Rich Ellis
Kai’s MJCC High Energy Bar Mitzvah Bash
Kai and his friends and family had a great time at his Bar Mitzvah bash held at Mittleman Jewish Community Center in Portland, Oregon on Saturday, April 13, 2024.
As guests arrived, I played a variety of background music selections before leading the kids in some games, including Kai’s request for a Scavenger Hunt plus Coke & Pepsi. There was also an airbrush table and photo booth.
Following dinner was a slideshow and then I invited everyone to the dance floor for the traditional “The Hora” with chair raising of Kai and his family.
Kai’s father Mark informed me at the start that this group liked to dance and they did not disappoint, bringing the energy the entire evening. Everyone had fun dancing to hit music (“Can’t Stop The Feeling”, “Cha Cha Slide”, “Party In The USA” and more) plus classic 80’s new wave tracks requested by the parents.
Mazel Tov Kai and thank you mom Lorissa for choosing PRO DJs!
Sound Of Sunshine At Oregon Zoo Hop Into Spring
The sun was out as the Oregon Zoo welcomed spring with outdoor lawn games and other activities at Hop into Spring! on Saturday, March 30, 2024.
This celebration geared toward the 10-and-under crowd, also included music from PRO DJs throughout the day.
Bat Mitzvah Celebration At Pips & Bounce
Anna and her friends and family had a great time at her Bat Mitzvah celebration held at Pips & Bounce in Portland, Oregon on Saturday, February 17, 2024.
The spacious venue that takes up nearly a full city block, featured the dance floor on one end and ping pong tables, along with gathering area for food and drinks, across the remainder.
Like most Bat Mitzvah parties, my plan was to lead the kids in some games before dinner, but with the black lights overhead and plenty of Taylor Swift (as requested by Anna), the girls just wanted to dance the night away from the beginning.
After a slide show, I began playing “The Hora” and invited everyone to dance with Anna and her family. When the time came, only a folding chair was available, but those tasked with holding it up with the Bat Mitzvah girl on board were experienced pros 🙂
Mazel Tov Anna and thank you mom Liz for again choosing PRO DJs. We had the opportunity to be the DJ at brother Steven’s Bar Mitzvah celebration in 2021.
Sleet And Snow Can’t Stop Portland Wedding
Waking up to sleet and snow on your wedding day can be a stressful time. Emarsharae and Bakari were scheduled to get married in Beaverton, Oregon on Saturday, January 13, 2024, but with difficult travel conditions, the wedding and reception were moved to Downtown Portland where most guests had accommodations.
I received word of the venue change to The Sentinel about an hour before I was planning to leave for setup. With the ceremony now taking place in the Renaissance Room on the third floor and the reception in Jake’s Grill on the ground floor, I grabbed a second sound system before heading out.
Portland Wedding Ceremony Highlights:
- Wedding Party & Bride Entrance: Brooklyn Duo – Yellow
- Bride/Groom Exit: Leon Bridges – If It Feels Good (Then It Must Be)
For the reception, guests gathered for cocktails and dinner in the Lewis and Clark room adjacent to Jake’s Grill. I setup my main sound system next door in the Hardy room and the speaker from the ceremony was used for announcments and toasting in the dining area.
Portland Wedding Reception Highlights:
- Grand Entrance: Michael Jackson – You Rock My World
- Cake Cutting: Stevie Wonder – Signed, Sealed, Delivered I’m Yours
- First Dance: Leon Bridges – Coming Home
- Father/Daughter Dance: John Legend – Always
- Mother/Son Dance: Alyssa Falcone – My Wish
- Bouquet Toss: Beyonce’ – Grown Woman
- Garter Toss: Miguel – Adorn
Following the toast, I invited all guests to the Hardy room for the cake cutting and the newlywed’s first dance. The room was packed and the dance floor filled immediately. Over the next two hours, guests had a great time dancing to mostly classic and current R&B and Hip Hop hits that included Earth, Wind & Fire, Post Malone, Saweetie, Usher and Bad Bunny.
The weather had an impact as around 30 guests were not able to attend, but it turned out to be a magical evening. Congratulations Emarsharae and Bakari and thank you for choosing PRO DJs.
Post Event Satisfaction Survey:
“Cannot say enough great things about having Rich Ellis for our wedding. From the first phone call to the event of our wedding he was consistently professional, easygoing, flexible and overall has a great personality to work with. We cannot make this up: in the middle of the city shutting down because of a snowstorm on our wedding day and having to switch our wedding venue the day of just hours prior, Rich said he would be there and he showed up on time and ready to go despite all the chaos going on. He showed up and gave it 100%, helping so many of our guests and ourselves have an amazing time. The flow of our wedding and reception was so smooth it was like it was planned at the new venue the whole time. He was so flexible and adapted to the situation with no problem. Despite how the day started with the snowstorm, it was the most wonderful and beautiful wedding and reception that we could ask for. To Rich, we loved you so much! We’ll invite you on our next vacation! You were the PERFECT DJ and we’d definitely book and recommend you for other events too. We appreciate all of your help and guidance during the process for the result of having a truly memorable wedding day for so many reasons. Our advice: Get a phenomenal wedding planner and an amazing DJ.” -Emarsharae Anderson & Bakari Samin
- Event Date: Saturday, January 13, 2024
- Event Type: Wedding & Reception
- Event Location: Sentinel Hotel
- Event Staff: Rich Ellis
- Customer Service: Excellent
- Event Planning Process: Excellent
- Quality of Service: Excellent
- Responsiveness: Excellent
- Professionalism: Excellent
- Appearance: Excellent
- Flexibility: Excellent
- Value: Excellent
- Would you recommend this service to others? Yes
Bat Mitzvah Party At The Foundry Lake Oswego
Hannah’s energetic Bat Mitzvah party took place at The Foundry in Lake Oswego, Oregon on Saturday, January 6, 2024.
Guests arrived around 6pm for what Hannah’s parents called a “4 hour cocktail party” and I had a variety of music playing in the background, including selections from Michael Jackson, Taylor Swift and Harry Styles.
With the dance floor in the middle of the room across from the DJ stage and the kids tables filling the space in front of me, there wasn’t much room for games, so I just had the kids remain seated and hosted rounds of Hannah Trivia and Would She Rather? followed by a scavenger hunt.
Hannah requested a father/daughter dance with her dad and they danced to Loudin Wainwright’s “Daughter” before I segued to “The Hora” and invited everyone out to the dance floor to celebrate the Bat Mitzvah girl that featured the entire family lifted high in a chair.
The kids, which included many of Hannah’s softball teammates, were wound up all evening, and the adults joined in as well for a fun time dancing to favorites, “I Gotta Feeling”, “Billie Jean”, “Cupid Shuffle” and more. An impromtu limbo also broke out just before the Voodoo Donuts dessert bar opened.
Mazel Tov Hannah and thank you parents Jaime and Brent for choosing PRO DJs.
