POSITIVE ENERGY - SAN DIEGO WEDDING DJ BLOG

L’Auberge Del Mar San Diego Wedding DJ 9/30/10

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Sep 302010

L’Auberge Del Mar is a perfect location for weddings because of the multiple outdoor terraces and patios, as well as, the indoor Platinum Ballroom. The plan was to have the cocktail hour outside on the Sunset Terrace and the dinner up on the top Pacific Terrace. The weather today was very stormy with off and on rain so we had to make a last minute decision to pull everything inside. About 15 minutes before start time the rain stopped so we were able to hold the cocktail hour out on the deck but dinner had to remain inside because everything was already set. Our bride really wanted to have her first dance outside so I set up a separate speaker up top and they danced just as the sun was going down.

After their first dance guests moved downstairs to the ballroom for dinner. One fun item that was included with each guest’s wedding favor was an individually wrapped pack of sparklers (to be used at the end of the evening). During dinner the vendors were all talking. Years ago I was the DJ for both the photographer’s wedding, as well as, the videographer’s wedding so during dinner we were all talking. We found out that they both got married 7 years ago in 2003… both in July… and better yet… that their weddings were one week apart from each other!

After dinner we moved into dancing. They were ready! We played about 45 minutes of dance music and opened up the photo booth for guests to have some fun with. Guests had fun with all of the hats and props.

After the cake cutting we held an anniversary dance for all of the married couples. Longest Married Couple: 54 years! Dancing continued for the rest of the evening. Great event and they topped it all off with a sparkler exit!

MUSIC:

Wedding Party Entrance: Blues Brothers – Soul Man

Bride and Groom Entrance: Joe Esposito – You’re the Best

First Dance: David Grey – Sail Away With Me

Father/Daughter Dance: David Cook – The Time of My Life

Mother/Son Dance: Beatles – In My Life

Anniversary Dance: Sugarland – What I’d Give

San Diego Wedding Vendors:

Photographers: AS Photography

Videographers: The Storyteller

Rentals: Bedazzle My Events

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

Positive Energy Productions | 858.490.0445

William D. Evans San Diego Wedding DJ 9/4/10

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Sep 042010

This evening’s wedding was at the Bahia Hotel aboard the William D. Evans Boat. Before guests boarded the boat they were treated to a ceremony on the sand out near the edge of the bay. A fun surprise gift was the “Honeymoon For Two Sand Bucket” placed out by the ceremony area complete with a honeymoon to Cabo San Lucas, blow up fish, two towels, hats, flip-flops, etc.

After the ceremony cocktail hour was held down on the lower level of the boat. The decor of the boat really sets the tone for the wedding on the water. Everything has an authentic 19th century look and feel to it including the bar areas on both decks. Once cocktail hour was over guests then went upstairs for toasts and dinner. The stained glass ceiling is always an unexpected surprise for guests.

After the meal everyone moved back downstairs for the rest of the evening. We started off with our couple’s first dance, father/daughter dance, & mother/son dance. Once these were complete we then turned up the volume & let them loose. A few guests even grabbed the life vests and turned them into some sort of dance costume. I’m not sure I fully understood it but nobody else did either! Good times out on the water.

San Diego Wedding Vendors:

Photographer: Jeff Corrigan

Cake: The French Gourmet

Officiant: Andy with All Heart Weddings

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

Positive Energy Productions | 858.490.0445

Omni San Diego Wedding DJ 8/28/10

Monogram Projection, San Diego Wedding DJ, San Diego Wedding Lighting, San Diego Wedding Vendors Comments Off

Aug 282010

Tonight was a large 225 person Filipino wedding in downtown San Diego at the Omni Hotel. The referral trail is long on this one… First off this couple hired me to be their San Diego wedding DJ based on a referral from a wedding that the bride & groom attended in 2008. That wedding was a referral from a wedding I DJ’d back in August of 2001 at the US Grant. The 2001 wedding was a referral from a previous wedding that is no longer in my computer system which means it was sometime back in 1995 to 1999. It always amazes me to look back at how each couple finds me. I just sent an indirect “Thank You” to the 2001 couple.

The cocktail hour tonight was held just outside the ballroom. Once we opened the ballroom doors guests made their way to their seats to find a nice bottle of sake wrapped up as their wedding favor. We started off the evening with the huge grand entrance of 42 people! I put in some time practicing to make sure I pronounced all the unique names correctly. After our couple entered we went directly into their first dance. Toasts were held after the meal (with sake service) and were followed by the father/daughter, as well as, the mother/son dances. We kicked off dancing and the dance floor was full. After about 20-30 minutes guests were naturally wanting a break so we slowed things down and showed the couples slide show which the NR3 videographers added footage from the ceremony and reception filmed just minutes earlier. We then went into the money dance which is a well-loved tradition at Filipino weddings which represents the wish that good fortune is “rained” upon them. We finished off the events with the cake cutting and the bouquet/garter toss. The rest of the evening was open for dancing. I played a large variety of music including all the major dance hits, some Cha-Cha, and a few songs from Lea Salonga (see below). Dancing went well for the rest of the evening. The lighting helped add some color to the walls and bring more purple into the room. I also projected a custom gobo monogram image down onto the dance floor that added a personal feel to the space.

Lea Salonga is a great singer and actress in the Philippines. She has appeared in “Miss Saigon” on Broadway, as well as, the voice of Princess Jasmine in Disney’s Aladdin. It was Filipino Cultural Night at Petco Park and Lea sang the National Anthem during the Padres game (the groom works for the Padres and helped line this up). In the photo to the left you can see Lea Salonga with our couple.

Extras Provided: 10 Uplights, Custom Gobo Monogram Projection

MUSIC:

Sponsors Entrance: DeBarge “Rhythm of the Night”

Wedding Party Entrance: Chris Brown “Forever”

Bride & Groom’s Entrance: Allure feat. NAS “Head over Heels”

First Dance: Stevie Wonder “You are the Sunshine of my Life”

Father/Daughter Dance: Rascal Flatts “I Loved her First”

Mother/Son Dance: Kenny Rogers “Through the Years”

Cake Cutting: Portrait “How Deep is your Love”

Bouquet Toss: Brotherhood Creed “Helluva”

Garter Removal: TLC “Red Light Special”

Garter Toss: P. Diddy “I Need a Girl”

Last Dance: Koffee Brown “After Party”

SAN DIEGO WEDDING VENDORS:

Photographers: Trailbrook Photography

Videographers: NR3 Video Productions

Cake: Edelweiss Bakery

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

Positive Energy Productions | 858.490.0445

El Cortez San Diego Wedding DJ 8/14/10

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

Aug 142010

We started off the afternoon cocktail hour on the outdoor patio at the El Cortez. Once we moved inside for the reception we kicked things off with a loud and fun mariachi grand entrance! The mariachi continued to play throughout dinner. The flowers and centerpieces were comprised of a variety of vibrant colors. They really stood out against the darker rich colors of the linens and dark woods. A really fun Guinness beer groom’s cake was on display near their “official” wedding cake. I was hired as their San Diego wedding DJ because I DJ’d for their friends wedding about 6 months earlier that was also held at the El Cortez. Popular place! The music tonight consisted of a mix of Latin and American music. The group had a great time and it is always nice to run into past clients!

Extras Provided: Custom Gobo Monogram Projection

MUSIC:

Wedding Party Entrance: Magdalenha – Sergio Mendez

Bride & Groom Entrance: Mariachi

First Dance: Lucky – Jason Mraz

San Diego Wedding Vendors:

Photographers: Theorie Photography

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

Positive Energy Productions | 858.490.0445

Marina Village 7/31/10 – San Diego Wedding DJ

Cake Spotlighting, Monogram Projection, San Diego Ceremony Music, San Diego Wedding DJ, San Diego Wedding Lighting, San Diego Wedding Vendors, Unique Wedding Ideas, Video/Slide Show Projection, White "Starry" Lights Comments Off

Jul 312010

The last wedding for this weekend was over at Marina Village in the Seaside Room for around 250 guests. The ceremony was held out on the South Lawn facing the marina and sunset. They released butterflies at the end of the ceremony which is always a nice surprise for guests. We then moved into the Seaside Room for the reception. This is probably the best looking reception I have seen in this room. They really added quite a few special touches to enhance the space and dress up the room. A few of these items included the candy bar, cigar roller outside on the patio, table linens, and the lighting I provided. I spotlighted the cake and projected their monogram gobo down onto the dance floor. This really popped out once we turned the lights down. I also helped provide the slide show that we played during the cocktail hour and mixed a special dance for the bride and her father consisting of six songs. They had fun with it and it was a total surprise for mom since they kept it a secret. The group enjoyed dancing and it turned out to be a really fun wedding to DJ.

Extras Provided: Cake Spotlighting, Custom Gobo Monogram Projection, White Starry Lights, Slide Show Projection

MUSIC:

Bridesmaids: Canon in D – The O’Neill Brothers

Bride’s Processional: Bridal Chorus – Wagner

Sand Ceremony: You and Me – Lifehouse

Butterfly Release: Butterfly Waltz – Brian Crain

Recessional: If It’s Love – Train

Grand Entrance: I Gotta Feeling – Black Eyed Peas

First Dance: History in the Making – Darius Rucker

Father/Daughter Dance: Special Mix I edited for them with the following songs: Heartland- I Loved Her First / Black Eyed Peas- Lets get it started / Starsound- Cotton eye Joe / Contours- Do you love me / Kenny Loggins- Footloose / Tim McGraw- My Little Girl

Mother/Son Dance: My Wish – Rascal Flatts

Cake Cutting: Sugar Sugar – The Archies

Anniversary Dance: Lost In This Moment – Big & Rich

Bouquet Toss: Hit Me With Your Best Shot – Pat Benatar

Garter Toss: Let’s Get It On – Marvin Gaye / Another One Bites The Dust – Queen

Last Songs: Good Riddance – Green Day & Say Hey (I Love You) – Michael Franti & Spearhead

San Diego Wedding Vendors:

Photographer: Brett Alan

Videographer: Patrick from Blue Sky Wedding

Catering: Ranch Events

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

Positive Energy Productions | 858.490.0445

Rancho Bernardo Inn Wedding 7/30/10

Cake Spotlighting, San Diego Ceremony Music, San Diego Wedding DJ, San Diego Wedding Lighting, Unique Wedding Favors, Unique Wedding Ideas, Uplights Comments Off

Jul 302010

This weekend kicked off with a wedding at the Rancho Bernardo Inn. I helped provide the ceremony music which was held just outside the ballroom on the Aragon Lawn. We moved inside the Aragon Ballroom for the cocktail hour and reception. A nice personal touch was the fact that family members made the entire cake this evening. We were all a little worried about it in the beginning because they were bringing it inside all in pieces. They assembled it and added some last minute detailing. It turned out well and was actually a fairly large cake for 200+ people. They wanted to really highlight this so I provided the cake spotlighting (photos below). Take notice of the room shots at a distance to really see how this makes the cake stand out. We also added in the uplighting to match the girl’s dresses and add some color to the walls. Dancing went well tonight. We had a late night break from the dance floor with some cheeseburgers and fries with all the toppings.

Extras Provided: Cake Spotlighting, Custom Colored Uplighting

First Dance: Only You Can Love Me – Keith Urban

Father/Daughter Dance: I Loved Her First – Heartland

Last Dance: The Way You Look Tonight – Frank Sinatra

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

Positive Energy Productions | 858.490.0445

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Museum Of Contemporary Art La Jolla Wedding 7/17/10

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

Jul 172010

Tonight I was back at one of my favorite locations… The Museum Of Contemporary Art La Jolla. I enjoy creating art myself so it is always interesting to see what exhibits they have on display. We started with the ceremony outside on the patio where Christopher Tuttle did a great job officiating the wedding. Guests remained outside for the cocktail hour and then proceeded upstairs for the indoor reception. The museum currently has all white pieces in the main Axline Court lobby area that work well for a wedding since they provide a neutral backdrop for lighting and color. Tonight’s colors were light blue and an intense pink. I used 16 uplights throughout the reception room. They really added some much needed color and depth to the space. You can also view some photos of the cake spotlighting that I provide. The before and after pictures are below and the final photo with the uplighting in the background is above. It really does an excellent job of making the cake stand out in a room! You can see the before and after pictures below. One of the best things I have seen in a while were the chocolate covered strawberries at each place setting. When guests first entered the room each one had a special note on it saying: “Life Is Unpredictable… Eat Dessert First!” I thought it was a really fun idea and who doesn’t like to eat dessert first? I played a large variety of music tonight. Guests really had a great time. They danced until the very end. We then invited everyone to make their way outside to see our couple off. Guests were given giant three foot sparklers and formed a tunnel for our bride & groom to exit through. A fun way to end the evening. Click Here to view more photos and a great slide show from their photographers.

Extras Provided: 16 Uplights, Cake Spotlighting

Ceremony Bridesmaid’s Song: Falling in Love – O’Neill Brothers

Ceremony Processional Song: Somewhere Over The Rainbow – Israel Kamakawiwo’ole

Ceremony Recessional Song: Beyond The Sea – Bobby Darin

Grand Entrance Song: Nothin’ But a Good Time – Poison

First Dance Song: The Way you Look Tonight – Tony Bennett

Father/Daughter Dance Song: Into the Mystic – Van Morrison

Mother/Son Dance Song: At Last – Etta James Piano Instrumental

Cake Cutting Song: L-O-V-E – Natalie Cole

Bouquet/Garter Toss Songs: You Can’t Hurry Love/ You Shook Me All Night Long

Last Dance Song: Beyond the Sea – Bobby Darin

San Diego Wedding Vendors:

Ceremony Officiant: Christopher Tuttle with Vows From The Heart

Cake: Edelweiss Bakery

Florist: Patrick with Artistic Florals

Catering: Pear Trees Catering

Photographers: Betsy & Jeff with La Vida Creations

Coordinator: Stephanie with Inspired Events

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

Positive Energy Productions | 858.490.0445

Here are some photos from the professional photographers at La Vida Creations:

Kona Kai Wedding 7/16/10

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Jul 162010

Tonight’s wedding was over at the Kona Kai on Shelter Island. This wedding was a referral from a bride and groom that I provided San Diego Wedding DJ services for back in 2007. The head table and centerpieces looked great. What really made the room stand out was the draping behind the bride & groom’s table. It did a great job of hiding the wall behind. I adjusted the the uplighting so it would wash over the draping to create a dramatic atmosphere and cast a glow over the entire space. The uplighting around the room also added color to the all white walls. The cake spotlighting really made the cake stand out since it is a larger room and the cake is always place in the back corner. I helped the bride create a fun mix for the father/daughter dance tonight. All of the bride’s sisters and closest friends joined her father half way through for a dance they have been doing for quite some time. It helped to start dancing off in a fun way. Guests enjoyed themselves this evening and danced until the last song.

FATHER DAUGHTER DANCE: Daddy’s Angel – End with The Big Bopper – Chantilly Lace

MOTHER SON DANCE: Jason Matthews – That’s What Mamas Do

BOUQUET TOSS: Def Leppard – Pour Some Sugar On Me

GARTER TOSS: Survivor – Eye Of The Tiger

CAKE CUTTING: Zac Brown Band – Chicken Fried

Extras Provided: Cake Spotlighting, Uplights

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 7/10/10

San Diego Ceremony Music, San Diego Wedding DJ, San Diego Wedding Lighting, Unique Wedding Favors, Unique Wedding Ideas, Water Effect Lights 1 Response »

Jul 102010

A very intimate wedding at the Rancho Bernardo Inn Grenada Room. This wedding was for around 40 of our bride and groom’s closest family and friends. The bride & groom are planning two weddings… one here in the United States and the other wedding back in Japan with the bride’s family. Since the wedding in Japan will mostly represent the bride’s heritage (with a few things mixed in for the groom) the wedding here in San Diego mostly represented the groom’s Scottish heritage (with a few elements to represent the bride).

The ceremony was held out on the Buena Vista Terrace overlooking the golf course. I played some bagpipe music they selected and the groom was dressed in a traditional kilt. Cocktail hour then moved to another outdoor patio/grass location just outside the reception room. Guests were invited into the Grenada Room for dinner and dancing. Once we kicked off dancing I was a little nervous because it didn’t start off with a bang like most larger receptions. I wasn’t expecting a huge wild party with only 40 people but I wasn’t sure if they would warm up throughout the evening. Let’s just say that was not a problem… Once we got into the music a little bit the guests were out there tearing it up. We not only kept things going until the end but actually extended the party for an extra hour (for a total of 7 hours which is fairly long for a ceremony & reception – especially for a smaller group). They were there to have a great time!

A few unique items tonight: The name cards and the cake cutting set representing the bride. Some excellent chocolate favors that looked like small purses… our bride’s favorite accessory. The water effect lighting added a cool visual effect on the dance floor and ceiling.

Extras Provided: Water Effect Lights

MUSIC:

Grand Entrance: “Scotland The Brave” – Bagpipes

First Dance: “It Had To Be You” – Harry Connick Jr.

Last Dance: “Closing Time” – Semisonic

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

Positive Energy Productions | 858.490.0445

Pala Mesa Resort Wedding 7/9/10

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Jul 092010

Pala Mesa Resort has an excellent outdoor tent space they use for weddings complete with waterfall behind the cake and head table. Cocktail hour is held just outside the tent on a nice patio area. They have a grass lawn area (with another waterfall) available for the ceremony but tonight I was only hired to help with the reception. This wedding was a referral from another San Diego wedding I did in 2005 so it is always great to bump into past clients. The reception tent looked very light and fresh with mostly summer whites and a little bit of yellow/pink. I projected the couple’s slide show during the end of cocktail hour and the start of dinner. This worked out well because we did not have to “stop” the reception later on to show it. Guests were also moving around at this point in the evening so they could view the show and then make their way to their seats. I looped it a few times to make sure everybody got a chance to see it. One unique idea for the name place cards they used was the butterfly cutouts with each person’s name on it that looked like they landed on the water glass. Dancing went pretty well tonight. The couple enjoys going to Irish pubs so we played some Irish music and it really got everyone up right after the cake cutting. A variety of requests throughout the entire event kept it interesting. It was great working with Kendra. She does an excellent job making sure all the details are taken care of, as well as, making sure the couple is relaxed and stress free.