I have know Brian for sometime and was honored when he asked me to DJ his wedding this past September 12. Brian and Annie have been together for awhile so it was no surprise to their family and friends about there wedding – they were just surprised it took so long to happen!

It was truly a memorable day with friends and family.  The venue actually changed due to unforeseen circumstances, however it all worked out in the end as they chose Electra Cruises and sailed on the Newport Princess through the Newport harbor.

Photo courtesy of Kristina Lee Photography

The ceremony and reception where held on the ship with a great sunset right at the end of the ceremony.  The staff on the ship did a great job turning the ceremony on the second level into a dining room with the dance floor.  Guests were ready to get down after the toasts and cake cutting dancing till we had to dock at 10 PM.

Congratulations once again Brian and Annie. Have a wonderful honeymoon in Fiji and New Zealand.  I wish you all the very best in your new life together!

When working with clients I get lots of questions about my large music collection.  As I have “gone digital” years ago converting all my CDs to MP3 (256-320 kilobyte files for you techies out there).  When I first started I save the music in different naming conventions and in different locations which made it hard to tell if I had already ripped a CD or if I had a different version of a song. 

The first tool  I found that was a great help was MediaMonkey.  If you purchase the gold version, which I recommend, it will automatically scan whatever folders you ask it to do and can automatically organize your files based on whatever attributes you like.  When I say attributes, they are the tags associated with the music when it is saved to your computer.  It is VERY important that all your music have the right tags, otherwise you are missing out on a lot of good information such as the album, artist(s), composer, year released and so on.

Once you have all your music organized you want to you still may have music in different places/drives and or you simply may want to back it up (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED). I have found that Microsoft’s SyncToy does the trick nicely. You can download it for free from Cnet Download.com. Note, SyncToy only works on Windoes XP and Vista.

With these two tools you will be well on your way to organizing, backing up, and getting the most out of your music library.

Michael and Christine Richard with David

I had the honor of being the DJ for Michael and Christine Richard when they got married on April 25, 2009.  They celebrated at the Ten Ten Resaturant in Artesia.  There was a full course Chinse banquet with guest MC, Otto, who translated english/cantonese as many of the guests were from the Hong Kong area.

After several fine courses and a dress change, Michael the groom, sang a lovely song to his bride…in Chinese.  What makes this so remarkable is that Michael learned to speak Chinese, he is originally from Massachussetts.  It was truly an amazing performance in which he got an encore and his wife, Christine, got up to sing with him the second time around.

Later in the evening everyone had time on the dance floor getting down to the likes of the Blues Brothers, Ray Charles, Bob Marley, and Otis Redding to name a few.  It was a great see everyone celebrating the marriage of these two.

Are you thinking about September 9, 2009 (9/9/09) or maybe February 14, 2009 (Saturday!) well you might have missed a few others, although those are big ones.  Read what Abby Johns at Associated Content put this interesting article together…

So you are newly engaged, and looking to set your wedding date some time in 2009, but you don’t know what date would be the best date. Well, if you are looking for the most popular wedding dates for 2009 that fall on a Saturday, ensuring that a majority of your guests won’t have to work the day before or the day after your wedding, then read on.

Most Popular Wedding Dates for 2009- February 14, 2009
Valentine’s Day is already the one day of the year that is most associated with love. Choosing Valentine’s Day for your wedding in 2009 is an especially easy decision since it falls on a Saturday, making this date sure to be one of the most popular wedding dates for 2009. Be prepared, however, to pay more if you plan on getting married on Valentine’s Day, since many florists will already be quite busy trying to keep up with their flower orders. Venues are probably more likely to charge higher prices for weddings on this date because it’s a holiday and they know they can.

Most Popular Wedding Dates for 2009- October 17, 2009
Why October 17, 2009? It’s Sweetest Day, another holiday for love. While this may be a Hallmark holiday, the association with love is still there, and there is no better association for your wedding date to have. You may need to be prepared to spend a little more for this date, just as you would for Valentine’s Day, however, since Valentine’s Day is a more popular holiday, it may be a good alternative to having your wedding on Valentine’s Day. The association with love and the chance that this date will be less costly than Valentine’s Day is sure to make Sweetest Day one of the most popular wedding dates for 2009.

Most Popular Wedding Dates for 2009- October 31, 2009
If you want to stand out from the crowd, and are looking to do so by having a wedding with a more gothic theme, then you may consider having it on Halloween. If your friends and family are composed of mostly rockers and those with a healthy appreciation of all things dark and spooky, then a Halloween wedding is sure to be a crowd pleaser and one of the most popular wedding dates for 2009 among those who love all things spooky and unique. A great thing about having your wedding on Halloween is that you probably won’t have a whole lot of competition for wedding space, since many may choose to avoid the date and it’s scary associations.

Most Popular Wedding Dates for 2009- Any date that incorporates lucky Chinese numbers
Are you superstitious? Are you looking for a little extra luck to grace your marriage? Then perhaps you would like to choose a wedding date that incorporates Chinese lucky numbers.

Three numbers believed to be lucky in Chinese culture and their lucky associations are:
6- smooth
8- great fortune
9- everlasting friendship and marriage

Getting married on the 6th, 8th, or 9th of a month may help to bring a little extra luck to your marriage. These dates in 2009 that fall on a Saturday are as follows:
May 9th, June 6th, August 8th. These dates are sure to be some of the most popular wedding dates for 2009 for those who are looking for some luck in having a smooth marriage, finding great fortune in their marriage, or who are looking for an everlasting marriage.

Sources
http://library.thinkquest.org/05aug/01780/feng-shui/chinese-numbers.htm

Yes it is true – you can get something for free this holiday season, in fact nearly 700 songs!! Check out Amazon.com – MP3 Downloads. I personally like the mp3 format as it is easy to transfer (no digital rights managment – DRM issues) and use with most any software including iTunes. Here is a sample of what they have to offer…

I had the pleasure of participating (playing lots of fun energetic music) at the National Family Volunteer Day event at the Orange County Food Bank this past Saturday, November 22.  There was a tremendous turn out from employees and family members of Broadcom, Disneyland Resort, Edison International, First American, Ingram Micro, Pacific Life, KMPG, Wells Fargo, and St. Joseph Health System.  From old to young all helped in putting together thousands of boxes of food to help the elderly, pregnant women, and children.  There is a great need all year round for volunteers at the food bank.  Please consider volunteering or sending in financial support.  For more information about the food bank and to schedule a volunteer day check out www.ocfoodbank.org or call714-897-6670.

The Orange County Food Bank is part of the Community Action Partnership of Orange County (CAPOC) that is a prive non-profit.  They are dedicated to enhancing the quality of life within Orange County by eliminatin and preventing the causes and effects of poverty by mobilizing and directing resources to assist, educate and promote self-sufficiency.

Please come join the Family Fun Night at Christ Lutheran Church in Orange! Bring your car and park it in our “spooky” parking lot and decorate your trunk. The kids may come in their Halloween costumes, and don’t forget to fill your trunk with candy or treats so all of our goblins can have a safe treat. Video, Music and Magic will be there to host the costume contest and share in some fun music for all. Please let us know if you are coming so we have enough treats to share. Don’t miss out on the fun!

When: Friday, October 24 from 6:00 to 7:30 PM.

Where: In the main parking lot of Christ Lutheran Church at 2715 E La Veta Ave, Orange, CA 92869

For more information about Christ Lutheran Childcare Center, contact Tina at 714.532.2268.

For more information or questions about “Treat Night,” you may call Nikki at 714.913.5648 or email nikki@christlutheranorange.org.

Now that the big day is over, your wedding entertainer is likely the last person on your mind. But, we need your help, and so do thousands of brides-to-be. Do you remember how confusing it was to try and find the right vendors for your wedding?

We want to give you the chance to help other brides avoid some of that hassle.

OneWed.com is about to launch a brand new site, with new information and content for brides and newlyweds. They have a fantastic new way for brides to review the vendors they used. We’d love it if you could take a minute and jot down your thoughts about us.

Here’s the link you need:
http://www.OneWedinc.com/vendor/review/1038849/

 Thanks!

- Video, Music & Magic

Recently a new radio station has emeged in the Los Angeles market, titled The Sound.  I have been listening to the station and have found that overall it provides a good mix of “classic rock” music.  The music that is played consists of truly classic rock to the latest releases.

I would think if you are a fan of such music you might considere having it played during a cocktail hour/reception or maybe even during dinner.  Much of this type of music is perfect for listening to.  I hope you enjoy this new discovey in radio.  Enjoy!