Continue reading »]]> Wow, it’s been busy. The last post prior to this was on October 10. In the meantime, I’ve been hosting your wedding receptions, company parties, and special events. It’s definitely been a great ride (and it still is, considering how we just finished the Hawaii Bridal Expo and I’m still following up with those of you whom I met). I am forever grateful to the brides and grooms who entrusted me to their wedding day these past few months. It truly was an honor to serve you. So many WONDERFUL memories that were created!

Like at Ryna & James Yamada’s wedding in October 2009 at the Hale Koa Hotel. From their original Grand Entrance to the “Evolution of Dance” First Dance and more, their wedding was truly remarkable.

Ryna & James from Video 21 Productions on Vimeo.

Or James & Nicole Richardson, who had a fantastically awesome wedding on New Years Eve. So Many great surprises–we played poker, had a Same Day Trash-The-Dress session, watched a unique Grand Entrance that involved Chinese lion dancers, and pranked her brother (who had the [mis]fortune of catching the garter).

Or Melissa & Tom McKenna, who had a fabulous wedding in September 2009 at the Turtle Bay. It was a very interactive and original party, including a truly one-of-a-kind cake-cutting moment that involved ALL OF THE GUESTS, not just the newlyweds.

There’s more, and in the next few weeks, I’ll post images, stories, and more from these parties. I’ll also be sending out my Wedding VIP Club Newsletter soon. In the meantime, the best way to keep up with me and to see where I’ve been and what I’ve been doing is to become my Facebook friend. I’m on Facebook daily, frequently update my status, and post helpful links, photos, and ideas from time to time to help you with your wedding plans. To become my friend simply go to

http://www.facebook.com/Marino.NinjaEntertainment

If you aren’t on Facebook yet but would like to be my Facebook friend, simply sign up. It’s FREE, and it’s a great way to reconnect with friends and family.

To all of the brides & grooms who I have served in the past few months, THANK YOU for letting me be a part of the memories of your special day.

To those who still haven’t decided yet…I look forward to serving you and helping you to create fun and unforgettable memories for your special moments.

Continue reading »]]> Dianna Shitanishi with Hawaii Weddings and Events, a good friend and one of my favorite wedding coordinators, just posted a WONDERFUL article on her blog about choosing the music for your wedding soundtrack. Whether you are hiring a DJ or live music for your Hawaii wedding, this article is a MUST-READ.

Click Here to Read Dianna’s Article on Wedding Music Selections.

Continue reading »]]> The Weekly Wedding Tip just went out, and it’s a good one. It talks about The Anniversary Surprise, an alternative to the traditional bouquet toss. Here in Hawaii, often brides invite more of their families to the wedding. And most of the time, their families are mostly married, leaving the bride with only a handful of unmarried women to toss the bouquet to. Instead of doing away with the traditional toss, why not give your audience a surprising twist? The Anniversary Surprise is such a twist.

If you’re a Wedding VIP Club member, then check your inboxes or bulk mail folders for it. And if you’re not, becoming a Wedding VIP Club member (in order to get the free Weekly Wedding Tips) is easy. Simply surf on over to

http://weddingvip.ninjaentertainment.com

Fill out all of the requested information, and then check your email for a confirmation email. Click the link in the confirmation email, and you should be good to go!

Continue reading »]]> With school over and the summer wedding season now in full swing, this month’s Wedding VIP Club Newsletter is focused on the kids! This month’s newsletter includes tips on…

• How to keep the children entertained at your wedding reception (so they don’t run around and wreak havoc on your presentation);
• How to keep your kids active during the summer months (so they don’t get into anything bad, dangerous, or illegal);
• And for the guys, how to choose your ringbearer for your wedding.

In addition, I highlight upcoming weddings (Ashlee & Alvin, Genesa & Brian); recent weddings (Janilee & Melvin); anniversaries; birthdays; and much more! So if you’re a member of the Wedding VIP Club, check your inboxes for this month’s helpful dose of information, stories, and images.

If you aren’t, becoming a member is easy! Simply surf on over to

http://weddingvip.ninjaentertainment.com

Fill out all of the requested information, and then check your email for a confirmation email. Click the link in the confirmation email, and you should be good to go!

Continue reading »]]> It certainly has been a while since I last wrote, hasn’t it?

The last two weeks were pretty insane. Just to give you an idea of what’s been happening:

• May 23: Janilee & Melvin’s wedding celebration–very lively, fun, and awesome. The writeup for this event is forthcoming…
• May 24-25: I officially take a two day vacation by driving out to Hana, spending the night, and driving back. We visit a few hiking trails, waterfalls, and beaches on the way back. Lucky I live Hawaii, huh?
• May 26: Get home, catch up with the office work, rehearse & prepare for the Oahu Wedding Association party later that evening. After all, I am the “Voice of [that] Celebration.”
• May 27-28: Prepare for the Hawaii World Class Wedding Expo over the weekend at the Convention Center. Lots of designing, coordinating with other vendors, etc.
• May 29-30: Showtime! I have a fabulous time making new friends and meeting brides-to-be at the expo. If you came by my booth and are a new reader to this blog, thank you for stopping by!
• May 31: Attend the Hawaii wedding of my good friends Ed & Shelley. They’ve been together for almost eight years, and they finally decided to get married here in Hawaii. It was a beautiful ceremony and reception overlooking the beach at Kualoa, on the island of Oahu.
• June 1: Begin following up with brides-to-be whom I met at the expo. If I haven’t gotten to you yet or returned your calls, my apologies! You are still very much on my mind!
• June 2: More followup, and a NACE Hawaii board meeting later in the evening.
• June 3: Do research on some ethnic traditions for an upcoming wedding, then have a fabulous meeting with Christine & Woody for their wedding in August. Unfortunately, our meeting is cut short due to a schedule conflict. I also realize that it’s the beginning of the month, meaning that my Wedding VIP Club members should expect a new issue of the VIP Club newsletter in a few days.
• June 4 (today): I meet with Genesa to help her organize the details for her celebration on June 27, and later on this evening, I connect with Ashlee & Alvin for their wedding on June 20. Of course, between meetings, I’ll continue to call those of you who dropped by my booth at the wedding expo.

So that’s where we are. It’s certainly a very productive time!

Continue reading »]]> Here’s a great tip to help make the wedding planning experience much more stress-free:

Create a free Yahoo! or Google G-Mail email address strictly for your wedding planning.

This is good for several reasons:

• You don’t clutter up your regular email address with wedding-related emails, especially if you plan to use the email address to sign up for various mailing lists.
• You can keep ALL of your wedding-related email correspondence from your wedding professionals and guests without having to worry about mailbox space.
• Since the emails you receive will be strictly wedding-related, it will be easier and faster to search for a particular wedding-related email if you need to look up something that was said a long time ago.
• You make the accounting & budgeting for your wedding easier and faster if all of your invoices and receipts are sent to the same email address.
• Use it also for your e-RSVPs, making it easier to track who’s coming to your wedding and who isn’t.

So simply sign up for a free Yahoo! or Google G-Mail email address, use it strictly for wedding-related business, and make your life easier!

Continue reading »]]> This week’s Weekly Wedding Tip has just been released! If you’re a Wedding VIP Club member, check your inboxes for it. This week’s article covers live music; it contains tips on choosing the right live band for your reception, when to program it during the celebration, and other important questions you should be aware of. If you are considering hiring live music for your celebration, this week’s tip will be very insightful!

If you aren’t a member of my Wedding VIP Club and would like to receive these free wedding tips, becoming a member is simple and easy! Just surf on over to

http://weddingvip.ninjaentertainment.com

Fill out all of the requested information, and then check your email for a confirmation email. Click the link in the confirmation email, and you should be good to go!

Continue reading »]]> This month’s Wedding VIP Club newsletter just went out yesterday, and it’s full of great information:

• Rehearsal tips for your Master of Ceremonies;
• Ideas to bring on some romance this summer;
• For your husband-to-be: a link and/or video clip about choosing the right tuxedo;
• And much more.

Of course, we recognize recently married couples, celebrate anniversaries, announce “Save The Dates”,welcome our new Wedding VIP Club members, and more!

So if you are current member of the Wedding VIP Club, check your inboxes for the latest issue of the newsletter. If it isn’t in your inbox, it may have been placed in your bulk mail folder by accident.

If you aren’t yet a member and want to join, simply surf on over to

http://weddingvip.ninjaentertainment.com

Fill out all of the requested information, and then check your email for a confirmation email. Click the link in the confirmation email, and you should be good to go!

If you have any questions or comments about the articles on the newsletter, please feel free to ask!

Continue reading »]]> I’m still here! I have just been busy. In addition to the Weekly Wedding Tips and this blog, I now write for the Oahu Wedding Association blogs and the NACE-Hawaii blog. I’ll be sharing my expertise and insights on those blogs, so check them out! Some of my posts will be geared to you, while others are geared towards other wedding professionals in Hawaii, to help them with blogging, social media networking, marketing, and much more.

Of course, be sure to check back here as well, since I’ll still be posting stories, advice, tips, and pictures about weddings & special events on this blog frequently as well.

Continue reading »]]> If you are a member of the Wedding VIP Club, check your inboxes! This week’s Weekly Wedding Tip covers Grand Entrances. In it, I cover different tips to create a more memorable Grand Entrance event at your wedding. This post is a companion to the Weekly Wedding Tip; here, I will share some creative themed ideas that can inspire you to be unique in your choices for your own Introductions.

THE “STAR WARS”/SCI-FI ENTRANCE:

• Perfect for the Star Wars fan
• Use Star Wars Main Theme for the wedding party, and either Imperial March/Darth Vader’s Theme or Star Wars Throne Room/End Titles for your entrance. Want to add some fun to it? Use the disco version of the main theme for your entrance.
• Consider having your groomsmen walk in with lightsabers and form a saber guard archway for you to walk under!

THE “SPORTS JAM” ENTRANCE:

• Perfect for the sports fan!
• If you are a basketball fan, use Sirius (Chicago Bulls Theme) for your wedding party entrance music. If you enjoy football, consider Rock & Roll Part 2.
• For your entrance, consider a fast, energetic song like Twilight Zone (instrumental) by 2 Unlimited.
• Perhaps darken the room for your entrance and have your DJ turn on his DJ lights so the effect and ambiance is like the Chicago Bulls Entrance.
• If the ballroom approves, maybe even have a fog machine by the entrance so your wedding party can walk in.
• Another idea is to have your wedding party run in and form a “tunnel” by the door so that the next couple who enters must walk through the tunnel and give hi-fives to other “team members”!
• This idea is completely customizable with other sports. We’ve done versions of this for brides & grooms who enjoy NASCAR, WWE/pro wresting, baseball, and mixed martial arts!

THE TRADITIONAL ENTRANCE:

• This introduction style is good if you are going for an elegant, sophisticated, and traditional look.
• Use Pachelbel Canon in D Major for your wedding party, and perhaps Aaron Copland’s Appalachian Spring (Shaker Theme) for your entrance (fast forward to 2:25 in the youtube clip).
• To add a unique “twist” to this entrance, use an upbeat “remix” version of Pachelbel Canon, like the cool “loungy” version done by Bikini Rumble or the Rock version by JerryC.

JAZZ/SWING FUN

• Looking for a cool but upbeat way to kick off the party? This entrance is it.
• Something upbeat like Benny Goodman’s Sing Sing Sing sets the tone for a fun party. When you enter, the Tonight Show Theme would be appropriate.

Tomorrow, I will post Part 2 of this article, so stay tuned for more great ideas to make your Grand Entrance more memorable! And if you want to see more members-only tips, be sure you are a member of my Wedding VIP Club. If you aren’t, sign up by visiting

http://weddingvip.ninjaentertainment.com

Fill out all of the requested information, and then check your email for a confirmation email. Click the link in the confirmation email, and you should be good to go!