Coronado Community Center – Wedding of Phong and Anna Tu

Client: Phong and Anna Tu
Venue: Coronado Community Center – Nautilus Banquet Room
Venue Address: 1845 Strand Way · Coronado, California 92118
Number of guests: 164
Services Provided: Wedding DJ and Master of Ceremonies, Dance Floor Lighting, External Wireless Speakers

Catering: Encore Catering (Christine and Tress)
Photography: Trailbrook
Venue Coordinator: Coronado (Notable mention: Colleen Muldoon)
Wedding Coordinator: Ha Nguyen (Maid Of Honor)
Florist: Thuy
Linens: SD Linens
Cake: Edelweiss Bakery

In July of 2010 Phong Tu and Anna Chong contacted me to discuss the opportunity to DJ their wedding at Coronado Community Center. They were referred to me by Tress Balch of Encore Catering. For those that don’t know Tress… you’re missing out. He’s a great sushi chef and a pleasure to work with. The last time I worked with him was at Liberty Center during Jim Fitzgerald’s wife Rita’s birthday party. I was excited when I heard that Tress had recommended me because 1) this was the first time he had referred me and 2) I was going to get to enjoy some more of Tress’ delicious cooking!

Phong, Anna, and I met at a coffee shop and discussed details. They planned to have a part of their ballroom sectioned off for a photobooth, and reception room doors were to remain closed until cocktail hour was over. In order to supply music outside, they added my wireless speaker package. This is an addon package in which I use wireless signal to supply the same sound inside to the main soundsystem as well as outside to wireless speakers. It provides an elegant atmosphere because announcements can be heard from anywhere, and music stays the same as people move from the patio to the banquet room. They originally were going to use string lighting for their dance floor, but after seeing some video samples of my lightshows, they decided to include that as well in their package.

On the day of their reception, I arrived at the venue and set up my equipment inside, then set up the wireless speaker system outside. For cocktail, they left it up to me with the simple instructions of “modern and upbeat please!” I went with an assortment of Hidden Beach tracks to meet this request. For those that haven’t experienced Hidden Beach, think fun 90s hip-hop remade by jazz musicians. I know that Phong and Anna must have received several comments about the cocktail music, because I got several myself! To top it off, I overheard the bartender telling guests, “OK, I’ll pour your drink but first you have to name this song.”

Tress Balch, in his natural habitat.

Grand Entrance song: I Gotta Feeling – Black Eyed Peas

Right after their grand entrance, and another enthusiastic round of applause, I instructed the guests to be seated and we began a buffet dinner. Tables were dismissed by number, two at a time.

Following dinner and the making of their rounds, we projected a video montage for the guests to enjoy. Note: This montage was original burned in a HD DVD format and could not be played on the venue’s projector. Why it was burned in HD DVD I’ll never know, but through quick thinking (a degree in IT probably didn’t hurt) I was able analyzing the cause, inform the groom of the issue and propose a solution involving acquisition of a Macbook. Phong took my advice and found a guest that had a Macbook in their car, and with my assistance we were able to convert the video and eventually display the montage!

Honorable mention: During the trials and tribulations with the projector I had the privilege to meet Colleen Muldoon, a wonderful employee of Coronado Community Center. Her pleasant demeanor and friendly attitude was noticed and appreciated. We talked a bit, and she definitely helped me to feel comfortable as a vendor at her venue.

Towards the end of dinner, we began toasts. Here’s a few pictures taken during the toasts.

After toasts, we gave away the centerpieces using the “Pass the Bill” game. It was a lot of fun and the guests really got into it. It was a blast hearing the “Awwww!”s and laughter after each round.

Following the centerpiece giveaway we began formal dances. Note the white dots swirling around the floor? That’s part of the Enhanced Dance Floor Lighting package which contains separate lights for slow dances as well as open dancing time.

First dance: 98 Degrees – I Do (Cherish You)

Cake Cutting: Blessed – Christina Aguilera

Garter Toss: Tie Me Down – New Boyz

Bouquet Toss: Single Ladies – Beyonce

For those that know Asian tradition, weddings usually incorporate games. See my blog of the Perez’s wedding for an explanation of the history and significance of Asian wedding games. Since Tu and Anna didn’t have any games planned out, I threw in one of own… the wedding-appropriate, entertaining, and always successful– Shoe Game!

After the Shoe Game, the dance floor was opened. Although dancing occurred to a lot of genres, I have to say the biggest hits of the night were the current club hits. Anna and her friends were all over that floor!

Phong and Anna chose to keep the energy high during the last song.

Last Song: DJ Got Us Fallin’ In Love – Usher

After such a successful wedding I always make sure to get a picture with the happy bride and groom, but this time I had it done by a professional using the photobooth!

Congratulations to Tu and Anna and their families, and thanks for giving me the opportunity to be a part of your special night!

Villa De Flores – Tiffany and Pierre’s Wedding

Tiffany and Pierre contacted me via referral and asked me some questions about DJing their wedding. After some brief correspondence we agreed to meet and further discuss details. During this meeting, it was disclosed that they and their guests were into club and electronic music and we ended up talking for a half-hour alone on our favorite techno tracks (both current and 90s)! Our meeting was very enjoyable, and after discussing options and packages, they decided to go with dancefloor lighting, and a secondary set of wireless speakers for their cocktail hour. Interestingly enough, they were planning on using a live band for ceremony, but once I showed them some creative ideas for their ceremony, they decided to discuss it more. A few days later they made the decision to use my services for ceremony as well.

Tiffany and Pierre chose Villa De Flores as their wedding venue. Villa De Flores is a beautiful garden venue perfect for a Rancho Santa Fe Wedding with several areas of lovely landscapes.

Tiffany and Pierre’s ceremony was beautiful. It was held in the lower area of Villa De Flores. The areas are not named, as far as I know, but I would call this the lower patio.

After their ceremony, guests were directed to the upper area of Villa De Flores for cocktails. Per their request, an additional speaker was wirelessly receiving audio from my main system, so guests enjoyed the same cocktail music that was being played in the main reception area. It was a very elite effect, having the same music being played everywhere you went, even though the speakers were well over 200 feet away!

After cocktail hour, we invited everyone down to the main reception area where they were able to enjoy some more dining music while relaxing in comfortable chairs or luxurious white leather couches. The decor was fabulous and very tasteful.

And of course, my equipment was set up clean and tasteful as well, even going so far as to match the colors with my white vinyl.

Introductions went well. The wedding party entered from the cocktail area, and since the wireless speaker was still set up, they had no problem hearing the cues and knowing when to make their entrance. In retrospect, this was another advantage to the secondary speaker idea.

Wedding Party Introductions: JXL vs. Elvis Presley – A little less conversation
Bride And Groom Introduction: Right Said Fred – I’m Too Sexy

Immediately after introductions Pierre and Tiffany had their first dance.

First Dance: Norah Jones – Come away with me

Following their first dance, toasts began. Speeches were short and sweet, first by Tiffany’s Maid of Honor, Margoux, then by the team of groomsmen who delivered one short phrase in spanish with each groomsman saying one word of the phrase.

Catering was provided by Chef DK (Dave Krohn). Tiffany is quite a chef herself and since their guests were from all over the globe she wanted food of all types for her wedding. The variety was amazing, and I took pictures just to give my readers an idea of Chef DK’s offerings.

Chef DK’s asian station. Stir fry, sushi, and fortune cookies. And to top it off, centerpieces with live fish in them!

Chef DK’s Italian station. Lasagna (both vegetarian and meat-filled), salad, pastas, and fresh pizza.

Chef DK’s mexican station. Several types of salsas, tortillas, several meats.

After dinner, we did more formal dances.

Father (Vicente)/Daughter: T. Carter Music – Daddy’s Angel

Mother (Annette)/Son Dance: Stevie Wonder – You are the sunshine of my life

And a special brother & sister (Cathy) dance: The Pretenders – I’ll stand by you

After formal dances, we opened the dance floor. These guests really loved to dance! The dance floor was full all night long. There were props to hand out such as glow sticks, wrestler masks, and joker hats, and certain songs that complemented the props. For instance, I played No Rompas Mi Corazon while everyone donned cowboy hats.

Even when I announced cake cutting, one group of guests didn’t leave the floor. When I asked them what they were doing, they replied, “Reserving our spot! You keep playing songs like the ones you’ve been playing, and this is where we are going to dance all night!”

After a while, we took a break for cake cutting, bouquet toss, and garter toss. I wish I had pictures for these events, but I have to run them so I can never get pictures! One fun thing to note: For the bouquet toss, we gave out light-up rings and veils for the single ladies to wear. Man, I need an assistant to capture moments like those!

Once tosses were done and guests were enjoying cake, donuts, rolls, and other assorted pastries and candy, I surprised the bride and groom with the ‘shoe game’. It seemed like a good opportunity to get everyone excited again, and it went over really well! I’ll have to hit them up and get their review. Once the shoe game was done we opened the dance floor again. This time, I took the music to a different level, playing songs from their request list along with songs that complemented their guests tastes. It was a very fun set, consisting of house, club, electro, 90s techno, and a lot of rock. Some artists that got played were Benny Benassi, Venga Boys, ATB, Scorpions, Eddie Money, and Global Deejays. Since the guest list was largely hispanic, many spanish tunes and club reggaeton found their way to the speakers, and there was also a cumbias set with Kumbias Kings, Cumbias Del Mileno, Juanes, and La Onda.

Dancing ended at 10pm on the dot, per venue rules. Guests were yelling encore and “one more song!” but due to venue regulations I knew it would be a breach of contract for Pierre and Tiffany if I obliged, so I politely declined. Shortly after, a party bus arrived to take everyone to their hotels, and before they left I took an opportunity to get one last picture with the bride and groom.

Congratulations to Pierre and Tiffany and their families. It was an honor to be a part of your most special day!

The Wood House at Woodland Park in San Marcos – Evan and Natasha’s Wedding

Client: Susan Dewindt on behalf of Evan Dewindt
Venue: The Historic Wood House at Woodland Park
Venue Address: 1148 Rock Springs Rd., San Marcos, CA, 92079
Number of guests: 115
Services Provided: DJ and Master of Ceremonies, Dance Floor Lighting, Video Montage, Wedding Ceremony

Wedding Coordination: Opal Martin of Allie’s Party Equipment Rental
Photography: Sage Taylor Photography
Catering: Allie’s Party Equipment Rental

Earlier this year Susan Dewindt contacted me for her son’s wedding. We met at the wedding venue to discuss details, and worked out the details. The Wood House is a historic building located at the top of Woodland Park in San Marcos, directly below the public pool area. I wish I could supply more information than that about this venue, but the history of it seems to be rather secret, and I haven’t found a single website that elaborates on it.

The Historic Wood House in San Marcos

We sat down at the venue to discuss additional enhancements for the wedding (we are a full-service entertainment company, after all) and Susan decided to add the video montage package after viewing some of the recent slideshows that I have created for clients.

The ceremony was a lot of fun. Natasha and Evan were not looking for a traditional ceremony with traditional music, and to make sure that happened they spent time with their bridal party choreographing a bridal party introduction routine to Black Eyed Peas’ “Alive”. Although my camera wasn’t in a good spot to get some of the details, I did manage to get a decent amount of the routine on video. Enjoy!

The reception area at the Wood House is nice and large and guests enjoyed great appetizers from Allie’s Party Rentals while I played a customized playlist well-tailored for this particular crowd. Song choices included Reasons to Love You by Meiko and You Look Wonderful by Slightly Stoopid. As you can tell, this wasn’t your ordinary cocktail playlist. It was many of the couple’s requests, complemented by similar songs with similar themes. Truly a challenge, with a rewarding outcome.

Since this was an outdoor wedding and it was a bit sunny and hot, precautions had to be taken to protect my equipment (and me!) from the elements, all the while keeping the clean and professional set up I’m known for.

My view…

The wedding started a bit late so we had to adjust the timing of events to compensate. Luckily , I was not alone with the planning. I had the help of their day-of coordinator, Opal Martin, to work with. It’s always nice to work with a competent and friendly coordinator. Together, we were able to mitigate some of the scheduling issues and make everything work well. When we needed some extra time, I threw in the “Shoe Game” to entertain the party, and it went over really well. We also did the “Anniversary Dance” since there were a lot of married couples in the guest list. The winning couple had been together for 60 years!!!

Dances:

First dance – Can’t Help Falling In Love (UB40)
Father/Daughter – I Loved Her First (Heartland)
Mother/Son – Beautiful Boy (Celine Dion)

After the sun set, we were able to project the slideshow. I used my DaLite projector screen, which is 7′ wide and 7+’ tall. The projection was beautiful. My projector is extremely bright and as such doesn’t let me take pictures of the projection well, but here’s a shot of the set up and the guests and bride and groom enjoying the montage.

For open dancing, I was given a rather eclectic playlist of the bridal party’s favorite songs, largely centered around electronic dance music (EDM). I really enjoyed my set because it was definitely out of the typical wedding genre. I actually enjoyed it so much that I ended up hitting ‘record’ on my system, and after tossing some ‘drops’ in it, I’m posting it here for all readers to listen to and even download if they wish.

The Creative Music DJ – July Live Wedding Clip

The reception ended with a fast dance, and the mother of the bride actually requested an encore song which I obliged with, and then the mother of the groom came up and wanted ANOTHER encore song. This group of guests just did not want to stop dancing!

After the reception, guests gathered around for a group picture, which I became a part of as well. It was pretty dark so I had to do some editing to make everyone visible.

And I just LOVE the happy expressions of both Natasha and Evan in this one.

Congratulations to Natasha and Evan, thanks for having me along for the celebration, and best wishes for continued years of happiness. You both have known each other since second grade, and you answered most of the questions the same during the Shoe Game. I’d say this one is going to last!

After the big day, I contacted Susan, the mother of the groom, who posted a review on InsiderPages (http://www.insiderpages.com/b/15253916392/creative-music-djs-san-diego) which says this:

“Dennis did such an incredible job at my son’s wedding. Even with some very last minute changes minutes before the wedding started, Dennis was able to pull it off. He is great with the crowd and kept everyone dancing up to the very end!”