Happy New Year!

So I'm waiting here in my room at the Hilton Hawaiian Village blogging away and having a great time. My friends scooped us some tickets to the Bangles New Year's Eve concert, and we're still a few hours to go until they go on. It's pretty exciting just waiting. And it's only three and a half hours until midnight!



Earlier we had a very nice dinner at Sergio's, a fine-dining Italian restaurant also at the Hilton.

Reflecting back on 2008, it's so amazing to see how successful this year was, and it was very much due to YOU. To my 2008 brides & grooms, thank you so much for entrusting me with your day. Words cannot express my gratitude; I truly appreciate you for choosing me to help you create a fun, unique, and stress-free celebration that you and your guests will remember forever.



To my 2009 brides, get ready: your wedding will come upon you soon, and we will be meeting in the near future to begin putting together a presentation that is as unique and special as you are. If you are not yet excited, it's time to become excited!



Where ever you are and whatever you are doing tonight, have a safe and enjoyable New Year's Eve, and a very prosperous 2009!

Much love,

Marino M. Regalado
Certified Professional Master of Ceremonies & Entertainment Specialist
Ninja Entertainment

Wrap This!

In the spirit of the holiday season, here is a fun game that I recently presented to several of my corporate clients' holiday parties (I do team-building exercises and motivational speaking for companies and corporations in addition to weddings). This game can easily be adapted to a wedding, where the wedding party can compete against each other. Or, representatives from each table can compete to win the right to go next to the buffet. The ideas are limitless.

Each contestant gets an assistant of his or her own choosing. The contestant also gets two oven mitts, one scissors, a roll of tape, a roll of wrapping paper, and a gift box (the type that holds clothes, like the ones you can get from Macy's, are best.) When the Master of Ceremonies says go, each contestant must wrap his or her box using the wrapping paper, scissors, and roll of tape. The first one to complete the task wins! Simple, right? Oh yeah, there's a twist--each contestant will be wearing the oven mitts during the task. The assistant's job is to help cut measure out and cut the tape, but the assistant cannot touch the box or wrapping paper.



This game gets CRAZY! Don't believe me? The next time you have to wrap a gift, try it while wearing oven mitts, and give yourself a time limit of five minutes. It's not so easy! When we did it for the corporate holiday parties, the audiences were on their feet and screaming & cheering for their favorites!

New for 2009: We're going WEEKLY!

Starting with the new year, I'm rolling out a plethora of new things and ideas which will be announced in due time and with much excitement. But here's one to whet the appetite: for those of you who are part of the Wedding VIP Club and receive our monthly newsletter and tips...we're going weekly! Expect a new wedding tip each week to help you create a fun, stress-free, and unique celebration that your guests will remember forever! And depending on how successful this gets, the Romance Tips we send out to married couples may go out weekly too! It is an exciting time, and I really appreciate your support and feedback!

Not part of the Wedding VIP Club yet? Get your membership by visiting

weddingvip.ninjaentertainment.com

Have a great New Year!

Warmly,

Marino M. Regalado
Certified Professional Master of Ceremonies
Ninja Entertainment

Happy Holidays!

I hope you are all having a FABULOUS time! On Christmas Eve, I invited a bunch of friends & family over to my place, and we had a delightful wine tasting! Lots of great wines and foods to go along with it.

The next day, I invited more people over and had a fun barbeque. Lots of great food and fun times. It truly was a great way to cap off the Christmas Holiday.

Of course, this holiday season is a great time to reflect on the true meaning of Christmas. On the Tuesday before Christmas, I did a benefit presentation for Lokahi Giving Project.



This is an organization that helps the needy, and during the holiday season, they coordinate special drives that bring together the community to help the less fortunate have things that they may need and enjoy. On December 23, I partnered with Lokahi and Creations in Catering to put on a fun and lively party for five deserving families in the Lokahi program who normally would not have anything special for the holidays. Creations in Catering put together a delicious spread of food, and I provided some great karaoke entertainment. The children especially had a blast, coming to the microphone often to merrily sing holiday tunes. It truly was a memorable experience watching these families' faces light up as they enjoyed themselves and, for a moment, forgot about the challenges they faced.

It reminded me of what this holiday season is all about: giving.

Special thanks to MIKE RABE, Ted, Frances, Ron, Barbara, and the rest of the Creations in Catering staff for helping to create such a very special production. To JOHN ROGERS with A Special Moment Photo & Video for documenting this event and giving the families a gift of memories. John went out of his way to get a copy of the portraits he took of the families to the families--THAT NIGHT. Is that not classy? John truly has a heart of gold. And to the staff of Lokahi, they definitely deserve kudos for what they selflessly do.

So as you enjoy the week leading up to the New Year, I hope you had a memorable and fun Christmas holiday. May you also have a safe and enjoyable New Year's Eve celebration, and a successful New Year.

All the very best,

Marino M. Regalado
Certified Professional Master of Ceremonies
Ninja Entertainment

This if funny.

Jeremy Jones, a fellow Certified Professional Master of Ceremonies based in Chatanooga, TN, told me about this awesome blog by a cake decorator, and I just spent the last 30 minutes looking at the pictures and laughing so hard. The blog is called CakeWrecks, and it shows bad cake designs and constructions.

Hope you enjoy it as much as I have!

http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com/2008/12/wedding-wrecks.html

Rebranding.

2009 looks to be a year of rebranding. While I will still use the name Ninja Entertainment for other types of parties, a new name is being created to service my wedding clients. The new name will directly reflect the quality of service and commitment to excellence that I have always given to my clients. Details to be announced soon. It is an exciting time.

Congratulations to Mike & Tracey!

This is why I love my job.

Meet MIKE & TRACEY. They were happily married in March 2005 and one of the first couples I blogged about.



I often run into them around town, and it is always a treat to catch up and see how they are doing.

I recently ran into them at Walmart, and this time it was different. It wasn't the two of them...now it was three! You see, Tracey just gave birth to their son BRADEN, and he is the cutest little baby ever. He is the spitting image of Mike.

Welcome to Braden, who was born on Halloween night, October 31, 2008. And congratulations to Mike & Tracey!

Hugh Jackman & Your Wedding

The Associated Press reports that Hugh Jackman, who played Wolverine in the "X-Men" movies, Van Helsing in the 2004 motion picture of the same name, and who will star in the upcoming "Australia" with Nicole Kidman, will host the 81st annual Academy Awards.

So what does this have to do with your wedding? Plenty!

YOUR WEDDING IS VERY MUCH LIKE THE ACADEMY AWARDS.

You and your guests are the stars of the night, and you are planning a lavish evening with great food and great entertainment at a very nice location.

• Many of you will hire a producer to help you scout locations and organize the finer details of the evening...in other words, you will hire a coordinator who will help you find locations for your ceremony & reception and help you put everything together.


• You will hire a Hair & makeup artist to make you look stunning.


• You will wear a gorgeous dress to walk down the red carpet...umm, aisle.


• The men, of course, will be in tuxedoes.


• Your set designer...ummm, decorator/linen specialist/florist will help you with the decor and look of the room.


• Like the Academy Awards, you will have photojournalists & cinematographers (photographers & videographers) to document the evening and take pictures of your guests (which hopefully won't get splashed on the tabloids the next day... :)


• The awards show will have many important presenters and speakers. Your wedding will have speeches by the Best Man, Maid of Honor, and other important guests.


• The organizers of the Academy Awards take a year or more to plan for the awards show. Most of you will take a year or more to plan for your wedding.


• The Academy Awards is a big-budget production. Your wedding may be a big-budget production.

And of course, there is Hugh Jackman. As the Master of Ceremonies for the evening, he is in charge of keeping the party interesting, flowing smoothly, and dealing with any awkward pauses in the presentation. He informs the audience as to what is going on, directs the activities, and guides the presentation.

OVER THE NEXT THREE MONTHS, HUGH JACKMAN WILL PREPARE & REHEARSE FOR HIS ROLE AS THE MASTER OF CEREMONIES.

He will not go into it unprepared. With the awards show in February, Mr. Jackman will take the next three months preparing his presentation, going over what he has to say, and rehearsing it over and over until it becomes second nature.

The result of all of Hugh Jackman's preparation and rehearsal will be a very smooth, very entertaining awards show that will be enjoyed by everyone. Those who attend will have some very good memories of what happened, especially if their movie won an award.

HUGH JACKMAN WILL NOT SIMPLY SHOW UP ON FEBRUARY 22 AND TRY TO "WING IT."

If he did, don't you think the awards show would look very unpolished and unprofessional? If the audience tuned out of the broadcast because they were not entertained, don't you think that the organizers wasted their time and money? And wouldn't the terrible news be all over the tabloids and Internet the next day, as what happened with Britney Spears' "comeback performance" at the 2007 MTV VMAs?

So for your wedding "awards show"...will you have a Master of Ceremonies like Hugh Jackman, who will be well-prepared and rehearsed for the presentation, and give you a party that you and your guests will happily remember forever? Or will you have someone who has had little preparation and will try to "wing it", potentially giving you a bad party that will be the hot topic of watercooler gossip at work or among family for years?

Stuff to think about...

For the Guys...

Fellas: still need to do your last minute Christmas shopping for that special woman in your life?

Sarah, my friend at the Wedding Ring Shop, sent me this, which I am passing on to all of you.

The Wedding Ring Shop and Morgan Beret present Men’s Night at The Wedding Ring Shop HONOLULU, HI (December 8, 2008)— On Thursday, December 18th from 6 - 9 p.m., The Wedding Ring Shop will transform into a last minute shopping destination offering a selection of gifts that keep on giving. Guests will enjoy complimentary wine and champagne, informal lingerie modeling and valet parking while selecting their last minute gifts. The Wedding Ring Shop will be featuring their expanded selection of Rhonda Faber Green fine jewelry and will be giving away a gift with every jewelry purchase, valued at $50.  Morgan Beret will be offering 15% off a wide selection of lingerie and gift products.  Medical Spa Skin Care Hawaii consultants will be available to offer gift certificates.  This event is open to Men only and all attendees must RSVP to deana@weddingringshop.com by December 15th. The Wedding Ring Shop is located at 1181 Kapiolani Blvd.  For more information call (808) 945-7766 or email deana@weddingringshop.com.

This would be a very good opportunity for you to find a great gift for her, or else you could end up in the Doghouse.

Just got a facelift!

My blog, that is. I just updated the software, and while the look is similar to what it was before, there are a few notable changes. On the right side of the screen, you can find a picture of my "Highlighted Wedding Couple," which in this case is Iandell & Finley. You will also find the Labels (finally), as well as an updated blog archive list that is much more user friendly. It is an effort to stay in touch with you, keep you informed, and make your experience reading this much more pleasurable.

Hope you enjoy the new stuff! Let me know how it is, and what can be improved upon. I value your input, as it makes me better!

I Will Miss My Microphones

This is the Audio Technica ATW-1400 series of wireless microphones.



I have owned four of them since 2003, and I love 'em to death. They fit well in my hand and make me sound good.

Unfortunately, due to the changeover to digital TV next year, I will not be able to use them after January 15. I do have some new microphones on order which will be dTV compliant, although I will miss my old AT mics. They served me (and many of you) very well at various weddings, parties, and functions over the years. Many of you even used the microphones for your Thank You Speech at your wedding, or your Maid of Honor & Best Man used the microphones for their toasts. The microphones had their "closing night performance" at last evening's NACE Holiday Party, and, barring any last-minute parties that come my way, this truly was their final "curtain call."

Holiday Group Fun!

Several weeks ago, I served as the Master of Ceremonies for the Holiday Party of the Oahu Wedding Association at Ploi Thai Restaurant, and just yesterday, I was honored to play the same role at the holiday party for the Hawaii chapter of the National Association of Catering Executives, held at the Moana Surfrider Hotel. Yesterday's party was great! The food was 'ono (delicious) as usual, and I helped NACE create an organized, well-presented, and fun presentation. To kick off the fun after dinner, the audience participated in a really fun and lively icebreaker. The Holiday Music Challenge by DAVID LOUIS added even more momentum to the production; it was down to the wire with the final two teams, when the dominant team was INSTANTLY eliminated with one wrong answer. And of course, the highlight of the evening was the Twisted Santa Gift Giveaway, in which guests would choose a gift among a group of gifts, and then before opening that present, got to choose from other gifts that had already been opened! For some who decided to give up their unopened gift, it came as a major surprise when they learned that the gift they gave up had a better value to them than the gift they ended up with!

Association members also did their part to help the needy during the holidays by bringing canned good donations to benefit Aloha Harvest, which distributes food to the less fortunate.

It was a fun time by all, and all for a great cause! Hopefully I will get pictures up soon of this event, and the OWA celebration as well.

Here is the timeline for the NACE-Hawaii Holiday Party:

Sequence	Time	Event
1	6:00pm	Doors open; cocktail hour; tours of the Spa every 10 minutes
2	6:30pm	Welcome of guests; chapter president DIANNA talks about NACE
3		Dinner; interactive game to entertain guests as they wait for the buffet
4	7:30pm	DAVID LOUIS to present a new holiday interactive game
5		Raffle Prize Drawings (tickets from canned good donations or winnings from interactive game)
5a		Centerpiece Giveaway? (tentative)
6		Secret Santa Giveaway
7		Music by DJ Troy Michael
8	9:00pm	Party Ends

For the NACE Holiday Party, special thanks to the following "production crew" for making this party a success:

• DIANNA SHITANISHI, Hawaii Weddings & Events, for putting it all together
• TONI TAKATA, Moana Surfrider Hotel, a Westin Resort, for the great food and hosting us in such a beautiful location (beachfront, with superb views of the sunset!)
• NAOMI LEE, Les Saisons, for the gorgeous decor
• TROY TERAZONO, Troy Michael DJ Entertainment, for the fine music to set the cool holiday atmosphere
• DAVID LOUIS, Dynamic Sounds, for the fun interactive game

And to those who came, THANK YOU! Your participation made the party truly memorable!

Fun Icebreaker Wedding Game for People Who LOVE Going to Vegas

Here is a game we recently played at a wedding where the bride, groom, and their families LOVE going to Vegas. (In fact, that is where they went for their bachelor parties...and honeymoon. And of course, the families had to go too because they all LOVE going to Vegas.) It is very fun, interactive, and involving for your guests.

As each guest arrives and checks in at the registration table, they are each handed a playing card with specific instructions "not to lose the card, since you will be using to win some fabulous prizes later on tonight."

Right before dinner, I will recognize the banquet captain and remind the guests to please wait for him (the banquet captain) to release their table to the buffet. "In the meantime, as you are waiting..."

Throughout dinner, I will call out a poker hand. Guests will introduce themselves to other guests and try to build the poker hand I asked for. The first team that shows me their hand would win a poker chip for each member of that team.


At the end of the night, the person on each table with the most poker chips wins the centerpiece!

This is a highly fun and addictive game that can be played throughout the night. It will motivate your guests and keep the energy going throughout the presentation!

Website is updated

Ninja Entertainment's website was recently updated to make it more search-engine friendly and a lot less "cluttered." Some of the older information was taken out. Videos remain the same for now, but I am waiting for some videographer colleagues who said they would get me some recent footage to get me some footage. Keep an eye out for the next few months to see what changes are in store!

Please look it over and tell me what you think! I value your input.

Wedding VIP Club News December issue is out

Attention Wedding VIP Club members: the latest issue of the Wedding VIP news is out, so you should be getting it in your inbox soon! If it did not come in, please check your bulk mail folder as well, as it may have been accidentally routed to it.

For those of you who are not members of the Wedding VIP Club, here is what you are missing:

• Tips on balancing wedding planning and holiday stress
• Holiday-themed romantic ideas to do with your partner
• For the guys, a reminder to get your holiday shopping done early!

There is a lot of great information for both past clients and upcoming brides-to-be, as well as stories from recent weddings and anniversaries. So check it out! To become a member of the Wedding VIP Club, simply surf on over to

http://weddingVIP.ninjaentertainment.com

Fill out the necessary information, and you will be a member. It is that simple!

As a gift to you for joining, you will receive a free article I wrote entitled Thinking Outside The Box, which lists five creative (and affordable) ways to make your reception more unique. These tips well help you develop a more original, personal reception that ultimately make your reception more memorable.

The Time It Takes...

A bride recently wrote in a local wedding forum about her experiences with a particular dj/emcee and how disappointed she was with this vendor. While many of her other vendors did well, this vendor will stick out in her memories and the memories of her guests. This is what she wrote:

xxxxxxxx got pretty good reviews from the knot so I was more than excited to work with him. He was always quick to respond to my emails. I really like his set up online where you can go through his music and pick out which songs to play. That was helpful. But come day of, everything changed. I am reluctant to give him a B-, but only because he was helpful beforehand. For starters, I was able to look back at the videotape and oohhh and ahhh over things but I was soooooo sad that our bridesmaids didn’t get to walk down to the song I had picked for them. I had 8 bridesmaids and only the last 3 were able to. They let the mom’s processional song play on and on…and didn’t even know the processional for the bridesmaids had begun. They started the song so late! Then when my father and I walked (keep in mind, the walk was VERY far), they didn’t get that music cued on time. We arrived to the reception and it was complete chaos. We hired him to be the MC as well. I assumed he would have order and get things in order for us to all be announced. He didn’t do this. My maid of honor had to do his job. Instead of going over some of the last names and making sure he was able to pronounce them correctly, he just read them and really messed them up. During the dinner music, after every song was over, there would be a long pause. It sounded terrible. People would look around with an uncomfortable stare. There was NOT a good flow! Lastly, many of our guests would request songs to be played and he would turn them down. OMG, I had had it! I sent my DH over there to handle it. Never ever turn down suggestions. He told them things like “we’re only playing hip hop right now”, “we have to go in this order, sorry.” NOT HAPPY AT ALL!!

I know this vendor well. He is a good DJ and very affordable. His emcee service costs only $100. So aside from the price, what is the difference between a budget emcee and a Certified Professional Master of Ceremonies?

For one, the time invested into each wedding is very different. Because he only charges $100 for his emcee services, a budget emcee has to work a full-time day job, which prevents him from having the time to practice the names of the people he must introduce, program & edit the music so that there are no awkward silences, and rehearse the entire presentation. Overall, he probably puts in less than two hours of prep time into a wedding. The result is a disappointed and unhappy couple who now have some unfortunately sad memories of their wedding day.



What would a Certified Professional Master of Ceremonies have done differently?

For one, he would have sat down with the couple, by phone or in person, long before the event to go over all of the details. All of the names would have been rehearsed in front of them to make sure he was pronouncing them correctly. The Certified Professional Master of Ceremonies would have helped them organize the timeline to make sure that it will flow very well, with no awkward pauses.

The Certified Professional Master of Ceremonies would have attended the wedding rehearsal to understand the music cues and timing of the presentation. After the rehearsal, he would have had an understanding of how long each song would be, and then make the time to edit the songs so that they properly fit.

The Certified Professional Master of Ceremonies generally invests 40-60 hours of preparation & rehearsal BEFORE the wedding in order to ensure a FUN, UNIQUE, STRESS-FREE, and MEMORABLE experience for his clients.

A budget emcee sees the wedding as another gig.

The Certified Professional Master of Ceremonies see a wedding as the most important day in a woman's life, and it is his job to direct the presentation, inform the guests as to what is going on, and guide the festivities to a predetermined outcome. And like the great Masters of Ceremonies like Billy Crystal, he will have prepared and rehearsed his role to make sure the presentation turns out right.

Of course, there is a greater investment in a Certified Professional Master of Ceremonies, but the overall return on investment makes him a better value.

On the positive side, the bride did save a lot of money by hiring a budget emcee. But is it worth the stress and bad memories? When it is your turn to make a decision as to who will represent you, will it be about saving money or getting the best value on the quality of memories for your special day?

Stuff to think about...

Iandell & Finley's Superbly Fun Wedding!

IANDELL & FINLEY were one couple you just absolutely love to work with. They had an amazing cast of characters and crew for their presentation, and although it was a daytime event, we helped them create a celebration that was full of energy and excitement!



I first met IANDELL and her coordinator PENNY at The Wedding Cafe by accident. I was there for another meeting, and they were meeting KRIS from On3 Photography. IANDELL had heard some very good things about me, so they called a few days later to set an appointment to meet at My Office.

From the first meeting, we knew that this would be a special party. IANDELL had very specific ideas about the look and direction she wanted her celebration to go, but she was also very open to the ideas I presented to help personalize her event and motivate her guests. Over the course of the next few months, Iandell introduced me to her "supporting cast," and I got to know Iandell's mother, her sisters, her brother, and a few of Finley's friends. Iandell, Penny, and I also worked together to create an original soundtrack for her celebration, which reflected her and Finley's unique tastes in music.

By the time November 22 rolled around, everything was set for the big premiere of Iandell & Finley's wedding at the Hale Koa Hotel. Not even dark skies and rain could have put a damper on their spirits. After a wedding ceremony in the backup location, we started the party, and guests took advantage of all of the FUN activities Iandell planned during lunchtime. Throughout the day, the mood remained festive, and the big highlight for everyone was the games to give away the bouquet & garter. The ladies played a round of Circle Dance to give away the bouquet.



The men competed in Last Man Sitting to win the garter. The two finalists were MACOY the Best Man and GRAN, a groomsman. Upon finding out what the last object was, they scrambled around the room to find it, with Macoy even grabbing the microphone and pleading with the audience to help him locate it! When Macoy finally found the object, he picked it up and tried carrying it back to the dancefloor for the win, but he had to get past Gran first, who was trying to steal the winning item away from Macoy! By this time, the audience was rolling with laughter at the hilarity of the entire moment!



Overall, it was truly a sensational event that gave a lot of happy & lasting memories to Iandell, Finley, and their guests. On a more personal note, their wedding was a reminder to me about why I enjoy doing this.

Here is a copy of their reception timeline.

Sequence	Time	Event
0	9:30am	Wedding Ceremony
1	10:00am	Cocktail Hour; Doors to the DeRussy Hall open to the guests; iVideo Guestbook and Candy Bar to entertain guests
2	10:45am	Welcoming of Guests; Grand Entrance
3		First Dance; Greetings & Welcome by the Newlyweds
4	11:00am	Announcements (e.g., parking validations, restrooms, candy bar, ivideo guestbook, etc.); Invocation/Prayer Before The Meal by Iandell’s aunt SUSAN
5	11:15am	Meal; IANDELL & FINLEY to take table photos and release the tables; Kissing Games to honor the sponsors & entertain the guests
6		Song serenade by Iandell’s brother AARON; hula performance by Iandell’s friend PENNY
7		Recognition of Family, Sponsors, Out-Of-Town Guests
8		Cake Cutting
9		Toast & speech by Maid of Honor CHARISSE; Speech & Mabuhay toast by Best Man MACOY
10		Bouquet & Garter activities (Bouquet Surprise; Circle Dance; special gift presentation; garter removal; Last Man Sitting; Reverse Garter)
11		Centerpiece Giveaway (Hot Centerpiece Time)
12		Video slideshow produced by TROY; Ceremony Highlights presented by ADVANCED VISUAL ARTS
13		Money Dance
14		Open Dancing
15	2:00pm	Music ends

And here is the soundtrack for their celebration.

1. Pitbull - Lets Get Krazy (Grand Entrance background riff)
2. Pitbull - Lets Get Krazy (Grand Entrance main riff)
3. Visa commercial clip (for Grand Entrance)
4. American Idol sound clip (for Grand Entrance)
5. Estelle - American Boy (Grand Entrance main riff)
6. Estelle - American Boy (Grand Entrance background riff)
7. Hail to the Chief (Macoy Grand Entrance intro)
8. Lil Wayne - Fireman (Grand Entrance Instrumental edit)
9. Motley Crue - Without You (First Dance)
10. Jessica Simpson - Angels (karaoke version) (song performance by AARON)
11. Keali'i Reichel - Kawaipunahele (hula by PENNY)
12. Aerosmith - Sweet Emotion (cakecutting edit)
13. Guns N' Roses - Sweet Child Of Mine (CHARISSE’S toast intro edit)
14. Akon - Locked Up (MACOY’S toast intro edit)
15. INXS - Need You Tonight (bouquet ladies to floor instrumental edit)
16. INXS - Need You Tonight (Circle Dance edit)
17. Natalie Merchant - Kind & Generous (bouquet presentation edit)
18. Herb Alpert - Love Potion #9 (Garter Removal)
19. Guns N Roses - Welcome to the Jungle (Last Man Sitting)
20. Marvin Gaye - Let's Get It On (Reverse Garter)
21. Shrek soundtrack - I'm A Believer (Reprise) (Reverse Garter Reveal)
22. Vengaboys - We Like To Party (Centerpiece Game)
23. Various - Love Remix (Money Dance)
24. Petula Clark - You & I (dedication to Iandell’s mom JOSEPHINE)
25. B52s - Love Shack (Grand Finale/Last Song)

Special thanks to the following "production crew" who helped make this presentation very FUN, STRESS-FREE, UNIQUE, and MEMORABLE for Iandell & Finley.

PENNY SNELL, Iandell's good friend & coordinator, and Penny's awesome husband TROY
KRIS LABANG with On3 Photography (many of the pictures on this post were taken by him! Thank you, Kris!)
GREG VENTURA, ANDY, BRUCE, & KYLE with Advanced Visual Arts
TONY BARNHILL with iVideo Guestbook
TANNA & BRYSON DANG with The Wedding Cafe, for ideas & support

Paradigm Shift

There's a saying that goes "When the student is ready, the Master/Teacher will appear." Lately, that statement has been resonating loudly with me, considering how many of my mentors have come into my life recently. Tom Hopkins in September. Mark Ferrell this month. Tom & Mark had always been in my life, but never to the degree in which they influenced me until recently. Perhaps back then I simply was not ready to fully grasp their messages. But God/Source/Universe, in Its infinite wisdom, deigned that they come into my life at full force, and this time, I was fully prepared.

What is weird is how there have been many other synchronocities relating to this quote: In the last two weeks, I heard it from several colleagues and even clients I met with! Usually it was said in passing or paraphrased to make a point about an unrelated topic, but still...how much coincidence can it be? The latest was earlier today, when I saw it on TV in a commercial for Victoria's Secret (I kid you not!). Amazing, isn't it?

There is one particular person who recently came into my life, and that person's message resonates very very deeply into my core. I cannot quite explain it; it feels weird yet right at the same time. It's like the Universe is saying, "Marino wasn't ready to hear THIS message for 32 years, but now...it's time. He's ready. At this time, in this place, Marino is ready to learn, and ultimately, to serve."

If I learn my lessons correctly from this new teacher, expect a MAJOR shift in paradigm from me. Whereas the business model I currently have is pretty awesome...the future business model will be undescribably extraordinary.

Details will be released in due course...but it will be an exciting time.

With much love & aloha,

Marino
Your Certified Professional Master of Ceremonies
Ninja Entertainment

OWA Halloween Fun

Yesterday, I provided music and served as the Master of Ceremonies for the Oahu Wedding Association's annual Halloween Party.



This year, the event was held at WENDY ROBIN'S Studio W of Honolulu. The fun was evident from the get-go, with people arriving in costume:







The low-key costume contest was entertaining, and the delicious food by VANESSA HOLINGER with Beaches & Backyards Catering was 'ono (delicious). The food was sooo good that all of it (except for six pieces of sushi) were eaten!

All in all, it was a very lively and entertaining experience.



Special thanks to last night's "Production Crew" for making the event such a success:

• Dave Miyamoto & Michelle Gouda, Dave Miyamoto & Co.
• Wendy Robin, Studio W of Honolulu
• Vanessa Hollinger, Beaches & Backyards Catering
• Kris Labang, On3 Photography, for taking all of these great images
• Dina (Wendy's friend), for letting us use her studio next door as well

Thanks also to Ryan Pierce from Lift Your Spiritz for the fun spontaneous flair bartending demonstration!



And to those who came, thank you!

Find more images of this event here on the Oahu Wedding Association blog.

I am CERTIFIED

My clients always tell me that I am a great Master of Ceremonies, but I am always looking to improve on my craft and to become a more valuable resource to you. Which is why I spent the past few days attending an intense advanced training course on learning the art of being a Professional Master of Ceremonies. I'm not talking about the guys who simply emcee weddings as a side hobby. I'm talking about learning how guys like David Letterman, Jay Leno, and Billy Crystal do it. After all, a wedding reception is very much like the Academy Awards--it is a $20,000-40,000 live theatre event that has been produced for over a year, and the Master of Ceremonies is in charge of making sure that everything looks like it is running smoothly. Quite a monumental task indeed.

My instructors were Mark & Rebecca Ferrell, dear friends and mentors of mine. Over the past few days, I spent a lot of time behind the microphone working on what I do, and they spent a lot of time offering constructive criticism and giving me encouragement to do what I do...but better.

Graduation from the class was one of the most important days in my professional career, perhaps even more so than finishing college. After all, the Marbecca Method (which is the system that I learned) is one of only a few systems of certification for the career field of Masters of Ceremonies. And out of the many emcees in the state, there are only EIGHT (yes, count 'em on two hands, EIGHT) certified Professional Masters of Ceremonies here in Hawaii. That means I belong to an elite bunch. But what makes the eight of us very special is that we do not just see your wedding as a side hobby to give you a cookie-cutter presentation...but as helping you create a unique, stress-free, and memorable experience on the most important day of your life.



Here we are, with the Master himself. Thank you, Mark & Rebecca, for bringing the workshop here to Hawaii.

To my clients, I am excited to meet with you again soon, as I have a lot of great ideas to share with you in order to make your own wedding day much more personal, unique, stress-free, and memorable!

To brides who have not booked me yet but read this blog regularly, when it is time to book your Master of Ceremonies, ask them if they are certified. If not, ask them why not. If they tell you that they don't need it, consider this: would you trust your health to a doctor who is not licensed and certified by the state Board of Health?

Things to consider...

Diamond Event at the Wedding Ring Shop

My friend SARAH from Wanna Hula does some consulting on the side with diamond shops, particularly the Wedding Ring Shop. She recently alerted me to a very special Diamond Event that will happen at the Wedding Ring Shop on October 24-26. Diamonds from the S. Muller & Sons Collection will be available at a superb value. This opportunity is not to be missed.

To my male readers/grooms-to-be: If you are planning to buy a very special ring for your special someone at a good value, you should attend this event.

To my female readers/brides-to-be: If you do not own your wedding ring yet, drop by to take a look at the selection. At the very least, it can give you some ideas on what your own ring may be like.

To receive your own invitation, call 808.945.7766 and ask for SARAH CHANG. Tell her Marino sent you!

Images & more from Chris & Tia's wedding

In my last blog post, I wrote about how honored I was to be performing at Chris & Tia's wedding last Saturday. I wrote about how I wasn't just making announcements for five hours...I helped them and their families create a lifetime of memories.



Documenting the memories were Kim & Nate from Aihara Visuals, and they have teaser pics up on their blog. Check it out!

This is one of my favorites:



Tia, Chris, and their guests are surely having a lot of fun, aren't they?

Here's another one:



You may be wondering why there is a picture of a Heineken bottle instead of a table number. It was one of the fun ways we personalized Chris & Tia's wedding and how we got the guests involved during dinner.

Those who know Chris & Tia know that they are very social drinkers and connoisseurs of beers and spirits, and they and their friends are very knowledgeable about drinks. So instead of the banquet captain traditionally releasing their tables to the buffet, we played a game! Each table was named after one of Chris & Tia's favorite beers or spirits, and throughout the evening, I would read trivia about these drinks. Guests would guess which spirit or drink I was speaking of, and when they guessed correctly, the table named after the spirit would go next to the buffet. Instead of guests simply sitting bored at their tables, guests got into the fun by yelling out the answers and encouraging the correct tables to go to the buffet! And for those guests who were not drinkers, it helped them to understand one of Chris & Tia's major passions.

Tables were named after the following spirits and were released in random order unless otherwise noted:

• Dirty Skyy Vodka Martini - Chappell/Waits Family Table, first to be released
• Jameson Whiskey - Sablan/Hayami Family Table, second to be released
• Newcastle English brown ale
• Bass English pale ale
• Guiness Irish dry stout (mmmm...Guinness...yum)
• Red Stripe Jamaican lager beer
• Boddingtons English bitter, "the Cream of Manchester"
• Heineken Dutch pale lager
• Pabst Blue Ribbon American beer
• Spicy Bloody Mary
• Bushmill Irish Whiskey

Here's how Chris & Tia's final timeline looked like:

Sequence	Time		Event
0	4:30pm		Wedding Ceremony in the Maile Gardens
1	5:30pm		Doors to the Waikiki Ballroom open to the Guests; Cocktail Hour; Receiving Line
2	6:30pm		Welcoming of Guests, Grand Entrance, Greetings & Welcome by the Newlyweds
3			Announcements (e.g., parking validations, restrooms, etc.); Invocation/Blessing of the Meal by Chris’ uncle TIM
4			Meal (Favorite Beers Table Release; Kissing Games)
5	7:30pm		Recognition of Family & Out-Of-Town Guests
6			Cake Cutting
7			Toasts & Speeches by Maid of Honor MYLA; Best Man DAMON; Chris’ father GEORGE; Chris’ stepfather WAYNE
8			Bouquet & Garter Activities (Bouquet Surprise; Traditional Bouquet Toss; Traditional Garter Removal & Toss; Reverse Garter)
9			Centerpiece Giveaway (Hot Centerpiece Time)
10			Video Slideshow, presented by NORTH SHORE VIDEO PRODUCTIONS
11			Mother/Son Dance (Chris dances with his mother TERRI) (No Father/Daughter Dance)
12			“Father/Daughter” Dance (Chris dances with Tia’s daughter ABIGAIL)
13			First Dance, into Money Dance
14			Open Dancing
15			Grand Finale

And here is Chris & Tia's final reception soundtrack:

1. Kool & The Gang - Celebration (Bridal Party Grand Entrance edit)
2. KC & The Sunshine Band - Get Down Tonight (Chris & Tia's Entrance edit)
3. Bryan Adams - Cuts Like a Knife (cake-cutting)
4. Natasha Beddingfield - Pocketful Of Sunshine (Maid of Honor toast intro edit)
5. Bob Marley - Jammin (Best Man toast intro edit)
6. AHA - Take On Me (instrumental - women to floor for bouquet)
7. The Police - Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic (bouquet catch edit)
8. Guns N Roses - Welcome to the Jungle (instrumental - men to floor for garter)
9. Herb Alpert - Love Potion #9 (Garter Removal & Toss)
10. Marvin Gaye - Let's Get It On (Reverse Garter)
11. Shrek soundtrack - I'm A Believer Reprise (RGarter Reveal)
12. Vengaboys - We Like To Party (Centerpiece Game)
13. Kenny Rogers - Through the Years (Mother/Son Dance edit)
14. Temptations - My Girl (Father/Daughter Dance edit)
15. Jimmy Cliff - Rebel In Me (First Dance)
16. Spandau Ballet - True (Money Dance)
17. Percy Sledge - I'll Be Your Everything (Special Dedication to Rachell & Shawn)
18. Semisonic - Closing Time (Last Dance)

Special thanks again to Kim & Nate from Aihara Visuals, as well as Les from North Shore Video Productions, for documenting Chris & Tia's story. They are all awesome people to work with! Mahalo to the catering and banquet staffs at the Hale Koa Hotel for being so super, too!