Events
Celtic-Themed Wedding At Edgefield
There may have been no more obvious place for Shawnna and Rob to hold their Celtic-themed wedding than McMenamins Edgefield in Troutdale, Oregon. With the sun shining and a few unicorns on the guest list, the surrounding yard of the Administrator’s House was the perfect site for their ceremony and reception on Sunday, June 10, 2012.
Wedding Highlights:
Ceremony
- Bridal Party Entrance: Enya – The Memory of Trees
- Bride Entrance: Loreena McKennitt – Prologue
- Bride/Groom Exit: Black Eyed Peas – I Gotta Feeling
Reception
- Cake Cutting: James Taylor – How Sweet It Is
- First Dance: Beyonce – At Last
- Bouquet Toss: Beyonce – Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)
- Garter Toss: ZZ Top – Leggs
Shawnna dedicated Maroon 5 ‘Moves Like Jagger’ to her bridesmaids and best girlfriends and we were off to partyville. The unicorns and fairies had an especially good time (see photos).
I played a few oldies, but current music ruled the dancefloor. The bride is a big fan of Rihanna and Kings of Leon. The groom threw in a last second request for Michael Jackson’s ‘Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’ and it was a fun finish to an amazing day.
Best wishes Shawnna and Rob!
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Perfect Portland Parade Day Wedding
Weddings in the Portland area scheduled for the same day as the Rose Festival Grand Floral Parade are normally a risky proposition if planned for outdoors. I remember several years ago being outside in wine country with no indoor option and playing music from under a canopy as heavy rain fell for most of the wedding.
The last few days featured some real unsettled weather, but fortunately for Katie and Blaine, the sun returned for the outdoor ceremony held at The Airee at Eagle Landing in Happy Valley, Oregon on June 9, 2012. Rev. Robert Griffen with A Perfect Ceremony officiated the wedding and Katie chose The Beatles ‘Here Comes The Sun’ as her entrance song… that was about the first time we saw the sun that day 🙂
Wedding Highlights:
Ceremony
- Bridal Party Entrance: Michael Buble – Everything
- Bride Entrance: Beatles – Here Comes The Sun
- Bride/Groom Exit: Turtles – Happy Together
Reception
- Cake Cutting: Beatles – All You Need Is Love
- First Dance: Train – Marry Me
- Bride and Father Dance: Heartland – I Loved Her First
- Groom and Mother Dance: Boyz II Me – A Song For Mama
- Bouquet Toss: Beyonce – Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)
- Garter Toss: David Rose & His Orchestra – The Stripper
- Last Dance: Beatles – When I’m Sixty-Four
With just shy of 50 guests in attendance, this was a laid back group who mostly enjoyed just listening to the music while visiting with each other. Still, there were a few bursts of activity on the dance floor, with Oldies and Country tunes especially popular.
Thank you Katie and Blaine for the opportunity. Congratulations! -Rich
Post Event Satisfaction Survey:
“Rich was AWESOME! He was such a great help in planning the songs and timing of the songs for the ceremony and reception He was wonderful to work with and I would definitely recommend him and Pro DJs!” -Katie (Sylvester) Randall
- Event Date: Saturday, June 9, 2012
- Event Type: Wedding & Reception
- Event Location: The Aerie at Eagle Landing/Happy Valley, 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: N/A
- 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
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Goodbye Party One Last Portland Memory
It was an eventful weekend for Kyle, Leah and their young girls Alisandra and Anesthesia, as family and friends sent them off with a fun going away party on Saturday, June 2, 2012 at the McMenamins Old Church and Pub in Wilsonville, Oregon.
They are moving to Austin, Texas soon and did I mention, Leah and Kyle also got married the day before? So this was a celebration for two reasons, but more a chance to spend quality time with people who were a part of their lives while living in the Northwest.
It was a casual atmosphere for dinner. I was set-up inside, but most guests chose to be outside on such a nice day. Of course, they didn’t want to miss the fun and eventually made their way inside for dancing.
The kids got us started and brought lots of energy as I spun some of the latest hit music. That energy was contagious and the adults couldn’t resist for very long. We had a good run of fun on the dance floor to a variety of music that included 80’s classics such as ‘Girls Just Wanna Have Fun’ and ‘Thriller’ along with current Top 40.
The night ended with Kyle and Leah’s favorite ‘American Pie’ from Don McClean and a fitting ‘God Blessed Texas’ from Little Texas. Best wishes on your new life in the ‘Lone Star’ state.
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Kids And Sugar Pack A Punch At Portland Bat Mitzvah
Welcome back party people! Another big time Bat Mitzvah celebration went down on May 26, 2012 from 7-11pm at Urban Studio in Northwest Portland, Oregon for a wonderful girl name Sophie. I had a chance to perform at her sister Sydney’s Bat Mitzvah five years ago and I am honored the family chose to have me back as their DJ.
When the doors opened, guests poured in… the adults grabbed a drink and appetizers, while the kids mingled and requested songs. After dinner and a slide show, a candy bar opened and it wasn’t long before the (now loaded up on sugar) kids went crazy! Next was a candle lighting and family and friends who have been a great influence in Sophie’s life were introduced to songs chosen special for each person
When the dancing started, the kids went to town and the swing dance was a big hit… the kids judged and I passed out prizes. Of course, I could not forget about ‘The Hora’. Sophie and her sister Sydney both went up high for a chair lift.
A packed dance floor kept the party alive before the last game of the night… a limbo contest. Just like last week, the girls won again! We ended the night with Donna Summer’s ‘Last Dance’. It was a good finish… people were tired, but satisfied. With that, I smiled and thought another great party done 🙂
Mazel Tov Sophie and thank you Darcy and David for choosing PRO DJs.
Flash Mob Bat Mitzvah Heats Up The Benson
The classic Benson Hotel in downtown Portland, Oregon was the scene for Lana’s Bat Mitzvah celebration on Saturday, May 12, 2012. While the guest of honor was with the photographer for pictures outside, family and friends mingled in the lobby and Crystal Ballroom. Dinner started at 7:15. The kids were with me, while the adults ate in the room next door.
When the kids finished eating, I started playing the cuts (all the latest hit songs) and we did a swing dance contest. There were lots of prizes to hand out, including Starbucks, Cold Stone, and iTunes gift cards… it was amazing! Another cool thing was a guest rapper, who sang a song for Lana about her special day.
Lana’s mom Lauren said a few words about family being there and friends coming from long distances to attend. And then… something hot went down. You know flash mobs, right? Well it happened here. I played Maroon 5’s ‘Moves Like Jagger’ and Boom! Flash mob! Lana was genuinely surprised… her eyes popped out of her head… she could not believe what she was seeing… the entire place was dancing for her to that song. It was Awesome!
As the party kicked into high gear, I brought out some Motown for the adults and the floor was packed. Later, we did the snowball and limbo for the kids. I thought the guys had it because they were wearing pants and the girls were wearing dresses, but the girls stole it from the guys 🙂 The party ended with Donna summer ‘Last Dance’ and a balloon drop.
Thank you Vivian Johnson Photography for sharing photos from this event.
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