Hawaiian and Korean Wedding

Brianna and Jason got a chance to incorporate a few cool cultural traditions into their wedding day at The Ranch Golf Club in San Jose. The groomsmen had beautiful lei's around their necks and the guests were treated to a special Hula performance after dinner. The Best Man, Dan, did a Korean Toast as part of his Best Man's speech. It was great to see all of the 130 guests join him as they yelled something in Korean several times. What were they yelling? I DON'T KNOW! But there was awesome energy in the room and it was fun to watch! Special Music Requests:

First Dance: "Simple as a Sunrise" by Na Leo
Uncle-Bride Dance: "There You'll Be" by Faith Hill
Farewell Dance: "Making Memories of Us" by Keith Urban

Jason and his Grandmother Betty joined Brianna and her Uncle Randy for the second dance. Halfway through the song, Jason's Mom Robin stepped in to dance with her son. It was a very special moment.

My Favorite Wedding Photos

This photo of Josh and Julie says so much that I don't have to say anything at all!

My Stanford Class

It has been suggested to me (more than a few times) that I should write a book about all of the crazy things I've seen at wedding receptions. Not a bad idea. Boy, do I have some stories to tell!

I love writing. It's one of my other passions. It started back in the 80's when I wrote some song lyrics. Being in the radio business, I've also had the opportunity to write hundreds of radio commercials over the last 20 years (I still write a few each week).I recently enrolled in another creative writing class at Stanford (to get my creative juices flowing) and it's been an incredible experience. I have goals of writing a few screenplays and a book. My first screenplay is a romantic comedy and the story is centered around a crazy wedding!

My teacher, Malena Watrous, is amazing and has helped me tremendously. She just published a book of her own that was a New York Times Editor's Choice! Her book is called "If You Follow Me". I bought a copy but haven't read it yet (I am finishing up on a David Sedaris book!)

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.

Hey, that was my water!

So, there I was, watching everyone dancing on the dance floor at my event, when something odd happened. Actually, it was more funny than odd. A woman came off of the dance floor, walked over to my side table, picked up my glass of water, and started drinking it. She finished what I had in the glass and then walked away!

My first thought was, Man, she certainly was thirsty. My second thought was, Hey, that was my water! I looked around to see if maybe there was another glass of water or another drink close by (maybe she was just confused and grabbed the wrong one). Nope. No other drinks in the area! I guess she was so thirsty that she was on a mission to find the closest glass of something, anything, to quench her thirst. Yes, I was the victim of water theft. I called security and had her removed from the facility. (Okay, I made the last part up)

2010 Bride's Choice Winner!

What a great day! I was just notified by Wedding Wire that I won the Bride's Choice Award for 2010! The Bride's Choice Awards recognizes and celebrates excellence in quality and service within the wedding industry, as determined by over 500,000 newlyweds. Hey Mr. DJ is among the top 5 percent of all wedding professionals in the country. Thank you so much! Check out my reviews at WeddingWire.com.

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!)

Wedding Ceremony with Personality

One of the things I often tell my clients is to infuse their personalities into the wedding ceremony. It doesn't have to be so serious and so formal. Have some fun. Show your personalities. Try using some cool music you love instead the usual classical music or traditional church organ. Do something different or unique that stands out. Wedding ceremonies can sometimes be boring for the guests, so make it fun! (laughter is the best). The day will be much more memorable for you and your guests. Here is a great example.

Wedding Vendors Giving Back

What a SUPER event! I have been wanting to organize a volunteer event for professionals in the wedding industry for a while. Well, it finally happened! Yesterday, 25 of us gathered at the Second Harvest Food Bank in San Jose to help sort food that would be distributed to people in Silicon Valley who really need it. It was a lot of fun and a very worthwhile cause. It was great to see how enthusiastic everyone was about giving back to the community.The photo below is of me with some of my fellow members of NACE. (National Association of Catering Executives) From left to right: Robbie Schlosser of the Magnolia Jazz Band, Amy Frugoli from Twitterpated Weddings, Photographer Claudia Akers, L.T Beaton from Palo Alto Hills Golf and Country Club, (and of course me in the back towering above!) The event was such a great success that I will be starting a new volunteer group solely made up of Wedding Industry Vendors who will volunteer once a month. I am so excited! I will have a new website and Facebook page for this group very soon. Here is another photo of me being silly with my buddy Jessie Garcia from PlayitLoud Productionz. Jessie is an awesome DJ and so kind to volunteer for this event.

Magnolia Jazz Band

Here is a clip of the wonderful Magnolia Jazz Band playing at the "Over The Top" NACE event (National Association of Catering Executives). This band is well-known in San Jose and the Bay Area for providing very cool music for wedding receptions and parties.

A Peacock Wedding Dress? NO WAY!

I am beginning to realize that I HAVE NOT seen it all. (And I thought I had) Here is a "stunning" peacock wedding dress. This unique dress took eight handicrafts men two months to finish and had a price tag of $1.5 million. It is decorated with 2009 peacock tail feathers and 60 Haitian jades. I know some cultures consider peacock feathers to be lucky but...come on! I would rather have my bride dressed up as Big Bird.

Advice: Pictures During The Reception

For most couples, the majority of their pictures with the family and bridal party are taken directly after the ceremony while the guests are enjoying the cocktail-appetizer hour. However, some photographers like to take the Bride and Groom away from the reception to snap a few photos or to capture a sunset shot. This is okay but please be aware of the time and don't stay away too long. Remember, your guests want to have a great time and party with YOU. If they don't see you, they may assume that you have left and that the reception is ending soon. This kills the energy in the room and people will start to leave. This can be easily avoided. Simply schedule the majority of your family and bridal party photos before your grand entrance. Always let your DJ know ahead of time if you are going to leave the reception area for photos so that he can plan something to entertain the guests while you are gone. Remember: Your wedding reception is going to fly by very quickly. Make sure that you are there to enjoy it!

7 First Dances

Jan and Russ decided that their wedding day wouldn't be just about them. They also wanted it to be special for their 125 friends and family who joined them at the Hotel De Anza in San Jose. For starters, Jan's Mom, Betty, was her Matron of Honor! How cool! Apart from their own First Dance, Jan and Russ also asked me to play the First Dance songs of 6 other married couples who were at the reception. Of course, I didn't play them all back to back. (I just kind of sprinkled them in throughout the evening) It was neat to see the expressions on their faces as I played each song . For some, I'm sure it was the first time they danced to their special song since their actual wedding day. Photo by Kimberly Parish.Special Dance Songs For Jan and Russ:

First Dance: "Making Memories of Us" by Keith Urban
Father-Daughter Dance: "What a Wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong
Farewell Dance: "When You Say Nothing At All" by Allison Kraus

No Beating Around The Bush.

Keeping with the Halloween Theme, I thought I'd share with you a super-funny picture from my friend Stacie Tamaki, creator of The Flirty Guide. Her dog, Kitai, is one of the coolest and cutest dogs I have ever met! Every year, he wears something different for Halloween. He has been featured in numerous newspapers and websites. He was flown to New York to appear on the Today Show on NBC and he even has his own website! (http://www.cutestdogever.com) You can see more of his cute pics there. He is famous! I need to get his Pawtograph. How cute!

May The Force Be With You!

I've done all of types of themed-weddings over the years. Although Hawaiian and Disney Weddings are the most popular, I've also done many others including a Halloween Wedding where all of the guests dressed in costumes. (see http://richamooi.blogspot.com/2007/10/spooky-wedding.html) But every now and then, someone takes that idea to another level! Hey...how about a Star Wars Wedding!