I have noticed big changes in the wedding format. Long gone is the typical wedding with the standard events. This is a new age and it is the have it your way wedding. Keep in mind that this is one of the biggest events in the bride and groom’s lifetime so they should have the say on what should take place.

Long ago a lot of wedding were done at a church or religious building or courthouse. Now folks are getting married at a venue so the dj can provide sound for the officiant and the ceremony music.

Grand entrance is done 99 percent of the time. Usually the bride and groom and taking photos during cocktail hour then when they are done they are announced. But I have been noticing that bride and grooms are just announcing themselves and occasionally the wedding party.

Money dance is far and few. I have not done many of those of late. Folks are moving away from that. In case you don’t know, the money dance is where the bride and groom dance with guests and guests give donations to the bride and groom. It’s a nice gesture since the bride and groom are busy during the wedding but it gives time to have one on one conversations.

Garter toss and Bouquet toss are not really happening. Most of the weddings I am doing now are smaller thus there can be less single people so a lot of couples have been skipping that.

All and all, the bride and groom can opt to do events or not do them. I never tell them they should do an event since I want them to enjoy what they are doing. Keep in mind, this is the bride and grooms’ party so they can have it their way!

Sometimes you may think why not have a grand event in your back yard. I have to say most backyards may not be as fancy but if you live in the south county area some folks have more real estate to have a grand event. A few months ago I did a fun quincenera in San Martin. The house had plenty of acres and a nice paver area for the dance floor. Last week, I returned to the house and they now had overhangs to provide needed shade and lights. It gave it a really nice look. The place could consider maybe having more events since its so spacious and there is plenty of parking but that is besides the point.

We had the ceremony as the groom’s dad was the officiant. Five minutes before the ceremony we played the military wake up call to get everyone in their seats. Ceremony was a nice one then it went straight to the cocktail time. There was no grand entrance since bride and groom didn’t leave the area to take pictures and were able to partake in the cocktail hour.

We did the first dance to pantera and there were many parent dances. Then the rest of the night we had open dancing. There were some guest performances with folklorico dancing and grandma and niece had a duet. Then we had a surprise jam session with the groom on his electrical guitar. Truly a very talented family. No two weddings are ever the same.

A few years back I had a student reach out since she was going to get married. It was a small ceremony in Los Gatos. She knew I was a dj so I was going to set up the sound for the ceremony and then do the reception. Then she asked if I could marry them. I never have done it before but they did not know any ministers and really wanted me to do it. So I went online and I was able to marry folks in California. As I teacher, I have no issues speaking in front of a crowd. We had a nice ceremony and the thought was I was in retirement as an officiant.

I get a lot of scam calls and I rarely answer a phone call when I don’t recognize the number. I would listen to the voicemail. I got one call then the caller called again. I felt it had to be important so I picked up. The couple was scheduled to be married at 5 today but their officiant backed out. The couple really wanted to get married today since it was their anniversary. I was scheduled to get my vaccine booster shot and to take care of baby.

I really wanted to help him out. Driving off to Gilroy would have been a lot of trouble for me since it was prime time at the freeway. He mentioned if we can do it via zoom. All I had to do was look for my script that I had and refreshed the names. I shared with the couple to see if they had any changes. The only change was they wanted their own vows. They got married in their car via zoom. You got to love technology!

I got to do the wedding for a charming couple in los Gatos. They got married in the beautiful Chapel on the Hill in Los Gatos off Highway 17. The pre-ceremony music was awesome with famous songs made into piano covers. People could recognize the song after a few notes. Reverend Kim did an awesome ceremony and loved her positive energy.  They had a nice short ceremony then that’s when the party started. 

I loved setting up the playlist for this wedding. The majority of the music comes from one of the best time periods of all time for music and that is the 90s and 2000s. The majority was r&b and hip hop based. Some of the best r&b ballads come from that time period. Songs that stood out for me was KCi and Jojo with All my Life and Crazy. Later on for the dance portion of the night it was a lot of Bay Area Anthems and West Coast Classics.

 The Grand entrance was a truly grand entrance. Every group in the wedding party had their own theme song as they entered to the reception area. A few had their own dance routine.

I loved working with the vendors. Q from the venue made sure my speakers were safe outside by getting an umbrella for my speakers. Alfredo provided these dance floor panels that were impeccable. Kayla’a crew with the catering provided good food and they made sure I was taken care of. Sarah and Fritz were the folks behind the cameras and we all synced to make sure we were all ready for the big events.

Truly one of my most favorite weddings with good energy and an awesome playlist. Thank you Melissa and Emilio. 

One of my go to songs to get any party started in any language is Suavemente by Elvis Crespo. This song gets the hips going into merengue dancing. It’s a really basic step and not complicated so it can make any one with basic Cuban motion look like they know what they are doing. Throw in some turns and you look like a hero on the dance floor. This song was released in 1998 but it is one of the most requested songs for every Spanish party. This one song is a must.

Despacito was a hit in 2017 but people are still requesting it. I even have folks who do not speak Spanish ask for it. It did appeal to non Spanish folks since they have a rendition with Justin Bieber in it.  It is a good raggaeton song.

La Chona by Los Tucanes De Tijuana is a jam. It has an infectious beat. I do remember doing a party and a patron told me grandma wants to hear that song at least 3 times. I am not one to play songs three times in a one night but this one you can get away with since its such a fun song. This song will get people to the dance floor in no time.

The last but not least song is The Caballo Dorado by Payaso de Rodeo. This is a line dance and I a least get two requests a night for a Spanish Party. It does start off slow then it picks up. The slowness gives folks time to line up and then it goes super fast. It is a crowd pleaser.

Right off Highway 152 in Gilroy, there is a winery that can hold many kinds of events. There is plenty of space around it to have a good festive event there. The winery is called Fortino Winery.

I had a call for a Holiday party for a school at Fortino Winery. I have gone to Fortino Winery a few times since its one of my favorites wineries with one of the best tasting rooms around. I do like the fact that it has a long bar at the tasting room and friendly hosts. I  always wanted to play there since it has a good feel.

At Fortino Winery they have a large area for big events. They are able to hold large weddings at their facility. They do also have a smaller venue area to have smaller parties. At this event they had about 10 tables with 10 seats each. You can easily fit 3 more tables to have at least 130 guests at this wine house venue. They had 10 tables and they had plenty of room for a dance floor and an area for the dj plus an area for the phtobooth and it’s props.  On the opposite end they had a self served drink station and a bartender serving drinks on the other end.  

Staff was very friendly and accommodating which a plus at a venue. At some venues, some staff members may say hi but Fortino staff made sure we were taking care of. So if they are that great to the vendors imagine how nice their guests.