130 people were in the house (mansion) for this super-fun celebration at the Kohl Mansion in Burlingame. Kelly and Craig converted the room where the dancing was into a cool, hip, lounge-type nightclub complete with comfy couches, end tables, light-boxes, palm trees, up-lighting, candles, and flowers. It was such a cool vibe and the guests absolutely loved it. Everyone was talking about it. Here are a couple of pics. Keep in mind this room was completely empty before the reception.
I think Kelly and Craig hold the world-record for the shortest wedding ceremony (not including those in Vegas)...6 minutes.
First Dance: "I'll Be" - Edwin McCain
Parent's Dance: "Kind & Generous" - Natalie Merchant
Farewell Dance: "At Last" - Etta James
This was a high-energy reception (my favorite type!) They ate. They drank. They cheered. They danced. I don't recall a time when I did not see Kelly and Craig on the dance floor. When I announced the last song of the night, some of the guests booed me! I LOVE IT! (This is the ultimate compliment because it means they did not want to leave)
The funniest moment of the afternoon was when Erica tossed out the bouquet. You can tell she was aiming for her sister off to the side when she threw it. But to everyone's surprise, an 8 year-old girl came running across the dance floor and grabbed it out the air with one hand just as Erica's sister was going to catch it. It was the most amazing thing I've ever seen. Everyone in the room was laughing hysterically, and of course, Erica's sister was in shock. Hey, that's the way it goes!
First Dance: "What a Wonderful World" - Louis Armstrong
Phil and Jen live in Seattle so we did all of the planning by phone and e-mail. They had the traditional chinese style banquet and the dinner lasted 2.5 hours with 10 courses of food. Those who have never been to one of these get the suprise of their lives because they don't pace themselves with the food and are usually full by the third or forth course.
I usually wear my tuxedo when I MC Events but they told me to dress very casual. Don't I look so stylish in my jeans and volunteer t-shirt? You bet!
The Second Harvest Food Bank (
Their request list for dancing leaned heavily in favor of 70's music which is always fun. Ester's dad danced almost every song during the evening. He was so fun to watch because he was going around the room and grabbing people out of their chairs to dance with him. He must have had 25 different dance partners...my kind of guy!
Not much else to say other than they had a great time and they will remember this night forever!
First Dance: "Come Away With Me" - Norah Jones
75 of those guests were fellow alumni from Santa Clara University and they were ready to party. Heck, even the older folks were ready to party. And they did. They pulled out all of the classic dances last night...running man, cabbage patch, centipede, and whatever that dance was that Vanilla Ice did. Funny stuff.
After introducing the happy couple, they waved to their adoring fans from the balcony upstairs and then proceded down the staircase. I encouraged the guests to keep the applause going until they entered the room. The applause continued for over a minute and turned into a standing ovation. This was the first sign that this evening was going to be something special.
The Bride Iliana danced almost every song the entire evening. She told me back when she hired me that if anyone wanted to talk to her during the reception, they would have to come onto the dance floor to do so because she was not coming off. She was right! She was a dancing machine!
Goosebump Moment: After they cut the cake and tossed the bouquet and garter, Shannon and Johnny came up to me and told me about Johnny's grandparents (Liz and Tony) who were in attendance. They wondered if we should say something about them since they were going to celebrate their 60th Wedding Anniversary in a few weeks. I said absolutely and I recommended to play a song for them as well. I always recommend acknowledging friends or family members who are celebrating a milestone event. It is very classy move. And come on...60 Years of marriage?? That is awesome! I got on the Microphone and thanked them for inspiring us with 60 years of marriage and played "Young at Heart" By Frank Sinatra. The guests gave them a standing ovation as they zipped over to the floor to dance. I had goosebumps on top of my goosebumps!! And just my luck, they knew the song and were singing along to it as the danced. Boy, I sure know how to pick 'em!
What a fun energetic crowd last night. They danced to a wide variety of music including Neil Diamond, The Bee Gees, Elvis, Kool & The Gang, and Usher. And here's something you don't see too often...a groom that likes to dance more than the bride!! Wow! You go Johnny!!
First Dance: Viene Su (sung by Pasquale)
To honor Chad for serving our country (thanks Chad!!), a second cake was made just for him. This cake was a Tank. All of the guests went outside at the end of the evening with sparklers. Christie and Chad walked through the middle of all the people with sparklers as photos were shot and the video rolled. Then they hopped in the limo and drove off into the sunset.
Posts
