Crowne Plaza Hotel Company Party 12/20/08

My last event for 2008 was at the Crowne Plaza Hotel. I don't really know what to say about this event. I was given a specific playlist that the group would supposedly love (swing music and some oldies) and asked not to take/play any requests. I am all about making sure my clients are happy and do not mind following an exact playlist when it works but it is painful when it flops. Well... lets just say it was one of the most embarrassing evenings I have ever had! 170 guests (out of about 176 guests) actually left the party within 15-30 minutes after we started dancing!!! A few people were making fun of the music from their seats and a few other guests came up to me and asked me if I could play any "real music". What can I say? I might have just assumed that it was not a dancing crowd if I didn't know better but I have done this company party for over 5 years. It has never been a "wild group" and usually a good amount of people leave after dinner but they have NEVER left this fast! I can remember last year was actually a really good time and a good portion of the guests danced/enjoyed the evening until the very end. Anyways... I really take pride in what I do so it is difficult, as well as, really embarrassing when people are almost running for the door and my hands are pretty much tied behind my back unable to do anything about it. All I can say is that I hope the people in charge of the party had a good time and hopefully it was a learning experience for next year.

Rancho Bernardo Inn Company Party 12/19/08

It always feels like the holidays when I DJ an event at the Rancho Bernardo Inn during December. I was in the Santa Catalina Ballroom which is the smallest ballroom they have for events. I have done this company party for two years now. The group is extremely small with around 30 people. It was a six hour event and they pretty much danced the entire time! Many people would think that a smaller group would be easier but they are actually much more difficult because there are less people to get things really going to create a party atmosphere. This group doesn't really have a problem with that. Looking forward to doing their party again next year...

Handlery Hotel Company Party 12/13/08

Tonight's company party was at the Handlery Hotel in Mission Valley. It was a slightly older group that was fairly conservative. There was a 30 minute presentation with a video slideshow and then a raffle drawing. No prizes were given out just envelopes with different amounts of cash in them... something everyone can use. A portion of the group did not dance (only to slow songs) but there was a large group that stayed until the very last song and had a great time!

San Diego Marriott Company Party 12/12/08

The San Diego Marriott downtown has an amazing Bayside Pavilion ballroom out next to the water that overlooks the bay, marina, and the Coronado bridge. Tonight was a cool company party... no awards, no speeches, no raffle drawing giveaways. They just wanted a great night out to get together and celebrate an excellent year. Plenty of food and drink for all. Company parties are always a little unique because nobody really wants to fully let loose in front of the boss. They had a good time and there was consistent dancing for the three hours of open dancing after the cocktail hour and meal.

Extras Provided: Water Effect Lights

40th Birthday Party 12/6/08

It is always an honor when a past client contacts me for another one of their events. Tonight was a great change of scenery with a 40th birthday party. I was the DJ at the couple's wedding over 10 years ago! They loved what I did back then and kept my contact information. It is funny how time flies. The party was a great success with a video slideshow. A favorite moment featured the birthday boy rapping on camera back in the 1980's. It was an excellent dancing group. They could have easily gone another hour or two...

Extras Provided: Slideshow Equipment

Hilton La Jolla Torrey Pines Wedding 11/28/08

I had my last wedding of 2008 tonight at the Hilton La Jolla Torrey Pines. The rest of the year I have company parties and holiday events. The ceremony was held on the Fairway Pavilion Garden which is an amazing spot overlooking the golf course. They had long hour and a half for cocktails while the bride & groom went to the beach for photos. Once they returned we then moved into the ballroom for the reception. The food was excellent and the crowd was great. There was a photo booth/screen out in the hallway (provided by Kevin Roche Photography) that enticed many guests out to take part in the fun. They were a solid dancing group and we ended on a great note. Kevin Roche Photography did an excellent job capturing the photographic moments throughout the night. It was great to catch up with him and work together on such a great wedding.

Thursday Club Wedding 11/23/08

I was back at The Thursday Club in Point Loma tonight for the ceremony and reception. Perfect weather for a late November wedding. Their theme was all about the beach so the room looked great with the water effect lighting on the ceiling! I also enhanced the square cupcakes with some spotlighting which made them really stand out up on the stage. After dinner I used the projection equipment to show a nice slideshow of the couple throughout the years (guests usually love seeing these as long as they are not too long). We had a pretty strong dancing crowd early on for a Sunday night wedding.
Extras Provided: Cake Spotlight, Water Effect Lights, and Video/Slideshow Projection Equipment

Bouchér Photography Studio Party 11/13/08

This evening I had the honor of going to the Bouchér Photography studio "grand opening" party. It is an amazing 4500 sq. foot studio filled with enormous creative potential. It was great to catch up with all of the excellent vendors...

NACE Meeting - Crowne Plaza 11/11/08

Tonight's monthly N.A.C.E. (National Association of Catering Executives) meeting was at the Crowne Plaza Hotel. The cocktail hour featured a full sushi bar and excellent tray passed appetizers. We then moved into another ballroom for a dinner consisting of duck and salmon. Tonight the topic was all about getting the most out of N.A.C.E. and what topics/guest speakers we would like to see in the future.

South Coast Winery Wedding 11/1/08

November is a perfect time of year for a wedding in Temecula. Tonight I was over at the South Coast Winery which has beautiful grounds and a wonderful spa. The couple had a traditional Scottish ceremony out by the vineyards with a bagpiper. The reception then moved inside where they had some Scottish dancing to kick it off followed by more of a club type atmosphere later in the evening. The group had a good time and the lighting added quite a bit to the tan room. You can see a few examples of the room with and without lighting below.

Extras provided: Uplights, Cake Spotlighting

Coronado Shores Wedding 10/25/08

Tonight was an intimate 50 person wedding out at the Coronado Shores Roeder Pavilion. An excellent room with amazing views directly out to the beach. The ceremony was on the sand and we were lucky to have a beautiful sunset! You never know what is going to happen with a smaller group... sometimes they are mellow and sometimes wild depending on how well everyone knows each other. This group danced the entire evening and really enjoyed themselves.

New York Trip 10/7/08

I just got back from one week in New York City. We stayed at the Marriott directly in the center of Times Square. Talk about a busy location! Our room had amazing views of the street below. The city was extremely clean and much nicer than I ever expected. We did all of the normal tourist stuff: Statue Of Liberty, Ellis Island, Central Park, Wall Street, 5th Avenue Shopping, etc., as well as, took in a Broadway show and a performance at Radio City Music Hall. Overall a great trip and some some excellent photographs.

Tom Ham's Lighthouse Wedding 10/4/08

I just finished up my last wedding for the weekend at Tom Ham's Lighthouse on Harbor Island. A few special touches included the wonderful chocolate fountain with "long stem strawberries", the personalized Cowboys football themed groom's cake, and "The River's End" band who played four songs in the beginning to kick things off. I took over for the rest of the night with an excellent dancing crowd.

Extras Provided: Uplights, Cake Spotlighting

Island Palms Wedding 10/3/08

Tonights wedding was over at the Island Palms Hotel on Shelter Island. The ceremony was outside with a great view of the boats and Pt. Loma. The reception had sort of a modern tropical look to it. Very cool crowd that was extremely beautiful!
Extras Provided: Slideshow Projection Equipment

Lake Tahoe Wedding 9/27/08

This weekend I am honored to have been flown up to Lake Tahoe to DJ a wedding. The ceremony was outside near the water on an absolutely beautiful day. Their dancing guests were a blast to work with! I wish we had at least one more hour because they were having so much fun. Amazing views of the mountains and lake...