Thank you!

May 23, 2013 By Leave a Comment

thank_youThe wedding and special event industry is a pretty tight-knit community and I am fortunate to have many friends. I wanted to mention a few of them now, to say ‘thanks” for your support. If you are searching for professionals for your wedding or special event, I highly recommend them. Click on their names to visit their websites. They are some of the best in the business.

Photographers
Lucie XYZ Photography
Jeff and Julie Photography
Mike Danen Photography

Catering
Catered Too
Pangea Catering and Events

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Did they dance? Yes!

May 9, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Tim and Allie rocked the house at the Monterey Peninsula Country Club with their closest friends and family. Here is a shot of them during the last dance at the end the evening. Still going strong!Allie and Tim small

Filed Under: Monterey Peninsula Country Club

Wedding Receptions That Rock! The Book

May 1, 2013 By 2 Comments

Book coverI must say that it’s a pretty exciting day for me professionally. I’ve been a Wedding DJ for over twenty years (and I’ve been on the radio for over thirty). But now…I am officially an author.

People had been telling me for several years that I should write a book about planning wedding receptions, so that I could share my knowledge with brides and grooms. Well, I did it and I’m very proud of the final product.

Wedding Receptions That Rock! Creative Ideas for Music and a Fun, High-Energy Celebration is for anyone planning a wedding reception, but can also be a great resource for DJ’s who are just getting into the business and want to learn some tricks of the trade. Get your copy of the book here:

Paperback
Kindle 
Nook
Kobo
Sony

iPad version is coming soon!

The cool part is that those are actually my clients (Katie and Dave Orsburn) on the cover of the book. This amazing photo was taken by Jeff and Julie Photography and I love it because it captures the energy and excitement that I talk about in the book.

What’s next for me? Well, in addition to the weddings that I will continue DJ’ing for my amazing clients (I love my job!), I am now writing another book, but this time it is fiction (a romantic comedy). Of course, the story will have a happy ending with a wedding. :)

Filed Under: Advice

This is why I do what I do

February 8, 2013 By Leave a Comment

I love to browse through photos from my past events. They make me smile. What makes me smile even more are the letters of gratitude I receive from my clients every year. I love my job. :)

“Dear Rich,

Two months have passed and we are still delighting in the memories of the day that Stephanie and Tom were married.

I want to thank you for the enormous part you played in making that day one of the greatest days of my life. I know that Gary, Stephanie, and Tom feel the same way. You made the reception so much fun. From your opening remarks, to sharing the significance of the cake top, to the final dance, you made it all so personal. Countless people have told us that they have never had so much fun at a wedding reception. You kept the dance floor full all evening and everyone, young and old, had a chance to enjoy their type of music.

You have a genuine gift for using music to spread joy. Thank you so much for sharing that gift with us.”

Edie Keck (Mother of the Bride)
Wedding Reception for Stephanie & Tom Little at Cinnabar Hills Country Club.

Filed Under: Uncategorized

A New Year…A New Book!

January 1, 2013 By 1 Comment

2012 was an amazing year for me personally and professionally. I am so grateful for my incredible wife, family, friends, and clients. I’ve got some pretty cool things coming up in 2013 too, including my first book being published for brides. More on that in the coming weeks! I wish you a year filled with love, health, peace, happiness, silliness, adventure, fun, and quality time with your friends and family.  :)

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Katie and Dave at Coyote Creek Golf Club

November 7, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Were Katie and Dave ready to party? You bet! I guess it’s pretty obvious by their expressions. This was a shot perfectly captured by Jeff and Julie Photography as I introduced the newlyweds to the guests waiting inside the banquet room for dinner. This is how you enter a room!

Filed Under: Coyote Creek Golf Club

Til Death Do Us Part

October 16, 2012 By Leave a Comment

It’s a very common phrase in wedding ceremonies. You’ve probably heard it a thousand times. Me too! I just never expected the Bride and Groom to show us what “the death part” would look like…on top of their cake. SPOOKY!

Filed Under: Funny, Triton Museum of Art

Wedding DJ Warning

August 20, 2012 By 2 Comments

If you are not careful when you hire a DJ, you may get one who shows up to your wedding with this. Choose wisely!

Filed Under: Funny

My clients featured in The Knot Magazine – Fall/Winter 2012

July 4, 2012 By Leave a Comment

I have the best clients in the world, so there! (I just stuck my tongue out at all of the other DJ’s in the Bay Area, many of them my friends)

Seriously, Mike and Alice are SO cool and they had THE BEST wedding day at Rosewood Sandhill in Menlo Park. You can read the original post I wrote about them HERE. Today, though, I am excited to say that they will be featured in the Fall/Winter 2012 edition of The Knot. Here is a sneak-peek.  Photos by the incredible Vero Suh.

 

Filed Under: Rosewood Sandhill

Take Me Home Tonight!

June 10, 2012 By 5 Comments

About thirty minutes before the end of the wedding reception, I had to make an announcement regarding the centerpiece giveaway. As the song faded out, I clicked on the microphone, getting ready to speak. But before I could even utter a word into the mic, a woman starting singing “Take Me Home Tonight” by Eddie Money at the top of her lungs! It was the craziest thing. Where did she get her motivation from? A fond memory? Five shots of tequila? Whatever it was, it caught on like wildfire. All of a sudden, the entire room was singing the words to the song! In this situation, most DJ’s probably would have just stood there, or proceeded into the announcement about the centerpieces, as planned. This is just one of the many differences between an average DJ and a Master DJ: improvisation.

I knew I only had a few seconds to react to their madness or the moment would be lost. I quickly found that Eddie Money song in my library and had it playing in fifteen seconds (that’s the beauty of being all digital). EVERYONE WENT NUTS!! Just about every guest at the reception rushed the dance floor and danced and sang like they were at a concert! It was an awesome moment that took the energy level of the evening to an all-time high. The Bride and Groom, Stephanie and Gary, rocked out with 225 of their closest friends and family at the Saratoga Country Club. To say it was an incredible reception would be an understatement. They are my favorite type of clients because of two big reasons: 1) They wanted to dance. 2) They wanted to party.

Filed Under: Favorites, Saratoga Country Club, Wild

Winner! Bride’s Choice 2012

March 17, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Wow! This is amazing, four years in a row. I’m so grateful for this award and for the recognition because it is only given to the top 5% of wedding vendors in the country. Thank you very much!

Filed Under: Uncategorized

What is that man doing with his jacket?

January 10, 2012 By Leave a Comment

I think this guy was pretending his jacket was a horse…or maybe he was trying to dry something that spilled on his crotch. Either way, it was fun to watch and, as you can see, the guests enjoyed it too!

That’s what I love most about weddings and other events that I get to DJ: seeing the fun, the excitement, the wild party unfolding right before my eyes… Kate and Nate had a super-charged wedding reception at Rosewood Sandhill, in Menlo Park. They danced to a variety of music, including a few Irish songs and songs from her college days at the University of Arizona. Here are some of the other special requests:

First Dance: “Lucky” by Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillat
Father-Daughter: “When Irish Eyes Are Smiling” from Cats
Cake Song: “A Kiss To Build a Dream On” by Louis Armstrong

Filed Under: Rosewood Sandhill

NACE Gives Back

December 15, 2011 By Leave a Comment

What a great night! I’d been wanting to make this happen for while and we finally did it! I got together with a few generous people from the Silicon Valley Chapter of NACE (National Association of Catering and Events) and headed over to the Second Harvest Food Bank in San Jose for a night of volunteering. What did we do? We stuffed carrots into bags! It’s funny how something so simple can help the community so much. Try it for yourself and find out how rewarding it really is.

Front Row: Robbie Schlosser (Magnolia Jazz Band), Natti Thomson (North American Theater Technology), Silvi (my wife), Lyndsay Catterton (The Wild Geranium), Stacie Tamaki(The Flirty Guide). Back Row: Robert Kusters (Silicon DJ) Claudia Akers (Claudia Akers Photography), Me, and Carl Mindling (I MC Events)

Filed Under: Giving Back

I Heart You!

September 6, 2011 By 1 Comment

Congratulations to my video buddy Dave Ethridge (AVR Films) and his wife Meg! They celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary on the beach in Half Moon Bay. Dave surprised Meg by inviting family and a few friends (including me and Silvi) as they renewed their vows right there!We all formed a heart in the sand and waited for their arrival.It was such a beautiful ceremony and the weather was perfect. It’s so cool to see how much Dave loves his wife and how excited he was to celebrate this milestone in their marriage.After the ceremony, we all went to Moss Beach Distillery for a wonderful dinner. What a beautiful evening! Special thanks to the incredible Rhee Bevere for the amazing photos, including this one below of me and Silvi as we admired the happy couple.

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Rain, Rain, Go Away.

August 11, 2011 By 5 Comments

Your Wedding day has arrived. You’ve been planning it for months (or years!) and it’s finally here. Then, unexpectedly, it rains. On you. On your guests. On everybody. During the outdoor ceremony! OMG! Don’t Freak out!! Mike and Alice did not freak out. And they were rewarded. So were their guests at beautiful Rosewood Sandhill in Menlo Park.

You may not want to hear this, but things can unexpectedly happen on your wedding day. How you react to those things will be a big indication of how your wedding day will actually turn out. Having the right attitude makes all the difference in the world. You can freak out about the rain, or get upset about the centerpieces that should have had 18 roses but only had 17, or about the kid who pulled the Bride and Groom Cake Topper off of the cake and ate it. Or, you can just blow it off (even laugh it off) as something very insignificant in comparison to the big picture. Mike and Alice decided to laugh it off. And smile it off! It was such a treat to watch. Beautiful Photos by Vero Suh Photography.The guests (me too!) could feel Alice and Mike’s positive energy and everyone fed off of that. It was amazing to watch (but not surprising). They did not let the external circumstances affect their moods. (Or maybe they were just incredible actors!) And because of that, it turned out to be one of the most incredible evenings.

Bottom line: You can obsess over the little things and let them ruin your wedding day. Or, you can just focus on what matters most (Love!) and have a blast. It’s your choice. As you can see, Mike and Alice were all smiles all the way to the end of the night. Here are a few of their special song requests for the reception:

Bridal Party Introductions: “Sirius” by Alan Parsons Project

First Dance: “Ain’t That a Kick in the Head” by Dean Martin

Father-Daughter Dance: “Moon River” by Henry Mancini

Farewell Dance: “Every Time I Close My Eyes” by Babyface

BTW, kudos to the incredible staff at Rosewood Sandhill and Wedding Planner, Jean Marks, and her staff. They Rock!

Filed Under: Rosewood Sandhill
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