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I first met Carol & Martin Miyashiro at the Hawaii Bridal Expo. They stopped to chat and listen to what I had say, and when we connected a few days after the expo, Carol & Martin had a great time talking about how fun and crazy their families were, and how lively, fun, and different they wanted their Hawaii wedding to be. The ideas flowed, and soon, we had sketched out a party full of personalized moments to surprise & delight their guests.

And so it was, on June 26, at the Koolau Ballrooms in beautiful Kaneohe, Hawaii. After months of planning and preparation, both on their end and on my end as their Master of Ceremonies & DJ, everything came together in a beautiful storm of crazy fun! Among the surprises and highlights from their celebration:

After an original and funny Grand Entrance in which I told stories about Martin & Carol’s wedding party, Martin & Carol kicked off the festivities with an exciting Evolution of Dance-inspired “First Dance.”

Instead of tossing the bouquet, Carol originally intended to present it to Aunty Kap, who is Carol’s kumu hula (hula teacher) and mentor. But I gave her an idea to make her bouquet presentation more fun and involving for everyone! With the Bouquet Surprise, all of the guests participated in a simple activity that involved everyone and yet ultimately had one winner–Aunty Kap! And of course, Aunty Kap’s prize was the bouquet! It was a touching and emotional moment for all as Carol presented the bouquet to Aunty Kap and told everyone just how special and meaningful Aunty Kap is to Carol.

 

Images courtesy VANCE & KIM OWEN / Owen & Owen Photographers
 

Following a simple garter presentation to Best Man Ken Combs, Martin had a hilarious surprise in store for Ken and his audience–the Reverse Garter! Ken thought he was putting the garter on Aunty Kap…but he was in for a surprise!

 

 

Images courtesy VANCE & KIM OWEN / Owen & Owen Photographers
 

Throughout the party, the guests enjoyed every surprise and every moment of the event.

 

Images courtesy VANCE & KIM OWEN / Owen & Owen Photographers
 

From the beginning of their planning, Martin & Carol wanted a very lively, very fun, very original, and quite unforgettable Hawaii wedding. And they most certainly did!

Mahalo (thank you) to the following Hawaii wedding professionals for helping to make Martin & Carol’s celebration so successful:

• Steven Nagamine, Jaime and the awesome staff at Koolau Ballrooms for the awesome location, food, and service;
• Vance & Kim Owen with Owen & Owen Photographers, for taking all of the great pictures that you see here–they are so easy and great to work with too!

Finally, congratulations to Carol & Martin Miyashiro! It truly was honor to be the Master of Ceremonies of your Hawaii wedding. Thank you for letting me be a part of your celebration and memories!

Continue reading »]]> 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.

Continue reading »]]> As a professional Master of Ceremonies, it’s always a treat to find out the history of the couples whom I serve: how they met, how they fell in love, how he proposed, how she accepted. Oftentimes, there is a particular aspect to their Love Story that could potentially add a unique and original “twist” to their celebration, if properly incorporated into the presentation. When done right, it creates an unforgettable experience for the bride, groom, and their audience.

Such is the case for Emily Kuehn and Chayson Seneca, who are planning for their Hawaii wedding in June 2011 at the Hale Koa Hotel. In our conversation, one of the things they mentioned was that they met in college over a game of Beer Pong. If you’re not familiar with beer pong, Wikipedia defines it as…

a drinking game in which players throw a ping-pong ball across a table with the intent of landing the ball in a cup of beer/water on the other end. The game typically consists of two two-to-four-player teams and multiple cups set up on each side set up in triangle formation. There are no official rules, so rules may vary widely, though usually there are six or ten plastic cups arranged in a triangle on each side. The losing team must consume all the beer remaining in the winning team’s cups.

The Challenge: find a way to incorporate Beer Pong into the presentation, because it was such a key moment in the development of their relationship, but to do it in such a way as to get away from the “drinking” part of it and more towards the “fun” part of it. Of course, I love a good challenge, and we were able to incorporate the game into their presentation, personalize it so it reflects the occasion, and get the audience involved so that, even if you’ve never played beer pong, you’ll still have fun in a clean, family-friendly sort of way.

The first step was in renaming the game: Beer Pong is great for frat parties and college keggers, but certainly not as appropriate for a wedding, where grandparents, children, and conservative guests may be in attendance. So instead, we’re going to call it Beverage Pong. In that way, we won’t offend any of the guests.

Now for the setup: like in traditional beer pong, we’re planning to put a triangle of cups on one end of a long table and fill those cups with a minimal amount of water to weigh the cups down. We’re also providing the ping pong balls for contestants to use.

The Game: like in traditional beer pong, participants throw ping pong balls towards the cup and hope to get the ball into one of the cups. Here’s what makes Emily & Chayson’s version different: if the participant lands a ball in a cup, our newlyweds will kiss! Obviously, the more successful you are at sinking a ball, the more often you get to see the couple smooch.

And that’s not all: the distance also plays a part in how long the kiss will be. So if you shoot it in from up close, it will be a short peck. If you make it in from the end of the table, it will be a much longer kiss. If you successfully get it in from across the dancefloor, you are “The Man”, and Emily & Chayson will honor you with a very long kiss.

Emily & Chayson are excited about this and are looking forward to having Beverage Pong in their presentation. It makes their party very original and unique, not a cookie-cutter, carbon-copy reception.

When you meet your emcee for your Hawaii wedding, tell them your own Love Story. See if they’ll give you some generic activities to incorporate into your celebration, just because they’ve done it before at other people’s weddings…or if they actually will listen to you and give you ideas to help you make your party as unforgettable and original as you are!

Wedding images courtesy PHIL AMMON / A+ Media Creations

Continue reading »]]> This is a new feature I’m debuting today and hopefully will be able to maintain: Why I Like…Wednesdays, where I focus on a particular Hawaii wedding professional I enjoy working with! As a Hawaii wedding emcee, I work with a lot of wedding professionals, some good, others GREAT, others…ummm…you get the idea. Each Wednesday, I’ll spotlight a particular Hawaii wedding professional I like to work with, and hopefully you’ll like to work with too.

Today’s spotlight is on The Bridal Boutique, owned by Cecilia Domingo and Joyce Coelho. Why do I love them? Besides their great sense of style, they really know how to make a bride look beautiful in their dress. They can help you choose the right gown for your Hawaii wedding, as well as help you find coordinated outfits for your bridesmaids, if you wish. Many of my clients are Bridal Boutique brides, and they LOVE their dresses. And you will too.

Here’s Nicole Richardson. She got married New Years Eve and wanted two dresses: a formal gown for the formal wedding, and a unique wedding dress for the reception that reflects her rebel “rocker” image. Joyce & Cecilia were able to help her create the right dresses for the occasion:

The “traditional” wedding dress
 

The “not-so-traditional” wedding dress
Images courtesy Norma Allen Photography

The concept of the “not-so-traditional” dress was Nicole’s; Cecilia & Joyce were able to accommodate it, and Nicole was one very happy bride!

I love working with Joyce & Cecilia with the Bridal Boutique, especially since my brides are so happy with them and their services. And you will too! Check them out!

Website: http://www.bridalboutique.com
Blog: http://thebridalboutique.wordpress.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/thebridalboutique
Twitter: http://twitter.com/bridal_boutique
Phone: 808-597-8893

And when you contact them, tell ‘em Marino sent you!

The Wedding Cafe Workshops – Gowns from KAIMEDIA on Vimeo.

Continue reading »]]> As a professional Master of Ceremonies, I frequently get asked about original ideas to help personalize my clients’ Hawaii weddings. After all, after investing much time & money into creating a signature “look” to the event, most brides-to-be don’t want the presentation itself to be average and ordinary. So depending on your tastes, style, and interest, I can help you create fun activities that get your audience involved AND are a reflection of who you are.

Many couples whom I work with are into sports, so we try to incorporate that into the presentation. One such couple, Christy & Kris Pascual, who were happily married in July 2008 at the Sheraton Waikiki Hotel, liked playing golf, and many of their guests played golf too. So we incorporated that into the wedding with the Golf Game/Putting Challenge. Simply put, the idea is to set up a small portable putting green on the dancefloor, and if the guests wanted to see Christy & Kris kiss, they needed to hit a hole-in-one! Instead of tapping the glasses to get the newlyweds kiss, they were encouraged to make a putt. What made it more fun was that, the farther out you are, and if you made it in, the longer the kiss would be! Therefore, if you putt right from the edge of the hole and make it in, it would be a very short peck. If you putt from the far end, it would be a much longer kiss.

Kris & Christy’s wedding celebration – Golf Game from Marino – Ninja Entertainment on Vimeo. Footage courtesy GREG VENTURA / Advanced Visual Arts

The activity was a lot of fun and a hit among the guests! Even the non-golfers had a good time as they watched some great golfers make (and miss) putts. And because the newlyweds and many of the guests played golf, the activity was much more meaningful than simply tapping the glasses to get the newlyweds to kiss.

When planning the presentation for your own Hawaii wedding, think about your interests, likes, and dislikes. Use your creativity to come up with unique ways to tie those interests into traditional moments like the bouquet giveaway, cake-cutting, and toasts. Come up with original ways to get your audience involved. Or, you could simply contact me for help. I’d love to sit down with you and help you create a party that’s just as fun, unforgettable, and unique as you are.

Image courtesy ED PINGOL Photography

Continue reading »]]> Meet Kai & Wayne Asam.

Four years ago, on May 13, 2006, Kai & Wayne tied the knot in a beautiful ceremony at the Luana Hills Country Club. The reception that followed was just as fun and lively as Kai & Wayne are! Interactive activities, including a game of Simon Says to give away the centerpieces, made the audience feel connected to the festivities, which led up to a night of great music and dancing that kept going even after the lights were turned on and the music formally ended! At the end of the night, this is what Kai & Wayne had to say about their experience with me as the Master of Ceremonies and DJ for their Hawaii wedding:

Kai & Wayne wedding emcee testimonial from Marino – Ninja Entertainment on Vimeo.

Four years later, they’re still together, still very much in love, and have added to their growing family a beautiful baby boy named Xander.

Image courtesy KAI ASAM

It’s always nice to hear from clients and to witness how successful they have been since the wedding.

Congratulations to Wayne & Kai Asam, and Happy Anniversary!
 

 

 

 

Wedding images courtesy PAUL HAYASHI Photography

Continue reading »]]> Mashups are a great way of “bridging the gap” between the mix of guests at your Hawaii wedding! A mashup is a song that combines elements of two different styles or genres of music into one song. Take this, for example:

 
In this example, the remixer (Party Ben) takes the vocals from Beyonce’s Single Ladies and combines it with the theme from The Andy Griffith Show. This makes the song instantly recognizable to

• your younger guests, who will recognize the Beyonce hit right away, and
• your older guests, who may have grown up watching The Andy Griffith Show, will instantly recognize the main theme, and may reminisce about the great memories from the past that the melody brings.

A mashup like this, when played by your wedding DJ, can bring generations together.

Here’s another one:

This is a fun one! Your younger guests will appreciate hearing Lady Gaga’s Just Dance, and your other guests who enjoy Journey will appreciate dancing to the instrumental sound of Don’t Stop Believing.

Here’s a combination of Green Day’s Brain Stew with The Beatles’ Eleanor Rigby:

And if you have guests who like music from the movie Grease, and/or like music by hip-hop artist Snoop Dogg, they will get a kick out of this:

So where do you find mashups? Mashups are everywhere! An easy way would be to go to youtube and run a search for “mashups”. Look for songs that you think you and your guests would enjoy dancing to, and let your DJ know so he can find a way to get those songs!

Mashups are a wonderful way of personalizing your wedding, getting your guests to dance together, reliving some happy memories from the past, and having a great time at your Hawaii wedding!

Image courtesy PHIL AMMON / A+ Media Creations

Continue reading »]]> 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.

Continue reading »]]> The Academy Awards were on last night, and it was such a treat to see some deserving winners. Sandra Bullock’s acceptance speech for winning Best Actress for her work in The Blind Side was particularly endearing:

Did you notice that as soon as Sean Penn announced Sandra’s name, theme music from the movie started to play, and it played until she was on stage and ready to give her acceptance speech? Without the music, there simply would have been applause, then an awkward silence.

It was the same thing with Kathryn Bigelow’s Best Director acceptance speech:

Your wedding has these “Oscar moments”: your Maid of Honor’s toast, the Best Man’s speech, the ethnic toasts, all of these require the speaker to make her way from her seat to the stage/podium to deliver her “acceptance speech.” By having “theme music” for each speaker, you can create an elegant and original mood at your reception, and make the toasts/speeches so much more fun. After all, when was the last time you went to a Hawaii wedding that had theme music for each speaker?

Maid of Honor Toast Introduction Example from Marino – Ninja Entertainment on Vimeo.
Video footage courtesy Advanced Visual Arts.

To increase your chances of doing this right, you’ll need some advance planning, and some coordination between your Master of Ceremonies and your DJ.

1. First, choose “theme music” for each of your speakers: your Maid of Honor, Best Man, your ethnic toasters (banzai, Mabuhay, yum pui, salud, etc.). The songs could either be something that represents the person (e.g., “Friends” theme for someone who you are very, very close to), or it’s that person’s favorite song.
2. Make sure your DJ has those songs and can edit/cue the music to a recognizable start point, so when your DJ starts the music, your guests will instantly know the song and make the connection back to the speaker.
3. If your emcee and DJ haven’t had the chance to rehearse before the wedding day, make sure they practice the timing of the toast introductions before doors open to your audience. The last thing you want to do is for them to attempt it without any practice–it won’t come out as good as it looks at the Oscars.

With theme music and enough practice, your toasts and speeches will turn out just as fun and elegant as they do at the Academy Awards, making your wedding day an “Oscar night” to remember!

Image courtesy KRIS LABANG/On 3 Photography

Continue reading »]]> 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.