Grand Tradition Estate – Wedding of Ishmael and Andrea Shabazz

Client: Andrea (Harris) and Ishmael Shabazz
Venue: Grand Tradition Estate – Arbor Terrace
Venue Address: 1602 South Mission Road ,Fallbrook, California 92028
Number of guests: Approximately 112
Services Provided: Wedding DJ and Master of Ceremonies

Catering: Megan Klepacki
Photography: Jason Lanier Photography
Videography: Step One Productions (Aldo Valadez)
Makeup: Beauty At A Glance (Danisha Gipson)
Flowers: tbd
Cake: tbd

In May of 2010 Andrea Harris (now Shabazz) contacted me through a referral. From what I understand she had been contacting DJs looking for one that could handle a wedding and still scratch and mix like a club DJ. Apparently her and fiancee, Ishmael Shabazz, were DJ Hero fans and wanted to make sure they had a real DJ for their own special day. After asking around, I think several DJs they called told her to call me and eventually she took the advice. After talking for a bit on the phone they didn’t even need a meeting, and decided to book right away.

Of course, we did eventually meet before their wedding. It’s something I strongly believe in, so when they contacted me a few weeks before their event we got together in person to go over specifics.

Ishmael and Andrea chose to get married at Grand Tradition Estate in Fallbrook. Their reception was in the Arbor Terrace, a large tented area which is perfect for wedding receptions.

On the day of their reception, I arrived at Grand Tradition and set up my equipment. The Arbor Terrace is a beautiful venue, as anyone who has viewed it can testify to. There’s a fireplace directly to the rear of the stage, and you can even view a waterfall behind my DJ area. How’s that for picturesque?

Grand Tradition also has a rule against subwoofers so I went with a pair of JBL Eon 515s. When dressed with my signature pole sleeves and pole skirts, they look pretty nice in the Arbor Terrace.

And of course, the clean turntable setup that were an integral part of the reason why Andrea and Ishmael wanted my services.

For the cocktails, I did decided to showcase some turntable skills and treated guests to an eclectic mix of old school jazz and funk, beatmixed and with some juggling and beat scratching thrown in for good measure. Surveying the guests, I also threw in some Rat Pack era tracks, from Sinatra to Tony Bennett.

Grand Entrance:

Wedding Party: Black Eyed Peas – I Got A Feeling
Bride and Groom: Beyonce – Crazy In Love

Lanee Hillary & Kenya Barnes.

Yolanda Gutierrez & Hakim ShaBazz.

Sarah & Lenore Harris & Yusuf ShaBazz.

Maid of Honor Cheryl Barnes and Best Man James Carter.

Nathan Barnes and Maya ShaBazz.

Bryanna Bullard.

The newlyweds! Ishmael and Andrea Shabazz.

First dance: Adele – Make You Feel My Love

After a round of applause we began dinner with a blessing from Estella Baker.

Following dinner, we began toasts. Here’s a picture of Ishmael and Andrea enjoying the speeches.

Following toasts, the bride and groom gave a short thank you speech to their guests.

Follow this, we began parent dances.

Mother Daughter dance: Gladys Knight – I Hope You Dance

Mother Son Dance: Boyz II Men – Song for Mama

After the formal dances, we began the money dance.

Cake cutting song: Christina Aguilera – Candy Man

Bouquet Toss: Beyonce – Single Ladies

Garter Toss: Mariah Carey – Touch My Body / New Boyz – Tie Me Down

After the tosses, we got to the dancing. My set was a lot of fun, though arguably not long enough to demonstrate my full set of abilities. I did sets of everything from top4o and 90s hip-hop to running a Soul Train Line and even a bit of funk. I wish I could show some dance floor pictures but none of mine turned out very well… though all that were present can attest to good tunes and a packed dance floor!

For last dance, I had Ishmael and Andrea dance in the ‘circle of love’ while all their family and friends joined hands around them.