Meeting lots of people, getting lots of ideas

Has it really been two weeks since the last post? My apologies to my faithful readers. It's been busy. There was a lot of followup after the expo, calling back many of you to set up appointments, as well as following up with vendors I met.

Went to the NACE meeting on Wednesday and met a lot of great people.

One of them was Vicki Liao of Fairy Princess Affair. She's an awesome person with a great idea. If you have a niece or daughter that wants to be treated like a princess on her birthday, give Vicki a call. She can help you create a really nice "fairy tale" presentation for the child's birthday, complete with costumes for the kids, finger-nail painting, children's makeup, etc. Basically, the kids get treated like princesses. And if your daughter/niece likes the costumes, Vicki also offers the dresses and accessories for purchase, so that your daughter/niece can be a princess 365 days of the year. Check them out on their website here. Don't forget to mention that Marino with Ninja Entertainment sent you!


Another vendor I met was Claire from Edible Arrangements. If you are looking for something original for your centerpieces, or if you are looking for something unique to give as gifts, check them out. They make gorgeous and tasty bouquets of fruits. They will be opening a retail store in downtown very soon, but you can order items online now, so if you still haven't found something to give Mom for Mother's Day, this may be something unique and special that Mom will definitely enjoy. When you contact them, mention that Marino from Ninja Entertainment sent you!

Finally, I met Cassandra, David, & Brook from Cassandra Dieterle Photography yesterday before meeting with JAMES & CHARLENE (getting married on June 23). What a great person to know! If you know me, you know I am very passionate about helping my clients create really FUN, STRESS-FREE, UNIQUE, and MEMORABLE celebrations that they and their guests will remember forever. Cassandra shares the same passion in capturing those moments and encouraging her clients to relax, have fun, and enjoy their wedding day! One of the things that impressed me about her was her willingness to offer engagement photos to the bride & groom as part of her service, not just to provide additional value to the client, but also to get to know the bride & groom in advance and to make them feel comfortable in front of a camera! Wow! I haven't met a photographer yet that does this (other than her), but it really did impress me that she goes above and beyond to simply make her clients very relaxed and happy on their wedding day. If you haven't found your photographer yet, please really do consider Cassandra. Check out her website here, and when you call, mention that I sent you.

In terms of clients, I met with JENNA and her mother NANI last week regarding Jenna's wedding in September 2008. Yes, you read right, 2008. Because of the uniqueness of my service, I do get inquiries as far out as 2009, so it really does pay off to reserve my services in advance. Jenna is coming in at current (2007) investment levels, so she won't have to worry about prices going up! We are planning a very exciting and high-energy presentation for her and BILL. From what Jenna told me, both families are really outgoing and full of energy, and all they need is someone to help them "focus" that energy into a very fun and productive party! Nothing has been set in stone yet, but I can tell you that there event will have a lot of unique activities that have not been seen in Hawaii yet!

Yesterday I met with JAMES & CHARLENE. They are planning a wedding next month. Fortunately, they are almost done with the planning and only have a handful of items to wrap up. For this event, I am being brought on board to host the party and to suggest creative ways to personalize their wedding and add entertainment value to the celebration. Both of them are really personable and full of love and positive vibes, so I really am looking forward to creating something magical with them. What's neat about their wedding, too, is that they already have a DJ! Victor with Rhythm Creations is a good friend of mine, and I'm looking forward to working with him again. Should be an exciting presentation!

Lastly, on Monday I met with ROBYN & GREG for their upcoming wedding. With a Sunday evening wedding at the Turtle Bay, you may think that their guests would go home after dinner. Think again! They have planned a unique and original presentation that reflects Greg's love of country music and Robyn's love of the sea. Let's talk about the centerpiece giveaway as an example (and this is your Wedding Tip Of The Day). On each table next to the centerpiece will be a "message in a bottle," which is a piece of parchment paper in a tiny champagne bottle--very fitting for the "seashore" theme that Robyn is shooting for. When it is time to give away the centerpieces, I'm going to ask one person on each table to pull out the message and to read it aloud to the people on that table. The message will reveal some sort of trait for one person on each table (e.g., tallest person, youngest person, etc.). The winner of the centerpiece is the person who best fits that trait! So instead of the guests randomly having to win the centerpiece, the centerpiece will be presented to someone special on each table, but everyone was involved in the presentation, making it much more fun and entertaining for all of the guests!

Greg & Robyn really put together something fun for everyone to enjoy, and in the following weeks, I will gradually reveal some of their unique plans. In either case, their celebration will be fun. I'm excited and really looking forward to it!

Until the next time, stay safe and keep smiling!

All the best,

Marino
Ninja Entertainment