Marino's Hawaii Wedding Emcee & DJ/Entertainment Blog

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.

written by Marino_NinjaEntertainment \\ tags: bridal boutique, Education, networking, owa, seo

Image courtesy Dave Miyamoto & Co.

Last Tuesday, March 30, I hung out with some great Hawaii wedding professionals & colleagues at the monthly Oahu Wedding Association party, this time held at Tiki’s Grill & Bar in Waikiki. It was a fabulous opportunity to network, catch up with friends, and meet new people.

Although the theme was 80s, the 80s shirt I planned to wear (that Hula Bowl shirt in the picture) ended up being waaaay too small for me, so I decided against it and just wore the T-shirt & shorts I wore for setup. It wasn’t ideal but was okay for the event.

And because this was a purely social networking type of event with no keynote presentation and just a few reminders by Michael Miller (our host, the Director of Sales & Marketing at Tiki’s), Eugene Kam (OWA President), and social media extraordinaire Jeannemarie Viggiano regarding upcoming events, I didn’t need to be the emcee for this party!

written by Marino_NinjaEntertainment \\ tags: 80s, dave miyamoto, meeting, owa, party

Last Tuesday, I attended the Oahu Wedding Association board meeting. As a board member, I help to promote professionalism among Hawaii wedding professionals and to present Oahu as a good destination for weddings.

On Wednesday, I spent the day on the Windward side of Oahu: first, I met with Maile McWilliams at Mid-Pacific Country Club to go over the location details and setup for Genesa & Brian’s wedding this Saturday.

Afterward, I dropped by Haleiwa Joe’s at Haiku Gardens and met with Tina Scotty, the sales manager, to go over some cross-promotion ideas in order to help her get more weddings at her location. A lot of wonderful ideas were shared, and I’m looking forward to a very productive partnership with them.

written by Marino_NinjaEntertainment \\ tags: owa, preparation

It’s a sign of summer when the blogging slows down because business picks up…and it truly is a busy time for me. Here’s what’s been happening since my last update:

• June 4: Had AWESOME planning meetings with GENESA and her mother ANNA for GENESA & BRIAN’S wedding on June 27, and ASHLEE & ALVIN for their wedding on June 20. Both weddings will be quite unique and very interactive. At Genesa & Brian’s wedding, the guests will be doing several group dances in honor of Genesa’s Italian heritage. And at Ashlee & Alvin’s wedding, there’s going to be a bunch of original surprises that we’re springing on the audience!
• June 5: Follow up with all of the vendors for Genesa & Brian’s wedding, and Ashlee & Alvin’s wedding. Send these Hawaii wedding professionals a copy of the reception timeline and a description of all of the unique activities planned for the celebration. Also, prepare for birthday party the next day.
  
• June 6: My niece MORGAN has her birthday party. For once I’m not on the microphone and simply was “the DJ” who plays music. My niece’s mother brings in her friend Marie to play party games and entertain the kids. I learn a bunch of things from her and invite her to join my team and head up the kid parties division.
• June 8: Hang out with Hawaii wedding DJ friends. My friend Ed from Kentucky is in town, and we pick his brain the whole evening as to how they do things differently in Kentucky. I pick up some original ideas to stay in touch with friends and clients.



• June 9: NACE Hawaii meeting. DAVID WILKINSON with Sandler Training teaches me how to better communicate with my clients, and I briefly get recognized for my work as the NACE Hawaii webmaster.
• June 10-11: Prepare for a private Taco & Margarita Party.
• June 12: I go back to my club DJ roots and spin salsa & Latin music at a TACO & MARGARITA PARTY. Guests have a great time eating, drinking, singing, and trying to dance. Later on, the audience plays Rock Band 2 while drunk on Coronas and Margaritas. I have an awesome time.
• June 13: Buy a new digital point-and-shoot camera from Best Buy, to replace the one that grew legs and walked away from me on Maui last month.
• June 15: Send out anniversary cards to Vange & Rodel and James & Charlene, who are celebrating anniversaries this month. Also send out birthday cards to
  • Chris,
  • Davis from Video 21 Productions,
  • Joslyn,
  • Kath-E from Gayle Weddings & Lifetime Events,
  • Kai from Digital Expressions, and
  • Crystal from The Waterfront at Aloha Tower.

  Also sent out appreciation cards to brides-to-be who I met at last month’s World Class Wedding Expo, thanking them for dropping by my booth.

• June 16: Insane kind of day:
  • Begin final preparations and rehearsals for ASHLEE & ALVIN’S wedding this weekend.
  • Fix my wireless router, which had been wonky for the past few days.

  

  • Put together this week’s Wedding VIP Club Weekly Wedding Tip, which gives you an fun, original idea to involve your guests during dinner. This idea involves your baby pictures and is great for brides & grooms who aren’t having a video slideshow. Become a member of the Wedding VIP Club to get this idea for FREE.
  • Drive out to CoffeeTalk for the Oahu Wedding Association board meeting…only to realize I’m a week early. At least I get a smoothie, an hour’s worth of parking, and a chance to write this on my blog. LOL.

Tomorrow (June 17), I meet MELINA, her grandmother, and her wonderful children, to see if I can help her create something fun and lively for her wedding on November 28.

Busy, huh?

written by Marino_NinjaEntertainment \\ tags: DJ, Emcee, event, Fun, music, owa, preparation, sound, unique

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.

written by Marino_NinjaEntertainment \\ tags: Advice, blog, NACE, networking, owa, Partnerships

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.

written by Marino_NinjaEntertainment \\ tags: Education, Emcee, fashion show, networking, owa, sound

I’ll be at the Oahu Wedding Association party tomorrow evening at Masako Formals, where I will provide audiovisual support and serve as the Master of Ceremonies for this event.

If your wedding vendor is interested in checking out the association and having a great time at the party, have them send me an email so I can get them on the VIP list! Click here to find out more about the party.

And come back tomorrow for stories and pictures from the party!

written by Marino_NinjaEntertainment \\ tags: networking, owa, Partnerships

As a board member of the Oahu Wedding Association, I took part yesterday in a lively dialogue about marketing over the Internet, branding, blogging, and more! It was a very interesting and informational conversation.

The association will be focusing its marketing efforts to brand Oahu as a premiere wedding destination!

We also talked about the next general meeting on March 31 at Masako Formals. It should be fun. We’re planning a bridal “fashion show” with a lesson in makeup tips by Wendy Robin of Studio W of Honolulu. Guess who is going to be “ringmaster” of this party again?

Of course, the association is known for its parties! If your wedding vendor is interested in becoming a part of this great group of professionals, have them email me, or visit the Oahu Wedding Association website at

http://www.oahuweddingassociation.com

Note: Sorry for the fuzzy pictures. I didn’t have my digital camera, so I took the first two images using my cellphone camera. The third pic was taken from January’s OWA party by Geralyn Camarillo with Hokuli’i Images. She always knows how to make me look good on camera; thanks, Geralyn!

written by Marino_NinjaEntertainment \\ tags: networking, owa, Partnerships