Five For Fighting

You may know the term "Five for Fighting" from San Jose Sharks hockey games when a player receives a 5-minute penalty for fighting. But it is also the stage name for American singer-songwriter John Ondrasik. He is known for his platinum-hit songs "100 Years" and "Superman (It's Not Easy)". I got a chance to meet him yesterday at an intimate little party of 40 people at Hotel De Anza in downtown San Jose. He performed a few songs for us which was very cool since all he had was his acoustic guitar and his beautiful voice. No band! Here is a little video that I shot of him performing "Superman (It's Not Easy)".


John is a very cool guy and compassionate too. (And he is a big supporter of our Troops overseas) He was instrumental in helping to deliver more than 200,000 CDs to US troops around the globe and to offer the music from the CD as free MP3 downloads for them as well. What a guy.

How Long Is That Wedding Dress?

Okay, I seriously need to think about adding a new category to my blog called "Absolutely Ridiculous". Why, you ask? Take a look at this picture! A Bride in China had a wedding dress with a train that was almost as long as a football field! OMG! After seeing that first photo, (and taking a little time to recover from the shock) I stumbled upon another gem that almost gave me a heart attack. Not to be outdone, ANOTHER Bride in China decided she wanted to set the world record for the longest wedding dress in the world. How long was it? 1.2 MILES!! And if that wasn't enough, she decided it would be prettier with 9,999 red silk roses. I am speechless. Here is the pic.
Good luck dancing in that!

When Harry Met Sally

Stefanie and Steven love the movies so much that they made that the theme of their wedding reception. Their 105 guests at The Opera House in Los Gatos sat at tables with names like My Cousin Vinny, Forest Gump, Toy Story, Goodwill Hunting, and Shawshank Redemption. (Some of my favorite movies!) They requested songs from the movie soundtracks to Saturday Night Fever ("Stayin' Alive") and Grease (You're The One That I Want") to play during the Bridal Party Introductions. And to top it off, their wedding favors were popcorn! That's right, just step right up to the popcorn bar and fix yourself a box of caramel or cheese popcorn. (They flew it in from Steven's home town of Chicago) Will that be for here or to go? For here...right now PLEASE!

But wait...there's more! Here is a pic of their place cards (that looked like movie tickets) to let each guest know what table they were going to be sitting at. The guests thought that this was just the coolest idea! Fortunately, the air conditioning at The Opera House works very well because it was almost 100 degrees outside. (BTW, it's an awesome place for a reception too) The guests were a lot of fun and requested a whole bunch of songs which I was happy to play. The most popular song of the night by far though was "I Gotta Feeling" by the Black Eyed Peas. Here are their special song selections:

First Dance: "You Turn Me On" by Bob Schneider
Father-Daughter Dance: "The Way You Look Tonight" by Michael Bublé
Cake-Cutting Song: "How Sweet it is" by James Taylor

I think Steven danced more than anyone else in the room. It was so much fun to watch him. Here they are dancing with their friends to the song "Have I told You Lately That I Love You" by Rod Stewart.
Side Note: Stefanie and Steven met on Match.com 2 years ago. A very sweet couple and very fun.

Where was Goofy?

Ryan had the perfect plan for his proposal. Since Jamie absolutely loved Disneyland, he would propose to her right in front of the castle, at the park, with the help of Goofy. (He had pre-arranged everything with Disney park officials) Actually, Goofy was the one who was going to drop down to his knees with the ring and propose to her. Then, Ryan was going to cut him off, grab the ring, get down on one knee, and propose to her himself. It was the perfect plan...fun, cute, and very romantic. Well...it could have been the perfect plan. Disneyland Management called Ryan 5 days before their trip down south to let him know that characters are no longer allowed to be involved in engagements due to liabilities. What a shame! Ryan could not sleep for 5 days. He wasn't sure what to do. After much thought, he ended up proposing to her in front of the castle anyway and she, of course, said yes...but without the help of Goofy! Well, at least he still gets to marry his true love! The celebration at Peachwood's Steakhouse in Santa Cruz went a lot smoother for them and their 140 guests. Just look how cute they are!
Here are their special dance choices:

First Dance: "From This Moment" by Shania Twain
Father-Daughter: "My Little Girl" by Tim McGraw
Groom-Mother: "Proud" by Steven Curtis Chapman

They had a great time and even had an opportunity to sing "Happy Birthday" to Ryan's grandmother, Dorothy, who turned 87! And now, they're off to Italy! Arrivederci!

Tequila at the Opera House!

This Bride and Groom can dance! I had the pleasure of being the DJ-MC for Al and Laura's Wedding Reception at the Opera House in Los Gatos. Al is also known as "Indiana Al" on San Jose radio station 95.3 KRTY. Here is a little video snippet from that super-fun wedding reception.

Can I borrow your house?

Friends sure can come in handy sometimes! Grace and Paul would probably agree with me. When they were not sure where to have their wedding, their good friends graciously offered up their incredible home in Los Altos. It was the perfect spot for an intimate gathering of 65 people. Check out this backyard complete with million-dollar view and infinity pool. I took this picture while the best man Kirby was toasting the Bride and Groom. It was such a beautiful evening. Grace and Paul preferred music from Michael Bublé, Frank Sinatra, U2, Jason Mraz, Stevie Wonder, and the Black Eyed Peas, just to name a few. Here are the special dances they chose:

First Dance: "You and I" by Michael Bublé
Bride-Son Dance: "When You Wish Upon a Star" by Steve Tyrell
Farewell Dance" "Everyday" by Dave Matthews

They planned their wedding from Florida where they now live. Most of the guests came from out of town too...Canada, New York, Conneticut.Many of the guests ended the evening by jumping in the pool. (I am not going to show you those wild pics...sorry!) But here is a pic I took of Grace and Paul dancing with their guests before the half-naked pool party started. lol. By the way, Summer is over! Happy Fall.

Te Amo (I Love You)

Jessica and Stephen pulled off the perfectly-choreographed First Dance. Keep in mind that it was not your average song nor your average dance. In fact, 99.9% of couples would never attempt this type of dance. They decided to pick a Salsa! (Now that's adventurous!) This was by far one of the best first dance's I have ever witnessed. I only hope that I can get a copy of the video in the future to show you. All 175 guests at The Garden Court Hotel in Palo Alto were blown away and were standing and cheering them both on. It was awesome...and so was the rest of the evening. Here is a shot of them after dinner (Jessica with her dad and Stephen with his Mom) Photos by Charles Le.The energy in the room was electric as the guests danced to a variety of music from artists like Journey, Kool and the Gang, Michael Jackson, and Justin Timberlake. Jessica also requested some great Latin music from The Gipsy Kings, Ricky Martin, Shakira, Elvis Crespo, as well as others. Here are their special dances:

First Dance: "Te Amo" by Maelo Ruiz
Father-Daughter Dance: "The Way You Look Tonight" by Steve Tyrell
Cake-Cutting: "L-O-V-E" by Nat King Cole
Bouquet Toss: "Single Ladies" by Beyonce

Later in the evening, they let loose even more with some fun hats and inflatable toys and guitars that they brought along. It was great to see them all having such an awesome time.
At the end of the evening, they asked me to announce that the party would continue around the corner at "The Blue Chalk". Like most Latin weddings, they demonstrated that they had an endless supply of energy and that they were certainly not afraid to use it!

Don't Be Scared To Be The First

You never know what impact you may have on others! Watch this video to see what one person started...very cool.

The Amazing Oak

Most couples visit countless facilities in their quest to find the perfect place to have their wedding. This process can take weeks, or even months. For a handful of others, the decision of where to have their wedding can take only 30 seconds. Such was the case for Samantha and Julio who chose to have their wedding in her parent's backyard in Monte Sereno. And when you take a look at this picture, you will probably understand why. It was an incredible backyard with the most amazing Oak Tree. I could not stop staring at it...absolutely beautiful.

A Wild Bay Area Wedding!

Okay...that was so fun! Jeffrey and Lauren had an incredible wedding day and so much of it was do to their meticulous planning and, of course, their wedding vendors! :) It was an absolutely beautiful day at Casa Real in Pleasanton where 160 people showed up to celebrate with the two of them. Photos by the incredible Rhee Bevere. Fun!Jeffrey and Lauren's Special Dances:

First Dance: "You Are The Best Thing" by Ray La Montagne
Father-Daughter: "My Wish" by Rascal Flatts
Groom-Mother" "The Way We Were" by Barbra Streisand

They danced to a variety of music but preferred Motown, 80's, and current hits. Here is a fun shot of Jeffrey and Lauren airborne!
So compassionate and so kind: Jeffrey, Lauren, and their parents really showed what type of people they are by choosing to make donations to three organizations in honor of their guests. What a super-classy gesture on their part. The organizations were:

Diabetes Research and Wellness Foundation
Best Friends Animal Society
Mazon - A Jewish Response to Hunger

Speaking of the parents, here is a great photo of Lauren's Mom, Bobbie, having some fun on the dance floor. I love to see the parents cut loose!

Better Late than Never!

Kerry and Joel have been meaning to celebrate their 40th birthdays for almost a year but life kept on getting in the way. Well, they finally did it! They even asked all of the invitees to dress up in the decade that they were born which was a lot of fun. It kind of felt like an early Halloween Party! That's Kerry and Joel in the front-right dressed up as Farrah Fawcett and John Lennon.They requested a lot of great music from the 60's and 70's including classic rock, motown, and disco. What a cool birthday party!

I'd Like To Check You For Ticks

I was cracking up when somebody told me the name of this song. Even if you don't like country music, you should be able to appreciate the lyrics to the song "Ticks" by Brad Paisley. Very clever. Here is the video:

Brad Paisley - Ticks

Survivor

Ken is a fish. Okay, let me re-phrase that. Ken loves to swim. Yeah, that's better. In fact, he has a swimming family. Ken and both of his brother's swam in college. All 3 of his kids (Christina, Brandon, and Stephen) have All-American status in swimming. Ken himself has National and World Records for his class. It is very impressive. I've never met someone so passionate about swimming. You'd never think that someone in such prime, physical condition would have a heart attack. But Ken did have a heart attack...in the pool at Stanford.

Fortunately for him, there were doctors and trained medical staff all around the pool and they saved his life. Expert diagnosis and care at Stanford Hospital led to a procedure that placed 5 stents around his heart to open several blockages due to Advanced Coronary Artery Disease. His friends and family were shocked that this could happen to him but obviously relieved that he was given a second chance. So that's what this party was about...a celebration of life. It was an opportunity to celebrate his second chance. Here is a beautiful photo of Ken with his wife Maureen and their children on the beach in Hawaii.
About 80 of Ken's closest friends and family were there to celebrate with him. It was a wonderful night of friendship, music, and food. As I introduced Ken to the guests, I surprised him by playing the theme from the TV Show "Survivor". That put a big smile on his face. Two of the people who helped save Ken's life were in attendance as well and Ken honored them and gave them gifts as a thank you. And to make sure everyone was prepared in case something happened in the future, Ken had the guys give a mini CPR presentation. It was a very nice evening and a strong reminder for everyone in attendance that life is precious.