It was another perfect July day for a Northwest wedding as Jamie and Patrick were married under sunny blue skies and an ideal 79 degrees on the North Patio at Royal Oaks Country Club in Vancouver, Washington on Saturday, July 27, 2013.
 
Vancouver WA Wedding DJ Ceremony Highlights:

• Bridal Party Entrance: O’Neill Brothers – Falling in Love
• Bride Entrance: Pachelbel – Canon in D
• Sand Ceremony: O’Neill Brothers – I Will Be Here
• Bride/Groom Exit: Signed Sealed Delivered- Stevie Wonder

 
The reception immediately followed in the adjacent Ballroom. With 200+ guests in attendance, the room was filled to the max with dinner tables on the dance floor and one next to my table where a speaker would normally be placed. Where the other speaker would normally go was the cake table, so I was presented with a bit of a challenge for set-up 🙂 Fortunately, it worked out with one speaker in the far corner and the other on the floor next to my table.
 

 
Vancouver WA Wedding DJ Reception Highlights:

• Grand Entrance: John Travolta & Olivia Newton-John – You’re the One That I Want
• Cake Cutting: James Taylor – How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)
• First Dance: Jason Mraz – I Won’t Give Up
• Bride and Father Dance: Bob Carlisle – Butterfly Kisses
• Groom and Mother Dance: Eagles – Peaceful Easy Feeling
• Dollar Dance: Barenaked Ladies – If I Had A Million Dollars
• Bouquet Toss: Roy Orbison – Oh, Pretty Woman
• Garter Toss: Troggs – Wild Thing

After the Dollar Dance, Jamie had requested an anniversary dance and I invited all married couples to participate. We had a great turnout and several couples were married 3o years or more. However, the longest married couple (Jamie’s grandparents, Roscoe & Joyce, 54 years) were not present, even though they were just in the room a few minutes before 🙂 It works out that way sometimes and I made sure to acknowledge them, plus I showcased the last remaining couple who have been married 40 years.
 
This group was in agreement on nearly everything played… younger and older guests were sweatin’ to the oldies, such as ‘In The Mood’, ‘Shout’, and ‘Old Time Rock and Roll’ and gettin’ down to recent hits, including ‘Party Rock Anthem’ and ‘Blurred Lines.’
 


 
Jamie and Patrick left their reception about 45 minutes before it was scheduled to end and guests gathered outside for a sparkler sendoff.
 

 
Normally when the bride and groom leave early, the party fades, but not with this group. They all returned and rocked the dance floor through the last song.
 

 

 
Sydney and Jessy were married Saturday, July 20, 2013 at Laurelhurst Church in NE Portland. The reception was held at the Museum of the Oregon Territory in Oregon City, Oregon and I arrived for set-up about the time the ceremony was starting around 4pm.
 
With a 5:30 start for the reception, I had plenty of time to position and set-up my sound equipment. However, the day before, Sydney had called to let me know she was unable to secure a video projector for their slide show and asked if I could provide one. No problem and the early arrival time allowed me to test both picture and audio.
 

 
Guests arrived for the reception to a mix of salsa and other tropical music as requested by the bride. For dinner music, she asked for selections that included adult alternative artists, such as Jack Johnson and Norah Jones, along with some 90’s songs and today’s hits.
 
Oregon City Wedding DJ Reception Highlights:

• Grand Entrance: Bruno Mars – Marry You
• Cake Cutting: Four Tops – I Can’t Help Myself
• First Dance: Righteous Brothers – Unchained Melody
• Bride and Father Dance: Bob Carlisle – Butterfly Kisses
• Bride and Stepfather Dance: John Mayer – Daughters
• Groom and Mother Dance: Joe Cocker – You Are So Beautiful
• Dollar Dance: Los Lobos – La Bamba
• Bouquet Toss: Spice Girls – Wannabe
• Garter Toss: Justin Timberlake – Sexy Back
• Wedding Party Dance: Pitbull – Don’t Stop the Party
• Last Dance: Etta James – At Last

 
Pictures for Sydney and Jessy took a little longer than planned and they didn’t arrive for their grand entrance until about 8:30pm. With a full schedule of events, the dance floor got going a little after 10 and guests were ready to let loose.
 

 
From classic hits (Brown Eyed Girl, Ain’t Too Proud To Beg, Billie Jean) to today’s hottest music (Blurred Lines, Can’t Hold Us) and novelty favorites of the bride and groom (Cha Cha Slide, Gangham Style), the reception went late and was a huge success.
 

 

 
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
 

 

 
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.
 

 
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

• Event Date: Saturday, June 8, 2013
• Event Type: Wedding & Reception
• Event Location: McMenamins Cornelius Pass Roadhouse – Hillsboro, 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