Walnut Grove Weddings, the DJ’s perspective with wedding video clips.
Posted by Jason | Filed under L.A. Wedding Reception Venues
This season, our DJs have been elevated to preferred vendor status at Walnut Grove at Tierra Rejada Ranch in Moorpark, California. This is a beautiful spot for a wedding, because of the uniqueness of the Walnut Tree Grove which makes you feel 1000 miles from Los Angeles and the gorgeous surroundings of rural and pastoral settings in Moorpark. The wedding ceremony can be held among the beautiful trees and the reception area has recently been remodeled to include a huge dance floor, a large stage built of stone and brick with a fireplace as the central focal point. Otherwise, the grounds are fairly simplistic and are a blank canvas for your wedding or private event. The exclusive catering on the property is done by none other than Command Performance Catering and they always do an amazing job at all of their events. The facility sales and events coordinator is Michelle Spring with Mia Bella Weddings & Events Call Walnut Grove today at 805- 558-8279 for more information.
There is a noise ordinance at this property, since the events are held completely outdoors. Be aware that although we don’t seem to have any problems with complaints there, if you’re having an enormous wedding and want to “blow the roof off the building” this might not be the place for you, you might consider a hotel ballroom or private event facility that is indoors.
We’ve included a few videos of Weddings at Walnut Grove that we’ve shot from the DJ’s perspective, we hope you enjoy! If you need a great DJ for your Wedding in Los Angeles or Ventura County, please give us a call, we’d love to help!
A Wedding at Calamigos Ranch, from the DJs prospective.
Posted by Jason | Filed under L.A. Wedding Reception Venues
So you are or are thinking about having a wedding at Calamigos Ranch in Malibu, California? Well, we’ve been fortunate enough to be the Wedding DJs for at least 40 weddings at this unique and very well known venue located in the mountains of Malibu. Having been the DJ for about half of those events myself, I can tell you with confidence that Calamigos delivers excellence in all of their events. They’ve been in the event production business for a long, long time and they have a pretty well oiled machine there. Granted, there are a lot of events hosted there each and every week, so you won’t really be able to have the venue all to yourself (unless it’s the dead of winter) but this simply shows their popularity, affordability, and excellence in execution as being more than adequate for hundreds of Brides and Grooms in Southern California every year.
I’ve attached a video from a recent wedding where Elegant Event Entertainment were the Wedding DJs for Chris and LaShelle’s wedding, held at Calamigos Ranch in the Main dining room and courtyard, with a cocktail hour reception held behind the building and featuring local Aerial Circus Performers . Don’t judge the quality of our videos too much, we aren’t professional videographers, but we make the videos as a record of our events and they make a nice gift for our clients! Notice the different areas of the property and how unique each one is aesthetically and functionally.
There are at least 4 high quality locations on this enormous property in which a couple can get married, including unique ceremony and reception sites for all types of parties and sizes of guest lists. Although the majority of the events we DJ are held in the Main Building, we are also familiar with the logistics of other locations on this property. The Main Dining facility has a dance hall area which includes a beautiful fireplace for those cozy autumn and winter weddings. There’s also a gorgeous waterfall and lots of mature greenery surrounding the Ceremony Site just outside the main dining area, which makes this site very accommodating, convenient and really beautiful. There’s also a new outdoor bar/lounge area which I have attended an “after party” with my clients and I thought this was one of the coolest features of the property, so be sure to check that out as well if you take a tour of the property.
The food at Calamigos Ranch is always good, and the service is great as well. From the event coordinators to the banquet captains and servers, everyone is friendly and tries to help make your event the most important one of the day! The ranch also makes it pretty easy on your vendors in terms of load in, accommodation, vendor meals, etc. keep in mind though, all vendors must sign a release for the ranch and must have a liability insurance policy of their own.
Congratulations on your upcoming event and good luck with your search for a wedding venue, with Calamigos you might have found the perfect location. You can certainly count on a great wedding or event if you’re hosting it at Calamigos, but keep in mind, great events require great entertainment, so please consider hiring one of our experienced and fun Wedding DJs for your most special day!
“The Madison Restaurant” in Long Beach is perfect for Weddings or any occasion!
Posted by Jason | Filed under L.A. Wedding Reception Venues
Located on Pine Street in Long Beach, California is a diamond in the rough, a restaurant that harkens back to a time in American history when partying in ‘high-society’ style was a standard. The Madison Restaurant says “The Jazz Age” or “Roaring 20’s” from the moment you walk in the door, but there’s so much more to this place. I was fortunate to be the Wedding DJ here on a sunday evening in March and I wanted to share the space with our readers who may not have heard of it or thought about it for their wedding reception, birthday party, corporate or other special event. The space is strikingly beautiful with it’s beautiful and very large Chandelier’s, 35 foot high ceilings, woodwork that any aficionado of fine wood working would envy, gorgeous flooring, and a terrific layout overall.
The wait and bar staff is about as beautiful and well appointed as any place I have worked a Wedding in Los Angeles, the bar men wore tuxedo’s without the jackets and most of them looked like a younger version of George Clooney, the security person wore a double breasted Zuit Suit and stood about 15 feet tall, while the young ladies could have all been models as they wore gorgeous black cocktail dresses “very well”. While looks may not be important to you, if you want your wedding to be perfect from head to toe, the staff serving your drinks and food should also look really nice and The Madison delivers with a bang! The food is really terrific as well and the presentations I saw were not over the top “fake fancy” but the flavors were far superior to most Wedding Food I’ve tasted. The wine list is immense and service on all levels was impeccable. If you add some simple but gorgeous florals, a few personal touches with photos of the newlyweds, birthday girl, or company banners, you’ll be on your way to a truly unique and spectacular event and I guarantee your guests will rave about the space you chose and what a great time they had there. But of course, don’t forget to hire a great DJ! Either myself or one of our other DJs would love to entertain there anytime!
The wedding I worked felt much more like a great cocktail/dance party than a formal event, but it had all of the elements that a wedding needed. I loved working with our friend and photographer Cheryl Ogden, she’s always a lot of fun and very professional…just click on her name to visit her website and see some of her work.
There was also a pianist that the Brides mother knew and he came in and played the gorgeous mahogany Grand Piano at the cocktail hour and I took over as DJ after that.
Although my photos don’t do it much justice, this room has an enourmous Bar with the rolling ladder to get to the Top Shelf libations, 35 foot ceilings that grab your attention immediately, and some really interesting murals that harken 1920’s cocktail parties, the atmosphere is really stunning.
Thanks to all the staff and especially to Patrick the proprietor of The Madison as well as Megan the coordinator and Makena and the two gentleman working the bar and floor all of who were very accomodating to the DJ’s needs for loading in and setting up my gear as well as helping me keep the party on schedule and running smoothly throughout the night.
By the way, the dancefloor and DJ area are centrally located and it’s easy to see and hear the DJ from any seat in the house.
The space accommodates about 300 people, and there’s a “cellar” or “vault” space below that holds parties of up to 150 guests. The Madison is available for rent on Sunday’s when the entire restaurant is closed and yours to enjoy! If you’re having a special event anywhere near Long Beach, definitely place a star beside the Madison Restaurant and go check it out.
We won an award: Winner of the Bride’s Choice Award for Mobile DJs!
Posted by Chris | Filed under Announcement
Los Angeles, CA – 1/19/10 – WeddingWire, the nation’s leading wedding technology company, just announced Elegant Event Entertainment has been selected to receive the 2010 Bride’s Choice Awards™ for Mobile Disc Jockey Service!
The annual Bride’s Choice Awards™ recognizes and celebrates excellence in quality and service within the wedding industry, as determined by recent reviews and extensive surveys from over 500,000 newlyweds.
Elegant Event Entertainment is among the top five percent of all vendors in the WeddingWire community, which includes over 100,000 wedding professionals across the US and Canada. Awards were given to winners across 19 different service categories, from wedding venues to wedding photographers.
“We are excited to recognize and honor the success of the top wedding professionals within the WeddingWire Community” said Timothy Chi, WeddingWire’s Chief Executive Officer. “The annual Bride’s Choice Awards™ program has given us the unique opportunity to highlight the best wedding professionals in each region as reviewed by brides and grooms who have utilized their services in the past year.”
We are happy to announce that Elegant Event Entertainment is among the very best Mobile Disc Jockey Service within the WeddingWire Network, which includes WeddingWire and Martha Stewart Weddings. We would like to thank our past newlyweds for nominating us for the 2010 Bride’s Choice Awards™.
For more information, please visit our WeddingWire Storefront today at http://www.weddingwire.com/biz/elegant-event-entertainment-inc-newbury-park/df911e0875c68ff5.html
Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve, a Magical Wedding!
Posted by Dana | Filed under L.A. Wedding Reception Venues
I had the pleasure of being the Event Coordinator for Felicity and Jack on their big day. Their wedding was held at a truly beautiful location, set in the Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve at the top of a mountain in the San Fernando Valley. The property once belonged to the Ahmanson Family and was known as the Ahmanson Ranch until fairly recently. So if you’re searching for Ahmanson Ranch Wedding, you’ve come to the right place, it’s just changed names.
The property caretaker Joan was also on site and played an active roll with her assistant, to insure that all the aspects of the evening were taken care of. This venue offers a gorgeous outdoor setting for the ceremony and reception. Depending on the size of your event, creating the most romantic outdoor setting can be accomplished. In addition, the 1939 fully restored Ranch House is available for use, dressing areas, restrooms, and kitchen with scullery for your catering staff’s needs. The Open Space Conservancy allows you to bring in all of your own vendors and event professionals from catering, wait and bar staff, entertainment such as DJs and live musicians, décor and coordination. From the coordination perspective, this location allows me a great opportunity to be creative, the grounds of this facility are very large and offer a 360 degree view of the San Fernando Valley, but there are gorgeous trees everywhere and placing small areas here and there for different aspects of the event, such as dinner, cocktails, ceremony, dancing, and even designated smoking areas can all be created with an interesting design aspect. Also, a huge selling point to this property: You can party until 12:00am and potentially stay until 1:00am. Very few outdoor locations in Los Angeles allow events to go beyond 11:00pm and most outdoor wedding sites in Ventura County close you down at 10:00pm. So keep that in mind, you get to hire your favorite caterer and aren’t locked into an “exclusive” company, and you can stay and play past midnight!
DJ Jason Jones from Elegant Event Entertainment and I had a terrific time with all the wedding party and guests. Bride and Groom Felicity and Jack had a great community of family and friends. I have never heard so many heartfelt and wonderful speeches. The Groom and his family were from Norway and the culture of their weddings calls for lots of toasts, which was truly a wonderful aspect of this wedding and the venue provided a perfect setting for the intimacy of speeches without feeling long and drawn out. I credit the toasters and the Toastmaster Kixx Malone, a long time friend of the groom for keeping the toasts moving and adding that special intimate touch to all of the introductions and speeches, Kixx was awesome! Read the rest of this entry »
Los Robles Greens Wedding and Banquet Center
Posted by Jason | Filed under L.A. Wedding Reception Venues
A few weeks ago our company was hired and I was the DJ for Justin and Casey’s Wedding at Los Robles Country Club, also known as Los Robles Greens, in Thousand Oaks, CA. This is the second time Elegant Event Entertainment, Inc. has been there this year and each event was really great. The staff at Los Robles is extremely professional and helpful to their clients and other outside vendors like ourselves. We really enjoy working at this facility.
If you’re considering a wedding at Los Robles Greens, I can certainly attest to the fact that it’s a very nice place for a wedding in Thousand Oaks. The views of the golf course and mountains in the distance can be enjoyed by all during your Ceremony and throughout the reception. The Banquet hall has floor to ceiling windows which spotlight the views.
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 »
Our Top 5 Best Picks: Los Angeles Garden and Estate Wedding Sites
Posted by Chris | Filed under L.A. Wedding Reception Venues
So, you’ve determined that a Garden-Style Wedding is what you’ve always dreamed of and you decided to have your Wedding Ceremony and Reception at the same location.
There’s just one problem. How in the world do you choose from so many great facilities and gorgeous locations? We’ve put to together a short list to help you look closely at some of our favorite locations as wedding DJs. Through the years Elegant Event Entertainment has performed wedding DJ services at many garden and estate venues. We happen to like these 5 a lot.
These venues do not appear in any particular order: They all made the grade! Keep in mind, the locations listed are primarily outdoor venues, consider tents in colder or wetter months, and also consider that July, August, and September can be brutally hot, set your event start time late in the afternoon and early evening. Don’t make grandma or anyone else endure the heat.
1. Maravilla Gardens- located in the Santa Rosa valley and minutes from the 101 this family owned nursery is a real treat for your Wedding Venue. This property features a fully outdoor Ceremony/Reception experience with tenting as an inclement weather plan. The added bonus here is the full service on site exclusive catering provided by Command Performance Catering Group. Maravilla Gardens is a gorgeous setting, in the hills with great views and the Gardens are amazing, you can save big money on flowers, you won’t need much more than centerpieces and minor accouterments here. Able to accommodate up to 350 guests, yet intimate enough for a gathering of any size, this site is suited for weddings, family reunions and corporate events. Their on-site coordinator and their owners are wonderful and they are extremely accommodating to vendors and guests. Music stops at 10:00pm here.
2. Hartley Botanica- This site is located in Ventura County and is a real gem, offering garden weddings and receptions. You have to see these gardens, truly a fantasy land here. The catering is offered exclusively by Command Performance Catering Group. We really like the setting here, for outdoor and garden weddings, it certainly does not disappoint. One of the best. You can find pricing on their website or call them for custom quotes. Our services are well respected and accommodated here as well. Music stops at 10pm.
3. Bella Victorian - Elegant Event Entertainment founder Chris Mortillaro has performed for many Weddings and parties at Bella Victorian, he loves it, our clients love it, what else can you say? Though this is a winery, it feels like an estate or garden wedding facility. The owner is great, she helps with coordination and works extremely well with our DJs. The grounds hold up to about 200 guests and accommodate Ceremonies and Receptions. And of course, you can have wine tastings here as an added feature to your event. This place is just very unique, like most of the locations on this list. DJ’s Catering is fabulous as well. We love the staff and it’s always a great time for our clients.
4. McCormick Home Ranch- Just over the Santa Rosa Pass and right off the 101, this is an ideal location for your event. You’ll have the option of having a ceremony in a garden, your cocktail hour in a private backyard setting, and reception under huge Eucalyptus trees in front of a gorgeous country colonial style home. You can bring in all of your vendors here, and we are unsure of the details on that for this property, but our experiences working here have been really stellar, no matter who catered it. This is just an absolutely beautiful location for a wedding or private event. They accommodate about 250 and music stops at 11pm.
5. Saddlerock Ranch- The Santa Monica Mountains never dissapoint. This is another location off the 101, up a mountain, and far away from the hustle and bustle…and although it can be a little difficult logistically, it is truly stunning. They have gardens, meadows, views, vineyards and very private settings. They can accommodate up to 5,000 people here…can you imagine? Most parties are up to 400. No noise restrictions here either, a big plus for the wild parties!
Tips for choosing a Los Angeles or Ventura County Wedding Site.
Posted by Jason | Filed under L.A. Wedding Reception Venues
Elegant Event Entertainment has performed DJ Services at hundreds of Los Angeles and Ventura County Wedding Venues. We’ve had many great experiences at each location and it’s our goal to help clients narrow down their choice of venues for their Wedding or special occasion. Below is our short checklist for picking a Los Angeles Wedding venue.
So, how do you make this decision? We think you have to ask yourself a few quick questions.
- What is my budget? Does the venue offer a wide range of services and pricing options?
- Will I have my Ceremony and my Reception there? Can the facility offer both services on site?
- How many guests do I expect to attend? Can the facility accommodate them?
- Do I want a facility that offers all inclusive catering, rentals (i.e. tables and chairs) or do I want to provide my own catering and party rentals.
- Does the facility offer an on site Wedding Planner/Coordinator? May I bring my own Event Planner?
- Do I want a Beach Wedding, Garden Wedding, Country Club or Hotel Ballroom Wedding? What type of location best suits our needs and personalities?
These are questions which we believe everyone needs to ask themselves first and foremost. But once you have determined these basic needs, what’s next?
You need to visit the locations, and try to narrow it down to about 5 of your favorites. Look at their websites, talk to their coordinators or sales staff, and make an appointment if it looks like a place you want to see. Great venues book up fast, especially during popular months and Saturdays. You’ll want to try to secure the facility about 9-12 months in advance or consider a Friday, Sunday or off peak weekend for your event.
And of course, another very important step is to read reviews and articles, listen to what others are saying about the facilities you are looking at, and talk to vendors who have worked in those facilities. That’s where we come in!
Over the course of the next several blog articles, we will try to help you narrow down your choices by picking and listing our favorite locations in Los Angeles and Ventura County. We plan on writing a Top 5 Garden Wedding Locations, Top 5 Beach Wedding Sites, Top 5 Country Club Wedding locations, and many more similar lists.
Stay Tuned.
We are exhibiting at the Los Angeles Wedding Showcase February 7, 2009.
Posted by Jason | Filed under L.A. Wedding Reception Venues
This Saturday, February 7, 2009 Elegant Event Entertainment will have a vendor booth in the Padre Serra Wedding Showcase in Camarillo. The Showcase is sponsored by Command Performance Catering Group
The Serra Center at Padre Serra Church is a new location with indoor and outdoor facilities available for a number of uses accommodating more than 400 guests. It’s conveniently located near several hotels and also near the 101 Freeway. This new venue may be great for your gathering.
At the show you can meet with Los Angeles Wedding Professionals:
- Disc Jockeys
- Coordination
- Photography
- Floral Design
- Cakes
And best of all you can hang out with us!
For more information on the Padre Serra Showcase visit http://www.cpcatering.com/quote/showcase.asp
If you are an experienced wedding DJ who loves working to serve the needs of your clients,