Marino's Hawaii Wedding Emcee & DJ/Entertainment Blog

My good friend Chuck Lehnard with Maui Mobile Music wrote this a while back, and it’s something that I thought you’d like to know, especially if you’re on the fence about hiring a professional Master of Ceremonies & DJ for your Hawaii wedding:

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

written by Marino_NinjaEntertainment \\ tags: Advice, Chuck, DJ, Emcee, Fun, Maui, Maui Mobile Music, stressfree

Ten years ago, I attended my cousin’s Hawaii wedding as a guest. It was gorgeous reception at the Halekulani. The room was elaborately decorated, and my cousin spared no expense making the ballroom look magnificent.

Sometime during dinner, the unexpected occurred: my cousin’s wedding ring slipped off her finger. She, her wedding party, and the families looked all over the ballroom trying to find this very expensive piece of jewelry.

And the guests? We sat there…and sat…and sat. The emcee made no announcement, and no one told us about the delay. So we sat. And sat some more. After 45 minutes of searching, they fortunately found the ring under the head table stage. But with the delay in the presentation, the guests had grown restless, and as soon as dinner ended, many of the guests found it as an appropriate time to leave. So there were only a few of us to see my cousin cut her cake, toss her bouquet, and dance her First Dance.

If the guests were properly engaged during the momentary break in the presentation, they might have felt involved and been more inclined to stay. But alas, the break allowed people to get bored, and when you get bored, you probably would want to leave the situation at the next polite opportunity, wouldn’t you?

So it was with some incredible irony that many years later, I found myself back at the Halekulani for Maren & Erik’s Hawaii wedding in October 2006, but this time, instead of a guest, I was the Master of Ceremonies for their event. Like my cousin’s wedding 10 years ago, Maren accidentally lost her wedding ring somewhere in the Grand Ballroom. Like my cousin’s wedding, Maren had 250 friends & family at the reception, and Erik, Maren, and I did not want their audience to get bored as Maren, Erik, and their families searched for the ring.

So what did I do to keep the party going? I assessed the situation and made it into the positive by involving the audience in a Scavenger Hunt. I would ask for objects, and guests needed to find those objects, collect them, and place them in front of them at their table. To win, the guests needed to collect ALL of the items; if they are even missing one, they can no longer play. So I chose items that are commonly found among the guests or in the ballroom:

• A fork
• A napkin
• A watch
• An earring (it was funny to see some ladies take off both earrings and give one to their hubby or boyfriend so he would still be in the game!)
• Anything with a lens (camera, eyeglasses, shades, etc.)
• And so forth.

So as Erik, Maren, and their families searched for the ring, the guests were preoccupied and having a great time!

After everyone had collected their items, there was one final challenge. I told the guests that there is a wedding ring that is special to Erik & Maren somewhere on the floor of the ballroom, and if a guest found it, they would instantly win, even if they were missing an object!

Immediately EVERYBODY got down and searched for the ring! Two-hundred fifty guests searched every inch of the Grand Ballroom looking for Maren’s wedding ring, until finally the groom’s uncle found it by the door. Success!

In the end, the Scavenger Hunt was one of the highlights of the celebration, and today Erik & Maren still get many compliments about how the “missing ring drama” was handled!

What could have been a disaster, with the audience sitting bored and waiting for things to happen, instead turned into a fun and lively event that kept the energy and momentum going until we were ready to continue with the presentation.

When you meet with your potential emcee for your wedding, ask him what he’ll do if you lose your ring on your wedding day, or if the power goes out during the reception, or if you get delayed to the party because the limo breaks down. Listen to his answers to how he would react. You see, anyone can host the perfect wedding reception if everything runs perfectly. But you know that nothing is perfect. Will your emcee know how to react when the unexpected occurs?

Now that’s a great question.

written by Marino_NinjaEntertainment \\ tags: 2006, Advice, erik, halekulani, maren, october, preparation, stressfree, unxpected, wedding

Richard Mills, a New Zealand DJ, Master of Ceremonies, and a dear friend, had an interesting experience at a recent wedding:

• The location had no outdoor electricity to power his sound system for the wedding ceremony.
• The Best Man’s partner’s shoe heel broke.
• A button popped off his tuxedo jacket.
• A guest’s camera batteries died before the ceremony.

Click here to read Richard’s story in his own words.

Given the situation, what would you have done?

The average wedding DJ & MC probably would have

• Run LOTS of extension cords from an outlet to wherever he set up, or just claim that he just can’t do it without power;
• Said “Sorry” to the Best Man’s partner and the guest with the dead batteries, because “it’s beyond the work I was hired to do;”
• Left the button off the jacket to have it repaired after the wedding.

But Richard isn’t your average, ordinary DJ.

• Richard brought a generator…just in case. His experience with outdoor events probably taught him to be prepared for these situations, and it certainly did this time!
• Because he got there early enough and had ample time to set up, Richard was able to take the Best Man’s partner’s shoe to a nearby mall, where it was quickly repaired and back to the owner within 20 minutes.
• Because he carries a sewing kit and spare AA batteries among his equipment, Richard was able to fix the button on his tux AND help the guest by giving that guest fresh batteries for her camera.

Keep in mind that all of these challenges occured BEFORE the wedding even started! If any more difficulties arise during the presentation, you can bet that Richard is prepared for them.

Here’s a fun and eye-opening activity that you can do when you interview your Masters of Ceremonies & DJs for your Hawaii wedding: ask your prospective emcee or DJ what they would do in those situations. Listen to their answers. Now picture it happening at your wedding–will you be happy with their actions to overcome these challenges?

Great wedding DJs don’t simply spin music–any DJ can do that. Great wedding DJs make sure that everything runs smoothly so that you can feel stress-free and enjoy your wedding day. And that’s important, isn’t it?

Image courtesy PHIL AMMON / A+ Media Creations

written by Marino_NinjaEntertainment \\ tags: Advice, blog, DJ, Emcee, new zealand, preparation, richard mills, setup, stressfree, wedding

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

written by Marino_NinjaEntertainment \\ tags: Advice, catering, Emcee, head count, planning, preparation, sound, stressfree, timing

A few days ago, I wrote about creating a musical playlist for your Hawaii wedding and how to get your guests up and dancing when the dance portion of the night begins. If you haven’t read it yet, Click here to read the accompanying post. This is Part 2, where I will write about actually creating the playlist.

Instead of creating one playlist, I recommend creating FOUR playlists, which breaks down your music requests into the following categories:

• The DO-NOT-PLAY list. If there’s a song or genre you absolutely DO NOT want to hear at your celebration, place it on this list. These can be songs you can’t stand (I had one bride tell me that absolutely, under no circumstances, should I play any Celine Dion), or songs that bring some bad memories (e.g., a breakup song with an ex, or a song associated with a death in the family). But keep this in mind: although you may not like a song, your guests may want to hear it, which leads me to the second list…
• The DO-NOT-PLAY-UNLESS-REQUESTED list. If there are songs that you don’t really want to hear but think your guests might want to hear (and if you’re nice enough to accommodate them), then place the songs here. Most “line dance” songs like the Macarena, Electric Slide, and YMCA go into this list; although you may not care about these songs, your guests may want to break into the Electric Slide sometime during the night and may request it. I did a wedding where the bride absolutely hated the Macarena…but the song was an important family dance for the groom and his family. (His family did the Macarena at every family gathering; it was somewhat of a tradition.) So at the wedding, I didn’t play it…until the groom, his mom, his aunts, and his cousins asked for it two songs in. And the groom’s family flooded the dancefloor and did the Macarena! Although the bride didn’t like the song, she was more pleased that her new husband and and his family were having a great time at her wedding.
• The MUST-PLAY list. Place all of the songs that you absolutely must hear at the wedding. If there’s a song you love, a song that has meaning to you, or a song that has meaning to your friends & family, and you must hear it at the wedding, place it in this list.
• The REQUESTED-PLAY list. Place your song requests that you’ll feel okay if your DJ doesn’t play it that night into this list. Keep in mind that you generally have 1-2 hours for dancing after the formal program. Your DJ will not have time to play EVERY song on your request list AND take care of your guests’ requests. Giving him a list of your song requests will help him with the flow of the night (and most good DJs will try to play as many songs on your list as possible), but try not to hold your DJ against it if he does not play everything on the list. With his expertise and experience, he will want to play your guests’ requests and take them on a musical journey where your guests will dance and have a good time.

These lists will help your DJ create a playlist that’s exciting, entertaining, and fun enough for your guests to dance!

Image courtesy ERIC & WENDY/L’Amour Photography

written by Marino_NinjaEntertainment \\ tags: Advice, dancing, DJ, Fun, music, playlist, stressfree, wedding

Months of planning and preparation came down to a fantastic party for Mark & Kim Okamura at their Hawaii wedding celebration on March 20 at the Hilton Waikoloa Village on the Big Island of Hawaii. Mark & Kim had wanted a very lively, original, and entertaining event that would keep their audience motivated throughout the night. Fun moments like a trivia game to send guests to the buffet, as well as interactive activities to give away the centerpieces, bouquet, and garter, made the night much more memorable. The party went all the way to “closing time,” when many guests continued to linger after that!

Image courtesy David O. Baldwin Photography
 

Image courtesy David O. Baldwin Photography
 

 

 

 

 
Click here to see official teaser images from Mark & Kim’s professional photographer, David O. Baldwin with David O. Baldwin Photography.
 

Special thanks to the following members of the “Production Team” who helped to make Mark & Kim’s day stress-free, and for making my job as their Master of Ceremonies & Director of Entertainment so much easier:

• Heather Sousa and her awesome banquet staff (Kaniala, Kelsey, Anita, Lina, and others) at the Hilton Waikoloa Village, for helping to keep everything flowing very smoothly and wonderfully;
• David & Brigit with David O. Baldwin Photography, for being so easy and wonderful to work with;
• Betty Jean Arias and her team (David, Dave, and Philip) with PSAV, for the audiovisual support;
• Lesley, Renee, & Deacon, for being an awesome technical crew;
• Richard, the florist who helped to add color to the decor; and most importantly,
• The Guests, who took the time to celebrate with Mark & Kim on this joyous occasion. Their participation really made the party a success!

Congratulations to Mark & Kim Okamura! Mahalo (thank you) for letting me be a part of your memorable day.

written by Marino_NinjaEntertainment \\ tags: big island, Emcee, Fun, hilton, kim, kohala, kona, mark, memorable, stressfree, unique, waikoloa, wedding

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!

written by Marino_NinjaEntertainment \\ tags: consultant, coordinator, Partnerships, planning, preparation, stressfree, wedding

My other company (besides Ninja Entertainment) is AV Associates Hawaii, which provides audiovisual rental and services for theatrical productions and special events. A recent theatrical production highlights the serious importance of communication among all of your wedding professionals in order for you to have a successful celebration. Let me explain.

At this recent production, I was hired to provide audiovisual and lighting services for a one-day, ethnic performance that showcased dances, singing, and other facets of a particular Asian culture. Normally I would meet with the show producers in advance to go over the logistics, timeline, stage setup, etc. This is to better understand the vision of the producer and to be prepared for the event, in order to best serve my clients. At the very least, I would insist on a lengthy phone conversation to go over these points. But for this one particular event, the show producer did not communicate in advance with me and the other event professionals he was working with.

Going into this show, I had no idea as to what the order of events would be like, how the stage was to be set up, and what to expect. As you can imagine, the setup that morning was chaotic, as my staff and I scrambled to move speakers, microphones, and equipment around to accommodate the singers, performers, and more. Needless to say, everything could have run much more smoothly if we knew in advance what to expect and thus be better prepared for it.

We did the best that we could, given the circumstances, and from the audience’s standpoint, it was a good show. But backstage, a lot of headaches could have been avoided if the show producer was open to communicating the details to us much sooner.

Tying this to your wedding, YOU are a show producer. Your wedding is an event that you’re spending a lot of time and money on. Communication with your wedding professionals is VITAL to the success of your event. If your caterer, photographer, videographer, DJ, and Master of Ceremonies know what’s going on in advance (that is, long before the wedding day), it will help them to better prepare for your event, and thus deliver the absolute best service they can deliver.

Here are some items that ALL of your wedding professionals should have before your wedding day:

• The Timeline of your event: Or as we say in the theatrical business, the Production Schedule. This helps your professionals know the order of events in advance, allowing them to set their own individual schedules as to what they have to do to best serve you. Videographers, for example, really appreciate this because they will know how much time they have between ceremony and video slideshow, and they can estimate how long they will need to edit and render your ceremony highlights.
   
  Note: if you have any unique elements in your wedding (e.g., playing a game to give away the bouquet instead of a traditional bouquet toss), make sure you include an explanation as well, so your professionals can best understand your vision and reasoning as to why you’re doing it.

 

• The Floorplan: aka The Stage Plot. This gives your professionals an understanding of where everything goes, allowing them to adjust their own setups and ultimately saving them time that day when your professionals come in to set up. For example, if your DJ knows where they need to set up, they can do it as soon as they arrive rather than set up in the wrong place and later realize that you wanted them somewhere else!
   

• The List of Your Professionals: aka The Production Staff. Include their names, contact numbers, emails, and their role in your wedding. This helps your other professionals to get in touch with each other in advance to answer any technical questions they may have. For example, your videographer may want to contact your DJ in order to see if the videographer can connect his DVD player to the DJ’s sound system in order to play back your video slideshow. Or the DJ may want to contact your caterer/rental company to inquire about tables for the DJ’s setup.

Remember that while it’s nice to hear from your professionals from time to time, it’s also equally important that you clearly communicate all of your wishes and plans to them. They’ll appreciate you for it and will do an excellent job for you on your wedding day!

written by Marino_NinjaEntertainment \\ tags: Advice, communication, floorplan, Partnerships, planning, stressfree, timeline

The recent ice resurfacer debacle at the Winter Olympics provides some lessons and insight into investing in quality professionals for a special occasion, like weddings. Click here to read about it in detail. In a nutshell, when it was time for the Vancouver Olympic Committee (VANOC) to decide who would provide the ice resurfacing machines (the “Zamboni machines” that most people call it by), instead of going with a trusted brand like Zamboni (who BTW, had previously participated in almost every Winter Olympics since Squaw Valley in 1960), VANOC instead went with Resurfice, a lesser-known and cheaper alternative. Unfortunately for VANOC, the Resurfice machine broke down right before several key speedskating events, delaying those events for several hours. To make matters worse, the backup machine broke down…and the backup to the backup broke down. Ultimately, VANOC had to call in an official Zamboni-branded machine from Calgary, over 400 miles away.

So how does this relate to your wedding or special event?

Your wedding, like the Olympics, is a milestone event in your life, one that involves a lot of planning, preparation, time, and money beforehand. Like the Olympics, your event will be witnessed by an audience of people who appreciate you. Your wedding, like the Olympics, will create a lot of memorable moments. Your wedding is a precious and important event.

Hiring the “cheap alternative” may sound like a good idea at first, but in the end, if the “cheap alternative” doesn’t deliver as promised–or worse, ruins your event–then that’s what you and your audience will remember forever.

Hiring a quality professional–someone you trust and feel confident with her product or service–in the long run would be worth more, because you will have a more smooth, stress-free, and enjoyable wedding day.

Here’s my point: for average, everyday parties, it’s okay to hire a “Resurfice” vendor. But for once-in-a-lifetime moments like your wedding, make sure you invest in “Zambonis”. You won’t regret your choice after the wedding is done, and when everyone raves about your party–in a good way–for years to come.

written by Marino_NinjaEntertainment \\ tags: Advice, Olympics, Partnerships, planning, stressfree

Has the planning for your Hawaii wedding, and life in general, been stressful lately? Take some time off to regenerate, renew, and become refreshed. Christy Navarrete Pascual, a good friend and client of mine, works at Reneux Med & Day Spa in Kakaako, and she is extending a very special offer to you:

Starting at 4pm on Sunday, October 18, Christy and the Reneux staff will host an open house. There will be special offers, tours of the spa, and much more. So take some time off for yourself and go relax! You deserve it.

For more information or to RSVP to Christy, email her at christy.navarrete [at] gmail.com

And when you go, mention that I sent you!

written by Marino_NinjaEntertainment \\ tags: Fun, Partnerships, relaxation, spa, stressfree