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 »]]> Last Monday, I had the opportunity to sit in on a “boot camp” presented by Siri Eklund of Two Bright Lights. This seminar was about wedding marketing AND networking, and how the two are tied. Siri presented a novel way for photographers to share their images with other wedding professionals. As a professional Master of Ceremonies, it is often difficult for me to get images from professional photographers whom I worked with; this is usually because photographers can get busy with their workflow that they don’t really have the time to put together images on a disc and mail it to me or drop it off. The Two Bright Lights system simplifies this.

It sounds like a great idea, but I’m going to wait to see how many photographers actually do sign up. Right now, there are a few, and while I know them personally, I haven’t had the opportunity to work with them at a wedding, so I wouldn’t be able to use the images. Nonetheless, the concept itself is brilliant!

Thanks to Siri for putting on this bootcamp, Herb Yamamoto with Dole Ballrooms for hosting the morning session, and China Anderson with REA Events for putting this all together!

Image courtesy CHINA ANDERSON / REA Events

Continue reading »]]> As a Master of Ceremonies and wedding professional, I always make it a point to network with other Hawaii wedding professionals to keep up on the latest trends and ideas to ultimately help you have a better Hawaii wedding experience. As a part of NACE Hawaii, I can frequently be found at the monthly meetings to network, learn, and share. Last Tuesday’s meeting at the New Otani Kaimana Beach Hotel was no exception.

The topic was event costing, and although the topic was geared more towards event planners and caterers, it was interesting to learn about what the total costs are that goes into a successful event. Brides & clients often don’t think of things like parking costs, garbage disposal, security, and cleanup after their event–especially if they have an outdoor Hawaii wedding–but these costs are there, and they are necessary. Of course, I shared my insights as a professional Master of Ceremonies, DJ, entertainer, sound engineer, and production consultant.

Of course, it wasn’t all learning and networking. The buffet was ono (delicious), and the sorbet & coconut cake dessert were amazingly decadent. Overall, it was an interesting and fun experience.

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Image courtesy BEN MARUMOTO / Hawaii SEO School

 
Every month, I get the honor of being the Master of Ceremonies for the monthly Oahu Wedding Association meetings, which is an organization of Oahu-based wedding professionals to which I belong. It’s always a neat experience to meet new people at these get-togethers, learn something new from the keynote speaker, and just hang out with a great bunch of Hawaii wedding professionals. This month’s meeting at The Bridal Boutique was no exception. Keynote speaker Ben Marumoto with Hawaii SEO School gave a very interesting and informative presentation on Search Engine Optimization. Although I know a little about SEO, I did learn several new things, and I was grateful to be there to learn!

Image courtesy JOHN HOOK / Dave Miyamoto & Co.

 
It was great working with Craig Matsumoto with Streams Hawaii and Joe Ho with Mystical Sounds Productions. Craig is a singer/guitarist and provided a great musical experience for the audience. Joe handled the audiovisual support for the event, allowing all of the guests to see and hear everything.

Image courtesy JOHN HOOK / Dave Miyamoto & Co.

 
Joyce Coelho & Cecilia Domingo, owners of The Bridal Boutique, were very gracious hosts.

Image courtesy JOHN HOOK / Dave Miyamoto & Co.

 
Of course, the food was great! Desserts, made by Shya Tran with Sweetie Puffs, were STELLAR. Yummy!

Image courtesy JOHN HOOK / Dave Miyamoto & Co.

 
Overall, the party went well. Everyone learned a lot, networked, and had a great time. I had fun too.

Continue reading »]]> Wow! I’m a “techy” sort of fellow who has a generally good grasp of computers and the basics of social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.), but I’m always open to learning new trends and ideas. In an effort to better serve my clients and be able to communicate with them more effectively, last Tuesday (April 20) I took a “Social Media 101″ workshop, sponsored by UHM Pacific New Media and the Oahu Wedding Association, and presented by Hawaii wedding photographer and social media extraordinaire Jeannemarie Viggiano. All I can say now is “Wow!” I learned many good nuggets of information, especially on how to integrate it all to best serve my clients and stay in touch with friends.

Thanks to Jeannemarie, UHM Pacific New Media, and OWA for putting together an enlightening, informative, and fun presentation!

Continue reading »]]> Last January, I was the Master of Ceremonies for Wining & Dining with Chef Jerry Edwards, a special event presented by NACE Hawaii. Click here to read about the experience.

Thanks to Creations in Catering/Dole Ballrooms and NACE Hawaii, here are new images from the event. If you want to see how elegant and gorgeous the room looked, click here to see the new pictures.

 

 
NACE Hawaii President Herb Yamamoto addresses the audience.

 
Chef Jerry Edwards talks about creating a menu to pair with wines at hand.

 

Continue reading »]]> Last night, I had the privilege of being the Master of Ceremonies for a very special event. Chef Jerry Edwards, an expert on food & wine pairings, presented a wonderful wine & dinner pairing, with the message that one should choose the food to the wine, rather than wine to the food. The wines (Kenwood wines presented by Better Brands) were good, and dinner was exceptional.

Kenwood wine specialist Brian Acker joined Chef Jerry to talk about the nuances of the wines.

A lot of special event professionals came together to make this event a success.

• The event was presented by NACE Hawaii, with NACE Hawaii President Herb Yamamoto serving as the executive producer of the show.
• Dole Ballrooms provided the backdrop and kitchen support for the occasion.
• Mystical Sounds Productions provided the audiovisual services for the show, with James Chun and his crew at Crane Media providing the graphics.
• The beautiful decor was presented by Naomi Lee with Les Saisons and China Anderson with REA Events; Sue Tabbal-Yamaguchi with Su-V Expressions graciously provided the floral arrangements & centerpieces.
• Dianna Shitanishi with Hawaii Weddings & Events and Susan O’Donnell with Aloha Wedding Planners helped to oversee operations and direct the staff of student interns.

Musical entertainment during the cocktail hour in the foyer was graciously provided by Ben & Maila. My assistant Lesley Shibata served as the music & effects director, and of course, I was the Master of Ceremonies.

Here’s most of the production & design team for this show.

Thank you to Jerry Edwards and his wife Julie Brown-Edwards for coming to Hawaii and teaching us something new. And to all of you who attended, THANK YOU. Your attendance is greatly appreciated!

Continue reading »]]> Last February, I attended the Catersource/Event Solutions Conference & Tradeshow.

Among the many classes and seminars that I attended were several classes that were part of the Corporate Event & Meeting Planner Training Program. These courses taught things that all corporate event & meeting planners should have a grasp of, as they deal with many of the basics of putting on a good event: budgets, contracts, technology, creativity, branding, legal/risk assessment, marketing, and much more.

Yesterday, my “diploma” came in!

This is simply another step to provide you with a more organized, stress-free, and enjoyable celebration, whether it be a wedding, corporate gala, team-building event, motivational seminar, or any special occasion!

Continue reading »]]> Last Tuesday, I provided the sound system, music, and served as the Master of Ceremonies for the Oahu Wedding Association party at Masako Formals.

This was a fun event with lots of networking and learning.

Our host, Kumiko and her staff from Masako Formals, talked about their wedding gowns, what their salon has to offer, and answered questions about the design, creation time, and costs of owning versus renting a wedding gown.

Makeup artist Heather Saffrey (Heather Bell Makeup Artistry) spoke about what to look for in a hair & makeup consultant, as well as her model’s look. Wendy Robin (Studio W of Honolulu) taught us the differences between airbrushed makeup and traditional makeup as well as spoke about men’s makeup. It was indeed an eye-opener for many of us!

Cecilia & Joyce from the Bridal Boutique spoke about Wedding Fashion Trends for 2009-2010.

The highlight of the night, however, was the fashion show. Eric & Wendy from Leslie-Mansperger Photography was in front of the lens for once as they served as models for a more traditional look.

Then came Geralyn with Hokulii Images, who stole the show with her modern and “fierce” look.

Adding to the fun was Mona from Weddings by Grace & Mona, who modeled a traditional Japanese wedding kimono…

…that turns into a stunning wedding gown for the reception!

The party was fun! Everyone had a great time.

Thanks to…

…our models, stylists, and Masako Formals for their time, talents, and enthusiasm to participate in this entertaining event,

…Jeff Wong with What’s Cooking Hawaii for ono food, drinks, and interesting stories about Hawaii’s food industry,

…Keone & Brandon with Kai Media for shooting video of this event, for producing the upcoming “commercial” based on this event, and for the laughs about the “ghetto fab disco lighting” (inside joke between us),

…to our countless and hardworking photographers who contributed their images to this blogpost and to the OWA Facebook website,

…to those who came, networked, learned something new, and had fun…

Thank You.

You grace our association with your presence at our events, and you are the ones who made this party fun.

Continue reading »]]> Last night, I attended the monthly meeting for the Hawaii chapter of the National Association of Catering Executives. This is a great group of wedding & event professionals I network with, and every month we get together, share ideas, learn something new, eat, and party! I always get some great ideas from these events.

The main speakers of the evening were Dianna Shitanishi with Hawaii Weddings & Events; Dora Young, catering sales manager at the Hale Koa Hotel; Mike Rabe, president of Creations in Catering; and NACE Hawaii chapter President Herb Yamamoto, catering sales manager at the Pacific Beach Hotel.

They talked about the benefits of NACE and why one should be a member. As a longtime member, their presentation reaffirmed to me the importance of being a part of the organization. The lifelong friendships, camaraderie, and education that I gain helps me to serve you (my clients) better and to serve as a resource for your wedding/special event needs.

Amy Dempsey, our host and Director of Catering at The Pacific Club, then took us on a tour of the property. It was interesting to learn about the rich history of the place, and how today they accomodate all types of events.

Dinner was served soon after. While the menu itself was simple, the presentation was amazing! For example, the Chinese Chicken Salad was served in traditional Chinese takeout containers. How original! Most people are accustomed to eating out of the takeout containers at home…but at the hors deouvres-style meeting? Not so much! It was nice to see creativity like this.

Dessert was simply cookies & milk from the Pacific Club, and a cupcake “cake” was presented by Josette Murai (Hawaii Visitors & Convention Bureau) in honor of Herb’s birthday last Saturday, March 7. Yes, we did sing “Happy Birthday” to Herb!

Overall, it was a very fun, enjoyable, and educational experience.

Thanks to Mary Cachuela and Kelly Sugano with A Perfect Day Wedding Coordination, and James Chun with Crane Media for taking the pictures you see here!