MERRY WEDDINGS blog

In May of 1999, while entertaining at Craig & Kelly Cooper’s Reception, I was asked to to pull a fast one on Craig’s brother, Steve, who was one of his Best Men that day. During the Grand Entrance…we surprised him with a brief version of “The Dating Game” as a roast of his status as a single guy. Steve played along quit well…but when you see the footage…be sure to check out Bachelorette #2…what a HOTTIE!

Craig and Kelly had selected a casual Hawaiian theme and they had insisted that I wear board shorts and sandals. This is the only reception I have ever performed at in shorts. So I introduced myself to their guests on the mic as “DJ of Great White Legs.”

So fast forward to today…imagine my delight when I found out that Steve Cooper was finally getting married. And today he and his fiancé, Jessica, secured my services for their big day in July of 2008…when Jessica will become his wife…in San Francisco. Look out Craig…you know what they say about payback…

Doug & Jesse were just about two of cutest, wildest, and funniest people I have ever worked with over the years. They loved to laugh and they wanted to give their guests something to talk about (and laugh about) for years to come. I had given them a copy of my new book, “The Best Wedding Reception…Ever!” and as we were discussing creative and memorable ideas, I showed them a YouTube video that was cited in my book as an example of how a bride and groom could create an enormous amount of fun energy amongst their guests by surprising everyone with a fun choreographed routine in the middle of their First Dance. The example I showed them can be seen here…

They liked this idea so much, they immediately started scouring YouTube for other video clips featuring fun dance routines, and that’s when they came across a routine by comedian, Judson Laipply, called “Evolution of Dance”…which can be seen here…

And so they selected a few of the favorite song clips and practiced their own routines. Meanwhile, they kept all of their guests, including their wedding party, in the dark about their plans. I helped them tighten up the edit of their song clips and we also created a fake CD skipping effect to fool the guests into thinking something had just gone horribly wrong in the middle of their First Dance…which only served to heighten the level of surprise as you will be able to see here…

To make sure we pulled this off correctly, and to segue the energy they had just created into some seriously fun open dancing, we scheduled their Father/Daughter Dance and Mother/Son Dance to take place before their First Dance…so we could just go right into the open dancing as soon as they were done. The location for this reception was the Woman’s Club of Orange. The video was shot by two of their friends, Chad and Robin. And the photographs were being shot by Amanda Collins with Jim Kennedy Photographers.

Travis & Danielle got married last night at Rancho Capistrano in San Juan Capistrano…but there was a small amount of Deja Vu going on…not just for me as I have entertained for weddings there off and on for over 13 years…but for Travis & Danielle as well.

Travis had been a groomsman in a wedding reception at Rancho Capistrano back in July of 2004, when he and Danielle had been dating for a little over a year. The groom at that wedding, Bryant, was now serving as one of Travis’ groomsmen…and I was thrilled to get to see Bryant & Brooke as I had also served as their Wedding Entertainment Director™ back then as well.

Their photographer was Jack Randall of Jack Randall Photography, whom I’ve had the pleasure of working with off and on since 1999. I gave Jack a copy of my new book, “The Best Wedding Reception…Ever!” and he seemed very impressed with it.

This morning I took a tour of Paradise Point Resort & Spa with Bryan & Holly to talk about their wedding plans for June of 2008.

We looked at the spot where their ceremony will take place, with the Mission Bay off to the right…the deck where their guests will enjoy cocktails and appetizers (and a great mix of background music)…

…and the ballroom where their reception fesitivities and dancing is going to happen.

Out timing was great as they were also able to introduce me to Kirsten Doyle, their catering contact. Based on what I saw of the resort and the gracious hospitality shown to us by Kirsten, I know Bryan & Holly have chosen a great location for their big day. If they choose my services, this will certainly be a wedding I’ll be looking forward to participating in while serving as their Wedding Entertainment Director™.

When I first met with Brianna and her mother, Ginny, back in August of last year…she told me about an unusual activity that she wanted to work into her reception agenda. It turns out that Brianna’s favorite game of all time is “The Balloon Stomp.” She has enjoyed this game since childhood and she always looks forward to rolling it out at large family gatherings…”So I figured why not do it at my reception?” she said to me.

We brainstormed some fun musical selections and made a list of victims…volunteers…and then we scheduled it to happen after the bouquet and garter tosses but before resuming the open dancing. Once our group of victims…volunteers…had been gathered on the dance floor, we finally revealed that it was time for “The Balloon Stomp” as a small balloon was quickly tied around the right ankle of each participant. When the frantic sounding music began, everyone attempted to stomp out their opponents ballons while desperately trying to protect their own balloon from being popped. It was loud…it was crazy…it was fun…and Brianna was loving every minute of it.

I think Carmen Kaiser at The Summit House in Fullerton might have been wondering why all the balloons were being blown up before the wedding and stored in her office…LOL! Robert Acton with Photography by Robert and Don & Rose Stafford with Mr. Videocam Video Productions were certinaly having fun catching the action on film and video.

Eric & Sabrina got married last night…and their reception was on the top floor ballroom of the Marina del Rey Marriott. The view was breathtaking…you could see the twinkling city lights all around…from Los Angeles…to Century City…to the hills of Hollywood…to Santa Monica and Malibu.

Sabrina used to work as a Nanny for Bernard & Gialisa (whose reception I had entertained at as their Wedding Entertainment Director™ back in September of 2003) and she had watched their wedding video a few times while taking care of their infant son.

Eric proposed to Sabrina while they were visiting Disneyland and he used the services of a caricature artist to pull it off. After they posed for their “portrait”…they went for dinner nearby while the artist completed their drawing. When they returned, Sabrina was surprised to find the artist had drawn Eric down on one knee while holding an egagement ring…and when she turned around to look at Eric…there he was…on one knee with the ring in hand just as the artist had depticted him.

I have to say that Elizabeth Leal with the Marina del Rey Marriott was a pleasure to work with, as was their photographer, Robin Fadtke of ZoArt Photography. I am looking forward to seeing how their photos turned out.

Best wishes Eric & Sabrina…thanks again for allowing to be a part of your celebration.

Today I was asked to serve as the MC at The Wedding Studio produced by Jim & Amy Harrick, the publishers of Ceremony Magazine. This special event was held at the Balboa Bay Club in Newport Beach and was really a one-of-a-kind experience for allowing wedding vendors and brides get acquainted. It was great to so many familiar faces all gathered together in such a creatively decorated setting.

Well done Jim & Amy…you guys should be proud!

Lisa and I decided to spend our Memorial Day weekend in Phoenix, AZ visiting with our good friends, Curtis & Amy Hoekstra. Curtis & Amy were married in in March of 2005 and I had the privilege of providing the entertainment at their reception. Curtis also provides entertainment at receptions via his company, Remarkable Receptions.

As it turned out, Curtis had a wedding set for last night and so I rode along as his assistant.

Imagine my surprise when the minister walked up and we recognized each other. His name is Dr. Jon Ireland and he’s a Pastor in Santa Babara. We had worked together at 2 weddings in the area in the last 2 years and he is simply one of the best ceremony ministers I have seen in action. His delivery during this ceremony very personalized, friendly, and engaging. He even took a moment to read special notes of thanks that the Bride and Groom had written to their parents.
The reception kicked off with Curtis delivering a very fun and personalized grand entrance that had everyone in attendance laughing and cheering. I heard many people in attendance (including the catering staff) commenting on how creative and fun the introductions had been.

Later in the evening, Curtis really showed how being prepared can make the dancing even better as he began pulling out truly unique songs that had been college favorites of Christie & Garrett’s (the Bride and Groom) inlcuding an upbeat version of “Joyful, Joyful” from their days together in choir, which is where they had first met.

Curtis’ performance as the Master of Ceremonies was truly “Remarkable” indeed. He was polished, prepared, professional, and very classy in everything that he said and did last night. No wonder he’s also one of the first members of the new Wedding Entertainment Directors Guild.