Erin and Michael

I have had many types of clients over the years. Some are extremely detail-oriented. They like to give me excel spreadsheets and graphs and charts of their wedding day. Some even give me enough music requests for 3 or 4 wedding receptions. (That always makes me laugh!) Erin and Michael were just the opposite. Don't get me wrong...they were organized. They even requested some fun songs. But they were just so easy-going about everything which I thought was cool. They skipped the big formal Bridal Party Introduction and the Bouquet and Garter toss as well. Basically, they wanted to hear some great music, dance, and enjoy the time with their friends and family. And they did! Here is a pic of me taking some notes. I didn't even know the photographer took this picture until he sent it to me! Photos from Dai P. LuongErin and Michael chose Villa Ragusa in downtown Campbell to celebrate their wedding. I've been there many times and it is a great place for events! It was an intimate gathering for 60 of their friends and family. They danced to a variety of music from Michael Jackson to the Beatles and Justin Timberlake. Here are some of their special dances:

First Dance: "The Luckiest" by Ben Folds Five
Father-Daughter Dance: "What a Wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong
Farewell Dance: "Breathless" by Better Than Ezra
Here is a fun pic of the Groom, Michael, having fun on the dance floor with his friends and new wife Erin! Nice moves...and looking sharp!

You're The One That I Want

Margarita and Patrick had a very unique wedding day. For starters, it was on a Thursday!! Obviously, weddings during the middle of the week are very rare but Margarita and Patrick are not your average couple. They wanted to do something completely different to make it more memorable and they succeeded! They celebrated with their friends at The Brazilian Room at Tilden Park in Berkeley. What an incredible night! Here is a great "before" photo of them. Photos by Lucie XYZ. Many of my clients love the movie Grease. (and the music from the movie!) I love it too. However, this was the first time that one of my clients had an actual "Grease Theme". That's right, they all dressed the part and even performed a few songs! The guests were quite surprised and very entertained. Here is a picture of Sandy (oops, I mean Margarita!) performing with The Pink Ladies. That was cool!Margarita has an incredible spirit about her and you can't help but feel happy and positive in here presence. We had a lot of fun planning all of the details of the wedding day. We even got together for lunch one day for some killer Indian food as we brainstormed the big day. I just received a sweet e-mail from her thanking me. I am the one who is so thankful and honored that I got to be a part of their very special day.

Advice: Dimming The Lights

Many venues think it is very romantic to dim the lights once the dancing starts. Others think that people won't dance if the lights are too bright. (Wrong!) Don't get me wrong, dimming the lights a little is okay. Some people take it to the extreme though. I was at a venue just a few weeks ago where the person in charge dimmed them so low that we could barely see each other. It felt like a cheesy dive-lounge. I was waiting for some Frank Sinatra impersonator to pop out and start singing.

Personally, when I dance with my girlfriend, I want to be able to see her face! The sad part is, the video and photographer's work usually suffers because they have to use those bright flashes and lights that blind and annoy everyone. And who pays the ultimate price? You do! You will see shadows and more in your photos and video. I usually have to go and tell someone to turn the lights back up. Make sure you tell the person in charge of your reception at the facility ahead of time not to dim the lights too low at your reception. You will be glad you did. (And so will your photographer and videographer)

Penn State vs. Cornell

Was that a Wedding Reception or College Night at the Crowne Plaza Cabaña Hotel in Palo Alto last night? Okay, it was a Wedding Reception. (Although the collegiate spirit was definitely in the air!) Leah went to Penn State. Alex went to Cornell. 2 great Universities. Fortunately, Leah and Alex agreed to put their scholastic differences aside to get married. lol. What a fun crowd....all 270 of them!

Here is a pic of Leah and Alex dancing with their guests. The woman to the right of them in the picture in the beautiful coral and white dress is Leah's cousin Cindy with her husband Eric. They had an awesome Rock & Roll Wedding that I got to DJ a few months ago. Neither of them knew that the other hired me as their DJ so it was a great surprise for all. They had two completely different weddings but both were very fun.I knew this was going to be one of those super-fun, crazy nights just by the energy and enthusiasm of the guests as I was introducing everyone. They were very lively and everyone clapped along to "I Gotta Feeling" by The Black Eyed Peas as I introduced the parents and Bridal Party. As Leah and Alex entered the room, they asked me to play a different song... "Don't Stop til ya Get Enough" by Michael Jackson. It was fun to watch them dance their way into the room. I took a lot of requests last night and they danced to a variety of music including Italian and Salsa.

Here were their special dance songs:

First Dance: "Broken" by Jack Johnson
Father-Daughter: "Surfer Girl" by the Beach Boys
Groom-Mother: "You are The Sunshine of My Life" by Stevie Wonder

Janice and David

Janice and David hired me to be the DJ and MC for their Wedding Reception at The Adobe Lodge on the campus of Santa Clara University. They didn't have to interview any other DJ's because I was the DJ at her sister Eunice's Wedding Reception in 2008 and they knew exactly what they were getting and that there would be no surprises. (Of course, I was the one who was completely surprised when her sister showed up to the wedding pregnant!) Oh my God! What happened? lol.

After the ceremony at The Mission, the 125 guests enjoyed cocktails and dinner outside on the lawn. They later came inside for the dancing and cake. Here is a great shot of them entering the dinner area as I introduced them to the guests for the first time as husband and wife.
Their Special Dances:

First Dance: "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" - Izzy (Israel K)
Father-Daughter: "Isn't She Lovely" - Stevie Wonder
Groom-Mother: "Have I told You Lately" - Rod Stewart
Farewell Dance" "Let's Get it On" - Marvin Gaye

Th night was planned out perfectly. It was amazing how things just flowed. The guests were fun. The dinner was perfect. They had a great variety of music for everyone. The toasts were absolutely incredible. (Especially when David toasted his new wife Janice after they cut the cake) It was one of the most beautiful, heart-felt, and romantic toasts I have ever witnessed. I wish I had a copy of it to share with you. Obviously, this man is head-over-heels in love with this woman and he has no problem communicating it. Good job David!

A Date With Destiny

This is a love story that will put a warm feeling in your heart and a smile on your face. And if you are like me, you will probably get a whole bunch of goosebumps as well. Mike and Katie's story didn't start out so pretty. In fact, it was quite scary. But I am sure you will agree that the end result is wonderful, magical, and definitely inspirational.

When Mike was 17, he had a near-fatal ski accident in Ontario, Canada. He had 7 jaw fractures, a broken nose, a broken cheek bone, and worst of all, a hematoma in his left frontal lobe that required immediate brain surgery. After the surgery, he fell into a coma for almost a week. Doctors told him he would never be the same again. They were wrong.

When Katie was 18, she was involved in terrible high-speed auto accident with 5 of her friends, the morning after her High School Prom. That accident left her with a traumatic brain injury, fractured skull, punctured/collapsed lungs, and severe neck and spinal cord damage. She was in a coma for 3 months. When she came out of her coma, she was paralyzed for over a year. She had to learn to walk again. Now, she walks 18 miles every Saturday with her mom, just because she can!

2 accidents. 2 comas. 2 hospitals. 2 completely separate lives.

Fast forward to 2008...Mike and Katie meet through online dating site e-harmony.com and noticed that they had amazingly similar characters, personalities, spirits, passions, and energies. Neither of them knew about each other's accident and coma, since they were not mentioned in their profiles. They met, had an amazing connection almost instantly, and fell in love. One year later, they got married! And something even more crazy? The husband of their Pastor who married them was in a motorcycle accident and was also in a coma. What are the odds? How many people do you know who have been in a coma? Was this the aligning of the planets? Fate? Destiny? A miracle? Yes!

They shared this with me: "Throughout each of our recoveries, the love and support of family and friends were paramount to helping us each come through to live complete, enriching, and wonderfully blessed lives again."

You can't help but have such happiness for them and cheer them on! Here is a fun photo of them both having a great time dancing.Obviously, this day was not only about celebrating their love...it was also about celebrating life. Mike and Katie had a beautiful wedding and celebration for 70 of their closest friends at the Stanford Park Hotel. It was an extraordinary day. They picked out most of the fun music for the evening, and both of their brother's Dave and Andrew were guest MC's. They even played a fun game where the guests got to step up to the Microphone to tell a joke. If it was a funny joke, they kissed! Fortunately, most of the jokes were funny so there was a lot of kissing.
Here is a great shot of Mike letting loose and having some fun on the dance floor. My kind of guy! Special songs they picked out for their reception:

First Dance: "At Last" - Etta James
Father-Daughter Dance: "My Girl" - The Temptations
Farewell Dance: "You're The Inspiration" - Chicago

Overall, it was an awesome night and a very special treat for me to be there. I still get goosebumps when I think about them.

Incredible Cakes

Okay, check this out. These cakes are amazing! This is world-renowned Cake Chef Omar Addihaoui from Kuwait. He makes some outrageous cakes for events up to 1000 people. Here are some of my favorites. Let me know which one is you favorite!

Allied Arts Guild

Last night I had the pleasure of being the guest auctioneer for a wonderful event called "Tally Ho" at the Allied Arts Guild in Menlo Park. All proceeds benefited Lucille Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford. It was a wonderful event with great food and wine, and it was a pleasure to volunteer my services.
Allied Arts Guild is a very cool property that provides an inspiring environment for working artists, beautiful gardens and shops for visitors, and support for critically ill children at Lucille Packard Children's Hospital. It is also available for private events and weddings. (Coincidentally, I DJ'd a wedding reception there last year!) Check out their website HERE. They are celebrating their 80th Anniversary. It is a beautiful place and all profits go to the hospital. How cool!

Hot Hot Hot

You can never tell about the weather in the Bay Area. Most of the time, the weather is close to perfect. Saturday however was a different story. It was HOT at The Ranch Golf Club in San Jose yesterday for Ian and Joanna's wedding! I could tell the people were very relieved to come inside after the ceremony to cool off for dinner and dancing. Fortunately, they still had energy for some fun! Photos from Jeff Warren at Vince Tarry Photography.They requested a wide variety of music including great songs from: The Temptations, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, The Four Tops, Justin Timberlake, Usher, Maroon 5, Tupac, and Beyonce. Here are the songs they chose for their special dances:

First Dance: "I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz
Father-Daughter/Groom-Mom: "Kind & Generous" - Natalie Merchant
Farewell Dance: "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You" by Lauryn Hill

Here is a great shot of a traditional Jewish Dance called "The Hora". It is always so much fun to watch because practically everyone in the room gets involved and they always have a great time.

Wende and Cubie

Now that was a party! Wende and Cubie only had 88 people at their wedding reception at the Monterey Peninsula Country Club last night, but it felt like 200 because of the energy. Yes, they were ready to party. Here is a fun picture of the Groom, Cubie, having a great time on the dance floor with his groomsmen, his Dad, and the rest of the guests.

First Dance: "You Are The Sunshine of My Life" - Stevie Wonder
Father-Daughter Dance: "What a Wonderful World" - Israel "Iz"

Groom-Mother Dance: "Circle of Life" - Elton JohnIn an awesome sponteaneous moment towards the end of the reception, some of the guests decided it would be a great idea to lift Wende and Cubie up over their heads. It was so much fun to watch. I love when my clients get wild and crazy! That's what parties are all about!

A Spanish Wedding

I just returned from 18 days in Spain and had the pleasure of attending the wedding of my girlfriend's Brother, Óscar and his fiancée Marta. It was a beautiful (and hot) day in L' Scala ( a cool little pueblo 90 minutes north of Barcelona). We all thought about jumping in the Mediterranean Sea many times since the wedding was at a resort right on the water, but we knew that soggy suits and weddings wouldn't mix. Here is a photo of us in the hotel room before the wedding. Silvi bought me a cool tie for my birthday that matched her dress. She is so sweet!
We had such a great time and I was very surprised at how much music in English is played on the radio stations over there. (And at Weddings too!) It was also interesting to see the differences between weddings over there and those here in the Bay Area. One big difference is that the officiant and the witness sign the marriage license right in the middle of the actual ceremony. I have never seen that before here. They also like to throw rice and rose petals directly after the rings as shown below.Man, those Spanish people love to eat! There were over 15 different appetizers that lasted over 90 minutes and we stuffed our faces. The food was incredible. I thought maybe it was just an appetizer-only reception until they informed us that we needed to head to the dining room because the main meal was ready to be served. We wobbled inside to find our reserved seats.

The one odd thing that I noticed is that the DJ did not say one single word during the entire reception or interact with the guests. Nothing! That was a little odd to me since the Master of Ceremonies role is so important here. I requested some of Silvi's favorite songs and she was a happy-camper as we danced to "Mambo #5" and "Suavemente".

What a great night. But it did not end there! 7 hours after the ceremony, it was announced that we would all be going to another location to start the second celebration organized by some of their friends. What?!? Another party? Wow! I was also told not to worry because there would be plenty of food available. Unbelievable. What a wonderful wedding and vacation. I can't wait to go back again. (Although next time I will eat less)

New York, New York.

Alex and Jason live in New York but came back to the Bay Area this week to get married. (I typically have 7 or 8 clients every year who plan their weddings from out of state.) I had a feeling this was going to be a wild party when I saw the Bride and Groom doing tequila shots on the dance floor with about 10 people long before the dancing even started! I was right...it was wild and crazy! They arrived in style in this very beautiful and unique 1939 Chevrolet Master Deluxe. Very cool.About 120 guests celebrated with Alex and Jason last night and they came from all over the United States to attend. It was a super-fun evening and I even got to play some Latin music! Here are some of their special requests:

First Dance: "To Know Her is To Love Her" by The Beatles
Bride-Brother Dance: "What a Wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong
Groom-Mother Dance: "Have I Told You Lately" by Rod Stewart
Farewell Dance: "New York, New York" by Frank SinatraAlex had a huge smile on her face for the entire evening which doesn't surprise me because she was always so happy and positive during the planning process. (And of course, she is in love!) It was such a treat for me to be their DJ. And now they are married and off to Fiji! Have fun!

Let's Do It Again.

13 years ago, Kristen and Tony got married. But they decided to skip the big wedding and use the money to buy a house instead. They had an intimate little gathering for about 20 people in their backyard with simple sandwich trays and some beer. They didn't even do a First Dance!

Fast forward 13 years later (and 3 daughter's). Kristen and Tony decided to re-new their vows and have a real celebration with their friends and family this time. Around 80 guests celebrated with them last night. The funny thing is, around 25-30 of those 80 guests were children. That's a lot of kids! I did an event several years ago with that many kids and it made me want to invest in a tranquilizer gun. lol. But these kids were awesome and behaved so well and I really enjoyed playing their requests. (and boy did they request a lot!)
Tony and Kristen planned a very simple, fun, and informal reception which I loved. They skipped the formal introductions and bouquet and garter as well. Everyone knew this night was going be different when they arrived and found lollipops on all of the tables. It was very cute. And of course the kids (and some of the adults) loved them.
Here it is, finally, their First Dance! ("I Cross My Heart" by George Strait) Better late than never! It was beautiful. Tony's buddy Joe, who works with him as a firefighter in Campbell, performed the very sweet vow-renewal ceremony. What a fun night.

You Make Me Wanna Shout!

Okay, this is very short video clip from Erin and Stephen's Wedding Reception that I DJ'd a couple of weeks ago. I just love it because practically every single person there was on the dance floor.

An International Affair

Last night's reception for John and Jane at Silver Creek Valley Country Club was fun and VERY unique. It was the first time I ever DJ'd a Canadian-Vietnamese Wedding. How cool! What else made it so unique? Over 50% of the guests traveled from out of town to be there! Guests came from Canada, Boston, Norway, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Viet Nam, Las Vegas, Seattle, Rhode Island, Michigan, and Virginia. WOW!If you are into sweets, you would have loved John and Jane's reception. They had the traditional wedding cake as well as a candy table AND a chocolate fountain with plenty of goodies to go dipping.

First Dance: "From This Moment" by Shania Twain.
Side Note: Obviously John and Jane appreciate photo and video very much because they had 4 Photographers and 2 Videographers documenting their wedding day.