Kathy & Patrick at the Ranch House at Rancho San Rafael with Ever After Creations and Hidden Valley Country Club Catering

I was thrilled to be able to deejay Patrick & Kathy's wedding last weekend at the beautiful Ranch House at Rancho San Rafael Park in Reno. To be asked to be a part of their wedding was special, as Kathy is the Event Director at Hidden Valley Country Club, a stunning venue in Reno where she and her staff are always so professional and endlessly accommodating to their guests. I have had the pleasure of working there many times and have always enjoyed the opportunity to not only entertain the clients and guests but to work with Kathy. She is well-known and well-liked in the local wedding industry and I knew that her husband-to-be must be special to capture her heart.

Meeting them together to discuss the music and events I could literally see the chemistry flow between the two of them.  To be already blessed with the personalities and families they have and then to find absolute true love in one another means someone is looking out for them upstairs. I am a big believer in that what you put out into the world you get back in return, and they epitomize this belief.

Kathy didn't want a stuffy wedding and reception. She helps countless brides & grooms and other clients with their events and for her day she really concentrated on decor, events and creating a vibe that celebrated their friends and family, and the love that she shares with Pat.  There were so many details, both large and small that really accented that feel, from sayings on the wall, to pictures and flowers over the fireplace, to horseshoes for the guests and lining the aisle, to her stunning dress.  She even posted handmade signs here and there to direct and inform her guests and set a fun tone for the day.  Besides a photo frame to sign, she had these very cool "Mad-Lib" style slips of paper for her guests to fill out for their advice, both serious and silly.

When it came time for the ceremony, Patrick's dad was the celebrant.  He is a great guy, a pastor for many years down in Palm Springs who is about to retire and he loved the opportunity to marry his son to his new daughter-in-law.  The almost newlyweds had their boys stand up with them, which I thought was a neat touch, and then Kathy and then Pat read very thoughtful vows to one another that really expressed their joy to be marrying each other.  To hear such love in their words, from a couple that has lived life and have already experienced many things was awe-inspiring and made everyone there a gift of re-evaluating what is really good and true in life.

Everyone moved into the Ranch House for drinks and a fabulous dinner from Hidden Valley Country Club Catering.  Delicious flat-iron steaks were the culinary bomb and the service from the staffers from HVCC was efficient and super-friendly- I think that Kathy picked the best of her already great staff :)

Vicki and Craig Musni from Ever After Creations were never idle, videoing the ceremony, the events, and getting neat interviews from the guests.  They are always super to work with- consummate wedding professionals and just great people.  They were guests as well, but made sure that everything was fully and beautifully documented.  It was fun to play them a song or two later that evening.

The sons of Kathy and Patrick gave memorable toasts in the perfect evening in the courtyard.  Then Kathy & Patrick danced their first dance to "It's Your Love" by Tim and Faith, and boy did they dance!  They surprised their guests with elaborate choreography with twirls and dips and everyone was cheering by the end.  Lots of dancing then ensued with plenty of great requests and dancers having fun.  I was really impressed by a little girl, Emily I believe, who knew all of the current dance steps and led all the grownups in line dances and other specialty songs.

It really was a fun wedding and reception and I was so honored to be a part of it.  When you have a couple that does so much for others: Kathy in helping to make people's weddings amazing and Patrick in helping the community through his social work, it is so nice to see all that come back in spades for them. Truly a wonderful afternoon and evening. Congrats Patrick & Kathy!

Haley & Spencer at the Grove at Southcreek with Follow Your Heart Photography

Haley and Spencer had an amazing reception this past Saturday at The Grove which I was privileged to be a part of.  It was fun, heartwarming and reinforced a pillar of service that I always strive for- arriving early at the venue.

It doesn't sound like much or too terribly important.  All your professionals will be at the venue well beforehand, right?  Not always the case unfortunately.  Even if you allow yourself enough time to arrive and set up, things can always go wrong.  In nearly 1000 events I've done over the years, I've nearly been late only twice- once because I was rear-ended on the freeway and once because I slid off the road in a blizzard and had to be towed out of a snowdrift.  In both cases I was able to arrive at the event and set up my gear without being late because I gave myself extra time to begin with.  My minimum arrival is an hour before I am supposed to play.  If it is a venue I haven't been to before, or if it is farther away, or if the weather is iffy I give myself even more extra time for travel and setup.  I would rather be set up with an hour to go than stressing about being ready in time.

With Spencer & Haley's reception I arrived an hour before I was scheduled to begin playing even though The Grove is five minutes from me and it takes 15-20 minutes to set up there.  I would rather take my time and perhaps talk with Julie and her great crew at The Grove a bit and not worry about the time.  I had an amazing helper as well that evening, Vickie Musni, president of Weddings of the West and co-owner of Ever After Creations who wanted to see the deejay side of things at a reception and I began showing her my setup procedures.

Soon thereafter, about 35-40 minutes before I was scheduled to start, guests started arriving, the offsite ceremony having concluded earlier than expected.  As I was there early and ready to go, I started the music and the reception started earlier than we had planned.  Some wedding professionals might be flustered by this but I looked at it as an opportunity.  How often do you get extra time during a reception?  Usually the ceremony goes off late and everything gets bumped a bit further in the evening. Julie and The Grove rolled with the changes perfectly as well, even having dinner ready 15 minutes earlier than planned.  Good things happen when you are early and ready to go.

The bridal party entered shortly thereafter to "Forever" by Chris Brown and then the happy couple arrived to "Love Story" by Taylor Swift to thunderous applause and a few tears.  Spencer had played that song for Haley in the background as he proposed, so it will always hold a special place in their hearts.

First Dance!

Dinner then followed- the usual amazing cuisine by Shakka.  After toasts by the bridal party and parents, Haley and Spencer went into their first dance which started with "I Won't Give Up" by Jason Mraz but soon faded into "La La La" by LMFAO.  Everyone cheered their choreographed moves and they soon settled back into Mraz for the ending.  What a great first dance!  Father-Daughter and Mother-Son dances then followed with JT's "Suit & Tie" starting off some lively dancing.  

After a nice long fast set of music they moved into the Anniversary Dance, with Haley's grandparents being the final couple on the floor, having celebrated 61 years of happily married life together.  What an inspiration!  I was able to play them a couple more songs that evening including the "Tennessee Waltz" and "Laura's Theme" from Dr. Zhivago.  I hope I'm still dancing like they did when my wife and I celebrate 61 years as well.

It is great to work with such amazing professionals like Julie from The Grove and Vickie helping me spin the tunes, but most of all it is so important to work in concert with great photographers, and two of the best were capturing images all night: Tiffany and Dean from Follow Your Heart Photography.  I always am happy when I see them at an event.  Not only are you getting two amazing shooters with unique perspectives and styles but they are just great people who are happy to be doing what they are doing and always are striving to give 110%.  Some wedding professionals seem jaded or burned out doing what they do.  These are the people who should move on to another profession.  Tiffany & Dean genuinely love what they do and are able to preserve amazing moments for their brides & grooms.  It is a calling and a privilege to be a great wedding photographer or great wedding deejay and Tiffany & Dean have the same fire for their photography as I do emceeing and spinning tunes for people.  It helps too when you embody the love and commitment of marriage.  It comes through in your work and several times I've seen them steal a slow dance when all the events are finished and portraits taken.

Love is why Haley & Spencer married and had all their closest friends and family around them throughout the night.  Love is being married 61 years and getting up to dance at your granddaughter's wedding.  Love is playing a special song when you propose and having it played at your Grand Entrance.  Love is your photographers lost in a slow dance at the end of the evening.  Love is your friends and family serenading you singing "Don't Stop Believing" at the top of their lungs at the last song.  All of these things and countless more contributed to a special night for Spencer and Haley.  When there is that much love in the air, it can't help but solidify the bonds of the bride and groom and all the couples that witness it.  Good luck to Haley and Spencer and thanks for including me in your celebration.  I love my job!