Half Moon Bay- Old West Wedding!

When Greg and Mia said they wanted to get married at Long Branch Farms, I said "Count me in!" They were the last of the Petty clan getting married and I had been the MC at nearly all of them. I was of course thrilled that they asked me to join them for the big celebration, so two months before the event I did a site inspection and was amazed at the venue. It truly was an "old west town". It sits about 4 miles south of the Ritz in Half Moon Bay and you would never expect it.

As I walked around checking the site for all the things an entertainment company would need, I was continually surprised by how authentic it all seemed. They even had the little church at the end of town. It was really something. We were able to give them just the right amount of music and sound at the ceremony to augment the surrounding.

The escort cards were actually escort mason jar mugs that had sarsaparilla in them. They had great grill food to go along with the western theme. We did table advice and song dedications for the buffet line.

Once the Meal was complete The best man Steve (Gregs bro) had an awesome poem he had written. It was both funny and heartfelt. That last line made everyone a little weepy.

After that the cake was on and the saloon was open!  Even though it was a bit on the chilly side we DANCED! We brought in a bit of lighting to spice up the place for dancing, beyond that, the place has a life of its own. Of course Mia looked amazing and Greg was handsome enough for a old tyme sheriff!!

Find out how we can do the same for you. Visit us at www.sacramentoweddingdj.com

Sacramento Wedding DJ at Courtyard D'Oro

From THE Sacramento Wedding DJ,

 I can say that Courtyard D' Oro is quite an outstanding venue!! Saturday night was a great party for Ken and Marjan. They married in the courtyard which was set up in the round. When Marjan came up the steps jaws dropped, tears flowed and emotions were right there on the surface. She looked stunning, and Ken was beaming. "Rev. Mark" was a friend and made it very personal. Once pronounced husband and wife, they walked out to U2's Sweetest Thing.  We placed 16 plum uplights in the dining room and 8 in the courtyard going up the brick. iIt looked stunning! 10-22 Catering offered a high quality buffet and Lora Ward was the event planner( great to work with both). After the toasting by her 2 sisters and his 3 brothers, Ken and Marjan fed each other Ice Cream instead of the usual cake cutting. Cool. After that, First Dance, a spotlight dance with the folks and that led us into dancing, and I know I always say this, but we rocked the dance party solid until 10:45. Tons of great music and even some persian selections that turned the crowd loose! They were a crowd that I wish could come to every wedding I play at! 

Find out how we can do the same for you. Visit us at www.sacramentoweddingdj.com

Sacramento Wedding DJ in Benicia!

It was a COLD, windy, rainy day. Inside the little tent it felt like sunshine.  Amy and Dave were in love and nothing was gonna stop the little party that could. It was AWESOME.  This couple didn't let any of the things that happened bother them. If they weren't gonna be bothered , how could we?

 We set up the main system, lights, a photo booth, and a added sound zone because the tent was "L"
shaped. The owners of the inn - Mike and Jessica- made sure there were space heaters so the guests were as comfortable as possible. The wind was blowing so strong at times I swear I thought the whole tent was gonna just lift up and fly away. REALLY.

I find that smaller events (under 75) can have that really intimate feel. That is what we were going for here and it worked beautifully. The toasts were personal and heartfelt. The right kind of music and MCing puts guests into the perfect frame of mind. The staff was great to work with and photographer Ben Krantz was easy.

The sacramento photo booth rental was a HUGE hit. People kept at it all night. There are always some very creative people willing to booth,  and these folks were no different. The booth seems to loosen people up as well.      

                                                                                                                                             

By the time we made it through the traditional and no so traditional stuff they were ready to dance. And dance they did. and dance, and dance....                                          

I can't tell you how much I loved being a part of that celebration. That being said, with out the experience of the sacramento wedding dj team of Function 45 event entertainment, it may not have been the same. Overcoming the opposition wasn't easy, but it accomplished.

The words of Dave and Amy and the end of "OMG, it is every thing we dreamed of" and "you guys are the best we have ever seen or heard of!"

It it worth it? Every time.

Sacramento Wedding DJ - Lighting Continued...

Here are a bunch more lighting shots. In doing Sacramento Wedding Up lighting and lighting design, we are charged with bringing a room to life. These up lighting shots do that rather well, I believe. Some of these designs are rather simple in their logistics, yet the final effect that they have is dramatic.

You can see just how much flavor they add to an event.

This is something we call pin spotting. What we have here can happen when there is ONLY up lighting, or perhaps the standard venue lighting has an either "on" or "off" with nothing in between. It does leave something to be desired. The cake looks like it got a bit swallowed up with all the color. We bring a couple of strategically place pin spots to bring the luster of the cake back out. It really makes it pop. You can pinspot other places or things in the room as well, like a candy station or centerpieces. I have seen it done so that there is a pinspot on EVERY centerpiece.

If you really want to go all out, then deep lighting design may be your thing. You can change the walls, the roof, the floors and you get an entire shift in attitude. Done well, it will look like an entirely different room. Does it cost more? Sure. If it is always how you dreamed though, that may be worth every penny.

At Function 45 Event Entertainment we do all sorts of lighting. 

From the classic and simple to the amazingly outrageous. 

It all depends on the kind of luster you want to give your event.

All this is on top of the other services we offer like 

Sacramento Wedding MC/DJs, lighting, moving video montages, 

and the hilarious photo booths. 

For now, thanks checking out what's in my mind.

Up Lighting - Sacramento DJ

Sacramento DJ

As a Sacramento Wedding DJ, I was not a big believer in up lighting. When it first started to make the scene around 2006, I thought most DJs were using it as a crutch to mask their lack of ability. Eventually we added it to our repertoire out of sheer competition. Grumbling most of the way I might add. 

Then, a funny thing happened. One of our pro videographer friends related how much better his video was because of two things. First, our unique interaction with the guests. Second, the lighting.

WHAT!!? How could that be? Because of the visuals lighting was creating, his finished video was more  interesting to look at. It was giving more depth and texture. I soon heard the same thing from a couple of photographers as well. Just goes to show I am never done learning. We now use it to "paint and texture" the wall at venues all over.

The photo above is at the Radisson Hotel Scaramento. This room looked pretty plain without them, then POW! Blue! In fact you can even see how the blue is reflecting all the way down the roof. This was an event for 675 people and it changed the feel of the room. I'm quite a believer these days. Even the most simple set up seems affecting.

As for the logistics we had our lights custom made so that we would not need as many to accomplish the same thing as some that are using twice as many! The wall is nearly 100 feet long

yet we were able to do that with only 8 lights! As for that red light you see, that is the light guiding people to our sacramento photo booth. Don't get me started on what I thought about those either...

www.SacramentoWeddingDJ.com

www.SacramentoPhotoBooth.com

California Railroad Museum Wedding - Sacramento Wedding DJ

Sacramento Wedding DJ

This was one of my favorite weddings in 2011.  This is Martin and Ribi. He is a rocket scientist and she is even smarter.  I mentioned to Martin that even though he is taller, he married WAAAY UP!  Trust me
when I say "boy do I feel instantly dopey" around these two.  It is just me though because they are the nicest couple and are quite easy to be around.

When they came to us, they had already booked California Railroad Museum and were quite excited. For the longest time the California Railroad Museum did not allow private events. This was the first time in over 15 years that it was to be allowed. Theirs was to be first. We got excited right along with them. What a great visual this would be! Not to mention the guests would be able to go through the trains during the cocktail hour. Lots of hands on and tons of fun.

Logistically this would need special attention because the area that guest would be mingling in was the entire museum! We set up the main system in near the tables which were right between to giant trains in the rotor house. Then we use our wireless systems to place throughout the museum. It took 7 systems! We also had to bring our own power packs for a couple of those systems. It was worth it
as placement can make a HUGE difference. As a result, everyone was able to hear and feel a part of all of it which is so crucial to success. Well it was a great hit! Everyone got involved and then danced
their rails off! It was awesome! Thanks Martin and Ribi, I will never forget it!

Visit us at SacramentoWeddingDJ.com

Walnut Creek Wedding

Sacramento Wedding DJ

What we were celebrating on July 31st at the Camellia Room was really a 60th Anniversay. Pete & Clara
have been married for just over sixty years now. Still throwin down on the dance floor too!

Pete is the funniest guy. Instead of just telling jokes, he'll quickly pull out his wallet and hand you a slip of paper and say "read this". On it will be the joke. As you finish reading and start to laugh, he laughs with you.

Clara is as gentle a woman as I've met. When the toasting time came up in our program ant least 4 people talked about how they felt like they were as much a "part of the family" as Pete and Clara's own kids. It shows in the way they treat people.

When it came to the cake, they fed each other mini cupcakes. After that it  was a spotlight dance to an ELVIS song as everyone joined them, it was a beautiful moment

Pete and Clara came to me by way of Dee Ann their daughter. I was the MC at HER wedding 9 years ago. BTW, Dee Ann also married a Pete. Pete and Clara have a son named Pete. A lot of Pete's and re-Pete's.

One of the coolest things about this event was the accordian player. He played for the first 1/2 hour or so. His name was Vito Riggio. He was the accordian at their wedding 60 years ago.

Awesome.

visit us at www.sacramentoweddingdj.com