Category Archive: News

  1. Alex & Nick – Candlelight Winter Wedding at The LeMont

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    Alexandra & Nick Pazzaglia

    Candlelight Winter Wedding and Reception at The LeMont, Mount Washington, Pittsburgh PA

    January 16, 2016

    Pre Ceremony Monogram

    Three words to describe their wedding: Fun, Elegant, Energetic & Interactive

    Every wedding is special and unique because of the couple being married and the family and friends who gather to bear witness to their marriage. But every so often, a wedding comes along that shines with the personality and love of the couple and all of the elements fall into place to make their wedding truly phenomenal.  Alex and Nick’s candlelight winter wedding at The LeMont on Mount Washington was just such a magical moment. Alex and her mother, Debra, had planned down to the very smallest detail to make this wedding perfectly memorable and wonderfully intimate for their guests.

    On the wedding evening, the lower ballroom of The LeMont on Mount Washington glowed with candlelight from the arrangements flanking the aisle and the altar, behind which the Pittsburgh skyline glowing brightly made a twinkling nighttime backdrop for Alex and Nick’s vows.

    The focus on family was evident throughout the ceremony. Alex and Nick exuded excitement and love for the family they were building with Nick’s young daughter, Bella. Their wedding party included several adorable children as ring bearers and flower girls, including Nick’s nephews and Bella.

    Max Pose

    The Most Charming Ring Bearer in The World

    Bella and Scarlet

    Beautiful Flower Girls!

    A beaming Alex and her father Ryan processed down the blazing candlelight aisle to “Nella Fantasia” by Sarah Brightman. Before exchanging vows, the couple shared a special moment with Bella by participating in a sand pouring ceremony, with Nick, Alex, and Bella each taking a turn to pour colored sand symbolizing each of them joining together as an inseparable family. As a special tribute to Alex, her aunt Janet serenaded the happy family with “All I Ask of You” during the sand pouring.

    Sand Pouring

    The touching serenade of “All I Ask Of You” during the Sand Pouring Ceremony.

    Finally, after exchanging their vows and rings, the happy couple kissed to the applause of their gathered family and friends. The bride and groom led the way for the whole bridal party to exit nearly dancing down the aisle to “Signed, Sealed, Delivered” by Steve Wonder

    Cake In Room

    The glittering, candlelit winter skyline reception.

    Alex and Nick’s reception was just as sparkling, candlelit, and full of family as was their ceremony. As each member of the bridal party entered, Kelli Burns introduced them to the guests and gave a brief and humorous bio on each person, bringing the guests and bridal party closer together. Finally, Alex and Nick entered the ballroom hand in hand with Bella, being introduced as “The New Pazzaglia’s!”

    First Dance edited

    Alex and Nick’s First Dance – full of grace and elegance.

    Washed in glowing candlelight and surrounded by family, friends, and sparkling crystals, Alex and Nick danced a choreographed box-step for their their first dance as a married couple to Ed Sheeran’s “Thinking Out Loud”. It was truly a magical moment. Breaking tradition, they invited their guests to join them on the dance floor immediately after the first dance. The ballroom turned into an enthusiastic dance party with all the guests crowding onto the dance floor. Alex, Nick, and Bella danced as a family to Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing” as well as a few other songs before everyone was invited to sit for dinner.

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    High energy on the dance floor!

     

    The rest of the evening was equally enchanting, and all about family traditions. Alex and her father, Ryan, shared a beautiful moment, beginning the Father & Daughter dance to Heartland’s “I Loved Her First”. Suddenly, the sentimental strains transitioned to a cheery, upbeat German polka, and Alex and Ryan grinned from ear to ear and started to bob up-and-down in the beginning of a traditional German polka. To the applause of the guests, they chasséd across the floor while everyone cheered and tapped their toes.

    Father Daughter 1

    Father Daughter dance started with Heartland “I Loved Her First”…

    Father Daughter 2

    …and finished with Alex and her father dancing an energetic Polka.

    Nick and his mother, Sue, did a heartfelt dance to Celine Dion’s “Because You Loved Me”, smiling the whole time.

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    A beautiful moment between Nick and his mom, Sue.

    The dance floor was busy all night while guests cut a rug and got footloose, all set against the backdrop of the sparkling Pittsburgh skyline.

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    Alex’s parents, Debra and Ryan, dancing the night away! All of the guests were talented dancers!

     

    One of the most memorable dance floor moments was when Bella and one of the young ring bearers began a “lightsaber” duel worthy of two Jedi Masters with the light-up batons provided by Kelli.

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  2. Alicia + Jason, A Winter Wedding at Hotel Monaco

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    Alicia Krupa + Jason Landrio

    A Winter Wedding at Hotel Monaco in Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

    January 9th, 2016

    Alicia and Jason

    Three words to describe their wedding day:
    Classy, Fun, Celebratory

    Alicia and Jason knew from the moment they met that they would share a love to help each other through the good times as well as the bad. Their wedding at Hotel Monaco in January was a celebration of their love and the joy and support of their family and friends.

    Paying homage to their love of R&B and Soul, the bridal party entered to “Stand By Me” by Ben E. King, and in special tribute to her life with Jason so far, Alicia was escorted down the aisle to “Trouble, Heartaches, and Sadness” by Anne Peebles.

    Alicia and Stanley.edited

    The vocalist, Anne Peebles, sings about her past trials and tribulations, telling her constant companions Trouble, Heartache and Sadness that she no longer needs them.

    “Coz I found the love I need a long time
    I found the love to ease my troubled mind
    Love blind hanging over my head
    All of this time so it won’t rain on me
    He’s my sunshine, and your loving me
    Gonna set me free yeah… “

    Exchanging vows.edited

    The deep love expressed in the Bride’s processional was echoed throughout the entire ceremony. Alicia and Jason exchanged their vows during a candlelit ceremony surrounded by their family and friends. From touching readings by Alicia’s aunt and uncle to the couple presenting roses to their mothers, Alicia and Jason’s ceremony was full of an intimate, caring, tender love to last a lifetime.

    Following the ceremony, Alicia and Jason’s reception continued the candlelit joyful celebration. One of the most memorable moments of the night was the happy couple’s jubilant first dance to William Bell’s “Every Day Will Be Like A Holiday”, with Jason scooping up the couple’s young son, Chace, to dance with him and Alicia. The guests rounded out the evening with an energetic dance floor that showcased some serious dancing skill and enthusiasm.

    First Dance.edited

     

     

    The touching moments shared between Alicia and her father, Stanley Krupa, during the Father & Daughter dance were full of smiles and laughter, and they both radiated a quiet and peaceful happiness.

    Father Daughter Dance.edited

     

     

    A mother’s pride in her son and his new family could not be more evident in Jason’s mother, Laura Landrio. Laura beamed at Jason through the Mother & Son dance. Together, the new Landrios, their parents, and extended family and friends danced the night away in celebration.

    Mother Son Dance.edited

     

     

  3. Centerpieces 4 Seniors

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    Don’t flowers just make you smile? After visiting many nursing homes it occurred to us that having fresh flowers could make the nursing homes brighter and happier. Dazzling flowers immediately bring smiles and excitement to a mundane day.

    This is how the idea started. Simply bring in flowers for the residents of nursing homes to brighten their dining rooms and start a wonderful conversation.

    Then the idea grew. Knowing that I perform at weddings and other events, I thought it would be good to save the centerpieces that were destined for the trash. By donating flowers to local nursing homes we keep the party going! Then we got other professionals like DJ Jeremy Ganss, Ansley Esterline from Bliss Events, and Melissa from the Blooming Dahlia involved in the program.

    With their help we were able to make 6 arrangements out of just one centerpiece!

    We are now in our 3rd month of making a difference in senior lives.. The re-purposed centerpieces are delivered to local nursing homes to bring happiness and cheer to the residents and care givers. We share small details of the fun event and residents begin to connect with pleasurable events from their past. Seeing seniors smile as they talk about the centerpieces and enjoy their dining tables is so refreshing!

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    How Can You Help?

    Let us know if you have an event and are willing to join us in brightening the lives of seniors. Donated centerpieces will be picked up at your event and delivered by Centerpieces 4 Seniors friends.

    Thank you!

    Kelli Burns and Rose Davidson

    kelli@kelliburns.com

    rosedavidson611@gmail.com

     

     

  4. How Can Up-lighting Improve Your Event?

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    Up-Lighting Kelli Burns

    What is Up-lighting?

    Up-lighting is a light source that is placed around the perimeter of your event space. This lighting is typically aimed up towards the wall and ceiling to create a glow over venue. The secret to creating this ambiance lies within the type of lighting and also where to place the lighting fixtures. This simple process can create an aesthetically pleasing and exciting environment for every guest! Event up-lighting will enhance and boost the already gorgeous aspects of your occasion.

    Up-lighting can usually come in an assortment of colors to accent your event perfectly. Also, it can be used just about anywhere in your venue, so you can spotlight certain areas or make your whole entire perimeter glow! Typically being controlled from the DJ or they can be wireless and battery operated, your up-lighting can change colors, patterns and intensity throughout the night.

    You’ll be able to discuss with Kelli the details of how you want your up-lighting to perform. We can provide static lighting where the colors stay the same, or we can create programmable lighting which will change colors and create movement within the room. The size of your event perimeter and the number of people who will be attending your event will determine the amount of up-lighting you will need.

    Benefits of Event Up-lighting

    • You can bring your party from “drab” to fab!”
    • This source of luminescence can completely change the look and feel of an entire venue and emotion. If your venue isn’t the beautiful setting you dreamed of (or even if you simply want to boost beautiful features) up-lighting could transform the space to a beautiful and stunning atmosphere, therefore creating more excitement.
    • Make a room appear larger and more spacious
    • Create a color scheme to perfectly accent your event
    • If your venue is a stunning space, you want all of its features to be shown off
    • Takes the place of extra or unneeded décor that may be more expensive.

    Questions to consider with up-lighting:

    Up-lighting at The University Club

    Most event venues are rigged to be able to accommodate up-lighting with plenty of outlets spread throughout. But if you are celebrating with an outdoor wedding or have chosen a primitive location, you’ll need to make sure you have the details figured out. Wireless and battery operated units are available for these scenarios.

    How many rooms are you lighting? Multiple areas filled with up-lights leaves a profound effect.

    Are there areas that would do better with extra lighting? We can help you figure it out!

    Is your event mostly taking place at night or day? Up-lighting leaves the best impressions in a normally dim ambiance and is therefore better suited for nighttime events.

    Typical Uses for Up-lighting:

    • Wedding Ceremonies and Receptions
    • Bar Mitzvahs
    • Corporate Events
    • Anniversary Parties
    • Holiday Parties
    • Galas/Fundraisers
    • School Dances
    • Birthday Parties
    • Graduation Parties
    • Night time events
  5. We’ve Got a Brand New Look!

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    Welcome to the new KelliBurns.com!

    For several months, we’ve been working to build a new, more informative website for our clients. We wanted the site to be a place to show you what our team is all about, explain all of the perks that come with a Kelli Burns “production,” and share your beautiful stories of love and celebration.

    We’re excited to launch the site in time for soon-to-be brides to browse and for businesses to get a head start on planning their company parties for 2014. For the past 25 years, I’ve choreographed hundreds of weddings, bar/bat mitzvahs, and corporate events. Happy couples, parents, and guests have been the true motivation behind Kelli Burns Entertainment, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds.

    Explore our website and let us know what you think! If you’ve got an event coming up, fill out the form on our Contact page or give us a call at 412-276-5665 to schedule your free consultation.

    We can’t wait to celebrate with you in 2014.