Dude, where's my surfboard?

Couples are showing more personality these days and are arriving to their weddings in some pretty cool vehicles. This "Woody" is the ultimate surfer vehicle. In case you're wondering what the connection is, the Bride and Groom (Karla and Shannon) are both avid surfers! In fact, those are their surfboards on top of the car! Did you notice the "Just Married" on the back door? Very cool.

A Spook-Tacular Wedding!

Have you ever been to a Halloween Wedding where all of the guests came in costumes? They are rare. In fact, I've only done 2 weddings like this. The first time was over 10 years ago and the Bride asked me to dress up as a cow. (Yes, I honored her request! lol)

Karen and Kevin held their ceremony and reception at Testarossa Vineyards in Los Gatos. It was spooky. There were witches and goblins. But we all felt at ease because Batman was near by. They even had a giant orange wedding cake with bats and spiders on it.

The ceremony was held in the Cave. There were candles and glowing pumpkins everywhere. They requested music from the movie soundtrack "Edward Sissorhands" for the ceremony. During dinner, I played Monster Mash, Warewolves in London, Superstition, Don't Fear The Reaper, Witchy Woman, Little Red Riding Hood, and of course Ghostbusters. They even had a Tarot Card Reader for the guests.

Karen and Kevin did everything they could to make this the most non-traditional wedding ever. And they succeeded. The guests loved it too. From the all-vegetarian dinner (yummy!) to the candy-apple wedding favors, everything was unique and memorable. Karen was so kind and considerate and checked in with me several times to make sure I had enough food and candy. How sweet! She even had funny pictures of her 4 cats on the tables. Now that was a unique wedding!

Run Forest Run!

Event Sponsor New Balance Shoes hired me to play music and make announcements at the San Jose Rock & Roll Half-Marathon. What a fun event! Almost 15,000 people showed up to run and walk the 13.1 miles. While some people ran because they are world-class athletes, others ran for fun or to support wonderful organizations like the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and Susan G. Komen for the Cure. I swear that I saw someone running who looked just like Forest Gump!

Attack of the Cheeseheads.

Many of the 135 guests at Steve and Yunmi's reception were from Wisconsin (including the Groom). People from Wisconsin are proud people. They love to be called "Cheeseheads". Most of them probably have Green Bay Packer blankets on their beds. Of course, who am I to talk? I have a stuffed green frog on my bed. Hey, don't laugh! Those Cheeseheads were a bunch of fun! Photo by Todd Rafalovich.Steve and Yunmi have great taste in music and they both love to dance. They also had some very cool songs for special dances:

Processional: "Ever The Same" (acoustic) - Rob Thomas
Recessional: "As" - Stevie Wonder
First Dance" "So High" - John Legend

I got misty-eyed while watching Steve and Yunmi's first dance. You may think that I am a big baby. I prefer to think of myself as a romantic with a sensitive side. lol. I just loved the way that they looked at each other and held each other. It was so beautiful.

Besides Wisconsin, people came from other parts of the United States to attend this lively reception and some even traveled from as far as Brazil and Korea. And they came to party!

Greatest First Dance Ever?

You Be The Judge!

A New Energizer Bunny?

Hey Fluffy Bunny, watch out! There's a Bride who has more energy than you! Her name is Natalie and she married Trent last night. Natalie danced to almost every song at her reception and showed no signs of fatigue! Sources say that she could be the new Energizer Bunny. Company officials declined to comment. Here is a pic of the energetic Bride dancing with an excited guest. The Parents got to pick out the songs for the Father-Daughter and Groom-Mother Dances and kept it a surprise until it was time to dance. Cool idea. (Unless you're scared that they may choose a polka!)

Go Sharks! Former San Jose Shark's Hockey Player Mike Ricci was a guest last night. The Bride Natalie used to babysit his daughter Jade. (Jade was the flowergirl) Hey, I even saw Mike Ricci dance! Not bad for a hockey player! Although I think he would have been much more comfortable if we threw some ice on the dance floor!

Aloha!

It's 1:00am and I should be in bed right now but I just got back from an awesome wedding reception and wanted to write about it. What a fun night! 200 people celebrated at Hotel Sainte Claire in Downtown San Jose last night at Maureen and Alex's Wedding Reception. This was a super-fun crowd with many guests representing Santa Clara University, San Jose State, and The University of Pacific.Up-and-coming local artist Ryan Auffenberg ( a close friend of the groom) performed during the dinner. The Groom joined him to sing a song that he personally wrote for his new wife. It was very romantic.

Since Maureen is from Hawaii, she and Alex presented all of the bridal party members with a Lei as they came in during the introductions. Their wedding favors were yummy Hawaiian Cookies AND an Oral B Toothbrush. (Alex is a Dentist) I love it!! This was a huge dancing crowd and they boogied to Disco, Motown, 80's, and Current music. The guests also enjoyed a special hula-dance presentation by the Bride's Cousin. What a SUPER-FUN night! I am pooped! And now I will go to bed!

300 People and 1000 Cranes

I love the Asian Cultures. They have so many neat traditions. This says "Love". It's a collage of 1000 Origami Cranes all hand-folded by the Bride and her friends and family. Very cool. Almost 300 people gathered for Stephanie and Jeff's Wedding at the Hayes Mansion in South San Jose. They had their ceremony outside on the lawn and cocktails on the patio. Then, everyone came inside the banquet room for dinner and dancing. First Dance: "I Could Not Ask For More" - Edwin McCain
Father-Daughter: "Because You Loved Me" - Celine Dion
Farewell Dance: "All My Life" - KC & JoJo

Jeff and Stephanie's Parents were so much fun and I saw them on the dance floor many times. Jeff and Stephanie also had 3 sets of Grandparents in attendance who have been married 59 years, 62 years, and 64 years. Now that's inspiration for the newlyweds!

Me and Mandy

Singer/Actress Mandy Moore was in town today for a concert and I met her before she went on stage. Wow, she is tall! And so sweet too! I think she likes me. lol.

La Boda Loca

Is that a new Ricky Martin song? Nope! For those of you not fluent in Spanish, La Boda Loca means "The Crazy Wedding".

Anita was one of the most unique Brides I've met in the last 20 years. She was all personality. She's cool. She's crazy. She's fun. She's the only Mexican I know who has a southern accent and likes 80's Rock Hair Bands like White Snake, Poison, and Bon Jovi. So unique!
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What a great night! Let's start with the cake which looked more like a circus! I was cracking up when I saw it. I thought it was the coolest. I salute all couples who dare to be different!
Bride Quote Of The Year from Anita: "Rich, if the guests look at me when I'm coming down the isle, I may throw-up!"
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That was so funny. I joked with her that maybe I should make an announcement before the ceremony. It would go something like this:
"Ladies and Gentleman, the ceremony is about to begin. Please DO NOT make eye contact with the Bride or she will throw-up on you. Thank you."

We had a good laugh at that one. Yes, she was nervous. VERY nervous! Here is a picture of the beautiful Bride with her new husband Tim. Look Mom! No more nerves! Two Bands and a DJ: Anita celebrated her Mexican culture by having Marriachi's play during the cocktail hour. Tim celebrated his Italian culture by having an Italian Trio play during the dinner. Very cool.

First Dance: "For Once In My Life" - Michael Buble
Cake-Cutting Song: "With You" - Jessica Simpson
Farewell Dance: "What am I Gonna Do" - Tyrese
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Yes, I loved this Bride! But the Groom was awesome too. He was kind, articulate, and had a great sense of humor. And you could tell how happy he was to marry Anita. What a great couple.

Motown Wednesday!

That was so cool. I just got back from the Four Tops-Temptations Concert. I was the Master Of Ceremonies for the show this evening. I love being an MC! What a fun job I have! What a great show too! Here is a cool pic I took of the legendary Temptations on stage while they were singing "My Girl". (a very popular song at weddings!)

Wedding - Mountain Winery

100 people attended Tyson and Sahana's celebration at the Saratoga Mountain Winery last night. And what a beautiful night it was! The groom Tyson is my hero. Here he is dancing to "Like A Prayer" by Madonna with a bunch of girls and a groomsman. It is rare to see a guy dancing to Madonna. Two thumbs WAY UP for this groom!
Tyson and Sahana could not make up their mind on their first dance song. In fact, they didn't tell me what it was going to be until 2 minutes before they were actually going to dance to it. But I could easily tell after the song started that they were very happy with their decision. The guests loved it too.

First Dance: "Is This Love" - Bob Marley
Father-Daughter Dance: "Stand By Me" - John Lennon
Farewell Dance: "When I'm 64" - The BeatlesHere's a great picture of the beautiful bride Sahana having fun with her husband! They had 3 cakes last night. One cake for them...and then one cake for each of their friends who were celebrating a birthday. What a classy move to think of others on your wedding day.

Lunch with Kenny.

I have had the pleasure of meeting some of the biggest artists in the music industry. I was the MC for concerts with Rick Springfield, America, The Doobie Brothers, Huey Lewis, Hall & Oates, Madonna, and so many others. How fun it was to introduce them all on stage!

The staff for Bay Area radio stations 94.5 KBAY and MIX 106.5 got together today for lunch on the patio at Hotel De Anza and Kenny Loggins joined us! Here is a pic of me and my new bud Kenny!

Kenny is in town for his concert at The Mountain Winery in Saratoga. But the best part is...he sang a bunch of songs for us! Just an intimate little mini-concert for 30 people. That was so cool! That was fun. What a great way to kick off the weekend!

3 Little Words.

NO CHICKEN DANCE!! That's the only thing the e-mail said from the Bride Kristen. She sent me that e-mail 2 days before her wedding. She forgot to cross that song off of my list and just wanted to make sure I didn't play it. I laughed pretty hard when I read it. Okay okay, I won't play it! NO CHICKEN DANCE!! ha ha. Kristen and Zack were very sweet! Hey! Look at all the happy people dancing !!
Unique Numbers. 222 guests arrived on 07-07-07 for Kristen and Zack's wedding at Villa Ragusa in Campbell. They booked me for their wedding a year and a half ago for the most popular wedding day of the decade. It was so cool to see my past clients Monica and Mike at this reception too.

Funny Stuff: The guys in the Bridal Party printed t-shirts with photos of the Groom Zack on the front and they wore them underneath their tuxedos. Later on in the evening (after a few drinks), they decided to show them off. What a crack-up! Photo by Charles Le.

Hi Mom!

My Mom loves to dance. And she is no stranger to my events. No, she doesn't sneak in. She just knows a lot of people and she gets around! lol. Actually, my Mother is my biggest fan and she has recommended me to many people. As a bonus, those people invited my Mom to their weddings. Here is a fun pic of my Mom at a wedding reception doing the YMCA. She is the short one in the middle with her mouth wide open. Isn't she just SO CUTE? That's my Mom!!I wish everyone could meet my Mom. She is the coolest!

You Animal!

When I was in High School, I took one of those career personality tests to see what field I would be best suited for. I thought it was amazingly accurate. The results said that I should be a radio personality or a zoo keeper. Of course, I ended up going into radio and eventually started my DJ business as well. But it wasn't an easy choice because I love animals SO MUCH and thought zoo keeper would be a cool career. That brings me to my clients. Karin is an Anthropologist who studies primate behavior. David is a Zoo Keeper at the San Francisco Zoo. Talk about unique careers!

Speaking of unique, I knew this reception at the Los Altos History Museum was going to be very cool when I arrived and saw their table names which included: Elephant, Fox, Tiger, Zebra, and Monkey (my favorite). Imagine arriving as a guest and finding out that you will be sitting at the Monkey Table. That's funny stuff!

Does it surprise you that they requested "Brass Monkey" from The Beastie Boys? Probably not. Karin and David picked out two of the cutest songs EVER for their first dance and farewell dance.

First Dance: "Ice Cream" - Sarah McLachlan
Farewell Dance: "When I'm 64" - The Beatles

Bouquet's Gone Wild!

I've seen some wild things happen when the Bride tosses the Bouquet. I've seen a waiter catch the Bouquet. (that was so funny!) I've seen the Bouquet land on top of the cake. I've seen the Bouquet disintegrate in the air and smack 5 or 6 people in the face. I've even seen women wrestle each other to the floor for control of the Bouquet. (a new sport?)

Last night, the Bride Karissa tossed the Bouquet from the mezzanine level of the Opera House in Los Gatos. Many eager women were waiting below. Unfortunately, they will have to wait for another wedding for a shot at the bouquet because Karissa threw the bouquet almost straight up and it crashed into the ceiling. Then it fell to the floor below like a sack of potatoes. It was pretty funny. Most people don't know what to do if the Bouquet hits the floor. Most of them just stare at it. Yup, that's what happened. Fortunately, kids are not that way. A cute little girl named Sierra (probably 6 or 7 years old) made a beeline towards the bouquet and scooped it up off the floor faster than you could say "Mommy, I think I had too much sugar tonight". As the women walked off the floor looking a little dejected, Sierra smiled proudly and posed for pictures. It was very cute.

Tom and Karissa danced and partied with 125 of their closest friends and family last night. It was a fun night. The Bridesmaid Kristi was very sweet and surprised Tom and Karissa with a slide show after her toast. There were some great photos from their childhood and college life. It was very cool. (Although I still wonder how she got that picture of Tom in his underwear!)

First Dance: "She's Everything" - Brad Paisley
Father-Daughter Dance: "The Way You Look Tonight" - Tony Bennett
Cake-Cutting Song: "Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You" - Frank Valli
Fake Last Dance - "Last Dance" -Donna Summer
Real Last Dance: "At Last" - Etta James

Kabobs and Kimchi? NOT!

We are blessed to live in an area filled with wonderful people from all over the world. I think it's one of the coolest things about the Bay Area. I had the pleasure of experiencing that diversity last night at the Silver Creek Valley Country Club in San Jose.

150 guests gathered for Steve and Shiva's Wedding. Steve is Korean. Shiva is Persian. Typically, these two groups are very different at weddings. Persians tend to be more outgoing and very passionate about dancing while Koreans usually are a little more conservative. But last night, they were all on the same page. Party time!

The Bridal Party Introductions were the most energetic and fun I've seen all year. Strutting into the room to the beats of "SexyBack" from Justin Timberlake, the members of the Bridal Party showed personality, energy, and some great moves as they pumped up the entire room with energy. What's the best way to finish off an an incredible entrance? How about a back flip by the groom on the dance floor. Everyone went nuts!

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First Dance: "When You Know" - Shawn Colvin"
Father-Daughter: "Unforgettable" - Nat King Cole
Farewell Dance: "Let's Get It On" - Marvin Gaye

Shiva and Steve are world travelers so it was only fitting that their tables were named after places they visited like Capri, Athens, Rome, Puerto Vallarta, Istanbul, along with a few others. They even had a picture of the two of them at each location. Very cool.

The Bride Shiva wins the award for the most excited Bride. Every time she sent me an e-mail during the planning process, it was filled with smiley faces and exclamation points. It was great to see such positivity and enthusiasm considering she was cramming to become an orthodontist the last couple of years while planning her wedding from out of state in Connecticut. She actually hired me for her wedding over 2 years ago!!

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Shiva came up to me at the end of the night and gave me the biggest hug. (Even the Groom Steve hugged me!) They were both so sweet. Then Shiva said "You know the guests would have danced until 5am". I believed her. What a fun night.

The Best in Silicon Valley!

What a great day! Today, I was voted Best DJ in Silicon Valley by readers of the San Jose Mercury News. The results were printed in today's paper. How cool is that?

I just wanted to take a moment to say thank you very much to everyone who voted for me. I feel very honored.

I would also like to thank my Mother for making me possible. Lol

Duck Duck Goose!

As I was getting out of my car yesterday at The Villages Country Club in San Jose, 2 ducks buzzed right by my head and landed 20 feet from me. I watched them as they waddled by. Funny though, my next thought was...AFLAC!! Ahh, the power of advertising!

What a night for the lovebirds (ducks?) Lois and Brian. They met years ago while ballroom dancing and were eager to have a reception filled with lots of dancing. After hearing a few ballroom songs that the Bride and Groom requested, a young girl whispered in my ear "Do you have any "normal" music?" Lol.

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Lois and Brian practiced their first dance for 8 weeks and it was perfectly choreographed. But in one of the funniest spontaneous moments I've seen this year, 3 guests grabbed the table numbers from their tables and held them up as if they were judges in a dance competition and were rating the Bride and Groom on their performance. The guests loved it. Great scores too!

Wedding - Kohl Mansion

As the guests were coming in, I noticed a pregnant woman. Then another. And another. Freaky! Did I show up to the wrong place? Was this a wedding or a Lamaze Class? And just when I thought all of the pregnant women in Silicon Valley were attending this particular wedding, here comes twin sister's who are BOTH pregnant! UNBELIEVABLE! All in all, I estimate 10% of the guests were pregnant.

130 people were in the house (mansion) for this super-fun celebration at the Kohl Mansion in Burlingame. Kelly and Craig converted the room where the dancing was into a cool, hip, lounge-type nightclub complete with comfy couches, end tables, light-boxes, palm trees, up-lighting, candles, and flowers. It was such a cool vibe and the guests absolutely loved it. Everyone was talking about it. Here are a couple of pics. Keep in mind this room was completely empty before the reception.

I think Kelly and Craig hold the world-record for the shortest wedding ceremony (not including those in Vegas)...6 minutes.

First Dance: "I'll Be" - Edwin McCain
Parent's Dance: "Kind & Generous" - Natalie Merchant
Farewell Dance: "At Last" - Etta James

This was a high-energy reception (my favorite type!) They ate. They drank. They cheered. They danced. I don't recall a time when I did not see Kelly and Craig on the dance floor. When I announced the last song of the night, some of the guests booed me! I LOVE IT! (This is the ultimate compliment because it means they did not want to leave)

A Side of Rice Please.

What a beautiful day for a wedding! Well, okay it rained. But I think any day is a great day for a wedding. The celebration reception for Erica and Brian this afternoon was held at Sharon Heights Country Club in Menlo Park. Before they hired me last year, I had never even heard of this place. (And I thought I knew everything! lol)

Erica and Brian loved the oldies and requested a lot of 50's, 60's, and swing music which was cool because there were a lot of older folks there too. They all enjoyed it.

The funniest moment of the afternoon was when Erica tossed out the bouquet. You can tell she was aiming for her sister off to the side when she threw it. But to everyone's surprise, an 8 year-old girl came running across the dance floor and grabbed it out the air with one hand just as Erica's sister was going to catch it. It was the most amazing thing I've ever seen. Everyone in the room was laughing hysterically, and of course, Erica's sister was in shock. Hey, that's the way it goes!

First Dance: "I Could Not Ask For More" - Sara Evans
Father-Daughter Dance: "Thank Heaven For Little Girls" - Perry Como
Groom-Mother Dance: "You're The Inspiration" - Chicago Celebrity Moment: Just as everyone was going out front to send the newlyweds off in style by pelting them with rice, someone yelled "Hey, It's Jerry Rice!" So everyone went over to the window to look. Yup, it was Mr. football stud Jerry Rice practicing chipping on to the green outside. Everyone took pictures with their cameras and camera phones as he practiced. The rest of the people went to the front to throw rice at the lovely couple. Hmm. Throw rice? Or watch Rice? Tough choice! Here is my amateur-paparazzi pic.

Wedding - Cinnabar Hills CC

Cinnabar Hills Country Club is one of those places that I love to DJ at in Silicon Valley. The room is nicely-sized with lots of windows looking out to the green and hills. The staff is great and the food is excellent. And bonus, they have a big dance floor.

Almost 200 guests were gathered there today for Alli and Kenny's reception. Alli and Kenny's musical tastes were total opposites which was pretty funny. Of course, this is not uncommon among couples. She loves Justin Timberlake and Jennifer Lopez and he is into AC/DC and Guns & Roses. Fortunately the guests loved everything... especially the disco and 70's. The parents even requested a few songs from their generation. Everyone was happy.First Dance: "What a Wonderful World" - Louis Armstrong
Father-Daughter Dance: "I Love Her First" - Heartland
Groom-Mother Dance: "For Once in My Life" - Tony Bennett and Stevie Wonder
Farewell Dance: "The Way You Look Tonight" - Frank Sinatra

Alli and Kenny are both so much fun and are huge Disney fans so it was no surprise that they had a Mickey Mouse & Minnie Caketop and table names like Buzz Light Year, Space Mountain, Indiana Jones, and my favorite...Mr. Toad's Wild Ride. I love it!

Alli told me last year when they hired me that their friends and family were wild and they were going to party. Uh, yeah, that would be correct! They partied! In fact, they did not want to stop. At the end of the reception, they had me announce that the party would continue at The V Bar at Hotel Valencia in Santana Row.

Gung Hay Fat Choy!

Happy Chinese New Year. Coincidentally, my wedding reception last night was at Dynasty Chinese Restaurant in Vallco Shopping Center in Cupertino. What are the chances? 250 guests were in attendance to celebrate Phillip and Jennifer's wedding. Phil and Jen live in Seattle so we did all of the planning by phone and e-mail. They had the traditional chinese style banquet and the dinner lasted 2.5 hours with 10 courses of food. Those who have never been to one of these get the suprise of their lives because they don't pace themselves with the food and are usually full by the third or forth course.

During the dinner, four unbelievably cute girls (the groom's nieces) dressed in beautiful Chinese dresses sang a very beautiful song for the newlyweds.

It was a very fun and entertaining night but they lost a lot of their dancing time due to the very looooooooooooooooooong dinner. Bummer!

Happy 2007!

Happy New Year! I wish you a wonderful year filled with joy, love, friendship, laughter, success, sweet kisses, and Betty Crocker Super Moist Yellow Cake with Chocolate Frosting. (well, okay, the last one I wish for myself...YUMMY!)