Events

Central Oregon Wedding DJ: Aspen Hall Bend

Published July 16, 2013 | By Rich Ellis

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

Posted in Events, Wedding, Wedding DJ

Portland DJ At Picturesque Mt. Hood Wedding

Published June 30, 2013 | By Rich Ellis

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

Posted in Events, Wedding

WA Ceremony: Oregon Wedding Reception

Published June 24, 2013 | By Rich Ellis

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.

Posted in Events, Wedding, Wedding DJ

Portland Bar Mitzvah At Havurah Shalom

Published June 23, 2013 | By Rich Ellis

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.

Posted in Bar Mitzvah, Events

Energetic Cornelius Pass Roadhouse Wedding

Published June 9, 2013 | By Rich Ellis

The wedding season is officially under way and for Claire and Travis’ wedding and reception held at McMenamins Cornelius Pass Roadhouse in Hillsboro on Saturday, June 8, 2013, it felt like mid-summer under a sunny blue sky and a comfortable 76 degrees.

The ceremony took place in the secluded Cornelius Pass Roadhouse Wedding Grove and I was fortunate to be given a shaded, semi-hidden spot under a tree to set-up my sound system. The audio projected perfectly from this location and kept the speaker and me out of the pictures.

Cornelius Pass Roadhouse Wedding Ceremony Highlights:

Bridal Party Entrance: Wonderful Tonight (Piano Only)
Bride Entrance: Train – Marry Me
Bride/Groom Exit: Lumineers – Hey Ho (chorus only)

The reception was in the historic Octagonal Barn and adjacent outside Barnyard and as guests made their way over from the Grove, I hustled along a back trail through the rear entrance of the building, to start the background music with my main sound system I had set-up earlier.

Next, I returned to the Grove to pack up my equipment there and in the process, brought an extra speaker back to the Barnyard area (most people were seated outside for dinner) and used a wireless microphone to provide music and announcments, including the toasts in the dining area.

For background music, Claire and Travis requested a mix of modern adult contemporary, that included selections from Michael Bublé, John Mayer, Ray Lamontagne and Norah Jones.

Cornelius Pass Roadhouse Wedding Reception Highlights:

Grand Entrance: Beyonce – Love on Top
Cake Cutting: Blake Shelton – Honey Bee
First Dance: John Legend – Stay With You
Bride and Father Dance: Edwin McCain – Walk With You
Groom and Mother Dance: Toby Keith – Heart to Heart
Money Dance: Zac Brown Band – Whatever It Is, Frank Sinatra – The Way You Look Tonight, Stevie Wonder – Signed Sealed Delivered
Bouquet Toss: Dusty Springfield – Wishing + Hoping
Garter Toss: Indiana Jones Theme Song
Last Dance: George Strait – Give it All We Got Tonight

With the great weather, guests had every reason to want to be outside to enjoy the evening, but there was a lot of energy with this group. They packed the dance floor at the first opportunity and never let up, getting their groove on to everything from the Beatles ‘Twist and Shout’ to ‘Party Rock Anthem’ from LMFAO.

Most members of the wedding all went to school together at Linfield College and played on the softball and football teams. At one point, I was informed that ‘Cat Ball’ (softball players) were showing up ‘Cat Dome’ (football players) on the dance floor. After announcing this, it was game on and I gave the guys a chance to get back in it with the current hot hit ‘Can’t Hold Us’ from Macklemore and Ryan Lewis. The place nearly exploded 🙂

There was a little bit of everything to move the masses, including some Country for Claire (she requested Luke Bryan’s ‘Country Girl (Shake It For Me)), a few oldies (Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ and ‘Kiss’ from Prince for the family members visiting from Minnesota) and plenty of the latest hits… ‘Gangnam Style’ and more.

Congratulations Claire and Travis! Your guests were a blast and it was a pleasure being a part of your big day. Thank you for choosing PRO DJs.

Post Event Satisfaction Survey:

“Rich did an amazing job. When we first met with him we told him we wanted people dancing all night. He chose songs that kept the partying going. We actually extended our time because nobody wanted to leave. I would highly recommend PRO DJs and Rich to anyone.”
-Travis and Claire Tocher