Take Me Home Tonight!

About thirty minutes before the end of the wedding reception, I had to make an announcement regarding the centerpiece giveaway. But before I could even utter a word into the mic, a woman starting singing "Take Me Home Tonight" by Eddie Money at the top of her lungs! Where did she get her motivation from? A fond memory? Alcohol? Whatever it was, it caught on like wildfire. All of a sudden, the entire room was singing the words to the song!It was the wildest thing and I knew I only had a few seconds to react to their madness or the moment would be lost. I quickly found that Eddie Money song in my library and started playing it. EVERYONE WENT NUTS!! They all rushed the dance floor and danced and sang like they were at a concert! It was an awesome moment that took the energy level to an all-time high for the evening. The Bride and Groom, Stephanie and Gary, rocked out with 225 of their closest friends and family at the Saratoga Country Club.

Fun! Fun! Fun! It was an incredible reception! Stephanie and Gary are my favorite type of client because of 3 reasons:

.
1) They wanted to dance.
2) They wanted to party.
3) They wanted to dance.

I Can DJ Blind-folded!

Sound crazy? Perhaps. But after Tim and Gerri's reception, I would put money on it. Why? Because, for the entire reception, I was stuck behind a big curtain and none of the guests ever saw me. EVER! And I could not see them! Let me explain...

The Bride, Gerri, warned me ahead of time that there was a mural on the back wall of the stage showcasing a barn, some cows, and a pasture. I'm pretty sure I even saw some cow "droppings" on it as well. Of course, they didn't want anyone to see this very "unique" mural so they pinned the curtain closed on the stage and then stuck me behind it. That's right! THE DJ WAS BEHIND THE CURTAIN! It was very odd. I was like the person who makes the announcements at a department store (you always hear their voice but you don't know where they are). Attention shoppers, we have a great deal in our garden department!

Now, I'm not a guy who needs to be in the spotlight. But, in order to read the crowd, it helps to actually see the crowd! Not an easy task when they bury you backstage with the broken chairs and empty kegs! It was a challenge and I had to adapt (and as long as they danced, I didn't really care). But every now and then I would walk downstairs and peek outside to make sure there were people on the dance floor. Yup, still dancing! The funny thing is...they had so much fun that they paid me to stay an extra hour!
Overall, it was a great reception but definitely one of the weirdest experiences of my career. Hey! Next time, I will try DJ'ing with both of my arms tied behind my back and my mouth taped shut. I will be the Harry Houdini of the DJ world.

Who was that man?

Was he a wedding crasher? Maybe a kid trapped in a man's body? I may never find out...

Everyone was in the mood to dance. But there was one particular man who stood out more than any other person. It was not because he wore a bright-red Hawaiian shirt. It was not because he actually danced with a chair at one point. (no joke) He stood out because he yelled "WOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOO!" while he danced...ALL NIGHT. I'm surprised he didn't lose his voice! This guy must have danced with every single person at the reception. You know that saying "there's one in every crowd"? Well, he was that "one". Here's a classic shot of him defying gravity with another man. (photo by Kristin Jacobson ) As you can see by this picture, the guests loved him. Of course, the guests were in party-mode so they loved everything. The reception for Jennifer and John was held at Ralston Hall in Belmont. 120 Guests were in attendance for this lively reception. What a fun night! No bouquet. No garter. Just lots of dancing.

First Dance: "At Last" - Etta James
Father-Daughter: "What A Wonderful World" - Louis Armstrong
Farewell Dance: "Your Everything" - Keith Urban
Odd request of the night: "Fat Bottomed Girls" - Queen (requested by the bride!)

Oh What a Day!

I just found out that I was voted Best DJ in Silicon Valley for the second year in a row by readers of the San Jose Mercury News. The results are in today's newspaper. I want to thank everyone for taking the time to vote for me. I'm speechless.

The Korean Macarena?

Half of my clients love The Macarena. The other half hate it. That's why I will only play it if it is specifically requested by the Bride and Groom. The same goes for other group dances like YMCA and Chicken Dance. Eunice and Jim were SO sweet and they had a great time dancing with their family and friends at the Pacific Athletic Club in Redwood City. They asked me to play The Macarena for the Bride's parents. This picture shows just how much they enjoyed it.Side note: Eunice and Jim had the same last name BEFORE they got married. What are the odds? It was also very comforting to know that if a guest passed out from dancing too much or maybe choked on a chicken bone, there were 54 Doctors in attendance who could have easily stepped in and saved the day! And with no deductible!

Greatest First Dance Ever?

You Be The Judge!

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!
.
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!"
.
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
.
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!

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!

.

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!!

.

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.

Wedding - Opera House

The reception last night for Mary and Chris was crazy. No, really. CRAZY! I've never seen so many people stuffed into the Opera House in Los Gatos. I do several weddings there each year but usually for around 200 to 250 guests. And when Mary hired me last year, she told me they would be expecting 250. WRONG!! Add 40%! That's right! 350 People! Talk about a guest list exploding out of control.

75 of those guests were fellow alumni from Santa Clara University and they were ready to party. Heck, even the older folks were ready to party. And they did. They pulled out all of the classic dances last night...running man, cabbage patch, centipede, and whatever that dance was that Vanilla Ice did. Funny stuff.

First Dance: "I Could Not Ask For More" - Sara Evans
Bride-Grandfather Dance: "The Way You Look Tonight" - Frank Sinatra
Groom-Mother Dance: "What A Wonderful World" - Louis Armstrong
Farewell Dance: "How Sweet It Is" - James Taylor

Most Popular Fast Dance: "Sweet Home Alabama" - Lynyrd Skynyrd
Most Popular Slow Dance: "Wonderful Tonight" - Eric Clapton
Most ridiculous request from a guest that I didn't play: "Any song from Rapper E40". Yeah right! I DON'T THINK SO!!

I think I've done 35 wedding receptions so far this year and this one was definitely in the top 3. I would love to see the video.

Random Note: Chris and Mary had 26 people in their Bridal party including 7 super-cute flower girls.

Let's Do The Bird!

What a night indeed. The reception for Iliana and Gary was something to remember. That place was jumpin' all night! It could have easily went another 2 hours. They did not want to leave that place!

That place was Peninsula Golf & Country Club in San Mateo. 250 people gathered for this wild & crazy celebration. As guests arrived, they were treated to some beautiful live music from local guitarist Tomas Michaud. (http://www.worldmelodies.com/hire.html). After introducing the happy couple, they waved to their adoring fans from the balcony upstairs and then proceded down the staircase. I encouraged the guests to keep the applause going until they entered the room. The applause continued for over a minute and turned into a standing ovation. This was the first sign that this evening was going to be something special.

First Dance: "Have I Told You Lately" - Van Morrison
Father-Daughter Dance: "More" - Harry Connick Jr.
Farewell Dance: "A Kiss To Build A Dream On" - Louis Armstrong
Most Popular Slow Dance: "Let's Stay Together" - Al Green
Most Popular Fast Dance: "Super Freak" - Rick James

This was a wild night that included one woman who danced with her drink balanced on top of her head (no, it didn't fall off!) and 20 men in their 40's doing "The Bird". (that was sight to see!) Here is a pic. The Bride Iliana danced almost every song the entire evening. She told me back when she hired me that if anyone wanted to talk to her during the reception, they would have to come onto the dance floor to do so because she was not coming off. She was right! She was a dancing machine!