Feeling So Fly at the Abbey in San Diego

While I do DJ parties for friends every so often, it's not as often that I DJ their weddings. Natasha and Erik's wedding was one that I looked forward to for well over one year. Natasha is a great friend and former colleague of mine. From the day she was engaged to the moment she walked into the reception at the Abbey, I was always getting updates on the big day.

It was a blast seeing many other mutual friends at the party; always nice to see familiar faces on the dance floor. I also had the chance to work alongside photographer Bobby Earle once again, and it's always a great time being around him. Here are some of his photos from that day.

Enjoy some of these dance floor highlights and the setlist.

Natasha and Erik's Setlist at the Abbey

Here is a wedding that I have looked forward to for many months. Natasha is a close friend of mine, someone I met when she began working with me a few years ago. It's always a huge plus to perform and give it your all for someone that you know personally.

We worked in a lot of old school jams and I mixed in a little G6 remix for the first time this year, a special request for Natasha.

Here are the tunes!

	Song	Artist
Intro	Winner	Jaime Foxx
First Dance	By Your Side	Sade
Mother/Son Dance	Senora	Dianne
Father/Daughter Dance	What a Wonderful World	Louis Armstrong
First Dance Set	Let's Stay Together	Al Green
	Billie Jean	Michael Jackson
	Just Dance	Lady Gaga
	California Gurls	Katy Perry
	Like a G6	Far East Movement
	Low	Flo Rida
	Meet Me Halfway	Black Eyed Peas
	Cupid Shuffle	Cupid
	Yeah	Usher
Cake Cutting	How Sweet It Is	Marvin Gaye
Second Dance Set	Vida es un Carnaval	Celia Cruz
	Mas Que Nada	Black Eyed Peas
	Montel Party Break	DJ Emotion
	Poison	Bell Biv Devoe
	Gonna Make You Sweat	C&C Music Factory
	Tik Tok	Kesha
	Break Your Heart	Taio Cruz
	Show Me Love	Robin S
	Forget You	Cee Lo Green
	Calle Ocho	Pitbull
	P.Y.T.	Michael Jackson
	Sexual Healing	Marvin Gaye
	Shake You Down	Gregory Abbott
	King of Anything	Sara Bareilles
	Hey Soul Sister	Train
	Dynamite	Taio Cruz
	Tu Sonrisa	Elvis Crespo
	El Africano	Wilfrido Vargas
	Suavemente	Elvis Crespo
	Only Girl in The World	Rihanna
	Down	Jay Sean
	DJ Got Us Falling In Love Again	Usher
	All Night Long	Jason Mraz
	My Girl	Temptations
	Just the Way You Are	Bruno Mars
	Love Generation	Bob Sinclair
Last Dance	Do You Remember	Jay Sean

Rob and Melissa's Dance Party Highlights

Oh man .... what a day this was. I'm no stranger to two gigs in one day, but this one really tested my stamina. I love it all, but beach and boat gigs are the toughest by far. There are the elements to deal with (which really isn't too bad in San Diego) such as the sun, rain, wind, etc. And the set-up is much more difficult. Go ahead, try hauling around audio gear in the sand or up the narrow stairs of a yacht.

But it was all worth it once Melissa and Rob's dance parties kicked off. Along with their friends, they all came in from out of town, mostly Chicago. So this party took full advantage of the Southern California outdoors. Hence the double party ... one in the afternoon, another a night.

Check out all the fun in the video below (shot with my Flip HD camera) ... as well the setlist from the beach and the boat. Lastly, if you like the voice at the beginning, that's musician Ryan Hiller.

A Double Dance Party Thank You

This was a nice note to find in my email box the Monday after a wedding weekend.

Subject: Thank You

Hi Justin!!

Rob & I wanted to thank you for making our Wedding Day unforgettable - Friday, August 6!! Being a destination wedding, we were concerned that our Midwestern guests would feel "out of their element" on a beach, but you made them feel right at home! The music was fantastic - very diverse & hip for all our age groups!! We truly thought our guests would be shy to start the dancing on the beach...boy, were we wrong!! :)

The Emerald Hornblower yacht after party was even better with your mix of "dance club music"!! Everyone was excited with the mix of Spanish music you threw in there as well. Thank you for making our destination wedding a fun & memorable day :)

Melissa & Rob

Melissa and Rob's Setlist - Part 2: The Boat

At the conclusion of Melissa and Rob's daytime wedding at the Hotel del Coronado, their party shifted to the blue waters of San Diego Bay. Their guests boarded the Emerald Hornblower, operated by Hornblower Cruises and Events.

Their guests, who all traveled to San Diego from Chicago, danced the night away and I added a little touch at the end by playing Jason Mraz's, "I'm Yours." Of course, this is not an unusual closer, but I specifically played the version that was recorded live, in Chicago.

At the end, Jason signs off by saying "Thank you Chicago for hosting us this evening." The crowd -- both on the track and on the boat -- went nuts when they heard this.

It was such a fun day. A long day, but Melissa and Rob, their guests and the Hornblower staff were awesome.

Here's the evening's setlist:

	Song	Artist
	Where the Party At	Jagged Edge
	Disco Inferno	50 Cent
	Every Little Step	Bobby Brown
	September	Earth, Wind and Fire
	Do You Remember	Jay Sean
	Summer of '69	Bryan Adams
	Billionaire	Travie McCoy
	Alejandro	Lady Gaga
	Hip Hop Hooray	Naughty By Nature
	This is How Do It	Montell Jordan
	Yeah	Usher
	Old School Medley	Various
	Got To Be Real	Cheryl Lynn
	Just Dance	Lady Gaga
	California Gurls	Katy Perry
	Tik Tok	Kesha
	Motownphilly	Boyz II Men
	Billie Jean	Michael Jackson
	Bizarre Love Triangle	New Order
	Get Into The Groove	Madonna
	The Right Stuff	New Kids on the Block
	Promiscuous Girl	Nelly Furtado
	Ants Marching	Dave Mathews Band
	Suavemente	Elvis Crespo
	Vida es un Carnaval	Celia Cruz
	Cha Cha Slide	Casper
	Twist and Shout	Beatles
	Love Shack	B-52s
	Sweet Caroline	Neil Diamond
	U Can't Touch This	M.C. Hammer
	Down	Jay Sean
	Boom Boom Pow	Bon Jovi
	Dynamite	Taio Cruz
	Your Love Is My Drug	Kesha
	All Night Long	Lionel Ritchie
	Single Ladies in Black and White	Michael Jackson/Beyonce
	Bust a Move	Young MC
	Good Vibrations	Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch
	I Gotta Feeling	Black Eyed Peas
	Low	Flo Rida
	Don't Stop Believing	Journey
Last Dance	I'm Yours	Jason Mraz