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Museum Of Contemporary Art La Jolla Wedding DJ 6/12/11

San Diego Ceremony Music, San Diego Wedding DJ, San Diego Wedding Lighting, San Diego Wedding Vendors, San Diego Wedding Venues, Unique Wedding Ideas, Uplights Comments Off

Jun 122011

I am back at the Museum Of Contemporary Art in La Jolla, CA. to provide sound for the ceremony, wedding DJ services, and lighting throughout the museum. The art is constantly changing and is always an interesting backdrop. The art that was up for this wedding almost seemed like they selected it for this wedding. The large lady with sunglasses looked great behind our couple’s head table.

There were many personal touches to this wedding. One of their friends designed the invitations, the bride’s brother recorded a song which we were able to play during dinner (which was a total surprise for him), another friend made their cake, and yet another made cupcakes.

The reception area is mostly a blank canvas consisting of white walls and white/grey flooring. This is an excellent opportunity to add in lots of lighting to increase the drama and incorporate the individual colors of the wedding into the space. Tonight I provided 16 uplights and also spotlighted the cake.

I helped our couple create a custom first dance by increasing the speed of the song to fit their dance. I also cut portions out and joined the segments together to reduce the overall length down to a comfortable two and a half minutes. I wasn’t too sure which way this wedding was going to go when it came to dancing. I was truly surprised at how wild the group was. It turned out to be a blast and they really had a great time! A final sparkler exit to help see our couple off…

Click here to view the professional video highlights from this wedding.

Click here to view some of the professional photos from this wedding.

MUSIC:

Bridal Party Introductions – “Haretaraii ne 14″

First Dance – “Catch My Disease” by Ben Le

Last Dance – “Wonderful Tonight” by Eric Clapton

SAN DIEGO WEDDING VENDORS:

Coordinator = Theory Weddings and Events

Photographer = One… Two… Snap… Photography

Videographer = Side By Side Video

Catering = Tapenade Restaurant

Florist = Modern Bouquet

Rentals & Decor = Classic Party Rentals

For more information about this event click here: San Diego Wedding DJ

Positive Energy Productions | 858.490.0445

Bernardo Winery San Diego Wedding DJ 6/4/11

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Jun 042011

Well it’s been a while since I have DJ’d a wedding at Bernardo Winery (back in 2003 to be exact!). Pretty nice San Diego outdoor reception space with a garden / winery type setting. The only major thing that has changed since I was there last is the fact that the DJ has to plug into their sound system and use their speakers for the entire event. This is because they have multiple houses located directly next door and they have gotten many complaints in the past. I will try to be nice about this… let’s just say the volume is WAY too low for dancing. It is appropriate for a crowd that is not looking for a big dance party. I would describe the maximum volume just slightly louder than “cocktail hour” volume. Difficult to inspire a party without a little more volume! That can be worked around with the correct casual group. The major problem I had was the volume when it came to using the microphone for introductions, announcements, events, and toasts. Either too soft or totally distorted! Anyways back on track… I think the bride did an excellent job designing all of the wedding elements for this event herself. It really fit the rustic feel of the outdoor winery location.

The ceremony was held off to the side of the reception space under the gazebo. Perfect weather for our couple…

Cocktail hour was then held under the covered patio area & Cake

Colorful candy bar that disappeared in minutes! Always a hit.

One unique wedding item was the guestbook. Each guest was invited to “leaf” their fingerprint on the tree in the photo below along with their signature. A fun way to display the “guestbook” at a wedding.

Dancing was fairly reserved this afternoon/evening. I think it was appropriate for the winery setting and the limited volume we were aloud to play music at.

MUSIC:

Ceremony Bridesmaid’s Entrance – “Canon In D” by Pachabel

Ceremony Bride’s Processional - “Wedding March” by Wagner

Ceremony Recessional – “Signed Sealed Delivered” by Stevie Wonder

Bridal Party Introductions – “Good Life” by One Republic

First Dance – “Marry Me” by Train

Last Dance – “Carolina In My Mind” by James Taylor

For more information about this event click here: San Diego Wedding DJ

Positive Energy Productions | 858.490.0445

Omni San Diego Wedding DJ 5/29/11

Cake Spotlighting, San Diego Wedding DJ, San Diego Wedding Lighting, San Diego Wedding Vendors, San Diego Wedding Venues, Unique Wedding Ideas, Uplights Comments Off

May 292011

Another Memorial Day weekend wedding! Tonight’s wedding was held on a Sunday evening at the Omni San Diego Hotel downtown with an excellent group of vendors. Kelly our coordinator really helped keep things on track.

Tonight’s couple decided to have a “Fire & Ice” theme. They hired me to perform as their San Diego wedding DJ but they also opted to hire me to take care of all of their lighting needs for the event. The cake spotlighting really helped the cake to stand out and make an impression from across the room! One unique wedding item was their wedding cake topper. They had a custom etched piece of glass (with their names and date) that was lit by blue led lights which tied into all of the other lighting in the room.

As you can see in the photos we contrasted all of the candles and orange / red flower centerpieces with deep blue uplighting (which also helped to hide the wall behind). We really pulled off this theme well!

The ceremony started off outside on the Palm Terrace followed by a cocktail hour in the large foyer overlooking Petco Park and the city. After our couple’s entrance they went into a custom first dance song that I mixed for them which combined a few parts of a slow song and a section of a fast song.

Once we opened up the dance floor guest’s were ready to party. We had quite a bit of time (2.5 – 3 hours) for dancing which is much longer than most. They stayed until the end and our couple exited just before midnight. I played an extra 15 minutes of music since there were a number of guests that wanted the party to continue. All in all a nice wedding!

Extras Provided: 16 Uplights & Cake Spotlighting

MUSIC:

Bridal Party Introductions – “Soul Bossa Nova” by Quincy Jones & His Orchestra

First Dance – Mix of: “Bless The Broken Road” by Rascal Flatts & “Ring Of Fire” by Social Distortion

Father/Daughter Dance – “Butterfly Kisses” by Bob Carlisle

Mother/Son Dance – “My Wish” by Rascal Flatts

Bouquet Toss – “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” by Beyoncé

Garter Toss – “Take It Off” by KISS

Last Dance - “Save The Last Dance For Me” by Michael Buble’

SAN DIEGO WEDDING VENDORS:

Coordinator – Mint Weddings

Photographer – RHS Photo

Videographer – Blue Pearl Weddings

Florist – Joyce La Vigne

Cake – Sweet Cheeks Baking Company

Officiant – Paul Frye Weddings

Flip Book Photo Booth – A Little Scene

Chair Covers & Linens – American Party Rentals

For more information about this event click here: San Diego Wedding DJ

Positive Energy Productions | 858.490.0445

El Cortez San Diego Wedding DJ 5/28/11

Cake Spotlighting, Monogram Projection, San Diego Wedding DJ, San Diego Wedding Lighting, San Diego Wedding Vendors, San Diego Wedding Venues, Unique Wedding Ideas, Uplights Comments Off

May 282011

I was downtown at the El Cortez for tonight’s wedding. This wedding was a referral from two past weddings. I provided my San Diego wedding DJ services for them back in 2007 and 2008. It is always nice to see past couples at an event!

The room looked nice tonight with the contrasting purple linens & yellow uplighting. Even though the photo below was taken while there was a lot of sunlight coming into the room you can see the warmth that they add to the space. The El Cortez tends to be one of the darker reception venues due to the dark wood ceiling, red drapes, and dark wood dance floor. Lighting in this space really helps to balance that out.

A nice personal touch to the wedding was our groom’s grandparent’s wedding cake topper on display next to the cake. I am sure it was fun for them to see this after all of these years. They also had a special San Diego Chargers themed groom’s cake since he is a big fan.

I provided the cake spotlighting tonight and you can really see in the photo below what a difference it makes in a room like this! It places some importance on the cake and helps it stand out from across the room (especially when we dim the lights down later on). We opened up the dance floor and guests were ready to get out of their seats.

It really is extremely important for all of the vendors to communicate with each other. A professional coordinator always helps with this process.There were a few hiccups in the schedule (the photographers taking the bride & groom outside right after I announced that we were going into the next event). This put things on hold for about 15 minutes and guests started lose their momentum. We picked things up once they got back inside and ended the night on a strong note.

Click Here to view the professional photos from this wedding.

Extras Provided: Gobo Monogram Projection, Slide Show Projection Equipment, Cake Spotlighting

MUSIC:

Bridal Party Introductions – “Yeah 3X” by Chris Brown

Bride & Groom Introduction – “The Time (Dirty Bit)” by Black Eyed Peas

First Dance – “From this Moment” sung by Bride’s Mom & Step-dad

Mother/Son Dance – “The Perfect Fan” by Backstreet Boys

Bouquet Toss – “Holding Out For a Hero” by Bonnie Tyler

Garter Toss – “Pour Some Sugar On Me” by Def Leppard

Last Dance - “When You Got A Good Thing” by Lady Antebellum

SAN DIEGO WEDDING VENDORS:

Coordinator = Courtney

Catering = Ranch Events

Photographer = Pix Of Life

Videographer = Taylor Films

For more information about this event click here: San Diego Wedding DJ

Positive Energy Productions | 858.490.0445

Bali Hai San Diego Wedding DJ 5/14/11

Monogram Projection, San Diego Wedding DJ, San Diego Wedding Lighting, San Diego Wedding Vendors, San Diego Wedding Venues, Unique Wedding Ideas, Uplights Comments Off

May 142011

Tonight’s wedding was held at the Bali Hai Restaurant on Shelter Island. Our couple had their ceremony in a church so I was hired as their San Diego wedding DJ for the reception only.

They opted to have a music theme throughout the wedding decor so I knew music was important to them! The cake was wrapped in music notes, the tables were all named after famous music artists or groups, and the place cards were actual custom printed concert tickets for each guest.

Our couple decided to add in some lighting at the last minute. I provided light blue uplighting around the room and projected a gobo letter onto the center of the dance floor. They thought it really made a huge difference!

Once we opened up the dance floor everyone jumped out there and were ready to party. Dancing was pretty solid for most of the evening and then slowly tapered off towards the end. They were an extremely nice group to work with.

Here is a link to the photographer’s blog: view professional photos from this event

Extras Provided: 8 Uplights & Gobo Letter Projection

MUSIC:

Grand Entrance: One Block Radius – “You Got Me”

First Dance: Jay Sean – “Down (Candlelight Remix)”

Father/Daughter Dance: Mariah Carey – “Hero”

Cake Cutting: T.I. Feat. Keri Hilson – “Got Your Back Boy”

SAN DIEGO WEDDING VENDORS:

Photographer = Adam Baruh Photography

For more information about this event click here = San Diego Wedding DJ

Positive Energy Productions | 858.490.0445

Scripps Forum La Jolla Wedding DJ 5/6/11

Cake Spotlighting, Monogram Projection, San Diego Ceremony Music, San Diego Wedding DJ, San Diego Wedding Lighting, San Diego Wedding Vendors, San Diego Wedding Venues, Unique Wedding Ideas, Uplights, Water Effect Lights Comments Off

May 062011

Cake Spotlighting

The Robert Paine Scripps Forum in La Jolla is one of my favorite San Diego wedding venue locations because of the modern architecture (which opens up many options for lighting) and the view!

The ceremony was held out on the grass at an angle facing the palm trees and ocean. The wooden birds at the base of the floral stands added a fun element to the design (these birds also showed up at the base of the cake table later on).

After the ceremony guests were greeted into the reception space by a fun place card display strung between two white ladders topped off with flowers and hanging photographs. Our coordinator Suzanne from Crown Weddings and her team really helped keep the schedule and events running on time.

I performed my main duties as their San Diego wedding DJ but they also were really interested in many of the lighting options I was able to show them. We added lots of uplighting throughout, projected a custom monogram gobo up above their sweetheart table, added in the cake spotlighting, as well as, some ambient dance floor lighting for later in the evening. I can really do quite a bit with this space to totally transform it into something special!

After the meal and toasts were finished their guests were ready to dance! I started off with a few slow songs and some older songs that worked for all ages. As you can see a few of the photo booth props made it out onto the dance floor.

As the evening progressed I played more and more of the current music to make sure the younger crowd was also having a great time.

I used some ambient dance floor lighting (in the photos above and below) to really throw some color into the area and to also set off the fun dancing photos. Guests danced until the end and our bride & groom had an excellent night!

Extras Provided: Uplighting, Cake Spotlighting, Monogram Gobo Projection, Ambient Dance Floor Lights

MUSIC:

Ceremony Bridesmaid’s Entrance – The Frey “How To Save A Life Instrumental”

Ceremony Bride’s Processional - Norah Jones “Come Away With Me Instrumental”

Ceremony Recessional – Ingrid Michaelson “The Way I Am”

First Dance – Sade “By Your Side”

Mother/Son Dance – Sarah McLachlin “Blackbird”

Last Dance - Tim McGraw “Tiny Dancer”

SAN DIEGO WEDDING VENDORS:

Coordinator = Suzanne with Crown Weddings

Photographer = Michael with True Photography

Caterer = TK&A Custom Catering

Cake = Michele Coulon Dessertier

Chairs & Linens = Concepts Event Design

Transportation = Avante-Garde Limousine

For more information about this event click here: San Diego Wedding DJ

Positive Energy Productions | 858.490.0445

Estancia La Jolla 2/26/11 San Diego Wedding DJ

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Feb 262011

Estancia La Jolla is one of my favorite locations for a San Diego wedding. It has a nice upscale atmosphere yet feels very comfortable at the same time. The staff is extremely friendly (Laurel is great to work with) and the service is excellent. It was raining all day so we had to make the decision to pull the ceremony inside next to the La Jolla Ballroom. Cocktail hour was also held inside in another area close to the ceremony. Not quite the outdoor setting we were hoping for but it all worked out and everyone stayed warm and dry! Guests then headed over to the Grande Room for dinner and dancing.

The room looked great with large manzanita branch centerpieces on a number of tables and some larger floral arrangements on other tables. It seems that serving dinner “family style” is becoming a San Diego wedding trend lately as I see it more and more often. This was a large Italian group so serving the meal family style made them feel right at home. After a little dancing our couple cut the wedding cake and we opened up a gellato / ice cream bar that the guests dove into!

Dancing continued for the rest of the evening. I was surprised that they lasted until the end since this was quite a bit longer than most (an eight hour event) and many of the guests were visiting from the east coast (three hours later for them). All in all a successful event!

Music:

Grand Entrance: Closer to You Instrumental – Cure

First Dance: Crazy Love – Van Morrison

Father/Daughter Dance: In My Life – Beatles

Mother/Son Dance: Black Bird – Beatles

San Diego Wedding Vendors:

Estancia: Laurel Ganzel

Photographers: Eddie Bojorquez with Studio 512

Cake: Flour Power

Florist: San Diego Flowers by Coley

Coordinator: Kristy Weinzimer

Officiant: Minister Jerry Bryant

For more information about this event click here: San Diego Wedding DJ

Positive Energy Productions | 858.490.0445

Wilson Creek Winery San Diego Wedding DJ 1/15/11

San Diego Ceremony Music, San Diego Wedding DJ, San Diego Wedding Lighting, San Diego Wedding Vendors, San Diego Wedding Venues, Unique Wedding Ideas, Uplights Comments Off

Jan 152011

Tonight’s wedding was held at the Wilson Creek Winery in Temecula, CA. This event was slightly unique because we had a film crew at the reception… The wedding was being featured on the We TV show Amazing Wedding Cakes!

Christopher Garin from “Let Them Eat Cake” designed the cake. Chris Garren was informed that our couple was looking for a koala bear cake. Why a koala you might ask? They met while both were in the Navy and strictly followed military protocol about “no signs of public affection”. So they came up with a code-word to represent their love “koala”. A competition kicks in on the show, who will create the cutest koala? The cake is complete with a eucalyptus tree with lifelike leaves placed next to the abstract cake with aboriginal decorations.

Click here to view a short video from the Amazing Wedding Cakes TV show featuring the Koala Cake.

Click Here to read highlights of the wedding on the Amazing Wedding Cakes WeTV website.

We started off with the ceremony outside on the patio overlooking the vineyards where a personal friend of the bride & groom performed the ceremony. Guest’s then moved inside the winery for cocktail hour while our couple took some photos around the property.

After the cocktail hour the doors to the Barrel Room were opened. Guests were invited into the cozy space with one uniquely large “U” shaped table for everyone. The red uplighting really added some much needed warmth & interest in the room.

It was a smaller intimate crowd this evening. We had fun. As their wedding DJ I tried to play a large variety of music tonight since there were guests of all ages. You can see that we had some fun and our groom had some fun as well

At the end of the wedding reception we invited all of the guests to make their way outside. We lined them up on either side of the exit doors and handed out quite a few sparklers. Add in a few matches and some cheers… We have a great photo and our couple was off!

MUSIC:

Bridesmaids Enter Ceremony: Feeling Good – Michael Buble

Bride’s Processional: When I Fall In Love – Nat King Cole and Natalie Cole

Recessional: All in – Lifehouse

Bride & Groom Entrance: Say Hey (I Love You) – Michael Franti

First Dance: Only You Can Love Me This Way – Keith Urban

Father/Daughter Dance: I Loved Her First – Heartland

Mother Son Dance: Unforgettable – Nat King Cole and Natalie Cole

Cake Cutting: Sugar Sugar – The Archies

Garter Toss: Eye of the Tiger – Survivor

Last dance: Save The Last Dance –Michael Buble

SAN DIEGO WEDDING VENDORS:

Photographers = Aquario Studio

Cake = Christopher Garin from “Let Them Eat Cake”

For more information about this event click here: San Diego Wedding DJ

Positive Energy Productions | 858.490.0445

Powerhouse Del Mar – San Diego Wedding DJ 12/18/10

San Diego Ceremony Music, San Diego Wedding DJ, San Diego Wedding Lighting, San Diego Wedding Vendors, San Diego Wedding Venues, Unique Wedding Favors, Unique Wedding Ideas, Uplights Comments Off

Dec 182010

Powerhouse Del Mar is a great San Diego wedding venue if you want an all in one ceremony and reception location right on the beach. The ceremony today was held out on the patio. We weren’t sure if the rain would hold out for our couple but we made it through the ceremony with only a few drops.

Once inside the uplighting really added some color to the space and incorporated their blue throughout the reception. A nice personal touch were the homemade cookies by the bride & her mother are a German family holiday tradition. Historians trace these cookies back to the Julfest, a German midwinter celebration.

Our couple and many of their guests really know how to swing dance so we played quite a bit of big band and swing music tonight. We also incorporated some more current music to keep things going later on. A nice and fun winter wedding.

Click here to view professional photos of this event from Dapper Images.

Here are a few professional photos from the evening:

MUSIC:

Processional: Again – Doris Day (Acoustic Guitar)

Recessional: How Deep Is The Ocean – Billie Holiday (Acoustic Guitar)

First Dance: The Best Is Yet To Come – Frank Sinatra

Father/Daughter Dance: What A Wonderful World – Louis Armstrong

Last Dance: (I’ve Had) The Time Of My Life – Bill Medley & Jennifer Warnes

Exit: Goodnight, Well it’s Time to Go (Goodnight Sweetheart, Goodnight) – The Spaniels

SAN DIEGO WEDDING VENDORS:

Photographers: Dapper Images

Catering: Coast Catering

Cake: VG Donuts & Bakery

For more information about this event click here: San Diego Wedding DJ

Positive Energy Productions | 858.490.0445

Rancho Bernardo Inn San Diego Wedding DJ 11/13/10

Cake Spotlighting, San Diego Wedding DJ, San Diego Wedding Lighting, San Diego Wedding Vendors, San Diego Wedding Venues, Unique Wedding Ideas Comments Off

Nov 132010

Tonight’s couple selected the Rancho Bernardo Inn as their San Diego wedding venue. I started off the night with a portable sound system for the cocktail hour outside on the San Bernardo patio. Upon entering the San Bernardo Ballroom I really liked the look of the escort card table. They had small silver frames for each guest surrounded by some manzanita branches with hanging candles and crystals. One unique wedding idea was a “wish them well” congratulations tree where people could write a special note for the bride & groom. They also had a few fun “kids only” tables inside the reception room complete with gifts and activities.

I provided the wedding cake spotlighting that really made the cake stand out in the large room. You can see a photo below of how it really helps to pop out the cake at a distance.

It was a large Indian group this evening and the bride & groom mentioned that they didn’t think many of them would dance since they were pretty conservative. As you can see that was not a problem…