What a week!

It's been quite a busy week, which is why I haven't been able to post anything recently. If anything, it has been quite eventful!

Last weekend was spent in Hilo, for a meeting with ROB & KEHAU, as well as some much deserved rest & relaxation. I met their families in Pahoa, talked about their celebration (to be held in Volcano), and gave them a bunch of ideas to make their party very fun and engaging for their guests. Most of them will be flying in from the mainland and Oahu, so it was important for ROB & KEHAU to create a party that really made it worth their guests' time and money to travel for the wedding.

Then I spent the night with my nieces and family in Volcano.

The next day was shopping, eating, shopping, and more eating in Hilo. Visited the Big Island Candy Factory, bought some new clothes at Macy's, went back for more stuff at the Big Island Candy Factory, went shopping at Ross', and ate some more at the local food court. Lots of eating and shopping...

Monday was spent eating, and hanging out with friends in Hilo. I finally flew back Monday evening, and it was right back to work!

Tuesday and the rest of the week was spent "rebuilding" my computer. Before I left for my trip, my trusty main computer finally had its last breaths after faithfully serving me for over seven years; it was time for an upgrade. Before I left, I bought a new computer, so I spent this week installing all of the software and files I need. There's one thing I learned during this whole process: I hate Windows Vista. Not only did I have to upgrade most of the applications (since most of them required an upgrade to be Vista-compatible), but this system runs soooo slow. Bring back Windows XP!

I'm about 95% done with the install, and I'm back to full efficiency. Only a few video editting programs to go, and I'll be back to where I was pre-crash.

So that's where I'm at today. Like I said, it's been busy...

Today's Wedding Tip of the Day falls under the stress-free and unique categories.

Planning to have a band play during cocktail hour and the meal at your reception? In addition to start time, make sure you specify what time you want them for setup and soundcheck. I've worked with some bands that are told by the newlyweds to start playing at 6:30pm, for example, and they don't show up until 6:30pm. This means that they are setting up and doing the whole "check, 1, 2" while the guests are trying to enjoy their cocktails and dinner. Not only is it embarrassing to you, but it really detracts from the smooth presentation you have planned. So when dealing with the band, make sure you tell them to arrive before doors open so that they can have enough to set up, run through all their soundchecks, and be ready to rock when doors open to your audience!

Planning on having the band play at the end of the night, for dancing? Make sure you tell them to set up and soundcheck before doors open, and then send them on break until right around the time they are supposed to start. This is important because some bands will show up in the middle of your presentation and conduct their setup and soundcheck while everything is going on! Imagine this: your maid of honor is trying to tell a story about how you two met, but in the background, their lead singer is going "check one two one two one two louder please in my monitor one two turn it up more," the guitarist is playing some licks, and the drummer is just banging away at the bass drum trying to find a good tone for the sound guy. Your maid of honor's toast just lost all of its impact. Most professional bands will arrive before doors open, set everything up, do their soundcheck, leave for dinner, and come back just in time for dancing. But some bands will pop in during your program and rudely create a ruckus. Make sure you make it clear to them that you would prefer them to setup and soundcheck before your doors open!

Have an awesome weekend!

All the best,

Marino M. Regalado
Ninja Entertainment
Honolulu, HI

One fun weekend, two great celebrations!

It's very rare that we have two weddings on one weekend, but this weekend was an exceptional case. With both MISTY & DON'S wedding on Friday night and JENNIFER & SCOTT'S wedding on Sunday evening, we were able to help both of them create very different, yet fun celebrations!



I first heard from Don & Misty last month. They had a unique situation with the venue they were having their celebration: because of the number of guests they were having, the room they were having their reception in, and space restraints, the floorplan dictated that the area where we would have dancing later on would be the same area the caterer would set up the buffet beforehand. With the food in place, there would be no space to set up a typical sound system before dinner. But after meeting with Misty & Don, and visiting the Hale Koa to talk to EILEEN (one of the catering executives there), we were able to strike an effective compromise. During cocktails, dinner, and the program, I would bring a small sound system to provide music and run the presentation with, and it would be set up in place of a podium. Sometime during the presentation, the airwall dividing the buffet area and the main reception would be closed, and my friend David from Dynamic Sounds would come in and set up the DJ system as the banquet staff cleared the buffet. Timing was very critical: we didn't want any dead air time between the program ending, and the dancefloor opening, so getting all elements coordinated was key.

Fortunately, everything worked out as planned! Misty & Don arrived early, so they were able to greet their guests as they arrived. Feeling stress-free and relaxed, they entrusted the presentation to me and didn't worry about what was happening next. When most of their guests arrived, I took them outside of the room, reminded them of what's happening next, and then went in to warm the guests up.

With the introduction of the newlyweds, the guests realized they were in for a treat: this was not just some formal eat-and-run deal, this was going to be a party!

Working closely with the Hale Koa staff, we moved the presentation smoothly. During dinner, Misty asked if her friend ERICA could speak earlier, rather than after dinner as originally planned. Not a problem! With Erica ready to go, we introduced her, and she delivered some funny stories about growing up with Misty, working with Don, and how the Misty & Don met. The program continued with more stories from Misty's father MIKE, and a few of Misty's longtime friends.

For the bouquet toss, instead of simply tossing the bouquet, Misty & Don did the Anniversary Game, in which we included all of the guests and ultimately honored the longest married couple. During our meetings beforehand, Misty & Don thought that the longest married couple would be Misty's parents. So it became a very pleasant surprise when the longest married couple turned out to be Misty's aunt & uncle! The bouquet was presented to them, which made them and their family very happy.

As this was going on, the airwall to the buffet room was closed, and Dave and his team came in to set up the DJ dance system. Following the centerpiece giveaway, we did the formal dances (Father/Daughter, Mother/Son, First Dance, Money Dance) near the head table, and at the end of the Money Dance, the dancefloor was ready, so we opened the airwall and moved the party over to the dancefloor. By Don's request, the first song to kick off open dancing was the Chicken Dance!

For the rest of the night, Dave mixed it up, playing a good mix of today's music, some oldies, reggae, and more, keeping the groove going and the guests dancing. By the last dance of the night, we still had a good crowd, and I invited them back to the dancefloor for the last dance of the evening. The crowd celebrated and cheered as the last dance came to a close--a fitting way to end Don & Misty's celebration.

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When I first spoke to JENNIFER & SCOTT for their wedding on November 4, they mentioned that tradition was very important to them. Since most of their guests were family, tradition was something that they wished to emphasize at their party. At the same time, they wanted it to be fun and memorable. So we helped them create a very fun and memorable celebration with an emphasis on tradition!

For the bouquet & garter tosses, we did the traditional bouquet & garter tosses, but what made it fun were the people involved. For the bouquet toss, the bouquet was actually caught between TRACEY (the maid of honor) and a good friend of the bride, and neither wanted to lose! For a while, they played tug-of-war with the bouquet, with the flowers finally going to Jennifer's friend!

The garter was exciting as well: Jennifer's cousin caught it in a display of skill. You know how they say that "White Men Can't Jump?" Well, it's apparent that Korean men CAN!

The party that started at the tables carried over to the dancefloor, where the guests danced and sang karaoke until they were exhausted.





Having a wonderful time dancing!



Jennifer & Scott at the end of the night, feeling very happy & stress-free


All in all, it was a great weekend to get married! To Misty, Don, Jennifer, & Scott, thank you for allowing me to be a part of your celebration. I'm glad that you had such a fun, stress-free time, and I hope the memories you created will stay with you forever!

Warmly,

Marino M. Regalado
Entertainment Director
Ninja Entertainment

HALLLLLOOOOOOOOWEEEEEENN!

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. I get to dress up and be goofy without people looking at me funny, because everyone else is dressing up and being goofy as well.

So I spent the evening with my nieces & family, and we went trick or treating at Ala Moana Center. One of my nieces went as a playing card:



Awww, so cyuuuuuuuuuttte...

The other went as a zookeeper:



And of course, I went as a tourist:



The only thing missing from my costume in the picture is the big digital SLR camera I was carrying around, snapping pictures for posterity and to fit into character.

Overall, the experience was fun, and it was a great opportunity to spend quality time with family.

Today, I spent prepping for MISTY & DON'S wedding on Friday, and for JENNIFER & SCOTT'S wedding on Sunday.

MISTY & DON's wedding want their celebration to be simple yet fun. They actually are already married; this is the party they didn't have when they tied the knot! This is what their timeline looks like:

Sequence	Time	Event
0	4:30pm	Wedding Ceremony
1	6:30pm	Cocktail Hour; Doors Open to the Guests (no receiving line)
2	6:50pm	Welcoming of Guests, Grand Entrance
3		Greetings, Welcome, & Acknowledgements by the Newlyweds
4		Announcements (e.g., parking validations, restrooms, bar limit, etc.)
5		Invocation/Prayer Before The Meal by Misty’s godparents AUNTIE BENING & UNCLE FRANCIS
6	7:00pm	Meal (Song Serenade throughout dinner to get the newlyweds to kiss)
7	8:00pm	Recognition of Family & Out-Of-Town Guests
8		Cake Cutting
9		Toasts & Speeches by Misty’s friend ERICA, Misty’s aunt LEINA; and Misty’s father MIKE; followed by open mic for a few speakers (if at all)
10		Anniversary Game (bouquet & garter presentation)
11		Centerpiece Giveaway (Hot Centerpiece Time)
12		Combined Father/Daughter & Mother/Son Dance
13		First Dance, into Money Dance
14		Open Dancing
15		Grand Finale

Some unique elements of their celebration:

MISTY had mentioned that many of her guests like to sing, so we're going to use this to our advantage as a way of involving the guests and entertaining everyone at the same time. If guests want to see the newlyweds kiss, they must convince all of the people at their table to join them in serenading the bride & groom with a song. If Don & Misty like the guests' rendition, the newlyweds will kiss! Things could get pretty interesting, since many of the guests like to sing.

Instead of a typical bouquet toss, we're going to do the Anniversary Game to involve everybody (not just the unmarried women), and ultimately Misty will present the bouquet to two very very special people to her. Any guesses?

Dancing at their reception will be a unique situation. Because they are in the Laulima Rooms at the Hale Koa Hotel, the hotel won't allow us to pre-set a DJ dance music sound system until after the buffet is closed. Yikes! So the way things will work out is that I will bring in a small cocktail system to entertain the guests and to emcee the formal program. When the buffet closes, my good friend DAVID from Dynamic Sounds will come in and set up the dance music system (the buffet room will be closed to the guests, allowing Dave to set up without interrupting the presentation). When the dancefloor room is reopened, Dave should be all set and ready to rock the party! It should be a treat working with him.

I'll try to get pictures to post by Tuesday! And if I have time on Saturday, I'll try to write an overview of JENNIFER & SCOTT'S wedding on Sunday. Until then, have a fantastic weekend!

All the best,

Marino M. Regalado
Emcee & Interactive Entertainment Specialist
Ninja Entertainment