Some djs are prepared and send out an organized planner for bride and groom to fill out. I send that out and have couple complete it on Google docs so it can be edited at any time. I also include a long list of most popular songs to help out brides and grooms pick their music. 

If you are having a dj provide the ceremony music, I always recommend to have about 30 to 45 minutes of pre-ceremony music. I typically start music 30 minutes before the ceremony but sometimes the bride and groom need extra time or maybe some guests have not arrived yet. 

The Pre-ceremony music I mostly play instrumentals but it can be anything the bride and groom can cook up.

The Processional music can be 2 to 3 songs for wedding party, groom, and bride. 

The Recessional song would be the song everyone exits to.

In your song selections make sure you add the must play songs that you want at your wedding. Make sure to include songs that your guests and family would like also. Maybe you can include the old classics your parents would enjoy for the dinner portion of the reception. Keep in mind during the cocktail hour your family and wedding party will be taking photos so make sure your must play songs will be played after the cocktail time. 

On the same note, please let the dj know of what songs not to play. Maybe you do not want the Chicken Dance played so make sure the Dj does not play it. I never play it unless the hosts ask me to. There maybe a few songs on that list or maybe include a genre of what not to play. 

There has to be a lot of coordination when it comes to a destination wedding. Once a venue is secured then the rest becomes easier. These are good questions to ask your venue

Is your Venue all included?

1) Are there options to pick what you want to pick or is there everything included. Get quotes for everything to do a price comparison. Some venues do have packages and some may have add ons.

2) Are you flexible with other vendors?

Some venues are particular in selecting other outside vendors. Sometimes they have their preferred vendors on their list and if you want a particular vendor then they may charge you more or ask for a certain insurance. It would be good to be upfront with the venue on what you would want.

3) What spaces are available for the ceremony and the reception?

 It ideal to have the ceremony and reception in the same area to limit the driving from place to place especially if you have to rely on someone else for transportation. Some if it cannot be avoided if you are going to get married at a church. It would be good to find out how may guests can the venue hold for the ceremony and reception. Also if you are interested in a venue ask them what would happen if weather was not favorable and what would be another option in case they had to move the ceremony elsewhere. A good venue always has a plan B in case the unexpected happens.

 Less than half a block away from the happening downtown area is a very snazzy hotel called the Los Gatos Toll House Hotel. The first time I went there I was blown away with how classy the establishment was. They have a nice outside area for ceremonies then for the reception they have a nice reception area to dance the night away. They place the dance floor anywhere you want it. The staff members are always pleasant. They are the definition of good hospitality.

I did a holiday party at the Toll House this past weekend. The group really liked to party and they started at the bar first. It was cocktail hour and they wanted some party music. Then dinner started and they still wanted some music to jam to. This was not your typical dinner crowd where you are playing Sinatra and Nat King Cole.  

The owner had some inspiring words to his staff member and he mentioned it was their best year ever. Everyone was ready to celebrate. The party started early and it went straight to closing time. It seemed like everyone was heading downtown night scene which is like a half block away.

Again, if you want a classy place to have a wedding or an event then the Toll House in Los Gatos is the place to go. They have excellent service and a good venue to have a monumental event. And one of the coolest things about it, folks can walk half a block to continue the party if they want to or able to go upstairs to their room if they need to rest from all the fun they just had.

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.

 Last year I did a corporate holiday party in San Jose. It was a good time with lots of positive energy. They contacted me again and asked if I can do their event this year in Napa. For some reason I think of Napa being over 2 hours away but it is not that far from San Jose. Usually I only drive less than an hour to the events but I remember the positive vibe from the company event we had last year.

  I made sure we had two wireless microphones since at times there seems to be more than one event happening at a time. They were doing a raffle so they would read out numbers and the guests would receive nice prizes. It was their 25th year anniversary so we were instructed to stop what was happening every 25 minutes and make a game show sound and they would do a black jack game based on who was selected. The guests would have an option to keep the 50 dollars or a chance to double it by playing black jack. If they lose then they only get 25 dollars. It was fun on top of fun.

 As a dj you are supposed to not interrupt the speaker but with the 25-minute count down that did not matter. It was pretty humorous to play the Jeopardy daily double sound effect in the middle of someone speaking and it was black jack time.  Also during the night, they played the hi low game with big cards and guests had to predict if their card would be higher or lower than the dealer. The last guest standing would win a good prize.

 During the raffle, they would give out framed pictures of a comedian. So it felt like the white elephant prank. But the guests were not left out. Those three that got the gift was invited to play a game for big cash prizes at the end.

The company gave out nice prizes and the guests were super excited. The positive energy of playing of the games then transitioned to a night of dancing. It was an easy night of playing music since everyone was in positive spirits

The City offers a perfect urban atmosphere with plenty of beautiful scenery. It is one of the top U.S. cities to get married in. What makes San Francisco so scenic are the spacious parks, the skyscrapers in the business area, and let’s not forget the San Frans’ icons cable cars and the Famous Golden Gate Bridge. San Fran is surrounded by water so it can provide many beautiful pictures. At San Fran, they have various types of gourmet food made from fresh ingredient to make any venue menu mouthwatering.

Temperature wise San Francisco cannot do no wrong. It may get a little chili at times so make sure you have light jacket in case you get married in the summer.

Half Moon Bay is a small town with big scenic views. There are awesome beaches, fantastic golf courses and delicious food. May to October would be the prime months to go but at the same time it does draw crowds of its beauty.

Napa has very stunning views of acres of vineyards. It is famous for all the wonderful wine that it produces. Restaurants produce fabulous food that go with Napa wine. Napa Valley towns are filled with nice boutiques and galleries.

The best time to go would be the summer and October. September may be hard to book since it is their busy time unless you really pre-book.

The thing to do is to go wine tasting. There are so many wineries to chose from. Guests do have plenty to do when they are going to your destination wedding in Napa.