Continue reading »]]> Last weekend’s Hawaii Bridal Expo was a great success, and I am grateful to meet you. Thank you for dropping by my booth! I look forward to connecting with you soon, talking about your wedding day, and showing you, as the Master of Ceremonies and/or DJ, just how much fun, original, and unforgettable your Hawaii wedding can be.

Continue reading »]]> The Hawaii Bridal Expo is next weekend, on January 20-22 at the Blaisdell Exhibition Hall. I’d love to see you there. Come by to check out the different booths, meet Hawaii wedding professionals, taste the ono (delicious) cake & food samples, visit the Oahu Wedding Association booth, and of course, talk to me!

Let us show you how you can have a fun, stress-free, and memorable Hawaii wedding celebration.

I look forward to meeting you.

Continue reading »]]> It’s certainly been a while since I posted, hasn’t it? Only TWO posts this year, and the last one was in March? It’s been a great year, and I am forever grateful to all of the awesome brides & grooms who have entrusted me to be their Master of Ceremonies and DJ for their Hawaii wedding or special event.

Facebook has made it a lot easier to stay updated, so if you aren’t a fan yet, you should “Like” my Facebook fanpage, since I update that more often than this.

As things slow down for the fall and winter months, I’ll have more time to write, including catching up with the awesome weddings I’ve done this year. I’ll be posting stories, pictures, and more, so come back often and catch up!

Also, I’ll be taking more classes and attending programs, including a very significant “internship” on social dynamics/human behavior in January, in order to better understand my audiences, make them have more fun, and most importantly, to better serve you.

It’s been an epic 2011, and with the last two months of the year to go, it will be just as good.

Of course, if you have a Hawaii wedding or event in these next two months, I do have a limited number of dates still available, so if you’re interested in awesome interactive entertainment for your function, email me! I would love to help you make your event very fun, memorable, stress-free, and as original & unique as you are!

I look forward to serving you.

Continue reading »]]> Wow, has it been three months since my last posting? Usually I’m very good at staying on top of things, but it’s a sign of productivity if I don’t have time to post here as often as I would want to. It just means that I’ve been busy serving YOU!

I’ve also been spending the last two months learning. I’ve attended a conference to learn brand new ideas, games, and activities to incorporate into your Hawaii wedding, to make your party much more unique and original. I’m also taking online study courses on human psychology, interaction, and social dynamics, in order to better understand your audience, your guests, and what makes them “tick.” It’s been dizzying at times, but incredibly fulfilling.

In February, I attended the Mobile Beat Conference, a convention of wedding DJs, Masters of Ceremonies, and entertainers who are serious about helping their clients create original and fun parties. I networked with some old friends, made some new ones, attended daily seminars on everything from crowd motivation to business matters, and went to some great parties! The learning was non-stop and the education was overwhelming at times, but it was a great experience. The best part for you: I came back with completely fresh and inspired ideas that we can incorporate into your wedding, activities that are so completely NEW to Hawaii weddings, thus making your wedding celebration truly unique & original. I’m excited to share with you what I learned!

Click here to see a gallery of images that I took at Mobile Beat.

The other thing that I’m doing is taking some online study courses on social dynamics. By learning how people interact with one another, it helps me to better motivate your guests to do things, to become more involved in the group “conversation” that we’ll have at your party, and to have more fun. I’ve applied some of these new ideas & strategies to recent weddings, and the results have been ASTOUNDING. It means that, by the time I’m done learning all of this, I’m going to help you take your wedding celebration to a whole new level!

It’s an exciting year, and I’m really looking forward to sharing it with you.

Image courtesy JODI SATO

Continue reading »]]> As we begin the new year, it’s a good time to really begin putting together the details for your Hawaii wedding! Even if your event is in the summer or fall, keep this in mind: other couples are beginning to plan their wedding day too, and they’re also looking to book their wedding professionals now. If you wait too long, your first and second choices may be booked by the time you get around to talking to them! So it helps to get moving with your wedding plans.

At the very least, send out emails asking for availability. For your first choice vendors, see if you can sit down with them to get a feel for their personalities and to see if they would be a good fit for your situation.

And if you’re still on the fence about hiring me as your Master of Ceremonies for your Hawaii wedding, don’t wait too long. I generally only book one wedding per weekend, and once a wedding is booked on a weekend, that weekend is no longer available. I only have one September weekend left open, a few in July, and a handful left throughout the year, so don’t wait! I’d love to see what we can do to help you create a very original and unforgettable presentation for you and your audience!

Image courtesy KYLER KWOCK / Kai Photo

Continue reading »]]> As we celebrate this day of Thanksgiving, it’s a good time to think about what you’re grateful for and what’s important. For me, I am grateful for:

• My parents, for being so supportive and understanding of everything that I do;
• My brother Clarence & sister-in-law Sayaka,, for helping me out and being so awesome;
• My clients, who constantly serve as an inspiration to me for being so creative and wonderful;
• My past clients, who trusted me with one of the most important days of their lives, and for continuing to trust me by referring me to their friends & family for their Hawaii weddings & special events;
• My colleagues, other wedding professionals who make my life & job as the Master of Ceremonies so much easier, which in turn makes our clients’ Hawaii weddings & events much more worry-free, easy, and fun;
• My friends, who are always there for me through everything; and
• Lesley & her family, who were an important part of my life.

Thank you for helping me to be who I am today. I really appreciate you for everything.
Most importantly, if you follow me on Facebook, you know that I truly appreciate the fact that I live here in Hawaii, where the weather is generally nice, the people are even nicer, the sunsets are gorgeous, I have a roof over my head and food on my table. I am grateful for my health and for the experiences that I have lived through. There’s no where else I’d rather be. No matter how difficult life may seem, in reality, we are truly blessed to be here.

So what are YOU thankful for?

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All images courtesy PINKY YOSHIMOTO / Pinky Photography
 

While I am well-known as as Hawaii wedding emcee, I did get my training and background initially as a Hawaii DJ, and I put those skills to use on November 17 at the Business of Networking social event at the Edition Hotel in Waikiki. The event was sponsored by Pacific Edge Magazine and Social Wahines. Darnelle, the show producer, had asked my good friend David Louis with Dynamic Sounds to be the DJ and provide the sound system, and Dave asked me if I wanted to come along and hang out. How could I say no?

It was a fun experience. I was able to mingle and network with other business professionals. I made some good contacts and even ran into Arsena Kailihiwa, whose wedding I did back in 2005!

It was great catching up with her and seeing how much she and her family has changed since the wedding.

For me, it was refreshing to simply play music as a DJ and not worry about introducing people, rehearsing a presentation, or doing any advance preparation. Best of all, I was able to play some music I rarely get to play at Hawaii weddings: a bunch of dance music! I never get to play the likes of DJ Sammy, Iio, Tiesto, Alice Deejay, etc. at most Hawaii weddings, so it was a rare treat for me to be able to do so in front of real people! Everyone enjoyed the selection, as I saw some people even singing along to some recognizable mainstream tracks.

 

 

 

 

All images courtesy PINKY YOSHIMOTO / Pinky Photography
 

Special thanks to David Louis with Dynamic Sounds for the invitation to join him and perform at this event, as well as to Pinky Yoshimoto of Pinky Photography for all of the great images you see in this post!

Click here to see more images of the event.

Thanks to all who came & partied!

Continue reading »]]> On Tuesday, November 9, I attended the NACE Hawaii monthly meeting. The keynote speaker was China Anderson with REA Events. China is an event designer–she helps you to create a beautiful and original “look” for your celebration, incorporating linens, chair covers, colors, lighting, staging, pipe & drape, and more.

China spoke about the trends that she is seeing as a Hawaii event designer. When creating your Hawaii wedding, these are good things to keep in mind.

Please note: as with any trends, trends can be fickle and can change upon the whims of the general public. These are simply generalizations based on China’s experiences.

COLORS

According to China, the following colors are on their way in for the new year:

• Purple/Eggplant
• Platinum & silvers, especially when paired with an accent color
• Burnt orange & ambers: China wasn’t sure if this is because people are gravitating more towards fall colors during this season in particular, or if this is a general incoming trend;
• The classic Black & White, which never goes out of style
• Garnet red, a very rich & dark color, and
• Champagne.

TRENDS

In addition, China is seeing these trends really develop and be requested among her clients:

• Lounge areas
• Full room draping (Pipe & drape, etc.)
• Backdrops: If you don’t have it in the budget to drape the whole room, consider draping behind the head table, main wall, cake, etc. It’s more affordable but still adds that “Wow” factor to the look of your event.
• Ceiling treatments
• Non-floral centerpieces
• Strung light strands: (like rope lights, Christmas lights, etc.). Please note that, while the lights themselves may be cheap, the labor to install and hang them may cost you. Hanging light strands correctly & safely is a labor-intensive process.
• Hanging lanterns and chandeliers
• Light monograms
• Lighting

One thing that China really emphasized was making sure that your lighting designer is qualified to help you create the right look for your event. Not all lights are created equal, and a company may rent you the lighting equipment, but

• The lights that the rental company or DJ rent out may not be adequate to create the look that you want to achieve;
• The setup guys may not know how to properly set the lights to match perfectly your colors and look (so as to not clash with your linens, drapes, etc.);
• The lighting designer needs to work closely with your event designer to achieve that look.

I learned a lot at this presentation. If you have questions about this or about event design in general, simply ask! Click here to email China and REA Events, or call them at 808-983-2800.

Tell ‘em that I sent you!

Image courtesy CHINA ANDERSON / REA Events

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Image courtesy DAVID O. BALDWIN Photography
 

When designing the layout and floorplan for your Hawaii wedding celebration, even if you don’t expect your guests to dance, it’s still important to have a dancefloor, even a small one. At the very least, you should have some open and available floor space. This is because you’ll need the space for some of the traditional things that usually happen on the dancefloor:

• The First Dance
• The Father/Daughter and Mother/Son Dances
• The Bouquet & Garter Tosses/Activities
• The Money Dance
• Any performances like a hula, song serenade, etc.

Without space, your First Dance will be awkward with you feeling cramped and moving back and forth. (And your photographer will have a difficult time capturing clean shots of your dance without any tables and guests in the way.)

Without a dancefloor, your girlfriends will be bunched up between tables trying to catch your bouquet, and for some of them, it won’t be a fair catch. (And you certainly don’t want your bouquet accidentally falling onto your guests’ meals, do you?)

Without a dancefloor, your guests will have to snake the line between tables for the Money Dance.

Without a dancefloor, your performers won’t have room to do their hula or dance presentation effectively.

Even if you don’t think your guests will dance, make sure you leave some room to accommodate the activities listed above so that you and your guests will be able to enjoy it!

Image courtesy L’Amour Photography
 

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Rodelyn & Garrett | Wedding Highlights Same Day Edit, courtesy Crane Media Productions
 

Garrett & Rodelyn Nishida wanted something different. With their wedding on Kauai, they knew that their guests’ experiences at weddings were limited to “typical weddings” that were very cookie-cutter, very carbon-copy. But they didn’t want to give their guests that. They wanted their guests to experience a completely different, very fun, and extraordinary celebration. So instead of asking a friend or relative to emcee their Kauai wedding, they asked me to help them create a very lively, very fun, and very original party that they and their guests will remember forever. And that’s what I did!

The brainstorming began from the moment they decided to move forward. We knew that we wanted to incorporate Garrett’s love of fishing, the competitiveness of his friends, and Rodelyn’s desire to have a stress-free event into the presentation. As the months went by and the day approached, everything came together nicely. I even flew to Kauai a few days before the wedding to make sure that everything was set so that on September 25, there would be no surprises.

With everything in place, Rodelyn & Garrett were able to relax and enjoy their wedding that morning. When they and their guests arrived at the Kauai War Memorial Convention Hall for the reception, everything was good to go! Guests enjoyed the delicious pupu (appetizers) and the wonderful music by Garrett’s friend Coppin and Coppin’s group.

A high-energy Grand Entrance kicked off the fun, followed by an entertaining yet romantic First Dance.

 

Images courtesy CRANE MEDIA PRODUCTIONS
 

 

Images courtesy MICHELLE DEL ROSARIO CLARABAL
 

Guests learned a little about Rodelyn & Garrett’s favorite foods and places to eat during dinner, as we played a trivia game to send guests to the buffet. Because Garrett loves to fish, we brought out a fishing pole and laid out some cloth fish on the dancefloor. If guests wanted the groom to kiss his bride, they needed to come to the dancefloor and catch some fish–in essence, Fishing for Kisses! This went over well with many of the fishermen and children.

Following a sweet cake-cutting, guests laughed at the funny stories told by the groomsmen & bridesmaids.

 

Images courtesy KELSIE NISHIDA
 

Image courtesy MICHELLE DEL ROSARIO CLARABAL
 

Rodelyn, Garrett, and their guests were having a great time, but things were going to get wilder! First, instead of tossing the bouquet, Rodelyn instead did the Circle Dance, an original and unique way to safely give away the bouquet.

 

 

Images courtesy MICHELLE DEL ROSARIO CLARABAL
 

I explain to our bouquet winner not to disappear…we’ll need her later for the Reverse Garter.

Image courtesy MICHELLE DEL ROSARIO CLARABAL
 

After a traditional Garter Removal, the unmarried men competed against each other and worked with the audience to try to win the garter in Last Man Sitting! As the game progressed, it got wilder and crazier!

 

 

 

Images courtesy MICHELLE DEL ROSARIO CLARABAL
 

 

 

Images courtesy KYLE ISHIDA
 

And we have a winner!

Image courtesy RODELYN NISHIDA
 

With the energy at an all-time high, we kicked up even higher with the Reverse Garter! Surprise #1: The garter winner is told that he needs to put the garter on the woman who won the bouquet!

Image courtesy MICHELLE DEL ROSARIO CLARABAL
 

Surprise #2: Garter winner has to do this blindfolded.

Image courtesy MICHELLE DEL ROSARIO CLARABAL
 

Surprise #3 (and we didn’t tell the garter winner about Surprise #3): We swapped the bouquet winner…with a man. And of course, the man who Garrett & Rodelyn chose to sit in the “hot seat” and be The Leg puts on a dress, a wig, and fishnet stockings. The audience went CRAZY.

Image courtesy MICHELLE DEL ROSARIO CLARABAL
 

Image courtesy KELSIE NISHIDA
 

We continued to ride this wave of positive energy through the centerpiece giveaway game, Father/Daughter Dance, Mother/Son Dance, and Money Dance. When we opened the floor, guests took the party that started at their tables and moved it over to the dancefloor, where they celebrated to the fun mix set by Andy Battaluyan with Audio Sensation Mobile DJ.

 

Images courtesy KELSIE NISHIDA
 

 

 

Images courtesy MICHELLE DEL ROSARIO CLARABAL
 

As the party ended and the cleanup began, there was no doubt that this was a party that Kauai will remember for a very long time. Or, at least the people who attended Rodelyn & Garrett’s wedding celebration on September 26! The comments to the newlyweds were overwhelmingly positive, and the memories that everyone collected throughout the night were priceless indeed.

To be successful, many hands from across the state contributed to make this event extraordinary:

• Lucy Balmores and her crew with Mama Lucy’s, who catered a delicious spread of food;
• Ed Sarita and his team at the Kauai War Memorial Convention Hall, for the convenient and large location to host the celebration;
• Rick Shimamura & Cezar with Nagamine Studios, for capturing all of the memories and being so easy to work with;
• James Chun, Lawrence Medeiros, and the team at Crane Media Productions, for providing the wonderful slideshow, screenbooth, and videography services;
• Benie & Andy Battaluyan with Audio Sensation Mobile DJ, for providing the sound system and dance music later in the evening;
• Garrett’s friend Coppin Colburn and his group of musicians, for the wonderful music during cocktail hour and dinner; and most importantly
• the 300 family & friends who joined Rodelyn & Garrett in celebration of their marriage. Your attendance and participation greatly added to the wonderful memories and positive vibe of the night.

Congratulations to Garrett & Rodelyn. Thank you for allowing me and my team to be a part of one of the most important days of your lives.