Wini & Kin's wedding celebration!

WINI & KIN's wedding last Saturday was certainly a unique one: NO DANCING. Yep, the couple were sure that their guests would not dance, so instead they wanted to do something different to entertain them. In fact, Wini & Kin did not even have a First Dance or Money Dance!

So with no dancing, how do you keep 280 guests entertained so as to prevent them from leaving early?

You create a very personalized party that involves the guests throughout the presentation and is a reflection of who the bride & groom is.

We helped Wini & Kin create a celebration fully loaded with interactive activities that engaged the audience throughout the whole night. From the moment they arrived, there was something going on. As they checked in, guests were offered scrips, which they would redeem later on that night for prizes. During dinnertime, the guests tapped the glasses eagerly to see other people kiss, as we did the Kissing Games to keep the guests entertained as they waited for their turn to the buffet. Instead of the traditional bouquet toss, the ladies participated in the Circle Dance, a unique and organized way of presenting the bouquet.

After the traditional garter toss, the garter winner (BEN, one of the groomsmen) thought he was putting the garter on DIANNA, the woman who won the bouquet, but instead, we did the Reverse Garter. Ben, blindfolded and unaware, actually put the garter on another man's leg, and the audience went crazy!

After a "surprise" song serenade by the groom (which caused many of the guests to cry), we played more games like Last Man Sitting, Golf Ball Chop, and The Raffle. In a reception where you would think many would go home once the formal events ended, surprisingly, many guests remained until the very end!

It just goes to show that having a good DJ is nice to have at the end of the night...but having someone who knows how to emcee and entertain the guests for the four hours of the formal program is even much more important! After all, you can hire the best DJ with the best sound system and biggest music library in the whole world...but if your guests do not enjoy themselves during the program and leave once dancing starts, was it not a waste of money and time?

On the other hand, you can have a mediocre DJ at the end of the night, but if your emcee creates such a lively and engaging program which your guests will remember forever, wasn't it worth the investment in a great emcee? Especially if your guests stick around to dance because they had such a great time beforehand?

For Wini & Kin, having music at their reception was not really important...but having a stress-free, unique, and memorable celebration was.



This is the final timeline for Wini & Kin's wedding reception:

Sequence	Time	Event
0	2:00pm	Wedding Ceremony at Atherton Chapel (Central Union Church), followed by photos with SHAWN STARR
1	5:30pm	Cocktail Hour; Doors to the Leahi Ballroom open to the guests; Receiving Line
2	6:30pm	Welcoming of Guests, Grand Entrance
3		Greetings & Welcome by the Newlyweds
4		Announcements (e.g., parking validations, restrooms, etc.)
5		Lion Dance by the WAH NGAI LION DANCE ASSOCIATION
6		Recognition & stories about the Families, by Wini’s friends ALAN & JAN
7	7:00pm	Meal Kissing Games to entertain the guests as they wait for their turn to the buffet Sometime during dinner, WINI to change into 2nd gown Towards the end of dinner, WINI & KIN WAI to go around & toast each table After toasting all of the tables, WINI to change into 3rd gown
8	8:00pm	Video/slide Show, presented by WINI & KIN WAI
9		Speeches & stories by ALAN & JAN, followed by open floor
10		Speech of Gratitude & Acknowledgments by WINI & KIN WAI (they will also recognize out-of-town guests)
11		Cake Cutting
12		Bouquet & Garter Activities (Circle Dance; traditional garter removal & toss; Reverse Garter)
13		"Surprise" Musical Performance by KIN WAI
14		Interactive Games
15		Centerpiece Giveaway (Hot Centerpiece Time)

And here's their soundtrack. Please note that the links to youtube videos may not represent the final edits used for each song. In some cases, the songs were edited or cued to certain points of the music for greater impact on the presentation, or to time the music better with my vocal cues for the activity at hand. These edits were done for several days before the wedding, as part of the prep work for Wini & Kin Wai's celebration.

1. Dido - Thank You sample (thank you speech) (0:53)
2. Justin Lo - Best Thing in My Life (cake-cutting)(3:09)
3. Nelly - Hot in herre instrumental sample (unmarried women to dancefloor) (3:36)
4. Black Eyed Peas - Let's Get It Started (Circle Dance Edit) (0:24)
5. Black Eyed Peas - Let's Get It Started instrumental(unmarried men to floor) (4:47)
6. Herb Alpert - Love Potion #9 (Garter Removal & Toss) (3:03)
7. Marvin Gaye - Let's Get It On (Reverse Garter)(4:03)
8. Shrek soundtrack - I'm A Believer(Reverse Garter Reveal) (1:12)
9. TV THEMES - Price Is Right (Raffle Game) (7:55)
10. U2 - Mission Impossible Theme (Last Man Sitting Edit) (3:14)
11. Danny Elfman - PeeWee edit (Golf Ball Chop edit) (3:45)
12. Boots Randolph - Yakety Sax (Benny Hill Theme - Heineken/chopsticks game) (4:28)
13. FRANK SINATRA - LOVE AND MARRIAGE (Newspaper poetry game edit)(2:35)
14. Vengaboys - We Like To Party (Centerpiece Game) (3:14)

Music for cocktails and dinner consisted of a great mix of jazz, love songs, and Chinese music specifically chosen by Wini & Kin. Grand entrance music was performed live by Wini's cousin PATRICK, a classically trained violinist, who played Pachelbel's Canon in D as the wedding party entered.

Special thanks to ALAN & JAN, who co-hosted the party with me last Saturday. Originally, they were asked to emcee the entire five-hour event, but thankfully for them, they only had to tell stories about the couple and make a few announcements in Chinese for the Chinese-speaking-only guests. Most of the time, ALAN relaxed with friends and his girlfriend at his table, and JAN enjoyed herself among her friends, many of which she told me later that she had not seen since they had left for the mainland many many years ago! This was one big class reunion for them!

Wini & Kin's wedding was an awesome way to kick off the new year!