Lori and Tim had a fabulous wedding at Fortino Winery.  Weather could not be any better. What was a treat was with the shade installed on the grounds it was not hot for the ceremony and reception. Fortino Wineries has to be one of the best outside venues in the area since it has a lot of space and a good shelter from the sun. They had a nice ceremony in the grass area by the Officiant Frances. She did a fine job. They incorporated a Japanese tradition of planting a grape wine together. 

Grand Entrance consisted  of the bride and groom and mother of the bride with best man and maid of honor. 

Cocktail hour was only 30 minutes and the great food was served. Dinner had a good r&b vibe during the meal. 

A few toasts were made and one was made via recording that was very touching. The first dance was a special one. It started off as a country song then it turned into C + C Music Factory song with the lyrics Everybody Dance Now Looped 4 times. Folks were able to join the couple with their first dance. Right after dinner it started to get dark. So we arranged to get some uplights to add some color around the venue. Venue is already pretty but the uplights add accents. They were lined up with the trees and bushes. Uplights always add a nice touch. They are a classy touch and it gives the area a new vibe. 

Music was very diverse. It was a lot of old school throwbacks. It was a mix of 70s, 80s, 90s, and 00s.

Matt and Stefanie had a beautiful micro wedding at a Monte Serrano Residence. It was decorated beautifully that you would not think it was a residence but an actual venue. They had around 7 long tables wrapped around the house. We had enough volume for everyone to hear the toasts but we did not go too loud for the neighbors to call for loudness. 

They were married elsewhere and brought the party to Monte Serrano. 

 They kept their wedding events to the minimum so they can really focus on the toasts and the dancing. There was no bouquet or garter toss. I do notice of late a lot of couples are opting to not include all the wedding events. They can decide what to keep and what to drop. Bride and groom came in with the Chicago Bulls theme song. Knowing the Bulls dynasty, it’s a very epic intro song. 

The caterers were from Irvine. I know why these folks came up North for this wedding because their food was outstanding. I overheard one wedding guests say she had been to many weddings but never had food this good. I agree it was top notch food. 

The toasts were good ones while the best man, matrons of honor, and the dads of the bride and groom spoke. I truly enjoy listening to toasts since you able learn more about the bride and groom. 

We had plenty of dancing. A lot of the songs were fun throwback songs. The song of the night was Chumbawamba. I can honestly say I never played that live anywhere but this night and it was a hit. 

2021 weddings have been picking up and with 2022 coming in then it will be really busy. I typically do 1 to 2 weddings a month. Prepping for a wedding takes a whole lot more time than prepping for a birthday party or corporate event. 

When prepping for a meeting, one has to meet with the couple and get their vision for their big day. Once you get it then the bride and groom fill out their song lists and most of the songs I do have but with ones I don’t, I make sure I have the right version of it. Then before the wedding we meet again and go over everything in case anyting was added or changed. 

The Bay Area has to be one of the best places to have a wedding due to the weather. In the 8 days of the 3 weddings, the temperature could not be beat. And if it is hot then an umbrella would help out. One reception started at 2 with the other 2 started at 5. The one that started earlier was a little hot to start off but it was bearable. With the 5’oclock start receptions the temperature was perfect.

What I noticed about these weddings:

Only one of the three did a boquet toss and not one did a garter toss.

People were aching to get to the dancefloor

One wedding had a guest singer which added a nice touch.

The only way to make sure we did the events planned was with the wedding coordination sheet. Since the weddings were so close to each other the coordination sheet ensured nothing was forgotten. 

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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 the best outside venues in the Gilroy area is Fortino Winery.  I do like the fact that the space is so open and it was outside. I also liked I could bring my 12 inch speakers and it can be heard at the other end with ease. One does not need tons of speakers to be efficient at Fortino Winery. Its also a cool place since they have a big open space and another space to hold events in case one needs a plan b. They can easily hold two events at the same time and even wanted to can hold another outside event at the tables by the front parking.  I had the pleasure to play there this past weekend. It was a school staff event and it was a good time. The music theme was simple and it was just old school. 70s 80s and 90s. Again the food was top notch. They also had a photo booth which was fun for the folks.

The following day was my birthday. Pre covid I would opt to not work my birthday. But this party had the makings of something special. I heard the playlist that consisted of Spanish classics and 80s music. I am a sucker for the classics and I felt I needed to be at this party. The hostess gave me a lot of artists such as Thalia, Alejandro Fernandez, Paulina Rubio to set a good vibe. I have to vote for South County as one of the best places to have a residence event. We had the volume at a good amount and we didn’t have to worry about neighbors complain about the sound. 

I had a big school event after the lockdown. My last event before the lockdown was a school event and this event was a big school event in Palo Alto. 

I had posters made and students were sending their requests. I had three lists to work from and it was a good starting point. Student still wanted to make verbal requests so I just pointed to the posters which had the directions for requests. 

The school was awesome is having food trucks and they had a variety of different kinds of food. I was amazed that we were outside and everyone had a mask on when I started. I brought 4 speakers and it was loud enough for all the folks that showed up. It was plenty of volume for the outside venue. 

What I noticed was the request for older music. Typically at schools I play the newest latest music  but this time around a few new songs were played and songs from the 00s were very popular. I believe it has to be the popularity of tic tock which is bringing back the old school. The biggest songs of the night were by Calvin Harris which is considered edm or house music. The question of the night is house coming back? I remember playing it during proms in 2014 then it went away. I think playing a little of everything is fun so maybe it is coming back.

Overall, the chaperones made a huge difference. We had to make reminders of keeping the social distance. Students were very respectful and very ready to party since they have been lockdown for a while.

Once the first steps are done then the fun begins. A lot of folks do not know the names of songs but only have a few must haves. At BWADJ we send out playlists that are popular and it makes the song selection easier. Client can also include songs that are not on the list. I like having the list a week in advance so I can secure the music especially if its not on my list.  If it’s a wedding then BWADJ send a wedding coordination sheet with song suggestions and helps organize the events if no wedding planner is involved. A wedding is a custom event so there is no set way to do a wedding. Its based on what the bride and groom wants. If it’s a birthday party and the client wants party music the whole time then we do party music the whole time. Who needs to sit to eat dinner! Most of the time they do eat dinner sitting but it can always be an option! 

We keep in contact with the client to see how their list is going and to see if anything has changed. Then before the event we finally touch base to go over the game plan. 

We show up 1 to 2 hours before the event depending on how many set ups are needed. To set up one simple set up it takes 30 minutes. 

Then we have a fun event with dancing and memories being made.

The Gilroy Garlic Festival has been around for 41 years. It has been a pretty famous food event in the Bay Area for many years. It was the place to stock up on your Garlic flavored Ice Cream or Garlic dishes. Last year due to Covid, the festival and the rest of the world was shut down. But this year it has manifested to a new event. Years past it has operated at Christmas Hill Park. It is a huge park that could maintain the thousands of visitors. This year it is divided into three locations.

It included a drive by alley at Gilroy Presbyterian Church and a Farm to table dinner at Fortino Winery. And finally the Garlic Festival Golf Classic will be held July 30th. The festival has taken a new look and feel.

I was able to provide music at Fortino Winery. They had a little stage next to the vineyard where the folks were able to eat and listen to old school music. We decided the classics you can not go wrong. I went with 80’s new wave,  then jumped into the 90s. It was a fun atmosphere. My intention was just to play background music but the Gilroy folks wanted to dance and they did. The awesome Fortino staff were so accommodating to their patrons that the folks were happy. It was a good feel good vibe. Grandparents were with their grandchildren and couples were all there. It was a perfect mix.

It was a nice touch to have live music with great food. I was happy to be a part of it. When in doubt in choosing the music you cannot go wrong with going old school.