Marino's Hawaii Wedding Emcee & DJ/Entertainment Blog

In this week’s edition of Why I Like…Wednesdays, where I spotlight Hawaii wedding professionals whom I like to work with and recommend, I write about a location that’s familiar to many local Hawaii families: the Hale Koa Hotel. If you’ve ever lived in Hawaii for a period of time, you probably attended someone’s wedding, birthday party, graduation party, or some other special event at the Hale Koa. Why is it so popular, and why do I recommend it?

• 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?

written by Marino_NinjaEntertainment \\ tags: 2008, Advice, buffet, finley, Hale Koa, iandell, ideas, kris labang, november, on 3 photography, tabaniag, venue, wedding, why i like wednesdays

Hawaii wedding photographer Aaron Bernard with Liquid Light Images recently posted a very informative article on the Top Wedding Photography Mistakes. If you’re still in the hunt for a great wedding photographer for your Hawaii wedding, then you will find Aaron’s article most helpful.

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

written by Marino_NinjaEntertainment \\ tags: aaron bernard, Advice, ideas, liquid light images, photography

In a recent conversation with Diego & Eleanor, who are having their Hawaii wedding later this month at Moana Surfrider Westin Resort, Diego had mentioned that one of his favorite pastimes was watching The World’s Strongest Man Competition on ESPN.

If you’re not familiar with The World’s Strongest Man Competition, the premise of the show is that the producers are looking for the World’s Strongest Man. To determine this, participants are given several challenges that only a Strong Man can do, like pulling dump trucks, lifting two-ton boulders, and running a time trial race while carrying weights over their shoulder. Losers get eliminated over the course of the show until only one is left–the World’s Strongest Man. That sounds like a fun enough thing to enjoy, so I thought about how to incorporate that into their wedding.

We came up with this creative activity that will happen starting at dinner and run throughout the reception, an alternative to tapping the glasses to get the newlyweds to kiss:

To prepare for this event, I will bring a 10-20 lb dumbbell weight to the reception and leave it near the stage.

If guests want to see the newlyweds kiss, instead of tapping their glasses, a guest must come to the stage and hold the dumbbell in front of her, with her arms forward and straight. If the guest is successful, Diego & Eleanor would kiss! It’s really that simple.

What makes this activity fun is the twist that is thrown in: the longer you hold out the weight, the longer the kiss will be. So if you can hold it out for a few seconds, Diego & Eleanor will kiss for a few seconds. If you hold it out for a minute, they’ll kiss for a minute. If you hold it out for longer, then we may be there the whole night!

Diego & Eleanor love the idea! We can’t wait to see how it will turn out at the wedding, and I’m certain the guests (especially his guy friends, whom Diego tells me are quite competitive) will get a kick out of it.

written by Marino_NinjaEntertainment \\ tags: 2010, Advice, creative, diego, dumbbells, eleanor, Fun, games, ideas, june, moana surfrider, unique, world's strongest man

In all of the hubbub that goes on planning your Hawaii wedding, you may forget about what happens AFTER the wedding…and one of those easy-to-forget but important-to-remember things is the name change. If you’re planning to stick to tradition and take your husband-to-be’s name, it’s not as simple as declaring it on the marriage certificate. You’ve got forms to file, agencies to contact, people to inform. The guys at Bridesclub, who are producing the upcoming Hawaii Bridal Expo in July, share this great post on what to do to make the whole name change thing much easier and more stress-free for you.

Click here to read the article on Changing Your Name After the Wedding

Images in this post courtesy ERIC & WENDY / L’Amour Photography

written by Marino_NinjaEntertainment \\ tags: Advice, ideas, name change

In an earlier post, I wrote about several factors that will encourage your guests to dance at the end of the night. If you haven’t read it yet, click here to read the accompanying post. In particular, one of the factors that get your audience to dance is the ambiance of the room. For instance, if your photographer, videographer, or venue insists on keeping the lights on during the dancing portion of the night, it’s very likely that your guests will not dance, simply because they don’t want to be seen dancing!

Reading that post again reminded me of a past Hawaii wedding that I did a few years ago. At that wedding, I was the Master of Ceremonies for this event. The client had also hired a professional wedding videographer to document her day. It was my first time working with this videographer (who has remain nameless because he’s a good friend, and I don’t want to embarrass a good friend ). When it was time to dance, the videographer had a big GLARING light on his camera turned on to wash the dancefloor in bright light. It was bright as day! He had it on to capture footage of people dancing. Sadly, because no one wants to be seen dancing, only 2-3 people were on the dancefloor sort of having a good time. (I say “sort of” because they couldn’t really have a good time with a glaring light on them as they danced.)

After a while, he had enough decent footage, so he turned off his camera light and started packing up. As soon as he did it, the DJ played another fun song, and the guests invaded the dancefloor! It was packed! Everyone got into it and really danced, sang, and partied!

A full dancefloor meant better footage, so the videographer quickly pulled out his camera…and turned on the big light.

As soon as the song was over, the dancefloor cleared. Once again, there were only 2-3 people dancing, but no one wanted to be on the dancefloor, in full lighted view of everyone else.

Once again, the videographer put away his camera and light. Once again, the guests filled the dancefloor with the next song, and the videographer brought out his camera and light. And once again, the dancefloor emptied at the end of the song! This repeated several times. By the time the videographer was completely packed and no longer shooting dance footage, the DJ was able to keep the guests dancing and partying all the way until the end of the night.

If the videographer had turned off his camera light, he may not have captured people’s faces and reactions…but he would have captured people dancing, laughing, and having a great time! Instead of 2-3 people, he would have better footage of a crowd of guests having fun.

When you get your album or DVD, do you want to see 2-3 people dancing in full detail? Or do you want to remember seeing MANY of your guests dancing and having a good time, even though you can’t see who’s who?

Images courtesy Ed Pingol Photography

written by Marino_NinjaEntertainment \\ tags: Advice, dancing, DJ, Emcee, Fun, ideas, videographer, wedding

In an article on the Time Warner Cable Around Hawaii website, Dianna Shitanishi with Hawaii Weddings & Events recently wrote an excellent article on choosing the right entertainment for your Hawaii wedding. Whether you hire a band, DJ, string quartet, Hawaiian trio, magician, lion dance team, Master of Ceremonies, or other form of entertainment to perform at your ceremony and/or reception, the article has some great tips to help you make the right decision.

Click here to read the wedding entertainment article.

There’s one line in there that really sticks out:

 
There you have it! There’s nothing wrong with having a basic DJ be your emcee if all you want is a very basic wedding with a few simple announcements. But if you are looking to create an original and personalized presentation that will really stand out in your guests’ minds long after the wedding, then investing in a professional Master of Ceremonies for your Hawaii wedding makes much more sense.

written by Marino_NinjaEntertainment \\ tags: Advice, band, DJ, Emcee, entertainment, ideas, music, unique, wedding

Wow, it’s been a while since my last post, hasn’t it?  It’s been a very productive month.

Last night, I had the honor of being the Master of Ceremonies for the monthly Oahu Wedding Association party at the Waterfront at Aloha Tower.

The highlight of the night was a well-prepared presentation by Hawaii wedding photographer Jeanne Viggiano with Jeannemarie Photography on the importance of new social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) and how she uses it effectively to market her name and establish her brand.  I got a lot of great ideas from her presentation.

The theme was “Morroccan-inspired Island Style,” which was reflected in the decor, food, and entertainment.  The audience enjoyed exotic and up-close bellydance performances by male dancer Michael Azure and tribal fusion dancer Natalie Phoenix, as well as the ono (delicious) food by Chef Chai from Chai’s Island Bistro and the chefs at Gordon Biersch Restaurant.

Guests also enjoyed getting intricate henna tattoos, although I didn’t get any because I was on the microphone and “in the zone” for most of the night.

Of course, part of the fun was in the networking, and with the nice weather and festive atmosphere, Hawaii wedding professionals took advantage of the opportunity to connect.  After the presentation, I was able to mingle and connect with many good friends, as well as to make new ones!

Many hands went into making this month’s party a success:

• Jeanne Viggiano with Jeannemarie Photography, for the informative and inspirational keynote presentation;
• Crystal Evans, David Booth, and the staff at the Waterfront at Aloha Tower, for hosting the party, and being so easy to work with;
• Chef Chai from Chai’s Island Bistro and the chefs at Gordon Biersch Restaurant, for the ono food;
• Troy Michael with Troy Michael DJ Entertainment, for providing the screen & projector for Jeanne’s presentation;
• Dave Miyamoto with David Miyamoto & Company, for the great photos of last night’s event and for being so great to work with;
• Natalie Phoenix & Michael Azure, for the great belly dancing entertainment;
• Jennifer & Dennis with Hawaii Tents & Events, for the the beautiful tents and the Morroccan-inspired design;
• Naomi Lee with Les Saisons and Vignette, for the gorgeous decor and linens that made the space come alive;
• Sean, Kalani, and Eliza with Mobile Gamer Guys, for the fun Guitar Hero and racing games;
• And of course, THE GUESTS, for being such a great audience to perform for!

It was certainly a great party!

written by Marino_NinjaEntertainment \\ tags: Emcee, Fun, ideas, music

If you’re attending the Hawaii Bridal Expo this weekend at the Blaisdell, here’s a great tip to save you some time at the show.

Many vendors will ask you to fill out an information sheet to get your information, and many of them ask for the same thing: your name, wedding date, wedding location, phone number, email address, and more. If you are writing this for every vendor you meet, it will take a lot of time that could otherwise be spent meeting more vendors! So why not come prepared: before you visit, print out your most commonly requested info on mailing labels! The Avery 8160 labels (1″ x 2 5/8″) are the perfect size, and you can find them cheap at Fisher Hawaii or Office Depot.

On each label, print out:

• Your name,
• Your wedding date (if not known, the approximate time frame you’re looking at),
• Your wedding location (both ceremony & reception), if known,
• The best phone number to contact you at,
• Your email address,
• And your postal mailing address.

When you meet a vendor you really like, instead of spending two minutes writing in your information on his request sheet, simply “Peel & Stick!” then go on to your next conversation!

Since I just saved you some time, be sure to drop by my booth to chat and leave me a sticker as well! I’ll see you then!

written by Marino_NinjaEntertainment \\ tags: Advice, easy, expo, ideas

When dealing with live musicans or any wedding professional, it’s always important to make sure you clarify that the band’s performance start time does not mean it’s their “show up time”, or the time of their arrival. To explain, let me share a story.

At last night’s event, there were two bands that were performing for the audience. They both had separate stages, and they would alternate playing back and forth throughout the evening. Although they were tied into the same sound system, each group had their own microphones, instrument tie-ins, etc. The soundman purposely did this to avoid having to adjust the levels to each group every time a group played, just so that it would sound good and look good from the audience’s perspective.

Showtime was at 5:00pm. Doors to the guests opened at 4:00pm.

Band A showed up at 2:00pm to set up their instruments and run through a full soundcheck. Band B, on the other hand, arrived at 4:30pm, as the guests were mingling and taking their seats. It would have been rude and disruptive to the guests if the band conducted a soundcheck while the audience was in the room, so it was determined to just “shoot from the hip” and pray for the best.

When the show started, Band A sounded stellar. Their music was at the right volume and mixed very well. Band B, on the other hand, sounded terrible. There wasn’t a nice blend of instruments, and at times it was too loud.

In the end, Band A was very happy with their performance. Band B was displeased and blamed the soundman for causing them to sound lousy.

But it really wasn’t the soundman’s fault. He was just doing his best to accommodate a challenging situation.

The true fault in why Band B sounded lousy was Band B themselves.

If they had arrived early enough like Band A did, they would have had a great soundcheck, helped the soundman a lot, and given the audience a great performance. But because they arrived during cocktail hour, as guests were mingling and being seated, they didn’t.

Ultimately, these people lost out on the bad performance:

• The clients, because they had hired two groups to entertain their guests, but only one sounded good, and
• The audience, because they were expecting two great performances but only got one.

When it comes to YOUR wedding, if you are having a live band, do you want them to sound good? If so, make sure they understand that “start time” does not mean “show up time”. Insist they arrive early for a full soundcheck, just so that they will sound good during your event.

You’ll get your money’s worth, and your guests will certainly appreciate it!

written by Marino_NinjaEntertainment \\ tags: Advice, ideas, music, preparation, setup, sound, stressfree

What’s your Hollywood Wedding Name?

I thought about this after recent conversations with some very good friends and clients. Your Hollywood Wedding Name is the single name you give yourselves by combining your two first names. It’s the name that your friends and fans can refer to both of you. For example, everyone knows BRANGELINA, the couple made up of Brad Pitt & Angelina Jolie. Then there’s BENNIFER: Ben Affleck & Jennifer Garner. And for those of you who follow The Hills, Spencer Pratt & Heidi Montag have unofficially been named SPEIDI.

My good friends Ed & Shelley Frank were given their Hollywood Wedding Name by their close friends, and their name is SHEDELLEY.

Dave & Michelle Miyamoto (with Dave Miyamoto & Company) were recently appointed DAVECHELLE by some good friends.

So what’s YOUR Hollywood Wedding Name? You’ll have some fun with it when you share it with friends, family, and your wedding vendors. Use your Hollywood Wedding Name in your invitations, save-the-dates, and in your wedding slideshow, and truly make your friends & family smile!

written by Marino_NinjaEntertainment \\ tags: celebrity, famous, Fun, Hollywood, ideas, star