Cinco de Mayo y El Cortez. That’s about all the Spanish you going to get from me. But in English I can tell you what a great day AND night it was at Rosie and Bruce Scannell’s wedding and reception in downtown San Diego at the historic and beautiful Don Room at the El Cortez. The weather was SPECTACULAR as was the crowd. Some of the toasts included references to “Napoleon Dynamite,” “Finding Nemo” (“Ello, my name’s Bruce…”), and Ping Pong, all things I’m very fond of. The bride and groom did an unusual first dance to the song “Loca,” by Shakira. The crowd went nuts! Other songs that went over well that night were “Yeah X3” by Chris Brown, “Dynamite” by Taio Cruz and anything by LMFAO. The gobo lighting was provided by Mike Farmer Entertainment as was the sound system for the ceremony. The ceremony was officiated by Pastor David Plank who kept it light and fun. Coordination was by Melanie with “Something Blue” weddings. GREAT job. Melanie made my job SOOOO much easier. And, really, isn’t that what it’s all about? =) Congrats and all the best to Bruce and Rosie!
Think about it
There are certain truths in life that simply should not be ignored. One of them is, “You can’t get something for nothing.” To extrapolate on that thought, you could also say, “You can’t get real good for real cheap.” We’ve all tried it, and more times than not we end up being disappointed. At the same time, you don’t necessarily get what you want just by spending a lot of money. So, basically what it comes down to is you have to spend a little more sometimes to get what you really want. But you also have to do your homework to make sure that what you are plopping down your (or somebody’s) hard-earned money for is a product or service you will be happy with. All of this is as true when you are hiring a DJ as it is when you are buying anything else – you’re not going to get “real good for real cheap.” The line of brides, grooms and event planners who have tried to save a few bucks by hiring a “discount dj” or a “family friend with an iPod” only to have their event ruined is LONG. Don’t be that bride, groom, or event planner. There’s one person your guests are going to have to listen to all night – whether it’s the music they play or the announcements they make, and that’s your DJ. Please, do yourself (and your guests) a favor, check the internet for reviews. Contact some recent clients. Ask other industry pros like photographers, videographers, caters, hotel staff, etc. Talk to a few DJs on the phone and/or in person. Email is great, but you don’t know what someone sounds/acts like by their emails. Remember this - hiring your DJ is going to be one of the most important decisions you will make when it comes to the success of your event. And also remember this – very few are disappointed when they’ve paid to have the best. To find out more, please give me a call. It won’t cost you anything and there is absolutely NO PRESSURE.
All the best,
Mike Farmer
Farmer’s Insurance Open 2012 gathering at Miramar’s Hanger 1. Guest speaker was celebrity golf analyst David Feherty. Except for a few lighting issues, it was a pretty cool event. Feherty has a deep and abiding admiration for this country’s military and he expresses it in no uncertain terms. Politically correct he is not. And I love that!
January 14, 2012 @Loft Seven, L.A., CA. The wedding reception of Brendan and Esther Cooney. I found myself on the rooftop of a building overlooking the streets of L.A. This was a multi-level affair. Dinner for about 250 people was downstairs on the 15th floor, while the bar and dance floor were on the roof. Wasn’t sure how many people were going to brave the January temps to come up and do some dancing. Boy, was I pleasantly surprised. The dance floor was packed from 9:00 till midnight when we finally had to shut er down. Honestly, I wasn’t feeling real good about this set up when I got to Loft Seven, but it turned out to be a fantastic night. And one of the best parts was that I was referred by a bride (Rachael Hershman) whose wedding I had done just 2 years earlier. She’s now a coordinator, and did an incredible job with this reception.
Here are some shots from Logan and Victoria’s wedding. To read more and see a video, scroll down a little. My thanks to Christine from Kiss The Camera photography for supplying these great shots.
Laura and Kosta’s wedding reception October 16, 2011 @ The Ultimate Skybox. Okay, with apologies to every other bride and groom I have ever worked for, I have to say the the Ultimate Skybox, overlooking Petco Park, has got to be the coolest place I have ever done a reception. This place is phenomenal! And the fact that Laura and Kosta got married on one of the most beautiful days of the year didn’t hurt at all. Laura Christin (bride) is a wedding photographer by trade so it was very cool having other industry professionals (friends) around. No pressure! Laura picked as her photographer Chelsea Anne Photography. She had SO MANY great shots and was kind enough to provide me with some for this blog. I recently booked another wedding at the U.S. and hope to book many more. Did I mention this place is awesome!? Thank you Laura and Kosta. It was a real treat being part of your big day. Up lighting and monogram lighting by MFE (me).
WOW! In the words of one of my all-time favorite comedians, the late Rodney Dangerfield, ”What a night, what a crowd, what a party!” Dave and Mindy’s wedding and reception at the beautiful Falkner Winery in Temecula was soooooooooo fun. Their crowd was definitely ready to party that night. Many of the guests were from Boston, and as it turned out, the Red Sox were playing the Tampa Bay Rays in the playoffs that night. The Sox won, which didn’t hurt the party AT ALL. Unfortunately, they lost the next day. The photographer, Kim Seidl, really captured the fun in many of her shots. The photo of Mindy and Dave “getting down” on the dance floor pretty much says it all. Great job Kim!
Robert and Joana Gaona October 15, 2011 Marina Village’s Bayview room. What I remember about this wedding was the great music list. The songs that Robert and Joana picked were just right for their crowd. I will also remember it was the first time I had a request for the song “Hello” by Martin Solveig and Dragonette. I hadn’t really previewed the song before playing it so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. They went NUTS! It’s been my favorite song since then. I find a way to play it at just about every event I do. Don’t worry, if you don’t like it or are burned out on it, just let me know and I won’t play it at your event =) I pride myself on playing the music my clients ask for and avoiding the ones they don’t want. As you can see, this bride and groom added up lighting and monogram (gobo) lighting. Both provided by MFE. I want to thank Evan Bishop Photography for providing this shots for my blog. I had the good pleasure of working with Evan again at a holiday party in early December. Great guy and awesome photographer!
Victoria and Logan Chism at Lawrence Welk Village July 16, 2011
Who would have guessed that one of the wildest weddings ever would be at a place called Lawrence Welk Village? I don’t think Lawrence ever envisioned anything like this! This was an absolutely wild group. They were ready to dance from the first song and the dance floor was FULL all night! I think you will enjoy watching this - especially when it gets to the glow sticks on “Don’t Stop Believin’.” Thanks to Logan and Victoria, as well as Victoria’s parents who were so nice and accommodating. Don’t know if I will ever be back to Lawrence Welk, but I will never forget it!
BioMed Realty Trust holiday party on December 16, 2011 at the Marriott Marquis, San Diego Ballroom. These folks know how to party, and were not ready to go home. Some holiday parties can be a little tedious. Not the case with BioMed. Would love to get these guys back next year. Hey, BioMed! Call me!! Up lighting by Mike Farmer Entertainment.
One of the more unique weddings I did this year was at the Pearl Motel in Pt. Loma. It was like a scene right out of the 60’s. Walking into this place was like stepping back in time. And that is exactly the feel that Erin and Alec (bride and groom) were looking for. Erin (formerly Vanta) is a wedding coordinator who I had worked with a couple of times before. She hired me to do her brother’s wedding last year after working another wedding 2 years ago. I was very excited to do her wedding as I love working for people in the industry. It’s a real “feather in your cap” when people “in the know” ask you to be part of their special day. This wedding was fun from the get-go. At the end of the night, Erin asked me to play a song and that she was going to lead people around the pool and then jump in. And once she did, it was on! Everyone started jumping in and getting thrown in - wedding party, mothers, anybody and just about everybody! Definitely a reception I will always remember. Thanks Erin and Alec!
WetnWild! Patrick and Claire Owens had their wedding and reception at the Franciscan Gardens in San Juan Capistrano on November 12, 2011. It’s an outdoor venue, and wouldn’t you know that rain was forecast for that weekend. The good news is that there were 2 other weddings scheduled there for that weekend, so the 3 couples were able to split the cost of having the patio tented. This bride and groom were not about to let a little bad weather ruin their special day. Claire even took the microphone during toasts to let everyone know this was the best day of her life! Personally,. I was a little nervous running my gear while standing in a puddle, but it all worked out. The dance area was pretty wet as well so I wasn’t too sure if guests were going to dance. Turns out, NO PROBLEM! An absolutely great time was had by all. Congrats Claire and Patrick!
Alyssa and Jose, August 26, 2011 @Wilson Creek Winery.
Alyssa and Jose (and their guests) were a blast to work for. As you can tell by these photos, they like to have a good time. Their first dance was a special mix they put together themsleves, and you can see they had fun with it. It was great working with Bob Hoffman Video and Photography again. We go way back, but I hadn’t worked with them in a while. They provided my blog with all of these great shots. Thanks Bob, Tara, Amanda, et. al. BTW, the purple up lighting was also provided by me. Very popular these days. Jose and Alyssa also had their names in lights. I do gobo (monogram) lighting as well.
