Can you get me a drink?

Most employees at wedding facilities and catering companies wear tuxedos when they work. For that reason, I am sometimes mistaken for a waiter since I wear the same thing. It's pretty funny. It's not uncommon for me to hear things like "Where's the bathroom?" or "Can I have another glass of Merlot?". The funny thing is that I never tell them that I am the DJ. I just answer their question or get them what they need and then move along. Here is a great letter that I received from a client.

Dear Rich,

Wow! You are amazing! Our wedding day would not have been the same without you! The music selections you made were perfect and you really did a great job of catering to all of our guests' eclectic tastes. Thank you for handling our special requests as well! And you definitely get the gold star for the wedding vendor who went above and beyond the call of duty...not only did you make the necessary last minute adjustments due to uncooperative Mother Nature, but when Mac and I saw you going to find more water for table #1 we almost fell over...haha...that was brilliant (sorry about that!)

So in a nut shell...THANK YOU VERY MUCH! We couldn't have asked for a better DJ!

Sincerely,
Amy & Mac Brandt

Happy Anniversary!

Just wanted to send out a big "Happy Anniversary" to my brother David and his wife Melissa. Here is a great pic of their First Dance at Pebble Beach. Their song was "Let's Stay Together" by Al Green. It was a very fun and memorable night. Photo by George Delgado.

Oh What A Night!

This was another one of those magical nights.They were ready to party! Adriana and Mike had an awesome reception for 250 people at a new facility in Pleasanton called Casa Real. That was fun! First Dance: "There's Nothing Like You and I" - The Perishers

Father-Daughter Dance: "My Girl" - The Temptations

Groom-Mother Dance: "Funny Face" - Donna Fargo

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.

In The Air Tonight.

Ashley and Nick took dance lessons and choreographed their First Dance. It was the first time that I've ever seen the Groom actually pick up the Bride during the First Dance and swing her around. Yes, the Bride was airborne! It was awesome! Photo by Deanna Graham. The 180 guests who came to celebrate at Cinnabar Hills Golf Club in San Jose boogied to 50's, 60's, Country, Disco, Motown, and some current stuff as well. Ashley and Nick even requested a few fun Italian songs for everyone. Variety was key and they had a great time.

First Dance: "With Me" by Sum 41
Father-Daughter Dance: "My Wish" by Rascal Flatts
Groom-Mother Dance: "In My Life" by The Beatles

The Garter

I love sharing with my clients ways to create more fun at their wedding receptions because that's what it's all about! Here's one: If the Groom is into sports, have him wrap the garter around a football, baseball, or mini-basketball before he throws it. It's super-fun for the guys. This is a great example from Julie and Josh's Reception using a rugby ball. Watch the reaction from the guests as well.

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!

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!