie took a picture with my phone of me and our boys in the egg (not much room).
The science museum was great fun with a lot of hands on things to do. Forrest was able to ride a Segway. Grayson and I were jealous because we were not able to ride.
The City Museum was really cool for all ages. It is a huge building where they have collected all kinds of things that you can climb on, in, under and what ever you would want. Airplanes, log cabins, Trains, tunnels, slides, cables, and aquariums you name it, you will find it there. There was a ball pit filled with big balls that large kids can play in and throw.
We also went to one of my favorite places in the city, the Anheuser Bush Brewery. I always enjoy the tour with the Clydesdales and the smells that you encounter in the brewery. I especially enjoy the samples at the end of the tour.
It was a great few days that none of us wanted to come to an end. I am a very lucky man to be blessed with such a great family

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Matt & Emily 03/07/09

The Kansas Historical Museum in Topeka, Kansas is where Matt & Emily held their wedding and reception. I have been at this location many times. It is a nice place and the people are very good to work with. If your reception timing allows, they will even offer a personal tour of the museum for your guests. The ceremony was performed beautifully by Curt Cooper from Emporia. I hear a lot of ceremonies every year and it is nice to hear it done well with meaning and purpose. Emily looked unbelievable and Matt cleaned up quite nicely also. Their family was so much fun and wanted nothing more than to do everything they could so Matt & Emily would have a great day. It is always so much fun to be apart of a loving event and I was blessed to be there.
As you may have read earlier in one of Brad’s Blogs, he and I along with our much better halves (Wives) went to a Mobile Entertainers convention in Vegas. It was a great time and we learned so much. It was also great to hear a little validation from people much smarter than me that we are doing it right. What I mean, is the way that we introduce events/special moments to the guests through out the evening. I know you have heard announcements that sound like they are said every weekend where only the names of the bride and groom are changed. Encore does not make standard "input name here" announcements. Part of the reason that we have the reception planning meeting, and have materials to be completed before the meeting, is so that we can Personalize our announcements. For Emily and her Father’s dance the announcement went like this;
Mike was at the hospital on the day Emily was born and from that moment Mike & Sharon’s Princess stole his heart. Since that day Princess Emily has grown to be called EM. Mike is so very proud of EM. Her appreciation for life and the way she shows such kindness towards others. Ladies and Gentlemen Princess EM and her Father.
As I said, the family wanted them to have a special day so they were a lot of help giving me all the incite I needed to write these announcements. It takes a little time and effort on every ones part, but the difference it makes in the personalization of the event is night and day. The guests also feel so much more a part of every event through out the night. It can never be an announcement that you heard last weekend with a different name.
Matt and Emily congratulations and thank you for letting me be a part of your special event.