Rich Ellis
Bend Wedding DJ at Seventh Mountain Resort
This weekend has been circled on my calendar for about a year-and-a-half… a trip to Bend, Oregon to DJ a good friend and fellow professional DJ’s daughter’s wedding.
I have known Dan Dubay since the early 90’s and he is a true professional. He was the DJ at my wedding in 1996 and when he contacted me to perform at his daughter’s wedding this year, I was honored.
Marissa and Patrick were married on the Broken Top lawn near the main entrance of the Seventh Mountain Resort in Bend on Saturday, July 13, 2013.
I set-up a small sound system off to the side where a tree provided some seclusion for my sound system. For wedding ceremonies, I try to set-up in a place that receives as little notice as possible, yet provides guests with a great audio experience.
Nearly everything about this ceremony was like a fairytale… amazing weather (79 degrees with only a tiny breeze and shade for everyone), birds singing in the trees, horses walking by in the distance… it was picture perfect.
Bend Wedding DJ Ceremony Highlights:
- Bridal Party Entrance: George Winston – Variations on Canon
- Bride Entrance: Brian Crain – A Walk in the Forest
- Bride/Groom Exit: Beatles – All You Need Is Love
The reception was held in the Three Sisters Ballroom at Seventh Mountain. It was a short walk from the lawn and guests arrived to a variety of background music that leaned heavily on indie selections and oldies as requested by the bride.
Bend Wedding DJ Reception Highlights:
- Grand Entrance: Coldplay – Paradise
- Cake Cutting: Someone Still Loves you Boris Yeltsin – Oregon Girl
- First Dance: Death Cab for Cutie – Stay Young, Go Dancing
- Bride and Father Dance: Elton John – Tiny Dancer
- Groom and Mother Dance: Otis Redding – Stand By Me
- Bouquet Toss: Destiny’s Child – Independent Women Part 1
- Garter Toss: Justin Timberlake – Suit and Tie
- Wedding Party Dance: Daft Punk – One More Time
- Last Dance: City and Colour – The Girl
- Exit Song: Metric – Eclipse (All Yours)
Sometimes guests can perceive a large dance floor (this one covered much of the middle of the room) as a stage and with the lights on, inhibitions can limit participation, but that was not the case here and many couples came out right away for the first slow dance and kept going the entire evening to a mix of music that featured everything from Etta James and the Beatles to Calvin Harris and the Black Keys.
Following the bouquet and garter toss, the house lights came down and the celebration really took off with the current smash hits ‘Can’t Hold Us’ and ‘Blurred Lines’.
The evening ended with remaining friends and family members gathering around the newlyweds during their selection for last dance and exit song. It was a great finish and Marissa and Patrick received a rousing sendoff.
Post Event Satisfaction Survey:
“Rich’s questions for us (the bride and groom) during event regarding our preferences was highly appreciated, showing how much care and effort he took to incorporate our choices. We received so many compliments from our guests on the music quality and the dancing experience. Because it was such a great party, we were on the floor during the entire night, and our guests gravitated toward that. Rich’s playlist set the tone and flow of the event very effectively and efficiently; timing was precise from beginning to end. We were also very satisfied with his utmost respect for our music selections, as obscure as a few of them were! We had the time of our lives and can attest that the music, and the DJ behind it, makes the wedding. Thank you, Rich!” -Marissa Byfield
- Event Date: Saturday, July 13, 2013
- Event Type: Wedding & Reception
- Event Location: Seventh Mountain Resort – Bend, Oregon
- 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
Central Oregon Wedding DJ: Aspen Hall Bend
With a trip to Bend, Oregon already planned for July 13th, I was thrilled to hear from Lauren and Pete that they needed a Central Oregon Wedding DJ for their big day on Friday, July 12, 2013 at Aspen Hall in Bend.
They picked a great spot to hold their ceremony outside on the shore of the small fishing lake.
Lauren’s grandfather Art, a former preacher, officiated their wedding and I learned later he had also married all of his children and grandchildren, except for two more grandchildren to come after Lauren.
Central Oregon Wedding DJ Ceremony Highlights:
- Bridal Party Entrance: O’Neill Brothers, “Prelue – Falling In Love
- Bride Entrance: Canon In D (Piano and Violin Duet)
- Bride/Groom Exit: Beatles – All You Need Is Love
For the reception, I was set-up inside, but ran an extra speaker outside on the deck for the ceremony and cocktail hour before guests made their way inside for dinner, the toast, cake cutting and dancing.
Central Oregon Wedding DJ Reception Highlights:
- Grand Entrance: Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros – Home
- Cake Cutting: James Taylor – How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)
- First Dance: Keith Urban – Making Memories of Us
- Bride and Father Dance: Louis Armstrong – What A Wonderful World
- Groom and Mother Dance: Rod Stewart – Have I Told You Lately
- Last Dance: Al Green – Let’s Stay Together
I opened the dance floor with a must-play request from Lauren and Pete, ‘At Last’ from Etta James. Many couples joined them for the opening number and brought the energy right away to string of uptempo selections that included Michael Jackson, Black Eyed Peas and several requested Motown classics.
The latest hits also went over well with Robin Thicke f/Pharrell ‘Blurred Lines’ taking things up another notch and leading to a solid hour of fast current music before the next slow dance was played… a bride favorite, ‘Forever’ from Ben Harper.
Lauren and Pete were on the dance floor most of the night and let me know afterwards they had a great time. Congratulations and thank you for choosing PRO DJs. -Rich
Portland DJ At Picturesque Mt. Hood Wedding
The hot weather has arrived a little early this summer in the great Pacific Northwest. It was a toasty 94 degrees at Mt. Hood Bed & Breakfast in Parkdale, Oregon when the ceremony began for Kallie and Kris’ Mt. Hood wedding on June 30, 2013. However, the amazing view of the mountain in the background at this fantastic venue was a nice diversion.
The officiant, Certified Celebrant, Melissa Coe was a pleasure to work with and delivered a memorable service, telling the story of how Kris and Kallie met and got together, despite their shyness. Fortunately, that shyness did not extend to the dance floor… more on that to come.
Mt. Hood Wedding Ceremony Highlights:
- Bridal Party Entrance: Gary Allan – The One
- Bride Entrance: Jason Mraz – I Won’t Give Up
- Bride/Groom Exit: Luke Bryan – Country Girl (Shake It For Me)
After the newlyweds made their exit, they remained closeby, then joined in after their guests gathered for a group photo with Mt. Hood in the background. Everyone then made their way to the dining area on the other side of house to find their seats. I had set-up a second sound system earlier for the reception and had music playing in both locations during the transition. For dinner music, Kallie and Kris requested a variety of selections… ‘Nothing too loud, we like Country.’
Mt. Hood Wedding Reception Highlights:
- Cake Cutting: Blake Shelton – Honey Bee
- First Dance: Hunter Hayes – Wanted
- Bouquet Toss: Martina McBride – This One’s For The Girls
- Garter Toss: Tim McGraw – Real Good Man
- Last Dance: Tim McGraw – My Best Friend
One great thing about a hot summer day, is it normally leads to an amazing summer night, and that was certainly the case here at this Mt. Hood Wedding. We got started a little early with the dance floor opening to all guests around 7:20, but the daylight was not a deterrent and guests filled the floor to the opening slow dance, ‘Unchained Melody’ from the Righteous Brothers.
Oldies, Classic Rock and Country music were well received, including: ‘Brown Eyed Girl’ from Van Morrison, Billy Idol’s ‘Mony Mony’, and Shania Twain – ‘Man! I Feel Like A Woman’.
Once twilight set-in, the night had a magical feel to it and I started to sprinkle in some newer releases, such as Maroon 5’s ‘Moves Like Jagger’, ‘Blurred Lines’ from Robin Thicke featuring Pharrell & T.I. and Kallie’s request for the ‘Cupid Shuffle.’
The bride and groom also love current Country music and requested selections from Colt Ford – ‘Chicken & Biscuits’, ‘Dirt Road Anthem’ and ‘Cruise’ from Florida Georgia Line. We finished the night with their request for Toby Keith’s ‘Red Solo Cup’ and ‘My Best Friend’ from Tim McGraw.
Kallie and Kris were the nicest couple and it was a real pleasure helping to make their big day a memorable one. Thank you for choosing PRO DJs.
Post Event Satisfaction Survey:
“Rich was awesome!! He was very nice and professional. He kept our guests dancing until the very last moment. Worth every penny!!!!” -Kallie & Kris Guentner
- Event Date: Saturday, June 29, 2013
- Event Type: Wedding & Reception
- Event Location: Mt. Hood Bed & Breakfast – Parkdale, Oregon
- 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
WA Ceremony: Oregon Wedding Reception
Alison and Brandon were married on Sunday, June 23, 2013 at The Academy in Vancouver, Washington and it was a quick trip across the I-5 Bridge to the Red Lion Hotel on the River at Jantzen Beach in Portland for their Oregon wedding reception.
With a 5pm start, I arrived an hour earlier and had my sound system set-up in less than 30 minutes… Good thing too, as guests began arriving around 4:40.
A light rain was falling as the newlyweds made the trip across the Columbia River in a boat, so they were a little wet when they arrived. They had a ‘no worries’ attitude though and the ride might have been exhilarating. I introduced them to their waiting guests soon after.
Oregon Wedding Reception Highlights:
- Grand Entrance: Frank Sinatra – Come Fly With Me
- Cake Cutting: James Taylor – How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)
- First Dance: Nat King Cole – L-O-V-E
- Bride and Father Dance: Jimmy Buffett – Little Miss Magic
- Groom and Mother Dance: Simple Man – Lynyrd Skynyrd
- Bouquet Toss: Tom Petty – American Girl
- Garter Toss: Snoop Dogg – Drop It Like It’s Hot
Friends and family gathered from all over the country to celebrate with Alison and Brandon and they were ready to go when I let them know the dance floor was open to all. They were lovin’ the oldies early on… The Beatles – ‘Twist and Shout’, ‘December, 1963 (Oh, What A Night) from the Four Seasons, Billy Idol’s ‘Mony Mony’ and more.
Some ‘Must-Play’ requests from the bride and groom, included Whitney Houston’s ‘I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)’ and ‘Hypnotize’ from the Notorious B.I.G. Guests also requested some of today’s hits, including Macklemore & Ryan Lewis – ‘Thrift Shop’ and the current Top 5 smash ‘Get Lucky’ from Daft Punk.
Since they were living in Eugene at the time, Alison and Brandon and I met last year via Skype… my first online meeting. Any Starbucks is my normal office away from the office, but this worked out great. Thank you for choosing PRO DJs and best wishes in your new life together.
Portland Bar Mitzvah At Havurah Shalom
Mazel Tov Lev! His Portland Bar Mitzvah celebration was classic and unique on Saturday, June 22, 2013, with his middle school jazz band performing a short set after a slide show presentation. Lev plays clarinet and with some friends playing piano and drums, they sounded great.
As guests arrived at Congregation Havurah Shalom in Northwest Portland, Oregon, adults gathered in the dining area and I had fun with the kids playing games Lev had requested, including a Scavenger Hunt, Balloon Stuffing Contest and Hula Hoop Circle Pass.
After a break for Havdalah, the video and jazz band performance, I invited guests back to the dance floor to celebrate Lev with ‘Hava Nagila’ and the chair raising, followed by other Israeli dance favorites, ‘Mayim Mayim’ and ‘Zemer Atik.’
The dance floor was hoppin’ the rest of the night for this Portland Bar Mitzvah with a little
bit of everything, including family favorites, ‘Celebration’ and ‘We Are Family’.
Lev was pretty wiped out by the end of the night, but let me know he had a great time 🙂 Thank you Sacha and Aaron for choosing me to be a part of his big day.
