Real New York Wedding Entertainment: Caitlin & Garrett at The Thayer Hotel
From the grand entrance to the last song, Caitlin and Garrett’s wedding at The Thayer Hotel was the kind of night you feel in the room. This was New York wedding entertainment the way we love to run it, up at West Point in the Hudson Valley, in the Washington Ballroom, with a packed floor and a couple who knew exactly what they wanted. Joey DeRosa had the mic, the energy stayed high all night, and every big moment landed right where it should. Here’s how the night came together.
The Thayer Hotel at West Point
If you’ve never seen The Thayer Hotel, it’s hard to put into words how good the setting is. It sits right at West Point along the Hudson River, a historic stone hotel with the kind of views the Hudson Valley is known for. Caitlin and Garrett got married in the Washington Ballroom, and the room honestly does half the work for you before the party even starts.
A venue like The Thayer sets a high bar, and that’s a good thing. It means the entertainment has to rise to meet the setting. That’s the part we plan for months ahead of time, so when the doors open and the couple walks in, everything feels like it belongs together.
The four songs that carried the night
Every wedding has a few moments that set the tone, and the song choices are what make them land. Caitlin and Garrett put real thought into theirs, and it showed.
The grand entrance song: “Jubel” by Klingande. Caitlin and Garrett came in to it with the live saxophonist playing over the track, which is exactly the kind of choice that makes a grand entrance song hit different. When that horn comes in live over the track, the whole room leans in. If you’re planning your own entrance, this is a great example of taking a song you love and adding one live element to make it your own.
The first dance song: “In Your Love” by Tyler Childers. This wasn’t a sway-in-place first dance either. They choreographed it, entered the floor from the corner, and we faded the music once they hit the end of the dance instead of running the whole song. A first dance planned like that always plays better than people expect, and it gave Joey a clean handoff into the rest of the night.
The father-daughter dance: “Remember You Young” by Thomas Rhett. Caitlin danced with her dad, Brian, and a father-daughter dance is one of those moments where the song really matters. This one fit them. You could feel it in the room.
The mother-son dance: “My Wish” by Rascal Flatts. Garrett danced with his mom, Cindy, to one of those mother-son dance songs we hear requested for a reason. It’s warm, it’s sincere, and it gave everybody a second to breathe before we picked the energy back up.
The full wedding party had already come in to “Levels” by Avicii, so by the time the newlyweds hit the floor the room was ready to go.
What Caitlin and Garrett booked
A big part of why the night flowed the way it did comes down to the choices they made up front. Caitlin and Garrett booked our Mystical Stellar Wedding Package 2024 and added a handful of enhancements that shaped how the room looked and sounded.
None of these are about adding a line to an invoice. Each one did a job. The uplighting set the mood, the monogram made the room personal, the photo booth gave guests something to do between dances, and the saxophonist turned the entrance into a live moment. That’s how we think about enhancements, not as add-ons, but as the details that shape the night.
How the night flowed
Joey ran the room from the mic all night, keeping the energy high the way Caitlin and Garrett asked for. He wasn’t alone up there either. Co Ardolino was on the DJ setup and Mario Banks was on the sax, so the sound stayed full from cocktail hour to the last song.
During cocktail hour we kept it easy, leaning into a jazz and Sinatra kind of feel and the indie folk sound the bride loves, and steering clear of the country hits she’s not big on. Once dinner wrapped, we opened the floor and kept it packed. That’s the part we handle so you can actually enjoy your own night. If you’re planning a wedding and want that kind of flow, grab a quote and we’ll talk it through.
What this means for New Jersey and New York couples
Whether you’re getting married up in the Hudson Valley like Caitlin and Garrett, or down in North Jersey, the same thing holds true. The venue gets you halfway there, and the team running the room takes it the rest of the way. The Thayer Hotel is a stunning place to get married, and it deserves wedding entertainment that rises to it.
We cover weddings across New Jersey and New York, and every one gets the same planning, the same team, and the same backup so nothing gets left to chance. That’s the whole point.
Congratulations to Caitlin and Garrett. It was an honor to be part of a night like that, at a place like The Thayer.
Wedding entertainment questions couples ask
Who’s a good wedding MC for a Thayer Hotel wedding?
For Caitlin and Garrett’s wedding at The Thayer, Joey DeRosa was on the mic, and he kept the energy high from the entrance to the last song. Our whole team is built to read the room and match the couple’s energy, so we’ll pair you with the right MC for your night.
What are good grand entrance songs for a wedding?
It comes down to the energy you want walking in. Caitlin and Garrett used “Jubel” by Klingande with a live saxophonist over it, which is a great example of taking a song you love and adding a live element. There’s no single right answer, and we help you pick one that fits your crowd.
How much does wedding entertainment cost in New York and New Jersey?
It depends on the package and the enhancements you choose, so there’s no one-size price. You can see what a wedding DJ in NJ costs for a real range, and the best next step is to grab a quote so we can build it around your night.
