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