Bridal Premier Showcase at Westlake Hyatt August 8, 2010
Posted by Jason | Filed under Announcement
Elegant Event Entertainment will be showcasing our Wedding DJ Services at the Bridal Show in the Westlake Hyatt in Thousand Oaks On Sunday August 8, 2010. Doors open at 11:00am. The show is produced by Bridal Premier. Click here for more information.
Come on out to the show, you’ll find many of the top companies in the Wedding Industry there. Come by our booth and let us know you saw this Blog and save money on our DJ Services! We hope to see you there and congratulations on your upcoming Wedding! If you can’t make it to the show, don’t worry, give us a call to schedule a free consultation with our highly recommended DJs. We would love to find out more about your event and help you realize your dreams of a fun-filled and perfect Wedding Reception!
Sincerely,
Elegant Event Entertainment Team.
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!
Happy Mothers Day; a special reflection from one Wedding DJ who meets a lot of moms!
Posted by Jason | Filed under Wedding DJ Advice
I am not a mom…I’m a Wedding DJ in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties. I love my job and my company! You know that much about me if you’ve been coming here to read our blogs for a little while. I also love my mother, and I wanted to write something about mom’s on this Mothers Day Weekend, because I get to see a lot of moms in my line of work. There are usually 6 very important people that I deal with week in and week out. Of course, there’s the Bride and Groom, and the Bride’s Father, and the Groom’s father…but then, there are the moms! Mother’s are often the most proud people on earth on a wedding day. Even the moms that are simply in attendance are proud, ever thinking of the day their child or children will say “I do.” My poor mother sits 2700 miles away in Florida, reading my posts about another wedding I’m DJing this weekend on Facebook, week after week, and I can only imagine that she keeps hoping one of those posts will include me as the Groom and not the DJ! Well, truthfully, I hope the same thing, but it’s just not in cards for the immediate future I suppose. In the meantime though, I do want to say a personal thank you to my mom for all of her support for me, her guidance of me growing up in North Carolina to become a well spoken, well dressed, smart, southern gentleman with a savvy city-boy sense of humor and taste. My mom never allowed me to accept failure or anything less than what I knew I could achieve. It’s been her drive and determination to see me succeed that has carried me to the highs of success as a business owner and in my performing career. I am perhaps the most confident performer and businessman I know, and I owe that confidence to my mother’s belief in me and her ability to trust me with “grown up” tasks beginning at a very early age.
I’ve also been lucky to have other women in my life who were very much like a mother to me, and I speak for all the people who’ve had similar women in their lives when I say “thank you so much for all of your love and support.”
Mom’s are pretty awesome aren’t they? Wedding DJs get to stand back and watch mothers having the time of their lives dancing with their son for the Groom and Mother dance, or mothers who hold back the tears as their daughter dances with dad one “last time”. All of these wonderful mothers are such a special part of the Wedding Day festivities… well, all accept for the Momzilla’s that come along every so often and try to ruin a Bride and Groom’s special day, but I’m quick to remind them that this is their daughter’s big day and not their own. Mom’s are emotional and sentimental, sometimes high strung and very protective, but they’re also extremely strong and loving and it’s an honor to work with so many wonderful mothers of Brides and Grooms each and every week. And let’s not forget all of those Brides who I have watched walk down the aisle or as they smiled and melted into the eyes of the groom during their very first dance with their new husband, those many many young women who are now also Mothers themselves. I love each and every one of my clients and I honestly love to keep up with them on facebook or other social media sites, just to see how their marriages and their families are growing in all that love that surrounded them on their Wedding Day. I’m no fool, I know that marriage and family isn’t perfect, but I can tell you one thing, in this line of work, it’s hard to focus on the negatives and dysfunctions of family, even the negatives in my own family, when week after week I get the chance to work with people on their happiest day.
This Sunday is Mother’s Day. Whether you are a Bride’s Mom, a Groom’s Mom, a New Mom or Not a mom, Go tell Your Mom how much she means to you, how much you love her and how much you care…you can be sure of one thing, she’s always thinking the same about you.
Happy Mother’s Day!
Jason Jones- CEO
Elegant Event Entertainment
Maravilla Gardens Wedding Showcase and Open House
Posted by Jason | Filed under Announcement
On Friday, April 30th, 2010 from 6-9pm, Elegant Event Entertainment will exhibit our Ventura County Wedding DJ Services at the Maravilla Gardens Wedding Showcase. This will be an Open House event, allowing Brides and Grooms to view the beautiful property in an evening setting, to see precisely what their wedding day will look like. Attendees will also have an opportunity to taste the marvelous creations of the exclusive catering company Command Performance Catering. In addition, there will be numerous preferred vendors on hand to answer questions about the services they provide. These Services include Photographers, Cake Bakeries, Florists, and DJ Services provided by Elegant Event Entertainment. 
The venue will be staged with numerous event rentals to give Brides and Grooms great ideas to enhance their guests experience for the wedding. Attendees will have a chance to view table settings and linens, tents and canopies, upgraded lighting, lounge style seating, and much more.
The lush gardens and intimate setting of this gorgeous Ventura County Wedding Venue is located in Camarillo on Santa Rosa Road. The property, which once belonged to the Camarillo Family, later purchased by the Maravilla Family who have owned it since the early 1970’s. Their expertise in Gardening and Landscape design led them to begin hosting weddings at the property in 2003, and now, they accommodate up to 60 Weddings per year.
Maravilla Gardens is yours and yours alone for the day of your wedding, only 1 wedding is allowed per day on the property, which makes this facility unique and sought after in Ventura County. The venue is located just 50 miles from downtown Los Angeles, and you’ll never feel further away from the hustle and bustle of city life. For more information about this facility or if you would like to attend the Open House please contact Command Performance Catering or Maravilla Gardens for an invitation.
If you need DJ Services for your special day at Maravilla or any other wedding venue in Southern California, please feel free to fill out our no obligation contact form. On behalf of all the vendors involved in this showcase, we hope to see you this Friday and we’re looking forward to the opportunity to work with you for your very special day. Best Wishes!
Vendors Attending the Showcase:
Elegant Event Entertainment
A Beautiful Day Productions
Yamaguchi Flowers
Skiff’s Cakes
Pastries by Vreeke
Courtyard by Marriott
Evening Entertainment
Mr. Loki Productions
Rev. Barbara Laughray
Kimberlee Miller Photography
Alex Newman Photography
Photography by Charise
A Rental Connection
Belle of the Ball Designs
LA Photobooth
Small Weddings don’t need Wedding DJ’s…Or Do They?
Posted by Jason | Filed under Wedding DJ Advice
It occurred to me that our Wedding DJ’s seem to be working more and more weddings with smaller guest lists these days. It got me to wonder whether there are more small weddings due to economic hardship, or in fact, if the majority of weddings have been smaller all along. Statistics show that most weddings are of a smaller nature which gives me confidence to know that most of our clients understand the importance of hiring a wedding dj no matter the size of their guest list. If your wedding is of a smaller nature don’t be discouraged, some of the most fun weddings can have 75 people or less, I’ve witnessed it, I’ve been a part of those joyous celebrations!
Now, although a smaller guest list does not necessarily mean a smaller budget, it’s fair to say that the majority of smaller weddings are on a stricter budget than those “pull out all the stops” weddings with 300 or 400 guests. Many Brides and Grooms who approach us are very concerned about their budget, especially if they have a smaller wedding. However, even with a smaller budget and guest list, you need some form of Entertainment! The most obvious and affordable choice is a Wedding DJ. I’ve written numerous articles for our Blog on how to hire a DJ, why to hire a DJ, and so on, but I simply wanted to reinforce that you really do need an Experienced Wedding DJ if you expect the party to be fun, to stay on some type of schedule, and to be handled professionally. The great news for you is, you can afford it! Pricing for DJs ranges all over the place, we’ve talked about it in several blog articles such as our Wedding DJ Pricing article and you’ll see it for yourself if you shop enough places on the web and at bridal shows and magazines. If you’ve got 60 guests coming to an evening wedding in a smaller ballroom or even a garden venue or backyard setting, you want those 60 people to have fun don’t you? Many clients with smaller weddings think they should simply keep it “low key” and just use an ipod or home stereo system to play music throughout the reception, or perhaps worse, they have a friend strum the guitar all night. My question is “who will make important and appropriate announcements to keep your guests involved and aware of things that are happening throughout the event?” The answer is usually “uh? We didn’t think of that.” or “my Uncle is public speaker (translation=teacher/sales manager) and he’ll do it.” My answer: “so your Uncle has to work on your wedding day? How many Weddings has your uncle actually ‘worked’? Or “does your friend have to play guitar all night? Does he have a sound system so he can be heard clearly and does he have microphones for your toasts and other announcements?”
I hope you get my point and that you’ll let your relatives and friends enjoy themselves at your wedding and allow a professional to keep the party moving along nicely without feeling rushed or too “produced”. You also should relish the fact that even though our DJs want you to provide us with a lot of your favorite song requests, you won’t have to try to put the songs in a sequence that flows perfectly and entertains from start to finish, that’s the DJs job and he’ll constantly tweak the music set list throughout the night, which is something you or your guests should not be worrying about! Our DJs have many styles, we can keep it very low key, but always professional and fun, so don’t let your “Smaller Wedding” discourage you from allowing it to be a lot of fun. Oh and by the way, “Fun” does not mean “Cheesy”, our DJs certainly know the difference!
So, whether you have “Religious Constraints” that prohibit or limit dancing or certain types of music, or alcohol, (all of which can be “fun inducers” but are not necessary to have a party) or you think you have “No Dancers” on your guest list (which I highly doubt) these weddings still need someone to play music to serve as a nice accompaniment to the event. You don’t need the smoke and mirrors and crazy lights and confetti blasters that many DJ companies try to sell you, but you will want a professional sound system with microphones for toasts and announcements. And although I wouldn’t use the term “no-frills DJ” you might require a more simplistic approach, a DJ who at the very least will manage the flow of the timeline, play great music in sensible rotations, make announcements and keep the guests aware of the schedule and special events throughout the evening. Let the professionals, not your friends and family keep up with all of those details and your event will be executed perfectly!
DJs provide the soundtrack to the most important day in your life and they carry the responsibility of making sure that everything they are in charge of happens without a hitch, which leaves you and your guests to do one thing: enjoy yourselves! No matter the size of your guest list, consider hiring a DJ, you’ll be very surprised at our affordability and you absolutely won’t regret it. Your guests will thank you and they’ll be talking about how much fun they had for years to come!
Photo provided by Cheryl Ogden
Serra Center Bridal Show March 21, 2010
Posted by Jason | Filed under Announcement
Elegant Event Entertainment will be exhibiting for the upcoming Bridal Show at Padre Serra Center in Camarillo, CA on March 21, 2010. Come out and meet numerous top professional vendors in the Wedding and Event Industry and stop by our booth for a meet and greet with Elegant Event Entertainment Founders Chris Mortillaro and Jason Jones, our sales and planning assistant Carrie Goldberg as well as other team members!
We’ll also be DJing and MCing the event and Bridal Fashion Show, so you don’t want to miss DJ Chris and Jason doing what they do best.
We hope to see New and Current clients at this showcase.
The Serra Center Bridal Showcase is Hosted and Produced by our dear friends at Command Performance Catering
The Show Features beautiful buffets with many different foods, special table set-ups and rental options. Enjoy a runway show of the latest bridal fashion and have conversations with vendors who will help you design and visualize your special day.
The fully-equipped Serra center accommodates up to 600 guests seated for dinner indoors. Featuring large windows overlooking the park-like grounds, state of the art in-house audio/visual system, and so much more!
The Serra Center is located at:
5205 UPLAND RD., CAMARILLO, 93012
For any questions, or to reserve by phone, please call Tina Wilkins at Command Performance (805) 523-3232
Los Angeles Wedding DJ Prices: What exactly are you paying for anyway
Posted by Jason | Filed under Wedding DJ Advice, Wedding Planning
If you’re planning a Wedding or other Special Event I’m sure you’re interested in how much it’s going to cost. And if you’re hiring a DJ in the Los Angeles area, we know you are certainly concerned with your budget, but we all know that old saying “you get what you pay for.”
In this article, I want to point out some of the factors that influence DJ pricing so you will have a better understanding of how we determine our prices and you’ll realize that we truly can work with almost any budget. We believe having some kind of entertainment is better than none at all, but great entertainment and hiring a great DJ is paramount to the overall success of your event.
First I’ll list the “5 Most Important Questions” a Professional DJ should ask you to help determine your needs. If you can answer some of these questions for us, we’ll know exactly how to price and plan for your event.
5 Main Factors that influence Wedding DJ Pricing:
1. Q: What is the date, time, and location of your Event?
By Knowing these details, we determine which of our DJ’s are available, what type of equipment you’ll need, the level of difficulty of set-up/tear-down, and if we’ll need to asses any other fee’s.
2. Q: How Many Hours of DJ Services do you require?
We build our prices first by determining the number of hours of Entertainment you need. As a rule, Most Receptions are 4-6 hours, Ceremony & Receptions are 5-7 hours.
3. Q: Do you need the DJ for the Ceremony & Reception?
If you require Music and/or microphones for the Ceremony and the Wedding Ceremony is in a different area than your Reception, we will generally need to provide an additional sound system.
4. Q: What is your overall vision for the Event?
Your Event is unique, and we want your vision and personalities to shine through! By knowing the “feel” you’re trying to achieve for the event we can pair you with the perfect DJ to meet those needs. In addition, our Event Planning/Coordination staff can help you locate other vendors and offer great tips to help you achieve your dream of a perfect event.
5. Q: What is your overall Budget for Entertainment?
We believe Great Entertainment is Priceless, but we can custom tailor a package to suit most budgets. Being up front about your budget will save you a lot of shopping hassle.
Read the rest of this entry »
Los Angeles Wedding DJ’s “Top 5 Helpful Wedding DJ Blog Articles”
Posted by Jason | Filed under Wedding DJ Advice, Wedding Planning
Below is a quick list of links to our Favorite and “Top 5 Helpful Wedding DJ Blog Articles” that we published here on our “Los Angeles DJ Blog” throughout 2009 in an effort to help our current and potential clients with the planning of their DJ entertainment. This list should give you a bit more insight about us, and what we can offer our clients. Whether you’re just beginning to search for DJs in Los Angeles or if you’re looking for music ideas for your Wedding, we’ve got you covered! Click the links below that interest you and feel free to browse and read all the articles we post, past, present, and future!
1. Hiring a Los Angeles Wedding DJ? Click Here for helpful hints!
2. Wedding Ceremony Music Ideas- Click Here
3. Bride & Groom’s First Dance Song List. Choosing the “Best” Song for you!: Click Here!
4. Father Daughter Dance Songs & Helpful Hints for Fathers and Daughters Click Here!
5. To Watch Our Los Angeles DJ Services Demo Video Click Here!
And Remember, our Blog is always being updated with Articles, Stories, Reviews of Los Angeles Wedding Venues, Event Planning Tips, Wedding Song Ideas, and so much more. If you need a Los Angeles Wedding DJ, or a DJ in Southern California for any special event, you’ve come to the right place! Please keep coming back and feel free to leave comments on our Blog if something sparks your interest, just type in the “Comments” box and click “Submit Comment.” Happy Planning and Best Wishes!
Click Here to Read the Bios of Our DJs
2010 Los Angeles Bridal Show at the Westlake Hyatt!
Posted by Jason | Filed under Announcement, Tips for Hiring a Wedding DJ, Wedding Planning
It’s that time again friends! Time for Los Angeles Wedding DJs and other event specialists to appear at Bridal Show’s in Los Angeles in hopes of meeting great new Brides and Grooms who are looking for wedding professionals to help them make their dreams of the perfect wedding come true.
If you’re looking for Los Angeles Wedding DJs, Thousand Oaks DJs, or Ventura County DJs, you’ve come to the right place and if you would like to come out and meet us at a bridal show in Westlake Village, representatives from Elegant Event Entertainment will be showcasing our company at the Westlake Hyatt Bridal Show on Sunday January 10, 2010 from 11am-4pm, sponsored by Bridal Premier. If you need tickets, please call us today and we’ll arrange to get some passes for you on our behalf, or you can simply go to the show promoter’s website by clicking here.
You’ll notice several DJ companies listed on the page, including a “Featured Entertainment”, please keep in mind, that’s a Paid advertisement and has no bearing on rank or popularity. We choose to limit our PAID advertising to help our clients.
Whoever you choose as your DJ/Entertainment, please do your homework, meet with and check the backgrounds of the companies you are shopping. If you’d like to know more about Hiring a Los Angeles Wedding DJ, please click here to read our article. “7 Steps for Hiring a Wedding DJ”
Our DJs will be meeting with Brides and Grooms and handing out promotional materials to let you know more about our company. We also hope you’ll consider browsing our website and reading some of our blogs as well and give us a call if you would like to schedule a consultation for DJ or Event Planning Services for your Wedding or Special Event.
We’ll be joined by many of the best local Ventura County and Los Angeles Wedding Professionals including our friends from Mi Belle Photography, Command Performance Catering, and Skyline Videography and many others.
Hope to see you on January 10th!
Happy New Year from all of us at Elegant Event Entertainment.
The Importance of Loving the Wedding Vendors you hire
Posted by Jason | Filed under Event Planning Tips
Our Event Planning Intern, Leslie has been very eager and excited to learn all about Weddings. Recently I assigned her the task of researching other Wedding related Blogs and telling me about some of her favorites so I could re-post those articles on our site, for our clients to read and enjoy. Here’s one article she found and what she said about the article:
From Leslie, Elegant Event Entertainment Event Planning Division–
“I found a great Blog on Planning that caught my attention…’Planning…Forever Events Blog‘, . The blog is titled, “love your wedding florist“, and it’s from the site’s special series, “loving your wedding vendors.” I am quite knowledgeable on how a wedding DJ gets their “amazing” title due to working with Elegant Event Entertainment’s DJ division, and reading all of the blogs on the EEE site; however, I didn’t know many of the details about other wedding vendors. Reading this blog gave me a better understanding that the wedding florist is just as important as any other planned detail of the wedding. I now know that one should trust their wedding florist, due to the simplest fact that being a florist is their chosen profession and it’s what they do week in and week out, they are a Professional in their field, they make it their business to know a zillion kinds of flowers.
This article’s “behind the scenes” was a great story.You see that a well trained florist can work under any amount of pressure. When problems occur at the last minute, they get worked through and fixed versus simply saying, “too bad, the bride is going to have to deal with these arrangements, and like it.” The florists in this article showed how important it is to put the bride’s needs first by giving everything they had to the event and rearranging the flowers to the bride’s highest expectations. This also showed dedication and professionalism, which is a necessity in the wedding industry.
Read the rest of this entry »
If you are an experienced wedding DJ who loves working to serve the needs of your clients,