San Vicente Wedding – Jaime and Kelly

Venue: San Vicente Golf Resort
Venue Address: 24157 San Vicente Road, Ramona, CA 92065
Number of guests: Approximately 80
Services Provided: Wedding DJ and Master of Ceremonies, Basic Dance Floor Lighting, Ceremony DJ

Event Coordinator: Joyce Whehelon
Wedding Coordinator: Lindsey Smith [lrsmith31@yahoo.com, (760) 484-2767]
Photography: Photography By Shayna
Cake: Flour Power
Florist: Rene Engel
Officiant: Pastor Eric with Mountain View Church

Jaime and Kelly had their wedding at San Vicente Golf Resort in Ramona, CA. For those that have not visited this resort, it has a few interesting features. One is the location of the ceremony site. Unlike most golf resorts which have the site at the first hole or in a separate area altogether, San Vicente Golf Resort has their ceremony site at Hole 18. Take a look at this view to understand why!

On their wedding day  I arrived and set up equipment for the reception in their ballroom and their ceremony at Hole 18. I must let you know, the staff at San Vicente are some of the most accommodating I’ve ever worked with. Seriously… ever. No matter what I needed they were there to help with it, and for the setup of the ceremony they even handed me the keys to a golf cart and just let me do what I needed to and return it when I was done. I even kept it during my set up for the reception (I would rather work on setup and make sure everything is ready to go than take some time to return a cart, if it’s possible to do so) and there was not one complaint or request to return it quickly. Simply put, I love to work with the staff of this resort and want to thank them profusely for making me feel as welcome as they did.  Okay, enough gushing…

Guests were escorted to the ceremony area by golf cart. A number of them were commenting on how fun and exciting that experience was during the seating time. I can’t blame them for that… I think riding in a golf cart is pretty fun myself. Driving one alone is even more fun!

Ceremony Prelude (Guest Seating): Vitamin String Quartet
Ceremony Processional (Bridesmaids): Michael Soloway – Canon In D
Ceremony Processional (Bridal March): Jason Mraz & Colbie Caillet – Lucky
Ceremony Recessional: Jason Mraz – I’m Yours

You’ll notice the photographer Shayna was on the ground getting the perfect vertical shot of the moment. She contributed most of the photos I will showcase here which can be discerned by her watermark.

After ceremony was over, guests were escorted by golf cart to the reception area where they mingled about while the wedding party did group photos.

The reception room was on the small side, and really tested my audio tech experience. I asked the staff how the other DJs normally position equipment, but got answers that were rather well… incorrect. I heard of one DJ putting one speaker in the corner aimed at the dance floor, and another across the room facing inwards towards the first speaker. Anyone with sound technician knowledge will recognize this as a bad thing. The sound frequencies will collide with each other and cancel each other out, creating a ‘hole’ of sound in the center of the room. After hearing some stories, I opted for the one method I knew would work well… a single speaker on a subwoofer base. My single speakers are 1000 watts, plenty of sound for this size reception room. After I set it up and gave it a test run, even the staff were impressed with the sound I was able to deliver. “Use the right equipment for the right event.” Overkill may be impressive to some, but using the right gear and providing the right sound is impressive to most!

Cocktail hour music was a blend of Hidden Beach jazz and old school funk and jazz from my personal collection. One thing to note– During the cocktail hour the coordinator came over and remarked, “This is the perfect cocktail music!”. Admittedly, it’s one of my favorite genres to use for cocktail hour, but I can do wonders with lots of other genres as well.

After cocktail hour we of course started with the Grand Entrance. Sorry, I was too busy to take pics for this one, and didn’t get one from Shayna to display.

Grand Entrance: Beyonce – Halo

Immediately after Grand Entrance, we started their first dance.

First Dance: Lauryn Hill – Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You

They then did a combination Father Daughter and Mother Son dance (I like to call it the ‘Parents Dance’).

Parents’ Dance: Celine Dion – Because You Loved Me

Following the parents’ dances, we began toasts. Note that this is not the typical order of events, so I made sure all champagne was poured and even suggested to the guests to get something to toast with if they didn’t want to drink champagne.

We then went into dinner. After dinner, it was time to cut the cake.

Cake Cutting: Sixpence None The Richer – Kiss Me

After cake was cut, the caterers took it away and we began a set of open dancing.

After a while we stopped to do the Bouquet Toss. I’m so glad Shayna could supply these photos, because I can never get any of my own during the tosses… I’m too busy on the mic!

Bouquet Toss: Beyonce – Single Ladies

We then went back into dancing. Kelly wanted the dancing to be the focal part of the night and have few interruptions. I’d have to say we pulled that off quite well, even getting a set of classic rock in there for the parents. Also to be noted.. I really like when photographers work with the lighting rather than trying to ‘fight it’. Shayna got some great photos using the lighting as a feature. Much kudos for that!

The night went really well, and not only were Kelly and Jaime pleased, but the San Vicente staff was impressed and I think they made sure to tell that to them. That’s got to be a nice thing to hear as a couple, right? So, I made sure to get a post-reception photo with the newlyweds…

… and also with the Wedding Coordinator, Lindsey Smith. I’m hoping to work with her again in the future. She was great to coordinate with. After the reception she came up and told me Joyce was also impressed with me and would be referring me to potential clients. I asked her if that meant I was on the preferred vendor list and she replied, “We don’t really have one, but everyone loved working with you and will be happy to recommend you.”

Congratulations to Jaime and Kelly, and thanks for trusting me with the entertainment duties on your special day!

LDS Wedding (Morman) – Adan and Arwen Martinez

Venue: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Cultural Hall)
Venue Address: 2255 Felicita Road, Escondido, CA
Number of guests: 150-160
Services Provided: Wedding DJ and Master of Ceremonies, Monogram Lighting

Venue Coordinator: Jacqueline Thompson
Officiant: Bishop Shaffer
Photography: Doyle Terry Photo

In March of 2010 Jacqueline Thompson contacted me to discuss the opportunity to DJ her clients’ (Adan Martinez and Arwen Lott) wedding. Being on the Church of Latter Day Saints’ preferred vendor list got her attention, and she thought that I would be a good fit for their style. We spent some time on the phone discussing LDS standards, especially when it came to music selection. I actually learned a few tips from her that will assist me in future LDS weddings I’m sure.

Adan and Arwen and I met at a bookstore and discussed details. I showed them some examples of lighting, genres for cocktail and dinner, and monograms. Adan was particularly interested in the monograms. We had a great meeting with plenty of chemistry, and they decided to book right away. They also made sure to add the monogram lighting to their package.

On the day of their reception, I arrived at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Escondido and set up my main equipment on the stage. Adan chose to put the monogram on the rear wall of the stage, so I pulled the rear curtain shut, taped it as well I could, and used it as the background for the monogram.

For the ceremony, Adan and Arwen had one standard to LDS, consisting of stadium circular seating. This arrangement is very unusual to those not familiar with the customs, but here’s a picture of how it looks.

And the actual ceremony…

Seating Music: Vitamin String Quartet

Processional (Parents and Bridesmaids): Robin Spielberg – Canon in D

Processional (Bride’s Entrance): Vitamin String Quartet – Your Guardian Angel

Recessional: John Williams – Imperial March (Darth Vader’s Theme)

Appetizer Hour (No drinking, so this wasn’t a cocktail hour!): Cocktail Jazz cover bands

Grand Entrance song: Olé- Bouncing Souls

Dinner was taking a little longer than anticipated, so we moved into their first dance.

First Dance: Time In a Bottle – Jim Croce

Father Daughter Dance: Rascal Flatts – I Won’t Let Go

Mother Son Dance: Juanes – Para Tu Amor

We then began a buffet-style dinner. During dinner, I got to chat a lot with the photographer, Doyle. Doyle was great to talk to, very professional and friendly.

After dinner, we kicked open dancing off with a hispanic traditional dance known as the La Vibora De La Mar. It can be done a lot of ways, but typically the bride and groom stand on chairs holding a veil between them. Since Arwen didn’t have a veil, they used a linen instead. While the song played, I sped it up and the challenge was for the dancers to keep up with tempo. We pitted the girls against the guys. The girls won. Easily.

I didn’t get many pictures of dancing, there were a lot of requests (I always welcome requests) so I spent lots of time interacting with guests. The hit genres for tonight were cumbias and spanish pop.

Cake Cutting: Jack Johnson – Better Together

Cake cutting got a bit messy…

After the cake cutting, we began the tosses.

Garter Toss: Flight Of The Conchords – Business Time

Bouquet Toss: Roy Orbison – Pretty Woman

After tosses we went back into open dancing. I ended up doing another 45 minute cumbia set.. Lots of good hispanic music!

Last Dance: <We just kept it upbeat>

Adan and Arwen left quickly after the reception was over, but I did get a chance to get my signature post-reception photo!

Congratulations to Adan and Arwen Martinez, and thank you for giving me the honor of being your Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS) Wedding DJ!

San Diego Botanic Gardens – Blazevich Wedding

Client: Karen and John Blazevich
Venue: San Diego Botanic Gardens – Walled Garden and The Victorian Gazebo
Venue Address: 230 Quail Gardens Drive, Encinitas CA
Number of guests: Approximately 170
Services Provided: Wedding DJ and Master of Ceremonies, Dance Floor Lighting, Wedding Video Montage Creation, Wedding Video Montage Projection

Wedding Coordinator: InStyle Event Planning (Shellie Ferrer)
Invitations: InStyle Event Planning (Amanda Hallock)
Photographers: Debora Barreto and Debra Henry
Videography: Adam Bledsoe
Officiant: The Honorable Vincent J. Brown
Guitarist: Miles Moynier
Cake: VG Donuts and Bakery

In July, Karen and John Blazevich contacted me to DJ their wedding. We met to discuss details, and they were very excited that I knew the San Diego Botanic Gardens well so I could help them with ideas on how to best have a reception there. They also planned to use a live guitarist for ceremony and cocktail hour, but wanted my package of ceremony PA and microphone to use for their wedding ceremony.

The ceremony was held in the Walled Garden. I set up a wireless microphone and speaker which worked well for their needs.

Immediately after the ceremony, John and Karen left in a Rolls Royce to take pictures at the beach.

Cocktail hour was done in the Victorian Gazebo area, and the first hour was done by Miles Moynier.

Once Miles was finished, I took over for a bit since John and Karen were not back from the beach yet. For this venue, I used a JBL Eon speaker with my DJ Skirt equipment dressing. Due to venue sound restrictions, this was ample sound for their needs and conformed well with venue sound policies. I also set up a projector using a belly bar table in preparation for their wedding video montage.

Grand Entrance (Bridal Party): The Beatles – All You Need Is Love
Grand Entrance (Bride and Groom): James Brown – Get On Up

After a round of applause we began dinner. Following dinner, we started toasts.

Best man toast:

First Dance: Ben Harper – Forever

Video of the first dance (provided by Kristen Blazevich, John’s sister who also provided many of the pictures in this blog)

Father Daughter Dance: Temptations – My Girl

Mother Son: Barry Manilow – I Am Your Child
Stepmother Son: Frank Sinatra – The Way You Look Tonight

John and Karen took advantage of my video montage creation service, where they sent me digital pictures and I put them together into an incredibly vibrant montage video. Here’s a picture of them and their guests enjoying the montage. For some reason my clients who pick this venue always seem to want my montage creation service too, and it always goes over wonderfully!

And when we got to open dance… wow! Packed dance floor is an understatement. You can see in the pictures that people were dancing on the sides and off of the dance floor. That’s what I call a good dance floor!

After a while we took a break for cake cutting and tosses.

Cake Cutting: U2 – The Sweetest Thing

Bouquet toss: Beyonce – Single Ladies

<no picture of this yet>

Garter toss: Marvin Gaye – Let’s Get It On

Back to open dancing…

Great dance floor, huh?

After the reception was over, I got a picture with the wedding coordinators (Shellie Ferrer and Lacy Hunter) and myself. Shellie has since contacted me about some clients next year that are looking for a great DJ, so I know I’ll be seeing her and Lacy again soon.

And of course, my post-reception picture with the happy bride and groom. I asked John what him and his guests thought of my performance, his reply was, “I don’t think there was a single song that we didn’t enjoy. We gave you what? 12 songs? And you nailed it with the rest of them!”

I thought maybe one of my song choices wasn’t the best, but I’ll happily go with ‘the customer is always right’ especially when the customer’s claim is better than my own!

Congratulations to the Blazevichs’ and their families. I truly had a blast being a part of your most special day.