This is LONG overdue!  I am happy to announce the winners of the FLE Review Contest.  We asked our past clients and their guests to review our services on WeddingWire and The Knot/Wedding Channel websites and we’re so happy that a number of our past clients took us up on the challenge and I’m VERY HAPPY to reward their amazing efforts.

Our first place winners are Mr & Mrs Matt & Maria Agnello!  Matt & Maria were married at Esperanza Mansion on 8/20/2010.  Matt & Maria should thank Maria’s mother Karen, BIG TIME!  Karen has been one of FLE’s biggest amabassadors and we cant begin to thank her for all of the kind words and for telling everyone she knows about FLE!    For their effort Matt & Maria have won an Overnight Stay at the Corning Radisson & Dinner for 4 at Grille 1-2-5, Radisson’s AMAZING restaurant.  I’m hoping they include Karen for dinner, she deserves it!  Here are some of the reviews from Matt & Maria’s Reception.

Totally professional, accommodating but most of all wee just nice people. My guests were so pleased at the level of service and it made our reception so much more fun than most weddings I have been to. Nate is super cool and has a great knowledge of guest relations and how the progression of the night should go. I had no worries at all. Their video was so nice and the lighting set it all off!

A fantastic time with many great people. I thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience. If only we could have the event again and again and again.

I do not think that words are enough to describe Nate and his team – They are the most generous in spirit and they truly make your event a memorable one. Nate was the DJ at our daughter’s wedding. The dance floor was always full….he listens, he gives you suggestions, but most of all he makes your day about you and what you want and brings everything to fruition. I would not have wanted anyone else to be a the DJ helm at such an important event….Thanks again to Nate – he is the best you will find!!!!

The second place winners are Meghan and Jack.  Meghan & Jack had their ceremony and reception on 7/23/11 at the Ithaca Farmers Market.  This was my first time performing at the Market.  Here is Meghans review.

Up until about 3 months before our wedding we thought we would have an ipod wedding so we could save money, avoid cheesy wedding music and announcements, and make sure we could have an eclectic playlist going all night. As the planning got more stressful and the reality of hosting a party of about 100 friends and family got more real, I realized we’d need a DJ to make sure the audio equipment would work smoothly and to help coordinate the event. Nathan, the owner of Fingerlakes Entertainment absolutely exceeded our expectations and we couldn’t have pulled off our wedding without him! The lapel and hand mics during our ceremony made us sound natural, yet audible to the guests and he made sure our slightly offbeat ceremony music worked perfectly for our brief ceremony. He made sure guests knew what was going and moved where they needed to for cocktails, dinner, etc. and kept the event flowing in a way we NEVER could have done on our own! He didn’t bat an eye when I send him an absurd playlist that was incredibly long and contained more than a few non-traditional wedding songs and he was ready play them in just a few short days. The day of the wedding the temperature was hovering around 90 degrees and Nathan never let any discomfort show, though we all were incredibly hot. It’s a testament to his skills that despite the weather, the outdoor dance floor was packed the entire night! He also helped so much with the planning in terms of the schedule of the wedding and how best to introduce divorced parents and their new partners and have a wedding that just felt all around comfortable to us. He completely honored all of our requests in terms of the tone of the event and our song requests. He was willing to get in touch at just about any hour and also to communicate via text. His website is great with tons of interactive planning features and also, the bottom line is that his prices are extremely reasonable. I just can’t say enough how much using Fingerlakes Entertainment absolutely MADE our wedding!!!

Our third place winners are Krista & Andy.  Their reception was 4/30/2011 at Artisan Works in Rochester NY.  One of the great things about Krista & Andy’s reception, beyond it being an AWESOME party was being able to see Jessica & Justin, whose wedding Nathan performed at in 2006.  I can’t believe it’s been that long.  We’ll have to see about their prize as they live overseas and their prize is a pair of Award Winning Wines from Ventosa Vineyards.  Here’s Krista & Andy’s review.

My husband and I could not be more thrilled that we went with Fingerlakes Entertainment. Our reception was more fun than we ever dreamed it would be, and this in huge part to our DJ and Fingerlakes Entertainment owner, Nathan Baker. Our guests danced ALL NIGHT, and so did we; the soles of my ballet flats were peeling away when I examined them the next morning! Countless guests have commented on how much fun they had, how much they danced, and how great our DJ was. Funny story, but it turns out that Nathan was the DJ at my cousin and her husband’s wedding 5 years ago. I had no idea until the night of our wedding, when Nathan recognized them and vice versa. But I always remembered their wedding as one of the best I’ve been to… and I always gauge this by how much I danced, and how much I enjoyed the music. I was looking for a DJ who was professional and not “cheesy” (no gold chains, tacky lighting, or heavy MC’ing, please!) and Fingerlakes Entertainment kept coming up again and again. From my initial conversation with Nathan, to our sit-down meeting, Nathan was nothing but professional, kind, and helpful. He understood our style & what we were looking for right away, and I felt confident from our first phone conversation that he would provide exactly the kind of service we wanted. He was also familiar with our venue and offered sound advice on what we’d need to maximize the acoustics. Really, I could go on and on. Thank you, Nathan, for helping to create a magical, unforgettable evening!

Thank you for everyone who submitted an review and congratulations to our winners!