Rich Ellis
PRO DJs Portland 2017 Events Review
Reflecting on 2017, PRO DJs has put together video slideshows of the many weddings and events we have performed over the past year.
WEDDINGS:
This video features photos taken by PRO DJs and some local area photographers at the following weddings: Devon & Brandon (5/6/17 at Inn at Langdon Farms Golf Club in Aurora, Oregon), Barb & John (5/20/17 at McMenamins Edgefield in Troutdale, Oregon), Gina & Blake (6/24/17 at Camp Angelos in Corbett, Oregon), Megan & Patrick (7/15/17 at McMenamins Sand Trap Bar & Grill in Gearhart, Oregon), Alexandria & Matt (7/22/17 at a private residence in Grand Rhonde, Oregon), Deborah & Zak (7/23/17 at Mt. Hood Bed & Breakfast in Parkdale, Oregon), Lanie & Tyler (8/5/17 at Horning’s Hideout in North Plains, Oregon), Leslie & Rick (8/19/17 at Mt. Hood Bed & Breakfast in Parkdale, Oregon), Gabrielle & Kevin (9/2/17 at Gray Gables Estate in Milwaukie, Oregon), Katie & Devin (9/3/17 at Bridal Veil Lakes in Corbett , Oregon), Suzanne & Zak (9/4/17 at The Troutdale House in Troutdale, Oregon), Erica & Sean (9/9/17 at Leftbank Annex in Portland, Oregon), Kelly & Keith (9/16/17 at Fort Vancouver Artillery Barracks in Vancouver, Washington), Leah & Eric (10/1/17 at Mt. Hood Organic Farms in Hood River, Oregon), and Ashlei & David (11/11/17 at Abernethy Center in Oregon City, Oregon).
BAR MITZVAHS & BAT MITZVAHS:
This video features photos taken by PRO DJs and some local area photographers at the following events: Daniel’s Bar Mitzvah (1/14/17 at Mittleman Jewish Community Center in Portland, Oregon), David’s Bar Mitzvah (2/11/17 at the Benson Hotel in Portland, Oregon), Jacob’s Bar Mitzvah (6/10/17 at the Sheraton Portland Airport Hotel in Portland, Oregon), Anita’s Bat Mitzvah (7/1/17 at Congregation Beth Israel in Portland, Oregon), Nathan’s Bar Mitzvah (7/8/17 at the Salem Convention Center in Salem, Oregon), Mazzi’s Bat Mitzvah (8/12/17 at Langdon Farms Golf Club in Aurora, Oregon), Callie’s Bat Mitzvah (9/2/17 at Multnomah Athletic Club in Portland, Oregon), Heshy’s Bar Mitzvah (10/21/17 at Mittleman Jewish Community Center in Portland, Oregon), Estelle’s Bat Mitzvah (11/4/17 at Coopers Hall in Portland, Oregon), and Jack’s Bar Mitzvah (12/16/17 at Urban Studio in Portland, Oregon).
Click Here for more photos and event recaps.
Jack’s Urban Studio Portland Bar Mitzvah
Jack was fired up for his Urban Studio Portland Bar Mitzvah held on Saturday, December 16, 2017.
As the adults gathered in the bar area above the main room, I played about 45 minutes of background music before entertaining the kids with games, including ‘Name That Tune’ and two wild rounds of the scavenger hunt. Jack did a great job judging each item and keeping his friends in line.
Dinner followed in the main room and after the kids finished eating, they followed me to the bar area for more games. I didn’t have my music or a microphone, but the small space allowed for a fun balloon stuffing contest and the limbo.
After the adults finished eating, we all returned to the main room for dancing that began with “The Hora” and chair raising.
The cool accent lighting and graffiti backdrop was conducive to a great party and most guests (adults and kids) danced the night away to the smash hits, such as “Uptown Funk,” “Cha Cha Slide,” “Can’t Stop The Feeling” and more.
Mazel Tov Jack and thank you mom Deborah for choosing PRO DJs.
Post Event Satisfaction Survey:
- Event Date: Saturday, December 16, 2017
- Event Type: Bar Mitzvah
- Event Location: Urban Studio
- Event Staff: Rich Ellis
- Quality of Customer Service via Telephone: Excellent
- Quality of Customer Service via Internet: Excellent
- Quality of Customer Service at Event: Excellent
- Friendliness of your Entertainer: Excellent
- Promptness of your Entertainer: Excellent
- Professionalism of your Entertainer: Excellent
- Entertainer’s Performance: Excellent
- Entertainer’s Appearance: Excellent
- System Appearance: Excellent
- Sound Quality: Excellent
- Overall Volume Levels: Excellent
- Music Selection: Excellent
- Incorporation of Your Requests: Excellent
- Lighting Effects: Excellent
- Equipment Appearance: Excellent
- Overall Customer Service: Excellent
- Planning Assistance: Excellent
- Entertainer’s Cooperation with Other Vendors: Excellent
- Overall Performance Rating: Excellent
- Would you recommend this service to others? Yes
Abernethy Center Oregon City Wedding
Ashlei and David were married at their Abernethy Center Oregon City Wedding on Saturday, November 11, 2017. It was a wet mid November day for their ceremony held inside the Abernethy Chapel across the street from the main ballroom. I setup two sound systems for this event to be able to provide music for the ceremony.
Abernethy Center Oregon City Wedding Ceremony Highlights:
- Bridal Party Entrance: The Piano Guys – A Thousand Years
- Bride Entrance: Canon In D (new romantic classical piano and violin duets)
- Bride/Groom Exit: Colbie Cailatt – I Do
Following the wedding, the rain held off for a bit to allow all guests to make their way across the street to the main ballroom for the reception, while the wedding party stayed behind for additional photos.
For background music during cocktails and dinner, I played a mix of familiar hit songs that featured artists such as Michael Buble, Queen, Al Green, Tim McGraw and more.
Abernethy Center Oregon City Wedding Reception Highlights:
- Grand Entrance: Colbie Cailatt – I Do
- First Dance: Sung Live by Family Friend (Donna) – Thinking Out Loud
- Cake Cutting: James Taylor – How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)
- Father/Daughter Dance: Tim McGraw – My Little Girl
- Mother/Son Toss: Boyz II Men – A Song For Mama
Once the dance floor opened to everyone, we only had a short time left, but many guests took advantage by packing the floor for the opening and closing slow dances and all the fast songs in between. ‘Twist & Shout’ and ‘Uptown Funk’ were particularly well-received, along with line dance favorites, ‘Cupid Shuffle’ and ‘Cha Cha Slide’.
Their first dance was sung live earlier in the evening, so it felt right to end the night with the original ‘Thinking Out Loud’ from Ed Sheeran, so guests could dance with the newlyweds to their special song.
Congratulations Ashlei and David and thank you for choosing PRO DJs.
Post Event Satisfaction Survey:
“Rich outperformed our expectations! He packed the dance floor, came through for our every specified request, and maintained continual communication. Anyone who uses his service will not be disappointed, and I would recommend him in the future to anyone looking for a quality DJ!”
-Ashlei McGauvran & David Fylan
- Event Date: Saturday, November 11, 2017
- Event Type: Wedding & Reception
- Event Location: Abernethy Center, Oregon City
- Event Staff: Rich Ellis
- Quality of Customer Service via Telephone: Excellent
- Quality of Customer Service via Internet: Excellent
- Quality of Customer Service at Event: Excellent
- Friendliness of your Entertainer: Excellent
- Promptness of your Entertainer: Excellent
- Professionalism of your Entertainer: Excellent
- Entertainer’s Performance: Excellent
- Entertainer’s Appearance: Excellent
- System Appearance: Excellent
- Sound Quality: Excellent
- Overall Volume Levels: Excellent
- Music Selection: Excellent
- Incorporation of Your Requests: Excellent
- Lighting Effects: Excellent
- Equipment Appearance: Excellent
- Overall Customer Service: Excellent
- Planning Assistance: Excellent
- Entertainer’s Cooperation with Other Vendors: Excellent
- Overall Performance Rating: Excellent
- Would you recommend this service to others? Yes
Big Time Bat Mitzvah Party At Coopers Hall
DJ Rich Ellis had the opportunity to perform at Estelle’s Bat Mitzvah Party on Saturday, November 4, 2017 at Coopers Hall in Portland, Oregon.
This was the very first Bar or Bat Mitzvah party to happen at this venue and the celebration took place on both the main lower level and upstairs in the mezzanine. Around 100 adults hung out by the bar and enjoyed a plated dinner in the main area, while about 50 kids were upstairs with me for dinner and games. As guests arrived, I played a mix of classic jazz selections as requested by Estelle’s father.
The mezzanine is not a large area, but it was a great space for games, including ‘Name That Tune’ and three rousing rounds of “Musical Chairs Scavenger Hunt’ that featured the kids having to go downstairs to retrieve items from their parents. As expected, they were in a hurry, but running on the stairs was not allowed.
Following the games and a toast from Estelle’s parents, I invited everyone out to dance to ‘The Hora’ and celebrate the bat mitzvah girl and her family with the traditional chair raising. The strung light bulbs were very low, but fortunately nobody got stuck 🙂
Many adults had a great time dancing on the main level in front of the bar, while the kids had the upstairs mostly to themselves to create a raging Saturday night dance party from the opening number. Friends and family brought the energy for the big hit songs, ‘I Gotta Feeling,’ ‘Uptown Funk,’ ‘Can’t Stop The Feeling,’ the recent smash from Portland’s own Portugal. The Man ‘Feel It Still’ and more.
Mazel Tov Estelle and thank you Mel and Janet for choosing PRO DJs.
Post Event Satisfaction Survey:
“Rich did a fantastic job. Friends who used Rich for their child’s bat mitzvah recommended him. Rich gets 5/5 across the board. He was great to do business with.” -Janet Morgan (Estelle’s Bat Mitzvah)
- Event Date: Saturday, November 4, 2017
- Event Type: Bat Mitzvah
- Event Location: Coopers Union
- Event Staff: Rich Ellis
- Quality of Customer Service via Telephone: Excellent
- Quality of Customer Service via Internet: Excellent
- Quality of Customer Service at Event: Excellent
- Friendliness of your Entertainer: Excellent
- Promptness of your Entertainer: Excellent
- Professionalism of your Entertainer: Excellent
- Entertainer’s Performance: Excellent
- Entertainer’s Appearance: Excellent
- System Appearance: Excellent
- Sound Quality: Excellent
- Overall Volume Levels: Excellent
- Music Selection: Excellent
- Incorporation of Your Requests: Excellent
- Lighting Effects: Excellent
- Equipment Appearance: Excellent
- Overall Customer Service: Excellent
- Planning Assistance: Excellent
- Entertainer’s Cooperation with Other Vendors: Excellent
- Overall Performance Rating: Excellent
- Would you recommend this service to others? Yes
Heshy and David’s MJCC Bar Mitzvah Party
It was officially Heshy’s MJCC Bar Mitzvah party on Saturday, October 21, 2017 at Mittleman Jewish Community Center in Southwest Portland, but he wanted his good friend David, who was also having a birthday the same week, to be a part of his celebration.
As guests arrived, I played a variety of background music hits from artists such as OneRepublic, Adele and Imagine Dragons. There was much to do for the kids in the lobby area, including a mechanical bull and balloon clown.
The photo booth was conveniently located next to the dance floor in the main ballroom. After dinner, I got the dance floor going for generation next with many of the latest hits, including Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Humble,’ ‘Passion Fruit’ from Heshy’s favorite artist Drake and the hot new track ‘Mi Gente’ from J Balvin and Willy William. A short time later the adults joined in as we launched into ‘The Hora’ and dual chair raising.
Mazel Tov Heshy and David and thank you Heshy’s parents Sandy and Adam for choosing PRO DJs.
Post Event Satisfaction Survey:
“We were so happy with how things turned out!! Thank you for working with us on the special Hora dances and separating the dances/songs. It was very nice.” -Sandy Nemer (Heshy’s Bar Mitzvah)
- Event Date: Saturday, October 21, 2017
- Event Type: Bar Mitzvah
- Event Location: MJCC
- Event Staff: Rich Ellis
- Quality of Customer Service via Telephone: Excellent
- Quality of Customer Service via Internet: Excellent
- Quality of Customer Service at Event: Excellent
- Friendliness of your Entertainer: Excellent
- Promptness of your Entertainer: Excellent
- Professionalism of your Entertainer: Excellent
- Entertainer’s Performance: Excellent
- Entertainer’s Appearance: Excellent
- System Appearance: Excellent
- Sound Quality: Excellent
- Overall Volume Levels: Excellent
- Music Selection: Excellent
- Incorporation of Your Requests: Excellent
- Lighting Effects: Excellent
- Equipment Appearance: Excellent
- Overall Customer Service: Excellent
- Planning Assistance: Excellent
- Entertainer’s Cooperation with Other Vendors: Excellent
- Overall Performance Rating: Excellent
- Would you recommend this service to others? Yes
