One of my last weddings of 2011 was at Estancia and now I am grateful to start off 2012 with the first wedding of the year at this great La Jolla wedding venue as well! The ceremony was held at a different location so our couple hired me as their La Jolla wedding DJ for the reception only. Cocktail hour kicked off just outside the ballroom on the patio. During this time guests were “signing” the tree guestbook with a signature & a thumbprint. I think our couple will enjoy this unique wedding idea much more than a book with a few signatures which typically gets tucked away in a closet.
Once guests entered the Grande Ballroom they were treated to lots of warm lighting. I provided amber uplighting throughout the room and over by the cake. I also used some atmospheric lighting up on the ceiling to create some interest. This all really made a huge difference in the look & feel of the ballroom. After dinner I was able to project the couple’s slide show up onto the wall with about a 15 foot image size. It looked really clean without having to use a screen.
After the meal & slide show we invited our couple out for their first dance. We started off dancing with a few slow songs which all of the couples enjoyed. We then moved into some “please all” type music to get dancing going. Guests were easing into party mode a little slower this evening. After the cake cutting & bouquet / garter toss they were ready to dance. The photo booth opened up and the party was underway…
Our couple wanted to keep a classy atmosphere but still wanted to add a little color & movement later on so once the formalities were done I switched the atmospheric lighting over to change colors. It gave it more of a party feeling without all the blinking and flashing lights. This was a perfect lighting option to add that interest. The crowd finished strong and we actually played about 30 minutes past our planned ending time.
Below are some professional photos from Teale Photography:
Click Here To View More Professional Photos From This Wedding.
Extras Provided: 9 uplights, atmospheric ceiling lighting, & video projection equipment
MUSIC:
Bridal Party Introductions – “Home” by Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros
First Dance – “The Way You Look Tonight ” by Tony Bennett
Father/Daughter Dance – “In the Midnight” by Van Morrison
Mother/Son Dance – “You’re Nobody ‘Til Somebody Loves You” by Dean Martin
Anniversary Dance – “Wonderful World’” by Louis Armstrong
SAN DIEGO WEDDING VENDORS:
Coordinator = Jennifer Destein
Photographer = Teale Photography
Cake = Flour Power Bakery
Photo Booth = Recorded Memories
For more information about this event or if you are looking for a La Jolla wedding DJ click here to contact Positive Energy Productions or call us at 858.490.0445.
Bahia San Diego Wedding DJ 8/20/11
Today I headed over to the Bahia Resort to provide San Diego wedding DJ services that included ceremony sound support and lots of lighting! The ceremony was held out at the gazebo overlooking the pond with about 150 guests. The bride and groom wanted instrumental songs from the Beatles playing as people arrived. We then started off the ceremony with another Beatles song and a few readings by family members. Once the ceremony was over guests then headed up to the top of the tower into the Mission Ballroom.
At the entry into the reception we were greeted by a nicely displayed table with a large centerpiece and all of the table name cards. This reception venue has great views of Mission Bay and the Sea World fireworks. The room was decorated with lots of shades of purple which seems to be the hot color this year.
I provided 12 uplights in the room along with the cake spotlighting. In the photos below you can see how the lighting comes to life as the sun goes down. Adds quite a bit of color and drama to the room. You can also see the cake spotlighting really start to make a difference at a distance. Once it was dark we were able to show a nice slide show video highlighting our couple growing up and then their relationship together.
We planned the cake cutting to take place exactly at the same time as the Sea World fireworks are going off in the background. I am looking forward to seeing some professional photos of this if they were able to capture our couple, the cake cutting, and the fireworks all at the same time.
Once we started dancing guests were ready to get up and have some fun. We had a fun photo booth over in the corner that really picked up once the party got going! Overall a very nice crowd and a great group of vendors. It always makes our work easier when we have a good team that can work together to get the job done.
Extras Provided:
12 Uplights
Cake Spotlighting
Slide Show Projection Equipment & Screen
MUSIC:
Ceremony Bridesmaid’s Entrance – “Here Comes The Sun” by Beatles
Ceremony Bride’s Processional – “Marry Me” by Train
Ceremony Recessional – “I Do” by Colbie Caillat
Bridal Party Introductions – “Party Rock Anthem” by LMFAO
First Dance – “Time After Time” by Javier Colon
Father/Daughter Dance – “Landslide” by Fleetwood Mac
Mother/Son Dance – “In My Life” by Beatles
Cake Cutting – “Build Me Up Buttercup” by Foundations
Bouquet Toss – “Hey Ladies” by Beastie Boys
Garter Removal – “I Wanna Sex You Up” by Color Me Badd
Last Dance – “Don’t Stop Believin’” by Journey
SAN DIEGO WEDDING VENDORS:
Coordinator = San Diego Weddings by Gina
Florist = Nancy Stevens Wedding Flowers
Photographer = Courtney with True Photography
Cake = Sweet Cheeks Bakery
Photo Booth = The FotoBox
For more information about this event click here: San Diego Wedding DJ
Positive Energy Productions | 858.490.0445
Admiral Kidd Club San Diego Wedding DJ 6/17/11
The Admiral Kidd Club is a San Diego wedding venue located near Point Loma and the airport. They have a few different ballrooms available depending on the size of the group. Their largest ballroom upstairs can accommodate around 300 to 350 guests. Our couple invited about 125 guests so we were in the Harbor Lounge located on the downstairs level.
The Friday evening event began with our couple’s wedding ceremony on the grass area overlooking San Diego bay and downtown. After the ceremony wrapped up guests moved directly to the outdoor patio area for cocktails & appetizers. One funny fact about this location is that they actually have to have a server on “seagull duty” to keep the seagulls away from the food!
Purple seems to be one of the popular colors this year. It keeps popping up wedding after wedding. The Harbor Lounge is pretty much white top to bottom so it needs a little help to warm it up. This can be achieved through the use of colored linens, chair covers, centerpieces, and the lighting. I provided some purple uplighting for the room to help add some color to the space.
As their San Diego wedding DJ I was able to play a little more current music than normal tonight. On the whole it was a younger crowd. We didn’t forget about the older generation but they seemed to tire out a little earlier in the night. Definitely some fun moments out on the dance floor.
Extras Provided: 6 Uplights
MUSIC:
Bridal Party Introductions – “I Gotta Feeling” by Black Eyed Peas
First Dance – “Come Away With Me” by Norah Jones
Cake Cutting – “Sugar, Sugar” by Archies
SAN DIEGO WEDDING VENDORS:
Photographer = Kristen Peelle Photography
For more information about this event click here = San Diego Wedding DJ
Positive Energy Productions | 858.490.0445
I am back at the Museum Of Contemporary Art in La Jolla, CA. to provide sound for the ceremony, wedding DJ services, and lighting throughout the museum. The art is constantly changing and is always an interesting backdrop. The art that was up for this wedding almost seemed like they selected it for this wedding. The large lady with sunglasses looked great behind our couple’s head table.
There were many personal touches to this wedding. One of their friends designed the invitations, the bride’s brother recorded a song which we were able to play during dinner (which was a total surprise for him), another friend made their cake, and yet another made cupcakes.
The reception area is mostly a blank canvas consisting of white walls and white/grey flooring. This is an excellent opportunity to add in lots of lighting to increase the drama and incorporate the individual colors of the wedding into the space. Tonight I provided 16 uplights and also spotlighted the cake.
I helped our couple create a custom first dance by increasing the speed of the song to fit their dance. I also cut portions out and joined the segments together to reduce the overall length down to a comfortable two and a half minutes. I wasn’t too sure which way this wedding was going to go when it came to dancing. I was truly surprised at how wild the group was. It turned out to be a blast and they really had a great time! A final sparkler exit to help see our couple off…
Click here to view the professional video highlights from this wedding.
Click here to view some of the professional photos from this wedding.
MUSIC:
Bridal Party Introductions – “Haretaraii ne 14″
First Dance - “Catch My Disease” by Ben Le
Last Dance – “Wonderful Tonight” by Eric Clapton
SAN DIEGO WEDDING VENDORS:
Coordinator = Theory Weddings and Events
Photographer = One… Two… Snap… Photography
Videographer = Side By Side Video
Catering = Tapenade Restaurant
Florist = Modern Bouquet
Rentals & Decor = Classic Party Rentals
For more information about this event click here: San Diego Wedding DJ
Positive Energy Productions | 858.490.0445
Omni San Diego Wedding DJ 5/29/11
Another Memorial Day weekend wedding! Tonight’s wedding was held on a Sunday evening at the Omni San Diego Hotel downtown with an excellent group of vendors. Kelly our coordinator really helped keep things on track.
Tonight’s couple decided to have a “Fire & Ice” theme. They hired me to perform as their San Diego wedding DJ but they also opted to hire me to take care of all of their lighting needs for the event. The cake spotlighting really helped the cake to stand out and make an impression from across the room! One unique wedding item was their wedding cake topper. They had a custom etched piece of glass (with their names and date) that was lit by blue led lights which tied into all of the other lighting in the room.
As you can see in the photos we contrasted all of the candles and orange / red flower centerpieces with deep blue uplighting (which also helped to hide the wall behind). We really pulled off this theme well!
The ceremony started off outside on the Palm Terrace followed by a cocktail hour in the large foyer overlooking Petco Park and the city. After our couple’s entrance they went into a custom first dance song that I mixed for them which combined a few parts of a slow song and a section of a fast song.
Once we opened up the dance floor guest’s were ready to party. We had quite a bit of time (2.5 – 3 hours) for dancing which is much longer than most. They stayed until the end and our couple exited just before midnight. I played an extra 15 minutes of music since there were a number of guests that wanted the party to continue. All in all a nice wedding!
Extras Provided: 16 Uplights & Cake Spotlighting
MUSIC:
Bridal Party Introductions – “Soul Bossa Nova” by Quincy Jones & His Orchestra
First Dance – Mix of: “Bless The Broken Road” by Rascal Flatts & “Ring Of Fire” by Social Distortion
Father/Daughter Dance – “Butterfly Kisses” by Bob Carlisle
Mother/Son Dance – “My Wish” by Rascal Flatts
Bouquet Toss – “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” by Beyoncé
Garter Toss - “Take It Off” by KISS
Last Dance - “Save The Last Dance For Me” by Michael Buble’
SAN DIEGO WEDDING VENDORS:
Coordinator – Mint Weddings
Photographer – RHS Photo
Videographer – Blue Pearl Weddings
Florist – Joyce La Vigne
Cake – Sweet Cheeks Baking Company
Officiant – Paul Frye Weddings
Flip Book Photo Booth – A Little Scene
Chair Covers & Linens – American Party Rentals
For more information about this event click here: San Diego Wedding DJ
Positive Energy Productions | 858.490.0445
El Cortez San Diego Wedding DJ 5/28/11
I was downtown at the El Cortez for tonight’s wedding. This wedding was a referral from two past weddings. I provided my San Diego wedding DJ services for them back in 2007 and 2008. It is always nice to see past couples at an event!
The room looked nice tonight with the contrasting purple linens & yellow uplighting. Even though the photo below was taken while there was a lot of sunlight coming into the room you can see the warmth that they add to the space. The El Cortez tends to be one of the darker reception venues due to the dark wood ceiling, red drapes, and dark wood dance floor. Lighting in this space really helps to balance that out.
A nice personal touch to the wedding was our groom’s grandparent’s wedding cake topper on display next to the cake. I am sure it was fun for them to see this after all of these years. They also had a special San Diego Chargers themed groom’s cake since he is a big fan.
I provided the cake spotlighting tonight and you can really see in the photo below what a difference it makes in a room like this! It places some importance on the cake and helps it stand out from across the room (especially when we dim the lights down later on). We opened up the dance floor and guests were ready to get out of their seats.
It really is extremely important for all of the vendors to communicate with each other. A professional coordinator always helps with this process.There were a few hiccups in the schedule (the photographers taking the bride & groom outside right after I announced that we were going into the next event). This put things on hold for about 15 minutes and guests started lose their momentum. We picked things up once they got back inside and ended the night on a strong note.
Click Here to view the professional photos from this wedding.
Extras Provided: Gobo Monogram Projection, Slide Show Projection Equipment, Cake Spotlighting
MUSIC:
Bridal Party Introductions – “Yeah 3X” by Chris Brown
Bride & Groom Introduction – “The Time (Dirty Bit)” by Black Eyed Peas
First Dance – “From this Moment” sung by Bride’s Mom & Step-dad
Mother/Son Dance – “The Perfect Fan” by Backstreet Boys
Bouquet Toss – “Holding Out For a Hero” by Bonnie Tyler
Garter Toss – “Pour Some Sugar On Me” by Def Leppard
Last Dance - “When You Got A Good Thing” by Lady Antebellum
SAN DIEGO WEDDING VENDORS:
Coordinator = Courtney
Catering = Ranch Events
Photographer = Pix Of Life
Videographer = Taylor Films
For more information about this event click here: San Diego Wedding DJ
Positive Energy Productions | 858.490.0445
A large 300 person wedding tonight over at the Hilton La Jolla Torrey Pines! This is an excellent San Diego wedding venue for a few reasons. They have one of the nicer ballrooms that can fit around 300-350 guests, the ceremony site is directly outside which is convenient for guests, and the outdoor patio area overlooking the golf course is a perfect spot for the cocktail hour.
Our couple had quite a large wedding party with 17 total bridesmaids & groomsmen. One unique wedding item was the large head table set for 19 placed in the middle of the guests tables. It felt like they were surrounded by their guests rather than up in front of all of their guests.
As I was walking through the room a couple got my attention and called me over to their table. It turns out that I was their wedding DJ over 11 years ago. Tonight’s groom was actually at their wedding but he must have only been about 13 or 14 years old! Always great to bump into past clients!
The ballroom really looked great. The uplighting and cake spotlighting I provided added some color to the all tan/brown space and helped warm up the photos. I am looking forward to seeing the professional photos!
Tonight I was hired as their San Diego wedding DJ but they also hired a band. I handled all of the announcements and events that took place, as well as, helped play music during the band breaks. It was a great combo where guests got the best of both worlds. They played some fun music that kicked off the evening.
The band was scheduled until 10pm so I took over as the DJ from 10pm until 11pm. This really worked out well and I was able to squeeze quite a few top hits into the last hour! Full dance floor and fun times…
Extras Provided: 14 Uplights & Cake Spotlighting
Music:
Bridal Party Introductions – “Yeah 3X” by Chris Brown
First Dance – “Can’t Get Enough of Your Love, Babe” by Barry White
Father/Daughter Dance – “Mack the Knife” by Louis Armstrong
Anniversary Dance – “The Way You Look Tonight” by Michael Bùble
Bouquet/Garter Toss – “Just Haven’t Met You Yet” by Michael Bùble, “Best Night of My Life” by Jamie Foxx
Cake Cutting – “Wanna Love You Girl” by Robin Thicke
Last Dance - “Let’s Get It On” by Marvin Gaye
San Diego Wedding Vendors:
Coordinator – San Diego Weddings by Gina
Florist – Hartworks Floral
Photographer – Julie Parker Photography
Videographer – Drew Renaud
Band – Clay Davis Band
Makeup - Brides by Brittany
Chair Covers & Chocolate Fountain – Lovely Chair Covers
For more information about this event click here: San Diego Wedding DJ
Positive Energy Productions | 858.490.0445
Bali Hai San Diego Wedding DJ 5/14/11
Tonight’s wedding was held at the Bali Hai Restaurant on Shelter Island. Our couple had their ceremony in a church so I was hired as their San Diego wedding DJ for the reception only.
They opted to have a music theme throughout the wedding decor so I knew music was important to them! The cake was wrapped in music notes, the tables were all named after famous music artists or groups, and the place cards were actual custom printed concert tickets for each guest.
Our couple decided to add in some lighting at the last minute. I provided light blue uplighting around the room and projected a gobo letter onto the center of the dance floor. They thought it really made a huge difference!
Once we opened up the dance floor everyone jumped out there and were ready to party. Dancing was pretty solid for most of the evening and then slowly tapered off towards the end. They were an extremely nice group to work with.
Here is a link to the photographer’s blog: view professional photos from this event
Extras Provided: 8 Uplights & Gobo Letter Projection
MUSIC:
Grand Entrance: One Block Radius – “You Got Me”
First Dance: Jay Sean – “Down (Candlelight Remix)”
Father/Daughter Dance: Mariah Carey – “Hero”
Cake Cutting: T.I. Feat. Keri Hilson – “Got Your Back Boy”
SAN DIEGO WEDDING VENDORS:
Photographer = Adam Baruh Photography
For more information about this event click here = San Diego Wedding DJ
Positive Energy Productions | 858.490.0445
Scripps Forum La Jolla Wedding DJ 5/6/11
The Robert Paine Scripps Forum in La Jolla is one of my favorite San Diego wedding venue locations because of the modern architecture (which opens up many options for lighting) and the view!
The ceremony was held out on the grass at an angle facing the palm trees and ocean. The wooden birds at the base of the floral stands added a fun element to the design (these birds also showed up at the base of the cake table later on).
After the ceremony guests were greeted into the reception space by a fun place card display strung between two white ladders topped off with flowers and hanging photographs. Our coordinator Suzanne from Crown Weddings and her team really helped keep the schedule and events running on time.
I performed my main duties as their San Diego wedding DJ but they also were really interested in many of the lighting options I was able to show them. We added lots of uplighting throughout, projected a custom monogram gobo up above their sweetheart table, added in the cake spotlighting, as well as, some ambient dance floor lighting for later in the evening. I can really do quite a bit with this space to totally transform it into something special!
After the meal and toasts were finished their guests were ready to dance! I started off with a few slow songs and some older songs that worked for all ages. As you can see a few of the photo booth props made it out onto the dance floor.
As the evening progressed I played more and more of the current music to make sure the younger crowd was also having a great time.
I used some ambient dance floor lighting (in the photos above and below) to really throw some color into the area and to also set off the fun dancing photos. Guests danced until the end and our bride & groom had an excellent night!
Extras Provided: Uplighting, Cake Spotlighting, Monogram Gobo Projection, Ambient Dance Floor Lights
MUSIC:
Ceremony Bridesmaid’s Entrance – The Frey “How To Save A Life Instrumental”
Ceremony Bride’s Processional - Norah Jones “Come Away With Me Instrumental”
Ceremony Recessional – Ingrid Michaelson “The Way I Am”
First Dance – Sade “By Your Side”
Mother/Son Dance – Sarah McLachlin “Blackbird”
Last Dance - Tim McGraw “Tiny Dancer”
SAN DIEGO WEDDING VENDORS:
Coordinator = Suzanne with Crown Weddings
Photographer = Michael with True Photography
Caterer = TK&A Custom Catering
Cake = Michele Coulon Dessertier
Chairs & Linens = Concepts Event Design
Transportation = Avante-Garde Limousine
For more information about this event click here: San Diego Wedding DJ
Positive Energy Productions | 858.490.0445
Los Willows San Diego Wedding DJ 4/17/11
Los Willows located in Fallbrook, CA is a San Diego wedding venue that provides an all in one wedding ceremony and reception space. They have a few different outdoor areas to take advantage of, as well as, a nice large lake onsite. The reception is held in a large permanent white tent where the inside is nicely draped with white fabric and has few hanging chandeliers to enhance the overall look.
This wedding was a referral from a past San Diego wedding I helped DJ back in 2007. The other couple were guests at tonight’s wedding so it was nice to see them and chat for a few minutes. They now have a child so it sounds like things are going well
The ceremony is typically held in the gazebo that is right next to the lake. Sometimes the bride will choose to make her entrance into the ceremony on a boat that crosses the lake. Other wedding couples choose to make their exit from the ceremony onto the boat. Our couple didn’t opt to do either of these today. In the photos below you can see the ceremony gazebo, the outdoor patio space with built in bar used for the cocktail hour, and the wedding centerpieces on the tables inside the tent.
The inside of the tent is draped in all white fabric which is a perfect canvas for adding lighting. You can really do some fun things with an all white tent like projecting patterns up onto the walls and ceiling or projecting a monogram above the head table. Tonight we used some custom colored uplighting to wash the tent in a purplish pink and to pull some color out of the flowers while adding some color to the area.
Dancing went fairly well tonight considering it was a Sunday evening. We didn’t have too much time to work with since the entire event was only five hours long. At the end of the event we had everyone line up just outside the tent to see our newlyweds off. They made their exit and headed off in a Rolls Royce…
MUSIC:
Bridal Party Introductions – “Home” by Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros
First Dance – “I Will” by The Beatles
Father/Daughter Dance – “Love & Happiness” by Mark Knopfler & Emmy Lou Harris
Cake Cutting – “You Make Lovin’ Fun” by Fleetwood Mac
Last Dance – “Small Town” by John Cougar Mellencamp
SAN DIEGO WEDDING VENDORS:
Photographer – Flutter Glass Photography
For more information about this event click here: San Diego Wedding DJ
Positive Energy Productions | 858.490.0445














































































































