Stacy and Freddy - Croatian American Cultural Center

I had booked this wedding about a year ago, and was only dealing with Mom, because the newlyweds-to-be lived back east. So, as we got closer, Mom turned out to be quite the little planner! She had all of the evening's music picked out, a ton of fun dedications for me to make, and many other fine details that had obvisously taken a ton of thought. So, in the 103 degree temp, I setup for the ceremony outside, setup my biggie inside, and the wedding began at 6:00pm sharp, thanks to Mike Zupan, who runs the CACC. Once married, we all scurried inside for some AC, and the festivities began. We made it to the dancefloor after the cake cutting and the slideshow, and the party began. I was really sticking to 'the list,' but abandoned it for the last 30 minutes of the evening when the wedding party was begging for some country! So, we kicked up our cowboy boots for the last 30, and although we had to stop, they were screaming for more!! Congrats Freddy and Stacy!

Make It Yours

One of my big 'pushes' this year is to encourage couples to make their reception 'custom.' What exactly does that mean? Well, there are DJ's who say, 'I will make your reception the best EVER!' That's a pretty big statement if you ask me, and I realize it's more of a marketing ploy than a reality, but what I am really trying to encourage is making the events of your wedding day unique, fun and personalized. For example, when you are ready to join your guests at your reception, we DJ's usually introduce the members of your wedding party by name, and then bring you, the newlyweds in to an enthusiastic inflection in our voice, and a fun song in the background, in hopes of bringing your guests to their feet. Sounds nice, yes? It is nice. But....whenever I take it to a more personal level, which I will explain shortly, guests always come by and compliment the cool intros we just delivered. What I am referring to is introducing your wedding party one by one by one, with a unique song for each playing, and at the same time I am reading a cool, funny bio about them that you would write (and not tell them). So, all of a sudden, they are walking in to a story that pokes fun at them, your guests are laughing and clapping, and you, the newlyweds, get to soak it all in as the last couple to be introduced.

That is just one of many ingredients that you can personalize that your guests will hopefully remember from your wedding; I have many more to share.

Anna and Mike - Monte Verde Inn

Okay, so we know that I am lucky enough to frequently DJ weddings at the Monte Verde Inn, my absolute fav wedding venue, for so many reasons.... And when you think you have seen all of the various combinations of decor at MVI, Catriona from Arcularius Events put together a lounge and curtains which added a whole new dimension to the Inn. When I invited guests onto the 'lounge' dance area for the 1st dance, they never left, because they were loungin'. Anna and Mike started out dancing to 'You Are The Best Thing,' then shocked their guests with a little 'Bust a Move!' It was really a great evening, and guests danced til the very end. Hope A&M are having fun in Costa Rica...

Amanda and Blake at The Library Galleria

Amanda and her Mom (Sharon) had been involved in the planning with me leading up to wedding day, and I never got to meet Blake. The word on Blake was that he was very easy going, and didn't want a very 'structured' reception. Cool! We integrated red uplighting and a monogram spotlight throughout the Library, and it really looked stunning! The day before her wedding, Amanda called me in a panic, as the Church just wasn't 'feeling' the music for her ceremony. So, after setting up for the reception, I made it to the Church in plenty of time, and made sure that their music went off perfectly. Amanda walked down the aisle to Norah Jones' version of 'Love Me Tender.' Once at the Library, Monte from All Seasons All Reasons Catering had the place smelling soooooo good. Jessica from Stout Photography, the amazing Jessica!, was shootin' away all night long, and we just had a really nice reception. Blake and Amanda danced to 'Amber' by 311, love that tune! Hope they are enjoying their honeymoon in Maui....

Monte Verde Inn - Justin and Megan Ussery

How cool is it to have a Halloween wedding, at the finest venue around(www.monteverdeinn.net), outdoors, and have 75 degree weather? Love that!! Justin and Megan were married by 3pm, and what struck me most about their reception was Justin's twin brother Joel's toast. I wish I had videotaped it, it was the most emotional toast I have seen in a LONG time. Randy Pach captured it on his still cam though. They had a very cool group of guests, dinner was fabulous as always, my photobooth was rockin' all night long, and once we started dancing, they didn't want to stop! The surprise (to me) big song of the night was Devo's "Whip It." Congrats to the Ussery's.

Vizcaya Sacramento - Robert and Samantha

Robert and Samantha were married in the courtyard at the Vizcaya, in downtown Sac. The weather was ideal, Samantha looked stunning, and the ceremony was very well put together. Once we went indoors for the reception, the room looked awesome, their cupcakes were stacked high, you could smell the tri-tip cookin', and the appetizers were being served to all. Joel from http://www.2ndbornfilms.com/ was capturing every important moment, and I was spinning Frank, Dean, Norah, Diana and more leading us up to the first dance. I always love it when guests come up to me, and ask me when the dancing is set to begin. Ya' just know it's gonna be a good one! Their first dance was Van Morrison's "Someone Like You." Love that tune! Then the party began, and Samantha was on the dancefloor the entire night, literally!! The tune that brought the house down was "Fat Bottomed Girls." The night ended with them begging for more, but we had to close it up by 11PM. Great night!!

Coloma Country Inn Wedding - Jessica and Mike

Last night was a thing of beauty! I arrived at the Coloma Country Inn about 2.5 hours early, and it was sparsely setup at that point. The grounds went through an amazing transformation over the next two hours. Three beautiful chandeliers, a variety of floral arrangements, my uplighting against the trees, a candy bar, silver candelabras, and so much more detail that I can't even remember it all. It was really amazing. Aimee Wendell from http://www.planaevents.com/ did an amazing job, and to see it, visit Jessica Moore's blog on http://www.stoutphoto.com/. I'm quite sure she captured it vividly, in fact, I know she did. Bocca catering served up some great tri-tip and chicken with all the fixins, and we were all fueled up for dancing. My fav was watching Jessica and Mike give their bouquet and garter away to the winners of the 'freeze dance!' Remember that dance??? Their guests partied all night long, and I am still crackin' up as I recall the groomsmen performing their dance routine to 'All The Single Ladies." You should have seen them......