The Hawaii wedding of Joanne & Will Ross was truly an international affair, with guests coming from both sides of the Pacific Ocean to witness and celebrate the event, so it was truly fitting for them to have their wedding in Hawaii, almost halfway between their countries. They first met in 2008 in Greece, on a random holiday in which Joanne, traveling solo, was invited to join the group that Will was traveling in. A connection was made, and at the end of the trip, both Joanne & Will agreed to stay in touch. Not even an ocean and a 17+ hour time difference could have prevented what happened next: a long-distance friendship blossomed into love, and when they reconnected in person in Hawaii a year later, it was evident that this would be more than simply a passing romance. By the end of their trip, Will had proposed, and Joanne had accepted…

Which led to an incredibly lovely Hawaii destination wedding in August 2010 at St. Augustine’s Church in Honolulu, HI, followed by a fun & elegant celebration at the Hilton Hawaiian Village that evening. With almost all of their guests traveling in from Australia and the Continental US, it was very important to Joanne & Will for their audience to feel involved and have fun. So as their Hawaii wedding DJ and Master of Ceremonies, I helped them to create a very fun, lively, and elegant event that was reflective of their passions and personalities, and got their audience involved in the presentation!

The Grand Entrance set the tone of the day, as guests cheered for the wedding party. It was a standing ovation for Will & Joanne as they entered to the iconic Hawaii Five-O Theme–guests who knew Joanne appreciated the song choice, as Joanne is a big TV trivia buff and used the Hawaii Five-O theme as her ringtone for her cell phone!

 
The First Dance followed, and it was a perfectly romantic moment.

One of Joanne’s passions is playing trivia, so her guests were able to partake in Joanne’s passion by answering fun trivia questions about the newlyweds throughout the night to decide who goes next to the buffet and to win great prizes!

Marino asks a trivia question.
 

 

 

After dinner, the romance and fun continued, with an upbeat & elegant cake-cutting followed by several touching toasts and speeches by the wedding party and guests.

 

 

JIM (groomsman) delivers his speech.
 

Joanne’s father BARRY gives some well-wishes to the newlyweds.
 

Bridesmaid JENNI & Maid of Honour NADIA tell some stories about Joanne.
 

Will’s Best Man & father WILL ROSS JR. is pithy with his presentation.
 

Will’s sisters officially welcome Joanne to the Ross family.
 

Joanne & Will address their audience.
 

Instead of the traditional bouquet & garter tosses, Joanne & Will intended to honor their parents, so we incorporated the Anniversary Game to include the guests in the presentation and enliven the moment. The result was a very powerful and emotional moment for Will, Joanne, their parents, and the guests.

Although it was not originally part of the presentation, Joanne’s guests requested impromptu bouquet & garter tosses, so we did them!

With the energy running high and guests having a great time, it was simply a matter of playing a wide mix of music that got everyone up and dancing throughout the night! As their Hawaii wedding DJ, I played everything from Sinatra all the way to Lady GaGa.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All images courtesy JOANNE & WILL ROSS
 

The night ended with a memorable flourish as Joanne, Will, and their guests closed out the night with one of her favorite songs, I Do I Do I Do I Do by ABBA. As the song ended, guests surrounded the newlyweds and showered them with their love and appreciation!

Special thanks to Stevie Kumia with Best Bridal, for overseeing the ceremony and reception setup, as well as Anna Hinkley, her banquet captain Frankie, and their wonderful staff at the Hilton Hawaiian Village, for taking care of Joanne, Will, and their guests. The party would not have been as successful without their kokua (help).

Congratulations to Joanne & Will Ross. It was an honour to serve you.

All images courtesy JOANNE & WILL ROSS
 

NACE Hawaii is an association of Hawaii caterers and special event professionals. I am a member because I like to network with other event professionals and learn what the current trends are in the Hawaii wedding/special event industry. This month’s topic was Dressing for Success, and it was an interesting and educational experience. Tanna Dang with The Wedding Cafe & Eden In Love gave a wonderful presentation that dispelled seven fashion “myths” and gave NACE Hawaii members some tips on how to inexpensively and easily improve their wardrobe. Did you know that you can easily and inexpensively change the look of your bag by adding a scarf to one end of your bag strap? Brilliant!

Phil Grunenberg with Phil’s Tux Shop delivered a very educational presentation on men’s wear and the importance of choosing the right material when buying or renting a suit or tuxedo. Because I frequently wear tuxedos or suits at the weddings I perform at, the information was quite valuable!

It was nice to learn new trends in fashion and formal wear, so as to share with you when we meet to talk about your Hawaii wedding or special event! This is why I attend these meetings and am a member of this association and other organizations–to ultimately better serve you.

Of course, the food and opportunity to hang out with other Hawaii wedding professionals were great too!

When I first met Amber & Caleb Henderson, I knew that their Hawaii wedding was going to be an incredibly fun one. They are very active, very outgoing people, and they made it a point to mention that their guests were just as active and outgoing as they are. They also mentioned that they were expecting a wide variety of guests from here (Hawaii) and from Indiana, where they grew up. With that in mind, we helped them to create a very fun, very lively, and very personalized party that included elements of their life growing up in the Midwest, and their home here in Hawaii today.

Their July 2010 wedding celebration at the Mid-Pacific Country Club in Lanikai began with a beautiful wedding ceremony overlooking the course. After the wedding, Amber, Caleb, and their entourage continued to take photos with Van & Shya Tran (their photographers) as the guests made their way to the ballroom. The audience enjoyed a unique playlist of music that reflected Amber & Caleb’s eclectic musical tastes, as well as the delicious pupu (appetizers) and the opportunity to take original pictures in the Bambooth photobooth.

 

Images courtesy BAMBOOTH

The Grand Entrance brought the festivities to a new level, as the wedding party entered individually to a high-energy song that reflected their personalities, personalized introductions, and a chance to show off their “dance skills.”

Image courtesy MARIZEL HIPONIA

Amber & Caleb set the crowd off with their introduction, putting their own spin on their entrance dance and inviting the audience to join them! We weren’t even into dinner, and the party was already in full swing!

Image courtesy VALERIE GEE BUTTS

Dinner was never boring. For the table release to the buffet, Amber & Caleb named each table after their favorite songs, and whenever I played those songs, the table named after that song would go to the buffet. It was fun watching the guests try to guess if it was their table or not every time a new song was played, and even more fun watching guests sing and dance along to the songs as they waited or ate!

Image courtesy VALERIE GEE BUTTS

Image courtesy MARIZEL HIPONIA

To bring a bit of Midwestern fun to their party, Caleb brought in a Cornhole/Bean Bag Toss game. He played this game growing up, and still plays it whenever he and Amber throw parties at their home, so why not include it at their wedding celebration as well? Guests rose to the challenge, even attempting to toss beanbags from deep within the audience!

Image courtesy MARIZEL HIPONIA

Amber & Caleb included many surprises throughout the presentation. One of the more memorable ones was the bouquet presentation. Instead of simply tossing the bouquet to a few single friends, Amber surprised and honored her grandmother by presenting it to her! It was a very touching and emotional moment.

Image courtesy VALERIE GEE BUTTS

The garter removal & toss were a lot of fun, as Caleb & Amber’s outgoing personalities shined through.

Image courtesy MARIZEL HIPONIA
 

Image courtesy MARIZEL HIPONIA
 

Image courtesy VALERIE GEE BUTTS

With Amber & Caleb’s friend Michael as the winner of the garter, it was time for another surprise: the Reverse Garter! Michael was told that he needed to put the garter on the leg of Amber & Caleb’s friend Shya, and that the higher up Shya’s leg that Michael placed the garter, the more years of good luck & great marriage Amber & Caleb would have.

Little did Michael know that, once blindfolded, we switched Shya with Caleb’s uncle Myron! Hilarity insued. (And Michael had no idea he was putting the garter on another man’s leg!)

Image courtesy MARIZEL HIPONIA

Once we got into dancing, Amber & Caleb’s friends & family danced to everything. The energy that began building from the moment their audience arrived and continued to grow during the fun and entertaining program was now transferred to the dancefloor as guests danced to a wide range of music–some Elvis & oldies for their older guests to Usher & today’s artists for the younger crowd. It was a remarkably fun & lively time.

 

 

 

Images courtesy MARIZEL HIPONIA
 

 

 

 

Images courtesy NICCOLE HENDERSON-WILLIAMSON

Amber & Caleb Henderson wanted a very fun & lively party that was a reflection of who they are. And we were quite successful in helping them to achieve it!

Of course, I had help. The following Hawaii wedding professionals and people also contributed to Amber & Caleb’s successful Hawaii wedding celebration:

• Amber’s good friend Marizel Hiponia, who graciously offered to oversee the setup and be the coordinator for the event;
• Laura Gregory, Maile McWilliams, and the wonderful staff of the Mid-Pacific Country Club, who provided great food and outstanding service;
• Van & Shya Tran, Amber & Caleb’s good friends and photographers, for being so easy and wonderful to work with;
• Chrissy Kendziorski Smith with Blue Cricket Productions, for being such wonderful videographers;
• Maila Leinau Myers & Brent Keane with Bambooth, for the great photobooth services;
• Cecilia Domingo & Joyce Coelho with The Bridal Boutique, for providing the wedding dress that made Amber look absolutely stunning!

Finally, congratulations to Amber & Caleb Henderson! It truly was an honour to help them make their Hawaii wedding presentation as fun, lively, and original as they are!

Image courtesy MARIZEL HIPONIA

I first met Carol & Martin Miyashiro at the Hawaii Bridal Expo. They stopped to chat and listen to what I had say, and when we connected a few days after the expo, Carol & Martin had a great time talking about how fun and crazy their families were, and how lively, fun, and different they wanted their Hawaii wedding to be. The ideas flowed, and soon, we had sketched out a party full of personalized moments to surprise & delight their guests.

And so it was, on June 26, at the Koolau Ballrooms in beautiful Kaneohe, Hawaii. After months of planning and preparation, both on their end and on my end as their Master of Ceremonies & DJ, everything came together in a beautiful storm of crazy fun! Among the surprises and highlights from their celebration:

After an original and funny Grand Entrance in which I told stories about Martin & Carol’s wedding party, Martin & Carol kicked off the festivities with an exciting Evolution of Dance-inspired “First Dance.”

Instead of tossing the bouquet, Carol originally intended to present it to Aunty Kap, who is Carol’s kumu hula (hula teacher) and mentor. But I gave her an idea to make her bouquet presentation more fun and involving for everyone! With the Bouquet Surprise, all of the guests participated in a simple activity that involved everyone and yet ultimately had one winner–Aunty Kap! And of course, Aunty Kap’s prize was the bouquet! It was a touching and emotional moment for all as Carol presented the bouquet to Aunty Kap and told everyone just how special and meaningful Aunty Kap is to Carol.

 

Images courtesy VANCE & KIM OWEN / Owen & Owen Photographers
 

Following a simple garter presentation to Best Man Ken Combs, Martin had a hilarious surprise in store for Ken and his audience–the Reverse Garter! Ken thought he was putting the garter on Aunty Kap…but he was in for a surprise!

 

 

Images courtesy VANCE & KIM OWEN / Owen & Owen Photographers
 

Throughout the party, the guests enjoyed every surprise and every moment of the event.

 

Images courtesy VANCE & KIM OWEN / Owen & Owen Photographers
 

From the beginning of their planning, Martin & Carol wanted a very lively, very fun, very original, and quite unforgettable Hawaii wedding. And they most certainly did!

Mahalo (thank you) to the following Hawaii wedding professionals for helping to make Martin & Carol’s celebration so successful:

• Steven Nagamine, Jaime and the awesome staff at Koolau Ballrooms for the awesome location, food, and service;
• Vance & Kim Owen with Owen & Owen Photographers, for taking all of the great pictures that you see here–they are so easy and great to work with too!

Finally, congratulations to Carol & Martin Miyashiro! It truly was honor to be the Master of Ceremonies of your Hawaii wedding. Thank you for letting me be a part of your celebration and memories!

It was also nice to connect with good friends & Hawaii wedding professionals, as well as meet new ones!

For those who didn’t get a chance to connect with me, why not check out my website? At the very least, you’ll get to watch some great videos of audiences having a wonderful time at my clients’ weddings.

Tomorrow is another day, and I look forward to connecting with you and getting to know you, so please drop by my booth, say hello, and enter to win Tom Haibeck’s book Wedding Toasts Made Easy, a great resource to help you, your Maid of Honor, Best Man, or anyone else who has to stand in front of your audience and speak into a microphone on your wedding day! It will help you figure out what to say without looking nervous about it!

It’s been busy the last few months, with weddings, events, and taking care of your events in general.

In June, I served as the Master of Ceremonies and DJ for the Hawaii weddings of Diego & Eleanor Serrato and Carol & Martin Miyashiro.

Eleanor & Diego Serrato

Carol & Martin Miyashiro (with her son Hunter)

 
And of course, this past weekend was the extraordinarily fun and entertaining wedding of Amber & Caleb Henderson:

Amber & Caleb Henderson

Of course, in between, there are couples to meet, scripts to write, musical soundtracks and cues to prepare, rehearsals to undertake, and much more. But it’s all part of why I love serving you!

I’ll have a brief writeup and some pictures of these events over the next few days/weeks, including some professional images and video from the great wedding professionals whom I have recently worked with (that means you, Bambooth, Owen & Owen, Chrissy Lambert, and others). But first, the Hawaii Bridal Expo is this weekend at the Blaisdell Exhibition Hall, so drop by! If you’re still looking for dresses, deals, and wedding professionals for your Hawaii wedding, this is a great place to meet people and get information. Don’t forget to drop by my booth to say hello too!

Image courtesy Eugene Kam Photography

I look forward to meeting you!

You can have cold chicken, wilted flowers, disposable cameras and kool-aid to drink, but if your entertainment is good…THAT is what your friends family and loved ones will remember.

One the other hand, you can have the best cake, beautiful flowers, an open bar, the best photographer in the world (which BTW none of your guests will even know about since maybe only 5% of them will ever even see the pictures) but if your emcee, iPod, DJ, or band is bad, THAT will be what people remember. They will remember that your biggest day of your life was boring or no fun.

On your wedding day, I bet your car is good enough to drive you to and from the church, but I bet you will hire a limo.

I bet that you have a friend who can make a cake. But I bet you will hire the best bakery in town.

I bet that your friend has a great new camera from Wal-Mart, but I bet you will hire a professional photographer.

Why would you do anything less than hire a professional emcee & DJ to help make your day perfect?

Wise words indeed.
 

Image courtesy WENDY & ERIC / L’Amour Photography

• It’s affordable. Although you need a military sponsor to reserve the place for your Hawaii wedding or special event, the upside is that it’s very affordable to have your party there. A catered function that normally would cost $45,000 at another location actually costs much less at the Hale Koa. That’s probably a big reason so many local people like having their party there.
• The food is great. As a professional Master of Ceremonies, my clients often invite me to partake with them at dinner, and although it is not required, it is greatly appreciated. Because of this, I get to sample the various banquet menus that many properties offer, and the Hale Koa has one of the best buffet values around the state. Their Aloha Buffet with crab is phenomenal.
• It’s easy to find in Waikiki. If your guests are flying in for your party and staying at a hotel in Waikiki, then having your event at the Hale Koa makes it much more convenient for your out-of-town guests to get there!
• The staff is wonderful. Their catering sales team is awesome and responsive. Dora, Eileen, Michelle, Beverly, Renee, and the rest of their team are so easy to work with, and they make my job as a professional wedding emcee soooo much easier. I very much appreciate them for their hard work and dedication to ensuring the success of my clients’ events.

But don’t just take my word for it: here are some images from Iandell & Finley Tabaniag’s wedding on November 2008, courtesy of Hawaii photographer Kris Labang with On 3 Photography:

The only “drawback” to the place is that you need a military person to “sponsor” your event. Given that the military is a significant part of Hawaii life, for most local people, this isn’t a problem. It’s simply a matter of asking that person to sponsor the event, and you then have a tasty meal at a classy location at an affordable price. And isn’t that a great value?

Click here to read Aaron Bernard’s article on the Top Wedding Photography Mistakes.