Bride and Groom’s First Dance Idea: A Candlelight Dance?
Posted by Chris | Filed under Wedding Planning
A few weeks ago I was the DJ for Tony and Niya’s wedding at Hartleys Botanica Gardens, one of our most frequented Wedding Reception sites in Ventura County. This couple had several unique ideas at their wedding, but most impressive was their very different approach to the Bride and Groom’s 1st dance. Everything was prearranged with me, the Master of Ceremonies, so I knew how to organize this special moment to make it easy for the guests and perfect for the Bride and Groom. We had all the guests, 150 in total, come up to the dance floor and make a big circle around the floor where the Bride and Groom would soon bask in this beautiful limelight. Then, the guests were given candles to light from the unity candle. The end result was truly moving. This was one of the prettiest 1st Dances I have ever seen in over 17 years of working as a Wedding DJ. If you’re having an outdoor wedding, you may want to consider this idea. You will need to check with your venue first, and most likely you’ll need some type of fire permit. I can’t offer much more advice on that but I can tell you that a Candlelight First Dance is stunning and truly unforgettable! Just take a look at that photo again.
Read the rest of this entry »
Wedding Ceremony Music: Does It Have to be so traditional???
Posted by Chris | Filed under Wedding DJ Advice
So being a DJ for 20 years now, I’ve done my fair share of wedding ceremonies and receptions. It’s got me thinking about ceremony music, when provided by the DJ. I always seem to get the same question time after time. “What type of music should we play for our ceremony?” “We have no idea what to choose for the ceremony, Help!” I can remember 5-10 years ago it was a no brain-er DJ’s would always suggest the following:
“Bridal party can walk into Canon in D by Pachelbel, the Bride must walk into some sort of Bridal March and the exit as Husband and Wife should by Wedding March by Mendelssohn or a second choice of Spring (From The Four Seasons) by Vivaldi.
Flash forward 10 years now, and that’s not the case anymore. Of course you’ve probably seen the video on you tube of The Best Wedding Entrance Dance Ever – Chris Brown – Forever when the bridal party is walking down the isle to Chris Brown’s pop song-Forever. AND WHY NOT??? Read the rest of this entry »
Our Wedding DJ’s in San Diego at The Dana Hotel
Posted by Chris | Filed under San Diego Wedding Venues
From the moment the guests arrive at your wedding, they will know they’re attending something really special.
The Dana Hotel on Mission Bay is one of the most romantic settings for San Diego weddings. I’m thrilled to have worked there a few weeks ago as the Wedding DJ for Kimberly and Hugo.
Click Here to Use our Free Wedding Reception Venue Map to locate The Dana Hotel
They have a great website which lists prices, menus options, and lots of other important details. You can see that a Wedding can be done for a reasonable budget within or below the National Average.
You can have your Wedding Ceremony here, which offers a picturesque waterfront location that’s perfect for your special day. The elegant reception site has a spectacular ballroom with 18-foot floor to ceiling windows overlooking the water.
Additionally, the catering team led by Robert and the finely tuned staff will work hard to ensure that your event is highly personalized and completely perfect.
The Dana Hotel on Mission Bay is definitely the place for a magical wedding or special occasion. Our DJs in San Diego offer the perfect options for music and entertainment for all types of events at the Dana Hotel.
LA Wedding DJs first Wedding at Shade Hotel
Posted by Chris | Filed under L.A. Wedding Reception Venues
This past weekend I had the privilege of DJing a wedding at a boutique hotel in Manhattan Beach. If you’re looking for a beach setting, have a smaller, more intimate guest list, then the Shade Hotel is right for you.
The Shade Hotel is beyond gorgeous and beautifully kept! This was Elegant Event Entertainment’s first time to work in this hotel and I speak on behalf of our company by saying, it’s a great spot. For anyone looking to get married somewhere unique and special…especially a Los Angeles Beach Wedding, THIS IS YOUR PLACE!!! They go out of their way to make your special day INCREDIBLE. Sitting on the roof of the Shade Hotel provides an exquisite 360 degree backdrop of Manhattan Beach and the Ocean. Though the deck only holds about 75-80 people, it makes for a very friendly & cozy environment.
The staff was extraordinarily helpful – they treated me like a guest rather than hired help and I appreciate it. From Jen Peterson (wedding Coordinator) to the gentlemen parking the cars, everyone was so accommodating and extremely friendly. They are a top-notch establishment that left me impressed.
Photography-Cheryl of Ogden Photography was extremely professional and a dream to work with.
I am really looking forward to seeing her photos and working with her again. She knows her stuff as a photographer and knows our industry really well.
I want to personally thank all of the Cast and Crew of this beautiful Wedding at the Shade Hotel, and offer a special Thanks and Congratulations to the Bride and Groom Cheryl & Cooper!
Wedding Toasts: 10 Helpful tips; 10 Worst Toasts
Posted by Chris | Filed under Event Planning Tips
I’ve been a Los Angeles DJ for 20 years and I have seen thousands of Wedding Toasts. Many have been really good, some bad, a few immensely entertaining, and several downright bore fests. I have also had the honor of being Best Man on two occasions, and I quickly realized I’m no expert in giving toasts. However, I know that a wedding toast is an opportunity for the best man, maid of honor, family members or friends to share in their joy for the newlywed couple. When I was asked to be a best man at my Brother’s and Best Friend’s Wedding, I thought about and planned what I would say for months. Even though I am a professional DJ, I still found that I was nervous about giving a toast at a Wedding. A toast is an intimate moment, all eyes and ears are on you, and this moment will be remembered by most in attendance, especially if it goes poorly.
But, don’t worry if you’re not a professional speaker, you don’t need to be. Just keep these few points in mind:
1. Don’t get long winded, keep it under 3-4 minutes. Rehearse the basic points of what you want to say, do not just grab the microphone and start talking.
2. Don’t give the audience an entire history of how you know the Bride or Groom. Give some basic points about the nature of your relationship to them and talk about how happy you are for this couple.
Read the rest of this entry »
Macy’s Cosmetic Department Giveway at Westfield Topanga Mall
Posted by Jason | Filed under Announcement
On May 2, 2009 the cosmetic and fragrance department at Macy’s Department store in the Westfield Topanga Mall will be hosting an event for all customers, featuring new product lines for Spring and Summer as well as great raffle giveaways to shoppers. Elegant Event Entertainment will be there with DJ Lucid spinning tight grooves and Los Angeles DJ Jason Jones will be the MC for the event. You can find us on the main floor of Macy’s Topanga from 12-5pm. Brides and Grooms, this is a great opportunity to try new product lines and find great deals on cosmetics so you can look your best on your big day. You will also find some very nice gifts for your Wedding Party at this event. Enter to win prizes including a Cosmetic gift basket valued at over $500.00! Don’t forget Mother’s Day is right around the corner as well, and mom loves Cosmetics and Fragrances from Macy’s. Bring your fiance, bring your friends, bring your mom, and come by and say hi to DJ Jason Jones and DJ Lucid of Elegant Event Entertainment.
We look forward to seeing you there!
When: May 2, 2009
Where: Macy’s Department Store Westfield Topanga Mall in Woodland Hills/Canoga Park, California
Time: 12-5pm
Planning your First Dance; our recent songs list
Posted by Jason | Filed under wedding tips
The Bride and Groom First Dance is one of the happiest moments of the entire Wedding Reception. As you plan your wedding, it’s one of the many little decisions you’ll make along the way.
The placement of the First Dance in the schedule is a personal choice. In most cases the First Dance follows the Grand Entrance into the reception room pretty much immediately. When this is done, the meal usually follows and open dancing is scheduled later, this can allow the Bride and Groom to have their special moment as soon as they enter, with all eyes on them, and it also relieves the stress for the rest of the evening because the hard part is over, now it’s time to let loose and have fun. You can break that pattern if you need to and we’ve seen the first dance influenced by the logistics of the event location and the style of the event. Some Weddings are very non-traditional, or have longer receptions, and it’s often appropriate to hold the First Dance after the meal.
Even if you do not like to be in the spotlight, our suggestion is to keep in mind that this is one moment your guests will want to see and it is one of the most memorable moments of your wedding. We suggest taking a few dance lessons to ease the pressure and loosen up for the dance. If you aren’t the dancing type, don’t try to choreograph a complex Sir Mix-A-Lot surprise dance routine, it will seem too arranged. But dance lessons can definitely help you to look and feel as natural as possible for your First Dance.
But what song to use! Read the rest of this entry »
Planning a Los Angeles Wedding? Create a Timetable.
Posted by Chris | Filed under Wedding Planning
I was going through the web today looking for content and I came across this blog. Planning a wedding, the timetable I asked myself, “are brides creating a timetable these days?” Recently its seems that DJs are among the last vendors to be booked. We have received calls from clients asking us to DJ their Wedding with less than 4 weeks to spare before their event. In this time-table linked above, the author suggests booking your entertainment or DJ about 6-9 months prior to the event.
In an effort to help our clients, I would like to suggest a few reasons why you might want to consider booking a DJ (especially some of the more competitive Los Angeles DJs) well in advance of your event. Although I have done it numerous times in my career, as a DJ, I don’t like to just show up and play music the day of your Wedding. The DJ likes to get a feel for your vision for your Wedding, and it takes time and communication to carry that out. We will often speak with the venue or your other vendors to arrange and organize the timeline and flow of events, we spend time collecting and arranging music, we set and take meetings or phone consultations with bride and grooms, etc… If you wait until the last minute to book your DJ, it leaves us little time to prepare your entertainment and to make sure that everything runs smoothly. I’m confident that all of us at Elegant Event Entertainment can easily pull off a great Wedding even if we have very little time to prepare for it, but it is so much nicer to have that time to bond with my clients and help them realize their dreams for the perfect wedding.
Furthermore, my services as a DJ are based upon my availability. Many Brides and Grooms do book their DJ well in advance, and they often have the pick of the cream of the crop for DJs and Entertainment Companies that best suit their needs and budgets. Our company only hires very talented and experienced Wedding DJs, but each of their personalities are different. If a client waits too long, they may not find that match with the DJ they’re looking for, simply because the DJ has already been booked. Read the rest of this entry »
A Tasty Way To Make Every Penny Work Double-Time
Posted by Chris | Filed under wedding tips
This blog caught my attention. A clever idea!!!! Photo by: Forever Photography by Kylene
A tasty way to make every penny work double-time
Wedding DJ saves the Cake!
Posted by Jason | Filed under Tips for Hiring a Wedding DJ
As you can imagine, in my 11 year career as a DJ, particularly a Wedding DJ, I have seen just about everything, and if I haven’t seen it, one of my colleagues has, or I soon will.
I want to tell you a story that might help you better understand the role that a DJ has, especially at a Wedding.
Many clients assume that a DJ simply sits back and plays music, or maybe he performs a few tricks with his mixing abilities that the average I-tunes user can’t do. Clients should expect their DJ to have a sense of how to keep the guests involved, on the dance floor, and having a good time. Honestly, that is the majority of what Wedding DJs are supposed to do. But oh, there’s so much more to it.
When I first began my career back in North Carolina, I didn’t have a clue about all the crazy things I was going to see and deal with as a DJ. I quickly learned that due to the simple fact that we have the microphone, Wedding DJs become the Person In Charge in almost any situation, whether we like it or not. Fortunately our clients like it that way and I feel that our DJs handle the responsibility really well. It is our job to convey to your guests the order of events, the plan of the party, the story of the celebration and virtually every major detail of the event. We must do this in such a way as to not be “Cheesy DJs” or obtrusive on the microphone. We can do it with music and with specially arranged and coordinated announcements and work done “behind the scenes.” We must be concise, to the point, friendly and upbeat all the while. But it also becomes our job to try to avert disasters, or to keep certain things from causing problems, things that go unnoticed by most people at an event. This of course, goes well beyond the ability to mix music properly or make the Grand Entrance announcement. This is the role of the DJ that many clients don’t see at first and usually won’t fully realize until the event is over and they are showering the DJ with many praises for his “above and beyond” performance all across the board.
So I want to provide you with an example of how a DJ can work well beyond the conventional “job description” to improve your event. Of course, we feel that these are common standards for our DJs, skills they must all possess in order to be an Elegant Event Entertainment Wedding DJ.
What follows is The Story Of The Falling Wedding Cakes, and how I, the DJ, went beyond the call of duty to help in a time of crisis!
If you’ve ever been to North Carolina in August, you know it can be very hot and humid. If you haven’t, then turn your shower as hot as it will go, close all the windows and doors and put the heat thermostat on 85-90 degrees. Now, stand there in a tuxedo for 6 hours. That’s what an August wedding in NC feels like. And honestly, it isn’t much better in Southern California, minus the really thick humidity.
At any rate, long about my 3rd year as a DJ, I was faced with an interesting problem at a mid August NC wedding. The Cake was delivered, it was a gorgeous 5 tier cake, very traditional, but absolutely beautiful. About 30 minutes after the cake was set up, the icing began to melt. The Bride and Groom finished taking pictures at the church and were in the limo heading to the reception site at about the same time I noticed the cake beginning to “lean” shall we say? I quickly alerted a catering staff member, who assigned someone to stand guard with a platter to catch the cake if it fell. Brilliant! Read the rest of this entry »
If you are an experienced wedding DJ who loves working to serve the needs of your clients, 