Los Angeles Wedding DJ Company Celebrates 5th Year in Business
Posted by Jason | Filed under Announcement
It’s hard to believe we are beginning our 5th year in business branded as “Elegant Event Entertainment”. I’m Jason Jones, the co-founder of this company, and I wanted to write a little bit about how we formed and what we’ve accomplished to date. Perhaps you’re a Bride or Groom looking for a DJ, perhaps this or other articles on our Blog will help you in making your decision. We hope you’ll enjoy and appreciate this short story of our recent successes and we welcome your comments and appreciate your support.
In February of 2006, I moved from a small town called Asheville, North Carolina to Los Angeles. I was self employed as a Wedding and party DJ in Asheville since 2000, I had been a professional voiceover actor since 1996, and I owned a small house painting business which I started in 2001. My businesses were beginning to thrive, but something was amiss in my life. As much as I loved my hometown, my friends and family, and the work I was doing, I felt I needed a change of pace. From the time I was a very young boy, I dreamed of moving to Hollywood. Obviously, a lot of people dream the same dream, but I felt I could come here and make it work out, whether in the entertainment industry, or some other type of business. I had no idea how big the wedding industry was in LA, but I would soon meet my business partner and we would be swept away in a stream of success in the world of Los Angeles Weddings. Read the rest of this entry »
Come Meet our DJs at the Bridal Premier Showcase at Westlake Hyatt January 15, 2012
Posted by Jason | Filed under Announcement, Wedding Planning
It’s that time again! Wedding Season is just around the corner and thousands of Brides and Grooms will be attending Bridal Showcases in the San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles, Thousand Oaks and all over Southern California. Our Wedding DJs at Elegant Event Entertainment will be exhibiting at the Bridal Premier Showcase in Westlake Village, which we’ve done for many years now.
Our DJs have already booked over 60 weddings for 2012, but we have many more dates and DJs available and we would love to add you to our growing list of over 600 extremely satisfied brides and grooms who’ve chosen us as their Wedding DJ in Los Angeles and Southern California since 2007.
Come by and say hello to our founders DJ Chris Mortillaro & DJ Jason Jones (check out our Headshots and Bio’s before you go so you’ll recognize us) and speak with us about our services, or set a time to meet with us in a one-on-one, quiet setting. Feel free to fill out our online contact form as well and make a note that you’ll be attending the Showcase.
And if you need Uplighting for your Wedding in LA, we’ll have our exclusive Wireless LED uplights on hand to demonstrate. Once you see them, you’ll definitely want them at your Wedding!
The Bridal Premier Showcase is located at Westlake Hyatt and takes place Sunday, January 15, 2012, 11 AM to 3 PM
Hyatt Westlake Plaza, Westlake Village
880 S. Westlake Blvd.
Westlake Village, CA 91361
please contact Bridal Premier for tickets!
Maravilla Gardens Weddings, Where Magic Happens
Posted by Jason | Filed under L.A. Wedding Reception Venues
Maravilla Gardens is a family owned and operated, Outdoor Garden Wedding Facility in Camarillo, California, located on Santa Rosa Road just a few miles from the 101 freeway and about 50 minutes from Downtown LA. I feel that it still qualifies as a Los Angeles Garden Wedding Venue, and it’s one of the best.
As one of only 2 Preferred DJ Companies at this property, I thought it only appropriate to write a review article of their facility, especially since we know it so well. I want to bring a perspective of someone who works there all the time as an outside vendor
Our DJs have had the privilege of working over 75 Weddings at Maravilla Gardens in the past 5 years and I have personally DJ’d almost 50 of them myself. I know this property and it’s owners and staff like it was my own family estate, and believe me, I wish it were! This place is truly magical, it embodies the spirit of “family” and togetherness, joy and celebration, and offers it’s guests a truly intimate and personal feel, as if you were in your own backyard having your wedding, only if your backyard was filled with beautifully manicured gardens and lawns overlooking the Santa Rosa Mountains and rustic rolling farm fields.
It’s owners are Jo & Tony Maravilla, husband and wife and owners for over 40 years. They’ve raised their children here, and their daughter Jen is now working as the on-site wedding coordinator and with other aspects of the business. Tony is the master gardener, and he gives so much love and attention to the grounds, you can feel the love he’s poured into every flower, plant, shrub and tree.
Jo is the business manager and she is currently the main contact person for the business. She’s been tireless and instrumental in the growth and success of this beautiful property since they turned their attention from their nursery business to providing their property for weddings. There really are no 2 nicer people in this entire wedding industry and I’ve been blessed to work with them as much as I have, and every client of ours says the same thing about them.
As for the property, it offers 3 distinctly separate areas for Ceremony, Cocktails, and Reception. You begin your tour by walking from the parking area to a paved path and look to your left to see the cage of doves cooing beside a great little putting green, a huge hit for the gentlemen. There are restrooms and a private Bridal Suite for the Bride and her attendants to be hidden from view and to dress in the cool air conditioning!
The ceremony site opens on a large and lush green grass seating area surrounded entirely by trees and shrubbery. The Ceremony Stage is a large concrete, step terraced alter large enough to accommodate a very sizable wedding party, yet intimate enough to support just the Bride and Groom if you have a small wedding. You can place your own chuppah, or decorate an arch with florals for the ceremony. 
In addition, the facility rents a large shade cover to protect your guests from the sun during the hotter months, and it looks great from a design standpoint as well. The musicians or DJ set up just to the right of the stage on a small raised concrete pad outfitted with electricity for your sound system, which your DJ or musicians or minister must provide. Our DJs can play all of the music you need for your ceremony, as guests arrive to be seated they are greeted with citrus flavored water and music of your choice. We’ll play all of your entrance and exit music as well as any music you want during the ceremony. We can also provide the microphone for your minister. We’ve found that the accoustics here are good enough to place 1 wireless microphone on a stand and we can hear the minister/officiant as well as your vows. If you have a reader or singer, we can provide a separate mic for them. Read the rest of this entry »
Add Cheese to your Burger, say NO to the Cheesy Wedding DJ!
Posted by Jason | Filed under Wedding DJ Advice
Our Los Angeles Wedding DJs recently exhibited at the Bridal Premier Showcase at the Hyatt in Westlake California, as we do twice each year. Every Bride or Groom we speak with at these shows and elsewhere seems to have 1 common concern about their wedding DJ, and that is, “We Do NOT Want a CHEESY DJ!!!”
So, if that’s truly the case, I wonder why so many DJ companies still present themselves as the same old Cheesy, bad joke telling guys forcing you to endure an overkill of personality with silly props and flashy lights and 80′s costume jewelry. I suppose it stands to reason why our company is doing so well, because simply put, we are not cheesy. We’re a bunch of regular guys with an extraordinary passion for music, an extremely high level of experience in providing a top level DJ/Emcee service for our clients, especially Brides & Grooms and their families, on one of the most important days in their lives.
I say we’re regular guys, and I mean we don’t have to dress in costumes, wear makeup and flashy jewelry, tell jokes with horrible punch lines, or sell you crap you don’t need. I admit, I’m not a used car salesman, none of us are…we develop packages and upgrades that people need, and we won’t force you to spend money on fluff that cheeses up your wedding.
We do offer a very classy, fun, yet low profile lighting option, such as our NEW Wireless LED Up-lighting, which has been a huge seller for us and makes any room or space look amazing. There’s no big silver metal trusses and a bunch of tape and wires all over the room!
When our DJ’s are in front of all of your friends and family, we look our best, always well groomed and wearing a suit and dress shirt, sometimes a tie, depending on the location and style of your wedding. Let’s face it, if your wedding is in a garden or outdoor location, it should have a more romantic, elegant yet relaxed, fun, and even perhaps a rustic appeal. There’s no need for all the Club lighting and a DJ wearing a tuxedo with a sequin vest (heaven help me! I’ve seen DJs still wearing this early 90′s get-up in 2011!) Read the rest of this entry »
Choosing Music for your Wedding Reception, tips on picking the Songs for Special Dances.
Posted by Jason | Filed under Wedding DJ Advice
If you’re planning a wedding, you know how many different things there are to think about, and Choosing Music is a Major decision. Whether you’re hiring a Band or DJ, you will need to choose music for at least some of the following special moments: First Dance, Bride & Father Dance, Groom & Mother Dance, Cake Cutting, Bouquet Toss, Garter Removal and Toss, and other special moments that you might include such as an Anniversary Dance, Money or Honeymoon Dance, Last Dance, etc.
Elegant Event Entertainment decided to compile a list of all of the music our 2010 Brides and Grooms (all 98 of them) chose for their Wedding Music special requests. Over the course of several days, we published a new blog article highlighting the songs that were requested in 2010 for a particular Special Moment or Dance in the Wedding Reception. We’ve published this Blog to lump those other articles into 1, to make it easier for you. We hope these lists help you find a song that’s appropriate for your wedding in 2011 and beyond, as many of these songs are timeless! If you want to choose something entirely different, by all means, go ahead, it’s your wedding, make it unique!
Below is a list of links to the articles with Song Lists. Have fun planning your wedding and choosing your music and special Wedding Dance Songs!
Father-Daughter Song List
Posted by Jason | Filed under Wedding DJ Advice Picking the Garter Toss Song is not always so easy, so we’ve complied this list from Grooms who we worked with in 2010, these are songs they chose for the Garter toss. If you need a reference to listen to, we suggest going to Youtube and searching for the song by artist and title, and hopefully you’ll find one of these that you like. If not, we encourage you to pick whatever song you want, cause it’s your wedding! Happy Planning and have fun guys! 1.) A Little Less Conversation- Elvis Presley Posted by Jason | Filed under Announcement Overall, our DJs performed at 118 events, up from last year’s total of 98, and up from only 64 events in 2008. More importantly, we’ve done that with very little paid advertising. This is the thing I most want our readers and clients and shoppers to see, that our company is growing because of our grassroots efforts to build the incredible network of vendors and past clients who continue to refer us to friends, clients, family and anyone else who needs a DJ in Los Angeles or surrounding areas of Southern California. We’ve been blessed to work with so many wonderful people and I feel we’ve done a great job for all of those clients and vendors which is why they continue to refer us. Our DJs are among the best, the most experienced, the most passionate and knowledgeable in the industry and we’re proving that by our substantial growth and the impression we leave on venues, vendors, clients, and the thousands of people who attend our events. In other EEE News, I wanted to point out a few venues where we worked the most in 2010 and these are among our favorite Outdoor Wedding Venues in Los Angeles and Ventura County. The always beautiful Maravilla Gardens saw our handsome faces for 12 weddings and the magical Walnut Grove at Tierra Rajada Ranch saw us DJ for 14 Weddings. Thank you so much to those venues and their staff as well as Command Performance Catering for the great work they do at both of those venues. As for music in 2010, a quick note, no pun intended. I loved a lot of the music that was Read the rest of this entry » Posted by Jason | Filed under Wedding DJ Advice 1.) All You Need Is Love- Beatles Posted by Jason | Filed under Wedding DJ Advice 1.) 100 Years- 5 For Fighting Posted by Jason | Filed under Wedding DJ Advice 1.) A Song For My Daughter- AlliareThe Best Garter Toss Songs
The Garter Removal and Toss is a very fun and sometimes “risque” moment in a wedding. Depending on how sensitive your family and friends are, you may choose to leave it out of the Wedding Reception itinerary entirely, or you might simply tone it down a little. Other couples might want to really put on a show, but remember, this is YOUR wedding, do whatever you like!
Generally it’s a good idea to choose a song to accompany the Garter Removal and Toss, and the DJ will play the song and immediately the MC will ask all of the “single” or unmarried guys in attendance to come to the dancefloor and stand by as the groom prepares to remove the garter from the Bride’s leg. Once the garter is removed, the groom will wait for the MC’s cue and will proceed to toss or flick the garter into the group of single men, who will undoubtedly all fight to get as far away from the garter as possible! No matter who catches it, there’s always a lot of laughter involved.
2.) Animals- Nickelback
3.) Another One Bites The Dust- Queen
4.) Are you Going To Be My Girl- Jet
5.) Baby Got Back- Sir Mix Alot
6.) Bad Things- Jace Everett
7.) Cherry Pie- Warrant
8.) Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?- Rod Stewart
9.) Danger Zone- Kenny Loggins
10.) Fever- Peggy Lee or Michael Buble
11.) Girls- Beastie Boys
12.) Highway To Hell- ACDC
13.) Hoochie Koo Rock & Roll- Rick Derringer
14.) Hungry Like The Wolf- Duran Duran
15.) I want You (She’s So Heavy)- The Beatles
16.) Indiana Jones Theme Song- John Willams
17.) Legs- ZZ Top
18.) Lets Get It On- Marvin Gaye
19.) Minnie The Moocher- Cab Calloway
20.) Mission Impossible theme song
21.) Naughty Boy- Gunther
22.) Oh Yeah- Yello (Theme from Ferris Buller’s Day Off)
23.) Peek-A-Boo- Siouxsie And The Banshees
24.) Playing With The Boys- Kenny Loggins
25.) Rocky Theme
26.) Sharp Dressed Man- ZZ Top
27.) Short Skirt, Long Jacket- Cake
28.) Smooth Criminal- Michael Jackson
29.) Steeler Tune
30.) Stripper – David Rose Orchestra
31.) What A Man- Salt N’ Peppa
32.) When I’m Sixty-Four- Beatles
33.) Who Let The Dogs Out- Baha Men
34.) Wild Things- Troggs
35.) You Can Leave Your Hat On- Joe Cocker
36.) You Shook Me All Night Long- AC/DC2010 Year in Review from Elegant Event Entertainment
On behalf of myself and our co-founder Chris Mortillaro, I wanted to write a quick 2010 year in review for our business and the Mobile DJ Industry in Los Angeles and Ventura County.
All I can say is “Wow, what a year it’s been!” In just our 3rd full year in business, Elegant Event Entertainment had a wonderful year, and we believe we’ve weathered the storm of the worst economy in decades. In 2010, our Wedding DJs in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties performed at 97 Weddings throughout Southern California. In addition, our LA DJs were spinning music and helping organize the entertainment at over 20 corporate and private events. By those numbers alone, it’s easy to see that the vast majority of our business comes from Brides and Grooms, which we are very proud of, however, we’ve really tried to step up the corporate MC/DJ model of our business as well and that seems to be coming along nicely. I was surprised to see as many corporate Holiday parties this year as we had, considering that the past several years have been very barren for company parties in terms of hiring DJs and entertainment. This, we feel, is a good sign for economic recovery.
I also admit that we’ve stepped up our Social Networking as well, and we certainly feel that has helped our business, and particularly our Brand, grow in the Wedding Industry in Southern California. If you haven’t joined our EEE Facebook Fan Page, please click the link and “like” us!Tips for Picking a Song for the Cake Cutting
I bet you didn’t event think about needing a special song to play during your Cake Cutting, but, it’s fun to pick a Cake Cutting Song based on lyrics that might be a pun for Cake, or eating, or Sugary Sweets…or to choose a song for the cake cutting that exemplifies the love that the Bride and Groom have for one another and the joining togehter of two loving souls! To make it a little easier for you, we’ve compiled a list of the top 38 songs that over 98 Brides and Grooms who hired us in 2010 chose to play during the cake cutting at their wedding.
The song serves merely as background, and honestly a lot of people won’t even pay attention to the song…but if it’s a clever choice and a song you like, everyone will enjoy it, especially the Bride and Groom! If you aren’t familiar with one of the songs listed below, simply follow this link to Youtube and search for the song by artist and title and listen there, then head back to our site for more planning tips. Best Wishes to you and enjoy your cake!
2.) Angel- Shaggy
3.) Another One Bites The Dust- Queen
4.) Belle- Jack Johnson
5.) Better Together- Jack Johnson
6.) Candyman- Christina Aguilera
7.) Collide- Howie Day
8.) Cut The Cake- Average White Band
9.) Eat It- Weird Al Yankovick
10.) Grow Old With You- Adam Sandler
11.) Hit Me With Your Best Shot- Pat Benatar
12.) How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You- James Taylor Read the rest of this entry »Groom and Mother Dance Songs, a great list to help you choose!
The Mother/Son or Groom and Mother Dance is a very special but relatively new tradition at Weddings. This allows the Groom to honor his mother or another special lady in his life with a special dance. When it comes to choosing a song to dance with your mom, it can be a tricky, but we’re making it a little easier. Below is a list of 37 songs that over 98 Grooms we worked with in 2010, chose to dance with their moms. There are some great songs here!
If you aren’t familiar with one of the songs, we suggest that you go to Youtube and search for the song by title and artist and listen there, then come back to us for more Wedding Music Request tips. Best Wishes!
2.) A Song For Momma- Boyz II Men
3.) Amor De Madre- Victor Manuel
4.) Because You Loved Me- Celine Dion
5.) Blessed- Elton John
6.) Bop- Dan Seals
7.) Child Of Mine- Carole King
8.) Close To You- Carpenters
9.) Don’t Blink- Kenny Chesney
10.) Fascination- New 101 Strings Orchestra
11.) Fernando- Abba
12.) Hero- Mariah Carey
13.) I Hope You Dance- Lee Ann Womack
14.) I Will Be Here- Steven Curtis Champman
15.) I’m a Believer- Monkees
16.) In My Life- The Beatles
17.) In Your Eyes- David Chamberlin
18.) It’s Your Song- Garth Brooks
19.) Love Like Crazy- Lee Brice
20.) Memories- Elvis Presley
21.) Moonlight Serenade- Glen Miller
22.) My Wish- Rascal Flatts
23.) New York State of Mind- Billy Joel
24.) Open Arms- Journey
25.) Over The Rainbow- IZ
26.) Some Enchanted Evening- Perry Como
27.) Sunrise Sunset
28.) Sweet Child O’ Mine- Taken By Trees
29.) The Honey Trees- Edelweiss
30.) The Way You Look Tonight- Frank Sinatra
31.) Wedding Coat- Wedding Coat
32.) What a wonderful World- Louie Armstrong
33.) When You Come Back Down- Nickel Creek
34.) Wonderful Tonight- Eric Clapton
35.) You Decorated My Life- Kenny Rogers
36.) You Raised Me Up- Josh Groban
37.) Youl’ll Be In My Heart- Phil CollinsTop Song Requests for the Father Daughter Dance Song at a Wedding
We’ve written a few articles about picking the Bride & Father Dance Song for a wedding like this one Choosing the Father Daughter Dance Song, but we’ve decided to publish this list of all 38 songs our 98 Brides chose in 2010 for the song to dance with their father or step-father or other male figure in their lives.
The Father Daughter dance has special cultural and traditional importance, but it has become more of a way to honor someone special in the Bride’s life and does not always have to be a true “Father”- Daughter Dance. In any case, choosing the song to dance to can be difficult, but take a look at the list below from recently married brides and see if one of the songs might be appropriate for your wedding. If you’re unfamiliar with a song, click on this link to Youtube and search for the song by title and artist and listen to the song, then come on back to our site for more tips! Best Wishes!
2.) Ballerina Girl- Lionel Richie
3.) Butterfly Kisses- Bob Carlisle
4.) Cinderella- Steven Curtis Chapman
5.) Daddy’s Angel- T Carter
6.) Father & Daughter- Paul Simon
7.) God Only Knows- Beach Boys
8.) Hero- Mariah Carey
9.) I Hope You Dance- Lee Ann Womack
10.) I Loved Her First- Heartland
11.) In My Life- Beatles
12.) It’s Your Song- Garth Brooks
13.) Just The Way You Are- Billy Joel
14.) My Girl- Temptations
15.) My Little Girl- Tim McGraw
16.) Ode To My Family- Cranberries
17.) Raised Me Up- Josh Groban
18.) Somewhere In Time- John Barry
19.) Somewhere Over The Rainbow- Isreal Kamakawiwo’ole
20.) Stand By Me- Ben E. King
21.) Sunrise Sunset
22.) Surfer Girls- Beach Boys
23.) Sweet Child O’ Mine- Taken By Trees
24.) The Honey Trees- Edelweiss
25.) The Way You Look Tonight- Frank Sinatra
26.) The Way You Look Tonight- Michael Buble
27.) Then They Do- Trace Adkins
28.) Through The Years- Kenny Rogers
29.) Tiny Dancer- Elton John
30.) Tupelo Honey- Van Morrison
31.) Turn Around- The Brothers Four
32.) Walk With You- Edwin McCain
33.) What A Wonderful World- Louie Armstrong
34.) When You Come Back Down- Nickel Creek
35.) Wonderful Tonight- Eric Clapton
36.) You Are So Beautiful
37.) You Make Me Feel So young- Frank Sinatra
38.) You’ll Be In My Heart- Phil Collins
If you are an experienced wedding DJ who loves working to serve the needs of your clients, 