Events

Raging Bat Mitzvah Party On Sherwood Farm

Published October 18, 2015 | By Rich Ellis

DJ Rich Ellis had the opportunity to perform at Ella’s Bat Mitzvah Party on Saturday, October 17, 2015 at Heart of Rock Farm in Sherwood, Oregon.

As background music played, guests arrived to some vintage carnival games setup outside that included a bean bag toss, henna tattoo artist and clown for the little ones.

About 30 minutes later, the kids came inside for games with me that featured two rounds of a rockus scavenger hunt and three rounds of Coke and Pepsi, with the final round ending right as the dinner buffet opened.

Following dinner, Ella introduced and talked about her family and friends during the candle lighting ceremony and then ‘The Hora’ got everyone out of their chairs immediately to begin what turned out to be a raging Saturday night dance party.

The floor was packed for every song from start to finish and the 140 guests in attendance brought the energy for big hit songs, ‘Shout,’ ‘Happy,’ ‘Uptown Funk’ and more. Ella’s family also purchased about 60 pairs of soft socks that added a little more shuffle to ‘Party Rock Anthem’ during the slippery socks dance 🙂

Mazel Tov Ella and thank you Anne for choosing PRO DJs.

Posted in Bat Mitzvah, Events

Portland Wedding DJ Plays Castaway Reception

Published October 11, 2015 | By Rich Ellis

Portland Wedding DJ Rich Ellis had the opportunity to perform at Karri and Kevin’s wedding and reception held at Castaway in Portland, Oregon on Sunday, October 11, 2015.

Following a blustery day on Saturday, it turned out to be a beautiful day for their wedding and the ceremony began at 4:15pm sharp.

Portland Wedding DJ Ceremony Highlights:

Wedding Party Entrance: Smashing Pumpkins – Mellon Collie Intro
Bride Entrance: “Love Theme” from The Saint Soundtrack
Bride/Groom Exit: Mother Mother – Bright Idea

The reception began immediately following the wedding. Guests enjoyed cocktails and conversation as I played a background set featuring big band and crooners of the 40’s of the 50’s, such as Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald and Nat King Cole. The dinner music that followed was a little softer and included classic jazz favorites from Stan Getz, Joe Pass, Miles Davis and others.

Portland Wedding DJ Reception Highlights:

Grand Entrance: James Bond Theme
First Dance: Milo Greene – Silent Way
Bride and Father Dance: Glenn Miller – Moonlight Serenade
Groom and Mother Dance: Eva Cassidy – Time After Time
Anniversary Dance: John Legend f/Ludacris – Tonight
Cake Cutting: Bobby Valentino – Angel
Bride/Son and Groom/Mother Dance: Pharrell Williams – Happy
Anniversary Dance: Beatles – Here, There & Everywhere/Al Green – I’m Still in Love With You
Bouquet Toss: Madonna – Lucky Star
Garter Toss: Huey Lewis & The News – Power of Love

There were a lot of married couples in attendance and the anniversary dance had a great turnout with friends of the family, Jim & Arlene being acknowledge as married the longest at 61 years.

The newlyweds rehearsed a routine to Walk the Moon’s ‘Shut Up and Dance’ to kick off the dancing for all guests and motioned for everyone to join in… it was a great start to a fun Sunday night.

The dance floor was rockin’ to all the big hits, including ‘Shout,’ ‘Footloose,’ ‘December, 1963 (Oh, What A Night) and bride favorite, ‘Walking On Sunshine.’

Best wishes Karri and Kevin and thank you for choosing PRO DJs.

CUSTOMER FEEDBACK:

“Rich – Thank you so much for doing your part to make our wedding day a success! We have enjoyed working with you!” -Karri Pasteris & Kevin Garaventa

Posted in Events, General, Wedding, Wedding DJ

Vancouver WA Wedding Rocks Rain And Shine

Published October 11, 2015 | By Rich Ellis

The rain fell hard on the tent outside and the wind blew off the water in buckets as I began setting up for Mimi and Nick’s Vancouver WA wedding and reception at Royal Oaks Country Club on Saturday, October, 10 2015.

Being undercover is only helpful to protecting my equipment when the rain is not coming down sideways, but fortunately it stopped shortly before the start of the ceremony scheduled for 5pm.

Vancouver WA Wedding Ceremony Highlights:

Wedding Party Entrance: Prelude in C Major (Tola Trzeciak) Custom Edit
Bride Entrance: Bridal Chorus (Classical Guitar Version) (Ed Peczek)
Bride/Groom Exit: Cello Song

With the wild weather, it was assumed that everyone would move inside quickly for the reception, but it turned out to be nice evening and about half the number of guests remained outside. With a second sound system setup inside, the music could be heard nearly everywhere. Although, the Ducks/Cougars college football game drew a large number to the separate bar area just as dinner began… no music needed there 🙂

Vancouver WA Wedding Reception Highlights:

Grand Entrance: 2 Unlimited – Get Ready For This
Cake Cutting: Aretha Franklin – Baby I Love You
First Dance: Louis Armstrong – La Vie En Rose
Bride and Father Dance: Van Morrison – Have I Told You Lately
Groom and Mother Dance: Louis Armstrong – What A Wonderful World
Bouquet Toss: Beastie Boys – Hey Ladies
Garter Toss: Def Leppard – Pour Some Sugar On Me
Last Dance: Drifters – Save the Last Dance For Me

This group appeared to have a lot of energy from the beginning. They got right to it and didn’t let up until the last song.

From the classic hits, such as ‘Stayin’ Alive,’ ‘In The Mood’ and ‘Billie Jean’ to recent favorites, ‘Happy,’ ‘Blurred Lines’ and ‘Uptown ‘Funk,’ this very large dance floor was filled to capcity most of the evening.

Congratulations Mimi and Nick and thank you for choosing PRO DJs.

Post Event Satisfaction Survey:

“Thank you so much Rich. You were a pleasure to work with throughout our whole experience. We would highly recommend to anyone in search of a DJ for any event.” -Mimi Morris & Nick Russo

Event Date: Saturday, October 10, 2015
Event Type: Wedding & Reception
Event Location: Royal Oaks Country Club
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

Private Residence Gresham Oregon Wedding

Published September 21, 2015 | By Rich Ellis

Karen and Leon held their Gresham Oregon Wedding at the private residence of their next door neighbor on Saturday, September, 19, 2015.

The last weekend of the summer couldn’t have been more perfect wth sunshine and a comfortable high of 75 degrees.

Gresham Oregon Wedding Ceremony Highlights:

Wedding Party Entrance: Pachelbel – Canon In D
Bride Entrance: John Legend w/Lizzy Starling – All of Me
Bride/Groom Exit: Frank Sinatra – Come Fly With Me

Following the ceremony, a group photo was taken with a drone as the cocktail hour got under way. For background music, I played a variety of classic hits, including favorites from Stevie wonder, OneRepublic, Queen and more.

Gresham Oregon Wedding Reception Highlights:

Cake Cutting: James Taylor – How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)
First Dance: Perry Como – And I Love You So
Bride and Father/Groom and Mother Dance: Louis Armstrong – What A Wonderful World
Bouquet Toss: Lenny Kravitz – American Woman
Garter Toss: Marvin Gaye – Let’s Get It On
Last Dance: Haley & Michaels – Giving It All (To You)

The feel of a warm Indian summer evening seemed to get most guests in the mood for dancing and the floor filled quickly for the opening slow dance and the fun fast songs, including a swing dance that followed.

As twilight set in, the dance floor was overloaded, but many people just danced wherever they were standing, enjoying hits from the Black Eyed Peas, Billy Idol, Bee Gees and more.

Congratulations Karen and Leon!

Post Event Satisfaction Survey:

“Rich was spot on with his selection, timing, interaction with guests. He kept the show moving in the right direction. 5 stars I would and will use PD again I will recommend them in a second. I couldn’t thank Rich enough.” -Leon Hummel

Event Date: Saturday, September 19, 2015
Event Type: Wedding & Reception
Event Location: Private Residence/Gresham
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

Posted in General, Wedding

Small Group Big Fun At Vancouver Wedding

Published September 14, 2015 | By Rich Ellis

Ingrid and Mark’s Vancouver wedding reception was held on Saturday, September 12, 2015 at Royal Oaks Country Club, following their ceremony at the University of Portland chapel.

I set-up my main sound system inside for dinner and the reception, but also brought a wireless speaker for the back deck and arriving guests. It was a perfect late summer evening and the requested background music that featured happy, light jazz and a tropical, Bossa Nova sound provided a relaxing, laid back feel for the cocktail hour.

Around 6pm, everyone moved inside for a sit-down dinner in the upper dining area. Background music for dinner was easy listening set with the volume “low enough for conversation for us middle agers” as noted by the mother of the bride.

Vancouver Wedding Reception Highlights:

Cake Cutting: Nat King Cole – L.O.V.E.
First Dance: Frank Sinatra – Cheek to Cheek
Groom and Mother Dance: James Taylor – How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)
Bouquet Toss: Michael Bublé – Haven’t Met You Yet
Last Dance: Frank Sinatra – Fly Me To The Moon

In many settings, the large dance floor may have been overwhelming to a small group of only 43 guests, but they were not shy and had a great time from the first slow dance to the famous fast songs that played throughout the night.

It was a memorable bouquet toss as Ingrid threw it perfectly into the chandelier above that broke the bouquet into many pieces. I joked that “for anyone hoping to catch the bouquet but didn’t, there is plenty to go around.” 🙂 From the Four Seasons to Michael Jackson, Black Eyed Peas to the groom’s favorite, Journey, the dancing fun lasted over two hours.

Best wishes Ingrid and Mark and thank you mother of the bride, Debra for choosing PRO DJs.

Post Event Satisfaction Survey: