When the folks at Culinary Concepts took over at The Independence Seaport Museum, they created Events at I.S.M., which is part of their new niche division called Event Venue Management. The aim of the new venture is to assist venues with their marketing and branding, while making the process of finding and choosing venues more seamless, streamlined and for the most part, a lot less overwhelming.

Cutting Edge Entertainment and Culinary Concepts had already worked together at a number of venues in the Philadelphia area, so when Events at I.S.M. was first launched, we got the call to be the preferred partner, providing DJ services whenever needed at the Seaport Museum’s event facility, along with a handful of other vendor partners handpicked by the Events at I.S.M. team, all in the spirit of making the process of planning an event easier for the client.

When, on October 6, 2009 Events at I.S.M. announced their “Love Of A Lifetime” wedding giveaway – where a lucky couple would win almost ninety thousand dollars worth of wedding services (basically a free wedding) – Cutting Edge was called upon to provide the DJ.  Initially we were provided a date, but aside from that we had to wait for the outcome of the contest to take the next step.

In February fifteenth of 2010, the winning couple (Matt and Faye) were announced on Fox 29′s “Good Day Philadelphia“, and the planning was underway.

Now, when you take a wedding reception and you pimp it out with a great caterer, an exciting venue, a fantastic wedding coordinator and an awesome band (yes, they’re having a band AND a DJ), the role of the DJ becomes somewhat marginalized, so at most the DJ will be playing dinner music and making a few announcements, and although we might do a dance set or two, the majority of the dance time will likely be left to the band.  Ultimately Leila – the wedding coordinator from Eclatante Event Design – will be pulling the whole thing together, and has been leading the charge in both working with Matt and Faye as well as blogging about each step in the process.

After a few nudges from Kelly-Ayn McKay at Events at I.S.M. I decided to reach out to Faye to arrange a meeting.  Don’t get me wrong, they were friendly nudges, as Kelly-Ayn reads our blog regularly, and hinted to me that Leila had already put up quite a few posts regarding the progress, while Matt and Faye have been diligently posting blogs on Philly.com as well.

So what’s left for a marginalized DJ to blog about? Well, what a DJ does best… something fun.

I phoned Kevin York – the “official”  Love of a Lifetime (LOL)  photographer (and a good friend) – and together we devised a plan.  I then called Faye back and together we made the arrangements.  We met for dinner, had some sushi and discussed some wedding plans, and then did something that both Kevin and I knew would make for a great blog post, while at the same time fulfilling a future brides dream.  “I’ve always fancied myself a rocking lead guitarist” is what Faye said, and with the help of Matt, Kevin and Rock Band, I was able to come as close as I could to making that dream come true.

If our meeting was any indication of what the wedding is going to be like, I’m certain it’s going to be a whole lot of fun.

As a final thought, I’d just like to give big props and thanks to photographer Kevin York.  Throughout this entire Love of a Lifetime wedding planning process, I’ve watched Kevin pulled this way and that, always on the ready with camera in hand for so many of the vendors involved, and always coming through with amazing photos.  Thanks Kev!

-Craig

Be sure to check out Kevin’s blog for more images!

Photos by Kevin York - www.kevinyorkphotography.com

www.cuttingedgedjs.com

One of my favorite places to work is the Cairnwood Mansion. It is a beautiful venue that has a great deal of history. Unlike a single ballroom, Cairnwood has multiple rooms in which the occasion takes place simultaneously, creating a unique experience for the guests. A wedding at Cairnwood begins with hors d’oeurves and drinks being butlered throughout the rooms of the mansion, while the DJ and I provide the pleasurable, musical accompaniment to the cocktail hour. Upon its completion, the guests enter the main lobby of the building, the Great Hall.

Welcomed into the room are the parents of our guests of honor, the bridal party, and the newlyweds, who descend the beautiful staircase, and head to the center of the room; so begins their first dance as husband and wife. Following the toasts, guests enter the multiple dining rooms for a delicious meal. Our job is to complement the dinner with music that begins with “We’ve Only Just Begun” by The Carpenters, followed by variety of classic R&B and soft rock. After dinner, guests re-enter the Great Hall for our Cake Cutting. After the cake is wiped off the couple’s faces, party room or the library opens its doors for the parent dances, kicking off a night filled with dancing.

On November 25th, the night before Thanksgiving, I had the privilege of MCing the wedding of Kate and Brandon, a young couple whose objective was partying and celebrating with friends and family. The happiness on their faces showed me that I was doing my job successfully. It was also my first time working with Culinary Concepts, whose food was outstanding. Cataloging the beauty of the evening was John from Costello Photography, whose beautiful photos are shared here on our blog. Most importantly, thank you to the Mann and Skupski families for allowing Cutting Edge Entertainment to be a part of their celebration.

Congratulations to Kate and Brandon! I wish you both the best and have a Happy New Year!

Richie

Photos courtesy of Costello Photography – www.costellophotography.com

Kelly Ayn McKay of Culinary Concepts was wise to choose photographer Kevin York to do the promotional photography for The Independence Seaport Museum and Events at I.S.M. Likewise, Kevin York chose Cutting Edge Entertainment’s own Shoshana and Tony to pose for the shoot. These breathtaking photos are only a few of the many beautiful views from and around the Seaport Museum – located at Penn’s Landing in Philadelphia – and truly show what a world-class photographer can do with such an amazing and scenic venue.

Tony (MC, DJ and dancer) and Shoshana (MC, dancer and choreographer) have both been with Cutting Edge Entertainment since 2002, and we at C.E.E. were honored to have had been asked to represent Kevin York and Events at I.S.M.

The Independence Seaport Museum is a fresh and exciting new hot-spot for weddings as well as any other type of event you can imagine.

Culinary Concepts

Events at I.S.M.

Kevin York Photography

www.cuttingedgedjs.com

The City of Philadelphia has a new venue… or perhaps I should say and old venue with a brand new look. Culinary Concepts and The Independence Seaport Museum have renovated, refreshed, and re-vitalized what is perhaps one of the most unique and scenic facilities in Center City. The partnership of the two entities, called ‘Events at ISM,’ held their official opening gala on the last day of September 2009.

Of all the events that I’ve attended in all the years I’ve been in this industry, this one was truly remarkable.

When the elevator doors opened to take us up to the event, I smiled. There on the elevator was a cocktail bar to get us started. We already had drinks in hand when we walked into the party. I honestly couldn’t think of a better way to get started, but the ‘wow’ factor didn’t stop there. As you can see from the photos (taken by Maxine from Bresner Studios), the space is open, airy, and filled with daylight.  And as it became darker, one could clearly see the city lights to one side, and the Delaware River to the other. From the deck just beyond the glass doors of I.S.M. you can see virtually all of Philadelphia’s visual splendor, while sipping drinks as the cool breeze blows by. Truly a magnificent view.

In addition to the flowing drink, and the tasty fare, C.T.O. provided the live music inside, while Cutting Edge Entertainment’s own DJ Richie played the tunes out on the deck. Later that evening, Events at I.S.M. put on a spectacular fireworks show for all the gala-goers to celebrate the grand re-opening, and it was a most impressive conclusion to a truly impressive event.

What is most remarkable about Events at I.S.M. is the people behind it, or ‘Team I.S.M.’ as I call them. Jim, Kelly, Christina and Elizabeth are playing to win, and they’re doing something that I’ve seldom seen in the event industry… they’re listening to their partner vendors. Cutting Edge Entertainment is proud to have been chosen to be part of such a talented team of event professionals, and we intend to help I.S.M. deliver above and beyond their commitment of excellence.

Lastly, but certainly not least, I would like to thank Cutting Edge Entertainment’s own Maura Duggan (pictured above with myself and C.E.E. Creative Director Pedro Coelho), for helping to forge the relationship between our company and Culinary Concepts. They are a company we have worked with for years at a handful of other facilities, so we have the utmost confidence that they are a good fit for the Independence Seaport Museum.

-Craig Sumsky
Director, Cutting Edge Entertainment

Events at I.S.M. - http://eventsatism.com/

Culinary Concepts – http://www.culinary-concepts.com/

Photos by Bresner Studios - http://www.bresnerstudios.com/

www.cuttingedgedjs.com

The DJ staff of Cutting Edge Entertainment had the honor of attending the grand re-opening of Philly’s Independence Seaport Museum (I.S.M.) on Wednesday, September 30, 2009. Culinary Concepts has taken over as the exclusive caterer at the property, and held a gala to celebrate it’s completion (I’m thinking it was like a bazillion dollar renovation, but I’ll have to check my sources on the exact number for an upcoming blog all about the event). The facility is world class, and certainly one of the most unique and scenic venues in Philadelphia.

In the meantime, Kevin York was kind enough to snap a photo of ‘the boys’ of Cutting Edge. We are proud to be the #1 preferred DJ company at I.S.M.

Pictured above are (left to right)  Pedro, Marc, Craig, Michael & Richie in the front.

Photo by Kevin York

Culinary Concepts – http://www.culinary-concepts.com

I.S.M – http://www.eventsatism.com/

www.cuttingedgedjs.com