Falling in Love at the YMCA

I guess you are probably expecting a joke right about now but there isn't one! Tim and Marissa really did fall in love at the YMCA. (They both used to work there) 200 Guests joined them for a celebration of their love at the Opera House in Los Gatos. Of course, I was not surprised that YMCA was the top song on their request list! Here are the Bridesmaids having some fun to that song. Photo by Deanna Graham
Since Tim is obsessed with sports, Marissa surprised him with a special 49er Cake that was the shape of a football. The guests got a kick out of that. (No pun intended) Here is a shot I took from the balcony of the guests having fun on the dance floor. They were a lively bunch!Special Music Selections - Ceremony:

Weddng Party: "Canon in D" - Pachabel
Bride's Song: "Always a Woman" - Billy Joel (instrumental)
Kissing Song: "Friday, I'm in Love" by The Cure

Other Special Songs:

First Dance: "These are the Days" by Van Morrison
Father-Daughter: "I Loved Her First" by Heartland
Groom-Mother: "The First Lady in my Life" by Paul Todd
Farewell Dance: : "These are the Days" by 10,000 Maniacs

Side Note: The song titles of their First and Last Dances were the same! (Different Artist though) That was a first for me.

Holiday Parties

It's that time of year already? It's amazing how time flies. Many companies are now planning their annual Holiday Parties. It's nice to see that, even with the economy, companies know how important it is to reward their employees for a year of hard work. I am looking forward to another wonderful Holiday season. (It is one of my favorite times of the year) Here is a picture of a fun corporate party that I did for Equity Office in San Jose. This event was held at the Corinthian Event Center.

What a Unique Wedding Date!

Looking for something cool to make your wedding day stand out even more? All you have to do is get married on October 10th of next year. Why, you ask? Because the date of your wedding would be 10-10-10. How cool is that!

Second Harvest Food Bank in San Jose

My favorite local non-profit is the Second Harvest Food Bank in San Jose. I volunteer there as a Team Leader a few times of month and it is very rewarding. They are always looking for volunteers and/or donations of food and money. If you can help out, that would be awesome! Here is short video about the food bank and what they're all about.

Ritz-Carlton - Half Moon Bay Wedding

Annie and Greg told me that there was only one thing that they wanted to do on their wedding day. (besides kiss a thousand times) They wanted to dance! It was very clear to me how much they valued the DJ. They had a wonderful reception at the Ritz-Carlton in Half Moon Bay. As you can see by this photo, they accomplished their goal of being on the dance floor non-stop! Now that's what I like to see!

The Bride's Unforgettable Surprise

Spanish people are known for being very passionate. I know that first-hand because my girlfriend is from Spain! Check out the video of this Spanish Bride (Venesa) who surprised her husband-to-be (Jose Carlos) by singing to him during their wedding ceremony in a church in Andalucía. Her voice is absolutely amazing. You may not understand what she is saying, but you certainly will be able to feel the emotion. The song had the guests (and the groom) in tears. (Happy tears!)

Size Doesn't Matter

Andreea and Robert had only 45 guests at their wedding reception at Palo Alto Hills Country Club. Some people think that it is not necessary to have a DJ for events of this size. I am so glad that Andreea and Robert did not feel that way! (I can't imagine going to a wedding reception without dancing!) Here is a picture of me with the happy newlyweds at the end of the evening.This was the first Romanian-Scottish reception that I got to DJ and it was such a treat. The guys in the Bridal Party wore the traditional Scottish Kilts. I also had a chance to play music from both countries as well as many of the usual fun dance songs that you would hear at an American Wedding. Here are there special dance selections:

First Dance" "Fly Me To The Moon" by Frank Sinatra
Bouquet Song: "Single Ladies" by Beyonce
Farewell Dance: "Come Away With Me" by Norah Jones

Funny Stuff: The Best Man Christopher gave a very entertaining toast. He started by saying "My toast will be the "Kilt Version" ...short enough to keep it interesting...but long enough to cover the important bits".

Big Time San Jose Wedding

Gina and Serge wanted to party...and they did! Here is a great pic from an awesome wedding reception that I did at Silver Creek Valley Country Club in San Jose. This is what it's all about!

The Father-Daughter Dance

It is a very special moment in a wedding reception when the Bride dances with her Father. I get asked pretty frequently what are some good songs specifically for that occasion. Here are some of the most popular songs:

I Loved Her First – Heartland
Cinderella – Steven Curtis Chapman
Find Your Wings – Mark Harris *
Butterfly Kisses - Bob Carlisle
Daddy's Little Girl - Al Martino or Mills Brothers
My Girl - Temptations
The Men in My Little Girl’s Life – Various Artists
Turn Around – Various Artists
Isn’t She Lovely – Stevie Wonder
Daughters – John Mayer (not easy to dance to)
Times Of Your Life – Paul Anka
Because You Loved Me - Celine Dion *
Find Your Wings - Mark Harris *
Wind Beneath My Wings - Bette Midler *
Unforgettable – Nat King Cole *
What a Wonderful World - Louis Armstrong *
Through The Years - Kenny Rogers *
The Way You Look Tonight - Frank Sinatra *
Can You Feel The Love Tonight - Elton John *
Have I Told You Lately - Rod Stewart /Van Morrison *
Hero - Mariah Carey *
Child of Mine- Carol King *
The Greatest Love Of All – Whitney Houston *
In My Life – The Beatles *
Blessed – Elton John *
You Are The Sunshine Of My Life – Stevie Wonder *
What a Wonderful World/Somewhere Over The Rainbow – Israel Kamakawowo’ole *
Kind And Generous (Thank You) – Natalie Merchant *

* denotes song can also be used for Groom-Mother Dance or Both

It's Electric!

Kathy and Travis had an awesome wedding reception at Hotel Valencia in Santana Row with 200 of their favorite people in the world. As for music that evening, the song "Electric Slide" was at the top of their request list. Here is a picture of Kathy having fun with some of the guests to that song. Obviously, this guy on the right wanted to dance to the song so badly that he didn't even have time to put down his Corona!

I STILL Gotta Feeling

Unless you have been hiding under a rock, (And I have no problem with that if you're into those types of things!) you know that the song "I Gotta Feeling" by the Black Eyed Peas is THE song of the year. Whether you are tired of the song by now or still enjoy it tremendously, check out this one-shot video of the song from 172 students in the communications department at the University of Québec in Montreal. Very impressive.

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!