Chris Lizzi and Chanele Dusart Wedding

Classic cars, superheroes, and a trip to Skaneateles were all in store for the 7/18/2014 wedding reception of Chris Lizzi and Chanele Dusart.  Salt City Sound Machine was back in the windowed backdrop overlooking Route 20 at the Sherwood Inn.  No ceremony this time, as Chris and Chanele got married previously, but there was a cocktail hour where the guests got to enjoy the setting, the décor and the awesome classic truck for the bride and groom on display outside the Sherwood.

As it goes with the Sherwood, Chris and Chanele were lined up two rooms away for their introductions.  As the names are called, they walk through the dining room into an auxiliary room where the dance floor and bar are located.  The introductions included parents and a 4-paired wedding party, followed by the bride and groom.  Everyone made their entrance to the Happy by Pharrell Williams.

However, as Chris and Chanele made their entrance, there was a bit of a wrinkle, as Happy was briefly interrupted by John Williams’ score to Superman (1978). Just then, Chris ripped open his tux shirt to show a Superman T-Shirt… a running theme as groomsmen and Father of the groom also had superhero T-shirts underneath their formal-wear.  The crowd got a big laugh and applause as the music reverted back to Happy and Chris and Chanele finished their grand entrance.

After the introductions, the crowd made their way into the dance-floor room for the bride and groom’s first dance (A Thousand Years – Christina Perri).  They looked on as Chris and Chanele shared one of the many moments of the day together.  Following the first dance were the parents dances.  Chris and Chanele took turns dancing with their represented parents, first with the Father/Bride dance (Somewhere Over The Rainbow – Israel Kamakawiwo’ole) and the Mother/Son dance (It’s a Good Day – Chris Lizzi).

Yes, the Mother/Son dance was a song written, performed, and recorded by our groom.  As it had happened in a previous wedding, that kind of surprise is always well received.  In fact, the groom’s grandmother joined Chris and his mother for the dance, and finished the song with him. After those dances, the crowd went back into the dining room for some toasts and blessings, followed by a sit down dinner.

Dance time was great and the floor was filled throughout the night.  Energy was high that night at the Sherwood and the crowd fed off of it until the very last note.  Dancing was not privy to many group dances per the bride and groom’s do-not-play list, but there were many notable moments as the night went on.  The guests were treated to another song by our groom as Chris’s song Hillbillies was played with heavy requests and was met with some great dancing by the Chris’s friends.  Chris also got to sing live with one of his groomsman as they grabbed the microphone and checked lyrics on his phone to sing a karaoke style song.  Later, we also had a large conga line that snaked throughout both the dance floor room and the dining room. All the while, those who wanted to take a break could still enjoy the atmosphere by getting off their feet and sitting alongside the built-in benches in the dance room.

Of course, Chris and Chanele also got to participate in some ceremonial moments of the day.  First up, all the single ladies got on the dance floor as Chanele toss her bouquet to the presumable next bride up (Little White Church – Little Big Town).  Later on, shortly before 9pm, Chris and Chanele cut their cake (How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)), which allowed for more dance time throughout the night.  Later, there was a generations dance for all married couples (In My Life – The Beatles, What a Wonderful World – Louis Armstrong, & The Way You Look Tonight – Frank Sinatra).  Overall, the ceremonial parts of the evening were sprinkled in here and there, and never really took away from the flow of the night.

11pm came quickly with all the fun and it was time to shut it down. The bride and groom enjoyed their last dance, taking their tolls from the 80’s film Dirty Dancing ((I’ve Had) The Time of My Life – Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes).  They all danced and enjoyed as the night came to a close.

Congratulations to Chris and Chanele.  Thank you for choosing Salt City Sound Machine and we wish you the best of luck in the future!

Notable Songs

• Happy – Pharrell Williams (Reception Entrance)
• Superman Theme – John Williams (Reception Entrance Cut In)
• A Thousand Years – Christina Perri (First Dance)
• Somewhere Over the Rainbow – Israel Kamakawiwo’ole (Father/Daughter Dance)
• It’s a Good Day – Chris Lizzi (Mother/Son Dance)
• How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You) – James Taylor (Cake Cutting)
• Little White Church – Little Big Town (Bouquet Toss)
• In My Life – The Beatles / What a Wonderful World – Louis Armstrong / The Way You Look Tonight – Frank Sinatra (Generations Dances)
• (I’ve Had) The Time of My Life – Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes (Last Dance)