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Client Testimonials, Weddings
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April is always a busy month for Cutting Edge Entertainment, and this past April was no exception. Cairnwood is by far one of my favorite venues; I like the staff, the venue, and the fact that it’s located only a few short minutes drive from our office. However, the thing I like most about Cairnwood is that each and every wedding or party I do there is uniquely different. In other words, it never gets boring at Cairnwood. There are so many different caterers, decorators, planners, florists and other event professionals that all bring their own individual style, enhancing the event and adding something new and different to each event I do there.
Marci and Mike were a really fun couple to work with, and we had a blast at our wrap up meeting a couple weeks prior to the wedding. The meeting we had lasted about two hours and I believe it was good for Marci and Mike to get to know me better and gain confidence in my ability to rock out their wedding. For me, getting to know them was more like making new friends than working with a client, and as it turned out we had so much in common.
Their wedding was one of the highlights of my month, and by the pictures featured here you can tell this was one great crowd. Of course when I DJ a wedding I consider it a team effort, and the wedding can not be successful unless all of the wedding professionals work in sync. The caterer for the wedding was Robert Fair Caterers, and Nicole from Nicole Leigh Photography did an awesome job capturing the images of the event. Nicole is a superstar photographer that does great work. Finally, a successful wedding can’t be complete without the bride and groom, and Marci and Mike were perfect.
A few weeks after their wedding the bride and groom posted the following testimonial on Wedding Wire:
My husband and I got married less than three weeks ago at the beautiful Cairnwood Estate and had the pleasure of working with Richie Abrams from Cutting Edge. If you want a party that people rave about for weeks and don’t stop dancing until they are kicked off the dance floor – Richie is your man!! From our initial meeting to the night of the wedding, Richie knew exactly what to do to keep the party going and running smoothly. He played all the right music and was accommodating to any of our requests…including mixing two songs for a fun father-daughter dance 
We have heard nothing but great things about the dance party at the reception and I have a feeling people will be talking about our wedding for a long time! Thank you so much Richie for making our wedding night fun, exciting, and memorable! You are a fabulous DJ and definitely one of the best wedding day decisions we made!
-Marci and Mike, 4-27-2013
Thank you so much Marci and Mike, and wishing you both the best of everything in your lives together as husband and wife!!
-Richie
Images courtesy of Nicole Leigh Photography
Wedding DJ and Lighting
Philadelphia
Cutting Edge @ June 19, 2013
Client Testimonials, Weddings
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On April 6th, 2013 I was at Radisson in Freehold, NJ to rock out the wedding reception of Kristen and Terry. In my line of work, I meet a lot of couples in love. I could tell right away that Kristen and Terry cared very much for each other (and no, I don’t always say that). In our meetings prior to the wedding, the bride and groom would constantly exchange smiles, winks, and I even caught them playing footsies underneath the conference table. The bride and groom were excited and their eyes lit up as we sat and discussed the dance music we would play during the wedding reception.
Kristen and Terry are definitely both party animals, and they really wanted all of their guests to have a great time. They picked the right DJ for the job, because getting (and keeping) people out on the dance floor happens to be my specialty. I played everything from “Runaround Sue” by Dion & The Belmonts to “Dynamite” by Taio Cruz, and everyone had a blast. One thing remained the same. It didn’t hurt that this crowd was ready to go as soon as dinner was over, and did not stop until the reception came to a close.
Now, of course, I can’t take all the credit for the success of the party. The staff at the Radisson Hotel did a magnificent job. There was constant communication between myself and their staff, which enabled us to work together toward the overall success of the event. I also had the chance to work with photographers Brett and Dawn from Brett Martelli Photography. They both took amazing pictures and were very kind to let us feature some here on our blog.
In conclusion, everything could not have been without the bride and groom. The wedding was amazing and I was so glad to be a part of it. I wish both Kristen and Terry the best in the start of your new life together, and I hope to see you both at future events. Thank you for choosing Cutting Edge Entertainment.
-DJ Richie
P.S. We think the dude in the blue shirt and tie (third photo from top) totally rocks!!
A few weeks after their wedding the bride and groom posted the following testimonial on Wedding Wire.
Richie Abrams was our DJ for our wedding April 6th. When we first met him right off the bat he was so energetic and genuinely excited to be a part of our day. Richie created a timeline of events for the reception and was a huge help with giving us ideas to make it special and stand out. Also, he followed the timeline exactly as we worked it with him. So many DJs promise you they will do things a certain way, then fall far short of what’s expected. This guy and his company really delivered! Our guests had nothing but great things to say about our event! Any brides that ask me for a DJ I would say Richie from Cutting Edge DJ Entertainment is the one and only choice!!
Images courtesy of Martelli Photography
Wedding DJ and Lighting
Philadelphia
Cutting Edge @ June 10, 2013
Bar/Bat Mitzvahs
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Just this past April, We had the pleasure of rocking out Lia’s Bat Mitzvah at the Manayunk Brewery & Pub, located in the Manayunk section of Philadelphia. The party took place on the second floor of the Brewery, and the whole place had a relaxed, urban feel to it. The moment Lia and her friends arrived in their party bus, they ran into the place and were ready to party. From the first song of cocktail hour, the kids danced until they could dance no more. Lia and all her friends jumped up on the glow stages to sing and dance as the colors changed beneath them.
After a quick candle lighting ceremony, the party took off like a jet leaving the runway. This crowd truly was a juggernaut group. Once they were in motion, they couldn’t be stopped! It seemed as if the kids and adults were intent on “out partying” the other group. The kids danced with my dancers and myself the entire afternoon. We danced to everything from Rick James and Michael Jackson, to Pitbull and Bruno Mars. The adults had no problem keeping up with the high pace, and even showed the kids some old school moves to some MC Hammer! It didn’t matter the song, this crowd danced to it.
The only time the party stopped was for a mandatory game of Coke & Pepsi, which Lia insisted must be played at her Bat Mitzvah. Well, the adults were treated to an epic spectacle. The energy of these kids was in NO way subdued during the game, as they raced across the dance floor to their partners. No one in this bunch was going to be last! After the showdown that was the Coke & Pepsi final, the adults jumped right back out on the dance floor to rev the party back up to full throttle. We partied the rest of the afternoon, until it was time for everyone to go home. I made sure to stop at Wawa on the way back to the Cutting Edge office for a gallon of water, seeing as I am convinced I lost 5 pounds at Lia’s Bat Mitzvah from dancing so much!
Mazel Tov to Lia and her family on their special day, and thank you for allowing the cast of Cutting Edge Entertainment, including myself, to be a part of your Bat Mitzvah!
-Tony A.
P.S: Thank you to Mark Tassoni for the fantastic images.
Images courtesy of Mark Tassoni
Bar Mitzvah and Bat Mitzvah
MC, DJ and Dancers
Philadelphia
Cutting Edge @ June 5, 2013
Client Testimonials, Weddings
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I am very grateful to get the opportunity to work with so many awesome people – weekend after weekend – just like Ingrid and Jared, the bride and groom from this wedding. Ingrid and Jared were laid back and their primary concern was with making sure that their friends and family had a great time at their wedding reception. At our wrap up meeting just prior the wedding, we spent a lot of time going over the music for the ceremony, dinner, and dancing. We sat together for a while just listening to music and looking for the perfect grand entrance, cake cutting, and parent dance songs. The best part of my job is getting to know my clients and share in their excitement for their big day, and sitting down with them face to face really gives my the chance to do just that.
This was a great crowd to DJ for, as the dance floor was packed full as soon as dinner ended. I usually start my first dance set with music geared to older guests, and play some oldies, Motown, Disco, and Funk, then later on in the night I segue into the current hits. The reason I do it this way is because older guests are the ones that tend to leave earlier in the night, and I have found that younger people – for the most part – will dance to music from older generations, while many older guests are hesitant to dance to popular music of today. As the Wedding DJ, it is my job to play music and get guests of all generations out there during the course of the reception. Ingrid and Jared were dancing most of the night, and their family and friends were right out there with them.
This wedding is the first blog from a reception I did at the Duportail House in Chesterbrook, Pennsylvania (just outside Valley Forge Park). I have worked at this venue before over the past few years and I am excited to finally feature it on this post. I also had a great time working with SAS Becker Photography. I want to thank them for letting me feature the images from the wedding on our blog. Most importantly, I want to thank Ingrid and Jared for choosing me as their Wedding DJ and allowing me to rock their wedding.
A few weeks after the wedding the bride and groom were nice enough to post the following testimonial on the Knot.
Richie from Cutting Edge DJ-ed my wedding a few weeks ago and I could not have been happier.
From our first meeting, I could tell that he was really on top of things and knew what he was doing. He made some really great suggestions on the timeline to accommodate for our unique reception location, which really helped things move along without being awkward. He kept the dance floor packed all night with a great mix of songs for the aunts & uncles as well as the twenty-somethings, and teenage cousins. In addition, Rich is just a nice guy who is truly happy for everyone and excited about what he does.
And on the plus side- my parents loved him!
All the best to Ingrid and Jared in your lives as husband and wife, and thank you for the great review!!
-DJ Richie
Images courtesy of SAS Becker Photography
Duportail House
Wedding DJ and Lighting
Philadelphia
Cutting Edge @ May 22, 2013
News, Random Thoughts
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The story of Cairnwood begins with a Scottish-born immigrant with nothing more than an elementary school education who, through hard work and ingenuity, rose through the ranks of the booming Pennsylvania railroad industry in the mid to late nineteenth century, going on to found the Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company, which grew into the largest manufacturer of plate glass in the United States. Hence, this Scottish-born immigrant who began with nothing amassed one of the greatest fortunes in the United States at that time, on par with those of families with names like Carnegie, Vanderbilt and Mellon. His name was John Pitcairn.
In 1895, toward the end of the period known as “The Gilded Age”, John Pitcairn completed the construction of his home – which he named “Cairnwood” – in Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania. The house and gardens were designed by some of the most prestigious architects and designers of the time, and in 1895, it cost just over $160,000 to build ($161,638.82 to be exact).
Today, that amount barely covers its upkeep.
On Friday, April 19, of 2013 the estate held a fundraising “Garden Gala”, the proceeds of which are to be used to restore and improve the grounds and gardens of Cairnwood in the spirit of their original design… no small feat.
What is most impressive about Cairnwood, and its fundraising Gala, is that most of the funds raised (just under $50,000.00) come from generous donations and efforts of the residents of the Bryn Athyn community itself. Even the chairman of the Cairnwood Board of Governors – Brent Pendleton – is the great-grandson of John Pitcairn. So many of the Gala attendees were residents of Bryn Athyn, and many of those were also descendants of Mr. Pitcairn himself.
The name “Bryn Athyn” has Welsh origins, with the word “Bryn” meaning hill, and the word “Athyn” meaning cohesive, and/or tenacious. With the word “cohesive” meaning “to stick together” and the word “tenacious” meaning “to not let go”, today’s Bryn Athyn community certainly reflects both of these attributes. Where so many other Gilded Age homes were either abandoned, neglected or sold off, Cairnwood not only survives, but thrives due to the diligence and dedication of the very community that surrounds it.
It takes a village.
-Craig Sumsky
Images courtesy of Nicole Leigh Photography
Cairnwood
Cutting Edge @ May 20, 2013
Fun, Musicology, News
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Press “play” above before reading on…
Shannon Walko, Director of Operations and Events at Cairnwood, has given me the honor of putting together music programs for the Cairnwood Gala since 2008, and this years Gala posed an interesting, yet fun challenge. In years past, the Cairnwood Gala has had themes that – for me – had well defined parameters that lent to unique yet specific music programming designs that not only complimented that theme, but enhanced it.
For “A Night In France”, where I used the music of artists like Edith Piaf, Maurice Chevalier, and Django Reinhardt to name a few, which helped enunciate a classic French feel. Another was a “Roaring 20s” theme, where Rag and Hot Jazz set a thematically era-appropriate mood.
This Cairnwood “Garden Gala” was held to raise money for the restoration and improvement of the grounds and garden in the spirit of the original design by Olmstead, Olmstead and Eliot in 1895. Naturally, it was to be “garden themed”, very different from past Galas in theme as well as in music.
My first thought was for it to be Classical… literally, to which Shannon agreed. Yet, as I began crafting a program to serve as background for this event, I wanted to compliment not just the beautiful garden-themed decor, but the house itself. Cairnwood, a regal Gilded-Age home was built by Scottish-born industrialist John Pitcairn Jr. at the turn of the Century. The fact that Mr. Pitcairn was Scottish born influenced my decision to spice up the Classical program, interspersing some lively Scottish traditional music.
Combining Classical music with a Scottish flare turned out to be just the right mood-set for a “Garden Gala”, lending a light and airy feel as the sonic backdrop to a truly phenomenal event, with breathtaking decor provided by some of the Philadelphia area’s most artistic and creative florist and decor professionals. The beautiful images here – captured by Jackie Bayne and Love Shack Photo – offer only a glimpse into what was truly a world-class event.
Included here (at the top) is a sampling of just a few of the selections that served as a backdrop to the evenings festivities. Feel free to press play while looking through the beautiful images captured by Jackie Bayne and Love Shack Photo. The first track – “Scotland The Brave” – is one of the most recognizable Scottish patriotic songs. This was the selection I chose to open the evenings festivities. I couldn’t help but think that Mr. Pitcairn would be smiling at the sound of the bagpipes of his native Scotland. The rest are a combination of classic feel, Scottish flavor, and even a moving Tango, “Por Una Cabeza”. All in all, it was an amazing event, and I look forward to seeing to restoration of the grounds and gardens at the Cairnwood Estate.
-Craig
Images courtesy of Love Shack Photo
Cairnwood
Cutting Edge @ May 20, 2013
Weddings
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Pride. Pride is a word with many connotations and meanings, depending upon with whom you are having the conversation. I am proud to work at Cutting Edge Entertainment, due to the remarkable staff at this company. I am proud of the standard of the Cutting Edge product, which we deliver to each and every client. Lastly, I am proud that Cutting Edge literally is its name, “cutting edge”, and the wedding of Bryan and James at Front & Palmer, in Philadelphia, shows just that.
Everything about Bryan and James’ wedding was cutting edge and contemporary. The venue, Front & Palmer, is a renovated warehouse, located in the Northern Liberties neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The warehouse has been restored and designed to entertain crowds with a modern and unique flavor to it. Bryan and James also sat down with the in-house caterer, Feast Your Eyes, and designed a menu ranging from custom drinks at the bar, bearing the name of each newly wed, to miniature crème brulees and much more. The walls were decorated with hanging columns of origami artwork and Philadelphia themed paintings, while the high top tables and couches made the venue feel much more like a five star restaurant or nightclub, than a wedding reception.
Jack, my lighting technician that evening, did a phenomenal job utilizing the diversity of our over-head light show for Bryan and James. He used the spot light to add elegance to the ceremony and first dance, while making the dance floor look like the hottest place in downtown Philly that night. My DJ, Steve, played song after song, each drawing more delight from the crowd than the previous song. The LED up-lights illuminated the walls in blue and green and took the room to a whole new level.
The ceremony was done “in the round” with all of the guests seated around Bryan, James and the processor. After the ceremony was done, the guests proceeded to the cocktail lounge, decorated to reflect the Philadelphia theme throughout Front & Palmer. The music throughout the night illustrated the guys’ eclectic musical tastes, with everything from Drake and Chris Brown to Rascal Flatts and The Carpenters.
In the main room, everyone enjoyed a light buffet and hor d’oeuvre style entrees for dinner as the newly weds shared their first dance and cut the cake. James, Bryan and their friends and family danced the night away, and barely stopped to enjoy the dessert and coffee bar. The energy from the dance floor could be felt across the city, I am sure… and perhaps heard as well! Everyone partied hard all night long, and no one could believe how quickly it all seemed to go.
I am proud to have done Bryan and James’ wedding, proud in every facet. Thank you to Steve and Jack, who displayed the quality of staff an MC has at his disposal at Cutting Edge Entertainment. What an incredible party, and to do it in such a modern venue, like Front & Palmer, only enhances the experience. Thank you to everyone from Feast Your Eyes, along with Sachi Anand for the eye-catching images from the wedding.
Last, but not least, thank you and congratulations to Bryan and James on your marriage, and for throwing such an awesome party! I wish you many years of happiness and many more parties!
DJ Tony A.
Images courtesy of Sachi Anand Photography
Front and Palmer
Wedding DJ and Lighting
Philadelphia
Cutting Edge @ May 15, 2013
Client Testimonials, Weddings
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Talking about past events here on our website/blog is a great opportunity to give people who are new to Cutting Edge Entertainment a little taste of what we’re all about. Writing and featuring pictures and videos from many of the weddings, parties and events that we DJ is something that separates us from most of our competition. Over these past three years I have written somewhere around sixty blog posts – mostly from weddings. I write about receptions that I’ve had the pleasure to DJ all over the Philadelphia area at innumerous facilities. This particular blog post is about a wedding reception where I was the Wedding DJ at a great venue Knowlton Mansion, in the Fox Chase neighborhood of Philadelphia. I met Laura and Matt months before their wedding date. They are one of those couples that I felt I clicked with instantly. After talking with them for about an hour, going over a timeline, talking about music, and telling them about my approach to my job as a Wedding DJ, they decided to hire me to DJ their wedding reception. Time flew by and before I knew it, it was January 19th 2013, Laura and Matt’s big day. My assistant DJ and I got to Knowlton Mansion about two hours before the ceremony. We quickly got set up and settled in before the roughly one hundred and fifty guests arrived. Along with playing music for the ceremony, I also provided the microphone for the officiant. All the guests were able to hear everything being spoken clearly, and we played an important role in their ceremony.
Being a DJ is my full time profession and has been for the past nine years. In total, I have been a DJ for over seventeen years, having started at a very young age. Even after a couple thousand gigs, I still work hard to improve my performance. I feel very confident that as long as I get to know the bride and groom, build a rapport and prepare well, I will rock out the reception. I spent hours with Laura and Matt through phone calls, emails, and our nearly two hour wrap up meeting, after which, I was confident and eager to get their guests out there dancing for this wedding. The bride, groom, and their bridal party led the charge to the dance floor, and danced to everything from some older favorites like “Shout” (Otis Day & The Knights), to some current selections like “Party Rock Anthem” by LMFAO. I had a lot of fun being the DJ for this reception, and working for such great clients.
Laura and Matt are amazing, and I enjoyed getting to know them before the wedding and it was awesome to be a part of their celebration. I look forward to staying in touch with them, as they begin their lives together as husband and wife. I also had the opportunity to work John Barone Photography, they did a great job. The pictures came out great and I appreciate John for letting me feature them on the blog.
A few weeks after the wedding the bride and groom were nice enough to post the following testimonial on Wedding Wire…
Richie did an amazing job as our wedding DJ! Prior to the wedding he spent hours with us picking out the perfect music for both our ceremony and reception. We felt like we got personal attention with Cutting Edge, which was extremely important to us. He got to know our taste in music which helped him know the type of music to play. Throughout the wedding, he had everyone on the dance floor and even entertained my nephew with his DJ skills! People raved about the great music! There is no need to worry about your guests having a great time if you have a Richie behind the DJ booth – it’s a guarantee that they will!
Wishing all the best to Laura and Matt!!
-Richie
Images courtesy of John Barone Photography
Wedding DJ and Lighting
Philadelphia
Cutting Edge @ May 8, 2013
News
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Cutting Edge Entertainment is growing fast, and to keep up with our exponential growth, we’re looking to build on our biggest strength: Our Staff. Our objective is to create exciting, unique and memorable celebrations for our clients while providing an unparalleled level of customer service and customization. We’ve assembled a talented team of overachievers who are smart, passionate, and great at what they do. If you think this describes you, read on…
Job Description: MC/DJ
Cutting Edge Entertainment, the Philadelphia area’s leading boutique (small) DJ Entertainment Company, is looking for an experienced MC/DJ to join its team of highly successful and dynamic DJs.
The successful candidate should possess the rare combination of broad music knowledge coupled with a strong understanding of audio equipment and proficient DJ skills. In addition to, and equally important will be the candidate’s attitude, poise and personality. You will be directly interfacing with our ultra high-end clients, venues and partners. In addition to being a team leader (not just a player), you must be quick on your feet, flexible, outstanding under pressure and able to deal with short term constraints. Your attitude, personality and interpersonal dynamics need to be a combination of a manager of a high-end 5 Star hotel and a Disney-level of creativity and client experience.
Qualifications:
Five or more years experience as a wedding and/or mitzvah DJ.
Customer service-oriented background.
Bachelors degree in applicable field.
Compulsive attention to detail.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Creative analysis and problem solving skills.
Attention to detail with the ability to complete a large volume of work quickly.
Availability to work nights and weekends.
Resident of the Philadelphia area.
Cutting Edge Entertainment provides the safety and security of a company that has been a market leader since 1992. In addition to outstanding supplemental income, we offer sales and profit sharing opportunities, as well as a pretty cool place to work and grow alongside a team of talented and professional peers.
Interested? Please submit your resume, and a cover letter explaining how you possess all of these qualifications to careers@cuttingedgedjs.com
Cutting Edge @ May 6, 2013
Client Testimonials, Weddings
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One of my favorite couples I worked with this spring were Kirah and Darryl. I enjoyed working with them because they were so excited for their wedding reception, and also because they were very easy to get along with so it was a lot of fun getting to know both Kirah and Darryl. This wedding was held at the Manor House at Commonwealth, and I had the chance to work with the very awesome Jennifer, Cristy, and rest of the incredible staff at this awesome venue. It is important that there be plenty of communication between the kitchen and the DJ, to ensure that the event runs smoothly. At this wedding, I knew that once guests were seated, they would be immediately served their meals. The best run weddings are the ones where there is no stop in the action, everybody is either watching (or participating in) a formality (such as the first dance, parent dances, cake cutting, etc.), eating, or on the dance floor.
This was a great crowd to DJ for, as the dance floor was packed full as soon as dinner ended. I usually start my first dance set with music geared to older guests, and play some oldies, Motown, Disco, and Funk, then later on in the night I segue into the current hits. The reason I do it this way is because older guests are the ones that tend to leave earlier in the night, and I have found that younger people – for the most part – will dance to music from older generations, while many older guests are hesitant to dance to popular music of today. As the Wedding DJ, it is my job to play music and get guests of all generations out there during the course of the reception. Kirah and Darryl were dancing most of the night, and their family and friends were right out there with them.
The photographers for this event were Beth and Gina from Artistic Imagery. We have worked with Artistic Imagery at many different weddings over the past few years, and they are one of my favorite photographers to work together with. They had their work cut out for them, as the dance floor was filled with guests dancing and partying. I had a great time at this wedding, because I played a lot of different music from different genres, eras, and artists. Everything was played from The Beatles to Salt and Pepa. I love my job and it is especially fun for me when the bride and groom along with their guests are open to many different types of music.
A few days after the wedding the bride and groom were nice enough to post the following testimonial on Wedding Wire.
We had the pleasure of working with Richie from Cutting Edge on our wedding day. We met with Richie a little over a year before our wedding and I knew immediately that I wanted him to MC and DJ our wedding. He has a great, upbeat attitude and is really friendly, you feel like you’ve known him for a while. We met with him again a few weeks before the wedding to pick out music and he really picked up on our taste in music very quickly, so the meeting was fun. On our wedding day Richie played all of the beautiful ceremony music and he also played music during the cocktail hour which was a nice addition. During dinner, people kept coming to my table to tell me how great the music was. Once the reception started, the dance floor was never empty. Richie played songs that made everyone get up and dance, and that is exactly what we wanted. We even put together a 80s-90s mix that everyone loved. After the wedding people kept telling me how awesome my DJ was and how much they loved the old school songs. I couldn’t have been happier because music was one of the most important parts of the wedding for us, and the DJ was a hit! I would definitely recommend hiring Richie and Cutting Edge to anyone who is looking for great music and a great DJ! It was one of the best decisions we made.
Thank you again Kirah and Darryl, and the best of luck to you in your lives as husband and wife.
-DJ Richie
Images courtesy of Artistic Imagery
The Manor House at Commonwealth
Wedding DJ and Lighting
Philadelphia
Cutting Edge @ April 24, 2013
