A Rock & Roll Wedding

When I arrived at Eric and Cindy's wedding reception to set-up, I noticed there was no guest book for people to sign on the table near the entrance. OH NO!! What happened? Did someone steal it? Were they just trying to conserve paper? Maybe someone forgot to bring it! Not quite! Eric and Cindy had the guests sign their electric guitar instead! (Eric plays guitar) What an awesome idea! Here is a picture.
Cindy and Eric certainly did many other non-traditional things on their big day which I just loved! Got a sweet tooth? Well, just step right up to their huge candy table and enjoy some M&M's, Snickers, Red Vine's, Skittles, Mike & Ike's, Tootsie Rolls, and a ton of other candy. YUMMY!
In front of each place setting on the dinner tables, there was a guitar pick attached to a card that read: "In Lieu of traditional favors, a donation has been made to "Rock For Kids" in your honor." What an awesome idea because most people don't know what to do with those favors anyway. (unless you can eat them) Rock for Kids is a non-profit organization that provides support, hope, and inspiration to under-served children and teens. Here is their website.
To continue with the rock theme, they asked me play " Welcome to The Jungle" by Guns and Roses during their introduction which I happily did. Here are their other special songs:

First Dance: "That's How Strong My Love Is" - Otis Redding
Groom-Mother Dance: "Unforgettable" - Nat King Cole

What a fun night. What a unique night. What a sweet night for a super-sweet couple! (pun intended)

Second Harvest Food Bank

It is always a great feeling to give back to the community. I am a Volunteer Team Leader at the Second Harvest Food Bank in San Jose and I volunteer there 2 to 3 times a month. I recently organized a volunteer session with some employees from radio station 94.5 KBAY. Here is a photo of us after we finished stuffing Bell Peppers into 800 Bags. It was a lot of fun and, of course, very rewarding.With the current economy, the Food Bank is suffering which is sad because the need now is greater than ever. If you can help financially, or by volunteering, please visit their website HERE for more information. They are an awesome organization almost completely run by volunteers. Thanks for your support!

Party Time!

It was very clear from the beginning that this group of fun people came to party! That's what I like to see! Good friends Daunielle, Simone, Leti, and Rick decided to combine their four Birthday celebrations into one and throw a very-cool party at The Hotel De Anza in downtown San Jose. 120 of their closest friends showed up on Saturday night for a raging party. This is the "before" photo of the guests of honor. It didn't take too long before people were getting crazy on the dance floor. They requested some classic party songs like "Livin' on a Prayer" by Bon Jovi, "Baby Got Back" by Sir Mixalot, and "You Shook Me All Night Long" by AC/DC. They had a great time. How did they end the evening? I'll give you a hint...Tequila was involved. lol. That was fun! I think more people should combine their birthday parties. What a great idea!

Fun! Fun! Fun!

I was browsing through my photo albums this morning and enjoying all of the fun photos from my client's weddings when I stumbled upon this gem. This one is one of my favorite photos from a wedding I did at the Kohl Mansion in Burlingame. (Julie and Josh were the Bride and Groom)I just love the energy, the excitement, and especially the reaction of the Bride and Groom as the guests lifted their chairs in the air. That was such a super-fun reception.

¡Hola!

I started studying the Spanish Language about five years ago because I thought it would be cool to speak another language. I also felt some sort of a connection to the Latin Culture (the music, the food, the people). Well, 5 years later, here I am...fluent in Spanish. I can't believe it. (And neither can my family and friends) I so enjoy speaking Spanish.
But the coolest part of being bilingual is that I can use it for my business as well. In fact, I already have! I did 3 Weddings in 2008 where I made all of the announcements in Spanish AND English. (And without an accent!) How cool is that? I also have a great appreciation for Latin Music and that part of my library has exploded in size! I have now been to Mexico (4 times), Costa Rica, Colombia, and have a trip planned to Spain for this summer. Hmm? What language should I learn next?

I'm a Flirty DJ!

I was so honored and excited when I was invited to be a member of The Flirty Guide. This is a very exclusive website with some of the best Wedding Vendors in the Bay Area as members. It also happens to be one of the coolest websites for Brides to get very unique and fun ideas for their wedding day. Are you flirty? Check out the website by clicking on the banner below and find out for yourself. Have fun!

Daddy's Little Girl.

Valentine's Day...what a great day to get married! For Lisa and John, it was over a year and a half of meticulous planning before the day finally arrived. What a great success it was. I really enjoyed getting to know them. And I really got a kick out of Lisa's Dad Steve. He invited me to his home for wine and cheese last year during the planning process. He even invited me to join him for breakfast on another day. What a cool guy. So cool, that he surprised his daughter by arranging for singers from Opera San Jose to sing a few songs during the dinner. It was so beautiful and so romantic. The 150 guests who came to the Sainte Claire Hotel in downtown San Jose to celebrate with Lisa and John had a great time.It was a fun, lively crowd that danced to a great variety of music. Here are some special songs that Lisa and John picked:

First Dance: "Sway" - Michael Bublé
Father-Daughter Dance: "Daddy's Little Girl" - Al Martino
Groom-Mother Dance: "Into The Mystic" - Van Morrison
Cake-Cutting Song: "Sugar-Sugar" - The Archies
Farewell Dance: "The Way You Look Tonight" - Michael Bublé
What a night. From Steve's heart-felt welcome speech and the perfectly-choreographed First Dance to the fun bubble-blowing finale, it was a night to remember for all...especially for the Father of the Bride.

Happy New Year!

I just wanted to take a moment to wish everyone an absolutely wonderful and fruitful New Year filled with love, passion, success, hugs, kisses, and whatever else your heart may desire.

Fun at The Opera House!

I've had some incredible wedding receptions at the Opera House in Los Gatos. Chris and Mary's celebration was no exception. Listen to the reaction of the guests after I told them the party was almost over. They were not ready to go! The highlight was definitely when the guys lifted the Groom in the air on the dance floor. Enjoy!

Rain, Rain, Go Away!

The clouds were very dark in the sky. Everyone was certain it was going to rain. And just 10 minutes before Debbie and Troy's Wedding Ceremony on the lawn outside in front of the beautiful Hayes Mansion in South San Jose...it started drizzling. OH NO! The 200 guests were arriving and taking their seats and everyone was wondering what was going to happen. Were we going to have to quickly move the ceremony inside? (That was Plan B) It's always good to have a Plan B. The Bride Debbie decided to go for it and hope for the best. As she walked down the aisle to "Come Away With Me" by Norah Jones, the rain sprinkled on her and the guests. As Pastor Malcom MacPhail welcomed everyone and read a few passages...the sprinkles continued. But just as Debbie and Troy started to exchange their vows, something magical happened. The sky cleared and the sun shined through! It was the most beautiful blue ever! It felt like something out of a movie. (I'm pretty sure I was not the only one who got goosebumps when it happened) The ceremony was beautiful and it ended with "It's a Beautiful Day" by U2. Then, it was time to party!It was a super-fun night for my clients. Smiles were everywhere and the dancing was lively and fun. They danced to just about everything including Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Justin Timberlake, Usher, Rihanna, Journey, Bon Jovi, and everything in between. I took lots of requests as well which is always a lot of fun for me. What a night!

First Dance: "Bless the Broken Road" by Rascal Flatts

Father-Daughter Dance: "Cinderella" by Steven Curtis Chapman

Grease is the Word.

Something very funny happens when I play a song from the Grease Soundtrack at a Wedding Reception. People come alive! It's as if they were all closet-actors just waiting for the right moment to showcase their acting and singing abilities. I never get tired of watching the transformation and the craziness. Of course, it happened again Sunday evening at Scott and Jillian's Reception. Here is a great picture of the Bride having fun with a few of the guests during the song "Summer Lovin". Photo from Genesis Photography.

Need a Lift?

Russell and Shannon had their car towed to their wedding reception. But wait! The Bride and Groom were in the car! lol. That was so funny. You should have seen all of the heads turning on the streets of downtown Campbell Saturday night as they rode by on the back of the tow truck. Russell's Family owns Alongi Brother's Towing so now you know the connection. That was classic. My clients are the best!

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