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

Continue reading »]]>
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
 

Continue reading »]]> It’s expo weekend! I’ll be at the World Class Wedding Expo on Friday & Saturday, October 8-9, at the Hawaii Convention Center. If you’re looking for a wedding DJ, photographer, emcee, videographer, venue, hotel, or other wedding professional to help you at your Hawaii wedding, this is a GREAT event to go to.

Swing by my booth to say hello and enter to win a copy of Tom Haibeck’s book Wedding Toasts Made Easy, a great resource to help you, your maid of honor, best man, or anyone who needs to stand in front of your audience and say a few words.

To make it easier for you to come, I even have a coupon for $1 off the admission price.

Click here to open and print a coupon for $1 off the admission price to the expo.

You’ll need Adobe Acrobat Reader to open it, which you probably already have installed on your computer.

I’ll see you there!

Image courtesy KYLER KWOCK / Kai Photo

Continue reading »]]> I’ll admit that my blog hasn’t been getting much love lately. Then again, as we wrap up the busy summer wedding season, it’s a good sign that I have been spending my time on my clients’ events rather than writing for this blog. Please keep in mind that this isn’t simply a “show-up-and-talk-on-the-microphone-for-five-hours” job; in order to deliver a smooth and stress-free presentation for you, there is A LOT of preparation, planning, and practice beforehand.

As things start slowing down for autumn, I’ll have more time to write more helpful & informative blogposts, but in the meantime, to stay updated to what I’m doing on a very regular basis, become a fan of my business fan page if you haven’t done so already.

Click here to visit the Ninja Entertainment Facebook Fan Page.

I’m on Facebook daily, so I update that page more often than this blog. Become a fan!

Don’t forget to also check out the image galleries and client reviews as well.

I look forward to serving you!

Continue reading »]]> It’s been a while since I posted, hasn’t 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!

Continue reading »]]> Sometime in 2009, I was the emcee for a party for two well-known Hawaii professional associations. This was the first time both groups had put together a joint production, and so it was quite important that it went off without a hitch. The audience was composed of association members and their guests. They had a live band for the musical entertainment, some incredible uplighting by a member audiovisual company, and an original menu created specifically for this party. It was to be a big event with big expectations.

There was also a somewhat big problem.

The associations had underestimated its guest counts, and many guests simply showed up at the door for the event.

Why was this a problem?

There was not enough space. The catering sales manager of the venue had placed the party in a room that held a maximum of 80 guests, since the estimated pre-count was 75. But when a total of 98 guests showed up, and when you add in the live band, lighting, audiovisual, and decor, it was a VERY tight (and slightly uncomfortable) fit indeed.

There was not enough food. The kitchen had a family-style buffet for 75 guests. But when 98 guests showed up, some guests were left without meals for the night.

The guests could not hear. The sound system in the ballroom is quite capable for a party of 75 guests, and maybe slightly more. But when more than the expected number of guests arrived, and they’re all talking loudly to each other to be heard, the sound system was woefully inadequate. It was very difficult for the guest speakers and the Master of Ceremonies (me!) to get people’s attention without yelling.

The formal program ran a little long. With a good microphone and an adequately tuned sound system, it takes me five seconds to get people’s attention and about 10 seconds more to get them to focus on what’s happening. But the sound system and my voice alone (even with the voice training I have) could not compete against 98 very social individuals, and it took almost 30 seconds to get people’s attention and focus. Multiply that by the number of times that I needed to get the audience’s attention (before dinner, before each speaker, before each activity), and it adds up to wasted valuable time.

In the end, the party was quite successful, and the leaders of both organizations were very happy with the results. But it could have been A LOT better.

Here’s the point of my story: Your head count MUST be as accurate as it can be. If you’re off by a few guests (plus or minus five, perhaps), it’s okay, but if you’re underestimating the numbers to save some money or because you feel some guests won’t come, then you may be heading for some trouble down the road, because your guests might end up in a room that’s much too small for them, and not have enough food, and not be able to hear you and what’s going on! A highly inaccurate head count affects not just your location, but your catering service, sound/AV provider, the timing of your event, and more.

Please make your head count as accurate as it can be!

And please be clear to your guests: if your guests don’t RSVP, they shouldn’t attend! The more accurate your head count is, the easier and more stress-free you make it for your wedding professionals, your guests, and YOU!

Image courtesy L’Amour Photography

Continue reading »]]> Over the past few days, I have been blogging about creating the musical playlist for your Hawaii wedding. If you haven’t read them yet, click below to read them:

• Part 1, which deals with getting your audience up and dancing when dance music begins
• Part 2, which deals with creating the playlist (actually, FOUR playlists) to help organize your music requests.

In this post, Part 3 will deal with music sources: sources of inspiration to find your music choices.

One way to come up with musical selections would be to look through your old photo albums. As you go through them and reminisce, think about those moments and if there was a particular song associated with those moments. Those would be good songs to play and dedicate to people at your reception.

Find out other people’s first dance songs. If you’ve gone to other people’s weddings, see if you can remember their first dance songs. (It will help if you have access to their wedding DVD, as they will have a clip of the first dance.) Have your DJ play those songs with a dedication to the couple, and it will make that couple feel very special on your wedding day.

Ask your friends! It’s simple yet effective, and it will make your guests feel more involved in the wedding planning process. And when your guests feel involved and become invested in your party, it are more likely to stay since they now have an emotional stake in your celebration. If you read Part 1, there’s a GREAT tip in there to get song requests from your audience. Check it out!

Listen to the radio. In your car or in the office, pay more attention to what is being played. This will help to determine what’s currently hot and what some of your guests are dancing to when they go to the nightclubs.

Check out billboard.com or any of the local radio stations’ websites for their “Top 10″ lists. This also helps you determine what people are listening to.

Here’s a list of Oahu FM radio stations, their formats, and links to their websites, courtesy of the Hawaii Radio & Television Guide:

Frequency	Call Letters	Programming Format
88.1	KHPR	Hawaii Public Radio: Classical Music & News (National Public Radio)
89.3	KIPO	Hawaii Public Radio: News, Talk, World Music, Jazz National Public Radio + BBC
90.3	KTUH	U of H – Jazz, Hawaiian, alternative, rock, rap, world music – Also on 89.9 and 91.3 FM
91.1	K216FI	Alternative Christian Music “The Effect” (KEFX FM from Twin Falls Idaho) (LP)
92.3	KSSK	Adult Contemporary Music; Perry & Price Morning Show
92.3-2	KSSK	Smooth Jazz
93.1	KQMQ	“The Zone” Contemporary Hits
93.9	KIKI	“Hot I-93.9 FM” Urban Contemporary Hits
94.7	KUMU	“Honolulu’s Lite Rock” Adult Contemporary Music / Lite Rock
95.5	KAIM	95.5 “The Fish” – Contemporary Christian Music
96.3	KRTR	“Krater 96 FM” Adult Contemporary Music
97.5	KHCM	Hawaii’s Country Music
98.5	KDNN	“Island Rhythm 98.5″ (Island Music)
99.5	KHUI	“99.5 The Jewel” – Adult Standards
100.3	KCCN	FM 100: Island Music & Reggae
101.1	KORL	“Hawaii’s Smooth Jazz”
101.5	K268BE	“Hawaii’s Multicultural Radio” (LP)
101.9	KUCD	“Star 101.9″: Modern Rock Hits
101.9-2	KUCD	“Radio Free Hawaii“: Commercial Freeform
102.7	KDDB	“Da Bomb” (Urban Contemporary Hits)
103.5	KHAI	“Air 1 Radio” – The Positive Alternative (Christian Rock)
104.3	KPHW	“Power 104.3″ Hawaii’s Hip Hop and R&B Hits
104.7	K284AL	Simulcasts KKCR FM – Kauai Community Radio
105.1	KINE	Contemporary Hawaiian Music
105.9	KPOI	“The Ride” – Hawaii’s Classic Hits (rock)
107.9	KKOL	Hawaii’s “Kool Gold” (oldies)

Use these links, lists, suggestions from friends, and your happy memories to create a unique and fun playlist for your guests to dance to!

Images courtesy Adam A. Palmer Photography

Continue reading »]]> I’ve recently come across a troubling trend. With the need to make their weddings very unique and original, many brides have begun to do activities and games at weddings that have absolutely no relation to them and just do these games for the sake of doing them. Worse yet, they ask their emcee to do it, but without the proper training and rehearsal for it, the emcee delivers a presentation that can be embarrassing and even offensive. In the end, is this what they really want?

I was recently made aware of this by a photographer friend of mine. Her client had hired a well-known radio personality to emcee the event; this radio personality was a good friend of the bride & groom. Apparently during her research, this bride had read on my blog about some of the games that I do and asked the radio personality to attempt these games at her wedding. Specifically, one of the games she wanted to do was the Kissing Games, a popular and highly interactive activity that involves the audience and is done throughout dinner and the reception.

Unfortunately, this radio personality works at a station that is known for its “shock jock” format, and this radio personality was used to using double entendres and saying things that could be heard as inappropriate and lewd. So when he did the Kissing Games at the wedding, instead of making the activity very fun and romantic (which is part of the reason we do it at weddings), he made it very lewd, sexual, and offensive. Yes, it was funny, but was it worth offending grandma and shocking the guests for a laugh?

My point is this: If you are going to copy my games or create your own, make sure your Master of Ceremonies knows the reasoning behind it. Why do it? The Kissing Games were meant to be more than a fun diversion; it was meant to create romance and enthusiasm in the audience. If we do the Golf Game, it’s not just because it’s fun and unique; it’s because either the bride, groom, or guests like to play golf! If we do the Anniversary Card Crafting Activity, that’s because the bride or groom likes to do arts & crafts!

Also, Make sure your Master of Ceremonies knows HOW to do these activities and actually REHEARSES them beforehand. As with any live stage presentation, the actors and performers memorize the script and rehearse their lines long before the curtain rises just so that their performance is flawless and perfect at every performance. If your emcee tries to “wing it” and attempt a game/activity they’ve never done before, it’s very likely that the activity will fall flat and not make the impact that you want.

Image courtesy KYLER KWOCK/Kai Photo

Continue reading »]]> Tori Rogers with Hawaiian Island Wedding Planners recently posted a wonderful and informative article for brides who are just starting out with their wedding plans for a wedding in Hawaii. If your fiance recently proposed, and you have no idea where to begin, this article is a great place to start.

Click here to read Tori’s article “Where Do I Begin??”
 

Continue reading »]]> Dianna Shitanishi with Hawaii Weddings & Events is a good friend and professional wedding consultant with whom I totally enjoy working with. She will do an awesome job coordinating your wedding day and even can help you with planning the details leading to your event. I personally like working with her because she makes my job as a professional Master of Ceremonies so much easier. If you’re looking for a consultant for your Hawaii wedding, I highly recommend her.

Dianna currently has a limited-time offer to coordinate your wedding for you if your wedding is in the fall (September to December 2010), but the offer expires this Sunday, February 28, or when four brides-to-be take her up on the offer, whichever comes first. And from what she tells me, she’s already had three commitments.

Click here for more information on her offer.

So if you’re still looking for a consultant to help you make your wedding day more stress-free and enjoyable, and you want to save some money with it too, contact her TODAY. And when you do, mention that I sent you, and she’ll take good care of you!