“The Vitamin String Quartet” is thinking outside the “Bach’s” for Wedding Ceremony Music.
Posted by Jason | Filed under Wedding Planning
Wedding DJs are often asked to play music for the Wedding Ceremony when the budget isn’t there to hire live musicians, so of course, if a DJ is playing the ceremony music, Brides and Grooms can pick absolutely any music they want.
So, let’s say you love the idea of having classical music or an elegant feel to your ceremony and you would love to hire a string quartet but simply don’t have it in your budget. Hire the next best thing! Hire your DJ to play music recorded by a string quartet, the cost is roughly 25% of the cost of live musicians. Now please, don’t get me wrong, I am a trained classical singer and I love live music, nothing compares to it, and when you have the budget, I absolutely encourage you to hire one of our preferred string quartets. But, Brides on a budget can do really well by allowing their DJ to play the pre-seating, processional and recessional music. We can also provide a microphone for the minister, rabbi, or officiant or an extra microphone for readers/performers if the venue doesn’t already do so.
Our DJs build the playlist based on the Bride and Groom’s requests. The DJs cue and play the correct songs at the right time for the processional and recessional. But it’s also our job to help guide a client musically in the direction that best suits their style while maintaining at least some components of the integrity and reverence of a Wedding Ceremony.
SO…You like classical music but you don’t know the difference between Bach and Beethoven, and you thought Yo Yo Ma was something you did with that child’s toy on a string. Well, Bach is one of my all time favorite composers and his “Jesu’ Joy Of Man’s Desiring” or “Air on a G Sting” are famously used in Wedding Ceremonies all the time…Beethoven’s music might be too intense for most Weddings, however, I think I’ve heard “Ode to Joy” at a few Ceremonies, though it likely belongs at the Olympics instead. And of course, Yo Yo Ma is widely considered the finest cellist to ever live, he’s certainly the most popular and best selling recording artist in his field, heck he even played at Obama’s Inauguration, even though that was a pre-recorded studio performance, no they aren’t really playing that well on the steps of the capital in January!
Do you need to know any of this? No! Not unless classical music really interests you. But, let your DJ help you make some interesting choices without playing the same 12 songs on “The Classical Wedding Sampler CD” he bought 10 years ago. Does every DJ know classical music? NO! Which is why if you hire one to play your ceremony and you want classical music, you should ask him if he or someone in his company REALLY knows classical music…I happen to be that person in our company and our DJs call on me for questions, and I invite you to as well!
So now, I can finally get to my point. You like the classical feel, you don’t know classical music, you love popular music too, but you don’t know how to incorporate the two in your Wedding Ceremony without the two styles clashing. Four Words: The Vitamin String Quartet. Read the rest of this entry »
The Importance of Making Your Wedding Unique and Memorable
Posted by Chris | Filed under Wedding Planning
This blog is for all those brides and grooms trying to plan a wedding and dealing with all the stress of making it unique. I came across an informative article that I think will help some of you. Below is a quote from this article with a link to the original – hit the link if you’re interested in the rest of the story.
“Each and every wedding is unique in its very own way. Thus, every single detail related to it must carry a persona that truly reflects this sense of uniqueness and exclusivity that will contribute to the whole blissful wedding experience. Having personalized wedding items and novelties is definitely one of the best ways to achieve this. Not only these items depict the distinctiveness of your wedding reception, they also act as meaningful mementos for you and your guests as a remembrance of a beautiful wedding.” -Rene Lacape
Here’s the link to the excellent article: The Best Wedding To Remember
A Backyard Wedding, Executed Perfectly!
Posted by Jason | Filed under Event Planning Tips
There’s something about having a wedding on your own property that can be really special and unique. But, don’t assume that any old backyard will do. If you’re planning to have a backyard wedding, I hope you’ll get a few ideas from the following story about a wedding that our Ventura County DJs were hired to perform for Susan and Thad’s big day in Ojai California in mid-August.
A few tips for pulling off a successful Backyard Wedding:
1. Have the catering done professionally.
Our clients used Green Acres Catering in Simi Valley, CA and had a variety of gorgeous fruit and cheese trays beautifully displayed on the back porch as well as passed appetizers during the cocktail hour. The main buffet line was set-up under very nice tents on the driveway, BBQ style, and the caterer even grilled the food on-site! It smelled and tasted wonderful.
2. Hire a Professional Mobile Bar or Bartenders.
Catered Cocktails of Ventura were hired to provide Bar service, and they did a great job. The family didn’t have to tend to any food or drinks all night, and the beverage cleanup was done by the professionals as well!
3. Make the Ceremony Unique and Sentimental
The couple asked their friend Sonya Shelton, founder of “Being Present To Win” to officiate their wedding ceremony. Sonya is a leadership and spiritual guide as well as an ordained, non-traditional minister. She incorporated Buddhist traditions in this truly beautiful ceremony. Read the rest of this entry »
Cafe Mozart Wedding
Posted by Jason | Filed under Orange County Wedding Reception Venues
Ah, early April in Southern California. Gorgeous weather, blue skies, a light breeze. There is no better place in the country to have a wedding than in Socal, the weather is almost always cooperative. Recently, I was hired to DJ a wedding at Cafe Mozart, a restaurant and Event facility in San Juan Capistrano. Although the drive for me personally is a little far, I was so pleasantly surprised by this place that I wouldn’t mind working there every week, but since we have Orange County Wedding DJs who work for Elegant Event Entertainment and live further south, they too will love to DJ events at this location.
The owners chef Hans and his wife Carla are wonderful people and both are great chefs. Hans is a highly trained European chef and Carla is an incredible pastry chef, she makes the Wedding Cakes, so you can check that off your list right away. The cake at this wedding was gorgeous and tasted great! 
The food was wonderful, from the passed hors d’oeuvres to the salads and entree, I could tell everyone was enjoying the food immensely, which is not something you always expect at wedding facilities. Nevertheless, the ambiance of this quaint reception area is set in a courtyard with a beautiful fountain flowing gently throughout your reception, the architecture has that wonderful Spanish influence, and the lighting is very romantic when the sun goes down, reducing the need for any outside lighting to be rented and brought in, which can be a costly venture. This facility also holds events inside for up to 150 people and outside up to 250. 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
Los Angeles Weddings : What’s Your Budget?
Posted by Chris | Filed under wedding tips
A wonderful blog we found about Wedding Budgets. Why Having A Wedding Budget Is Necessary?.
“All of us at Elegant Event Entertainment understand what’s going on with the economy and the cost of a wedding. We can make sure you stay within your budget with our event planning team by creating the right package for your entertainment and budget needs. Hiring a Los Angeles DJ can be expensive, but we want to ease your concerns and prove that our services can be affordable to most clients. We believe clients will find a great value for our experience and highly respected reputation.”
Save A Buck Or Two!!
Posted by Chris | Filed under wedding tips
As I was searching through blogs I came across this. Brides and Grooms are putting money back in to their pockets. The Wedding Lens developed a list of 75 Cheap Wedding Tips that cover all kinds of areas of planning.
“You want your wedding to be classy, smart, and just how you imagined. We’ve created this list of cheap wedding tips to save you money without sacrificing style and grace.”
If you are an experienced wedding DJ who loves working to serve the needs of your clients,