Posts tagged Fantasy Sound Event Services
Healy/Guptil Wedding at Leal Winery
Aug 31st
Mandy Healy and Bengy Guptil were joined in wedded bliss on August 27th, 2011 at the Leal Winery in Hollister, California. This was our first time working at Leal Winery, and we immediately fell in love with the venue! It was like a little slice of heaven in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by vineyards as far as the eye can see. Mandy and Bengy exchanged their vows in a sun-drenched ceremony on the grounds of the winery, in front of a sprawling pond that included a fountain and waterfall. It was a perfect day for a wedding, with not a single cloud in the sky! The bride and bridesmaids all held beautiful bouquets, arranged by Jinger of The Flower House.
After Mandy and Bengy shared their first kiss as husband and wife, the reception began across the property in the barrel room. Fantasy Sound Event Services was on hand to provide all the lighting. Mandy wanted to achieve an elegant and classic look, which she achieved with 6 candle chandeliers hanging throughout the barrel room, 1 custom monogram GOBO on the dance floor, and uplighting on the wine barrels. All the lighting, combined with her color palette of purple with black accents really lent a timeless feel to Mandy and Bengy’s wedding.
We really enjoyed working at Leal Winery , and we want to thank Mandy and Bengy for introducing us to such a great venue, and allowing us to be a part of their day. We wish them all the best in their future as a happily married couple!
Phillips/Mikel Wedding at the Martinelli Event Center
Aug 26th
Jodi Phillips and Matt Mikel became Mrs. and Mr. Mikel in a beautiful outdoor ceremony at the Martinelli Event Center on August 6th, 2011. It was a sunny and warm August day, without a single cloud in the sky. Jodi and Matt are a very energetic couple, and that energy definitely shined through during their ceremony. They exchanged jokes and laughter, which of course led to both Jodi and Matt shedding some happy tears.
The party moved in to the Banquet Room at the Martinelli Event Center, where the color palette of chocolate and ivory looked stunning with the amber uplighting and GOBO washes. Jodi and Matt’s energy was magnified throughout the reception, and it seemed as though everyone was bit by the energy bug! Jodi’s father gave a speech that was absolutely hilarious, and he brought the house down with laughter. The guests all had a great time in the photo booth, which was provided by D. Lillian Photography. She was the photographer for the wedding as well, and she provided all the pictures on this blog. We had an AMAZING time working with her! You can learn more about her at www.dlillianphotography.com, or call her at 916.662.3513.
Our DJ, Marshall, made sure to keep everyone on the dance floor, busting a move until the late hours of the evening. The bridal party made sure to get in on the action, by standing on the chairs at the head table and getting their groove on to Ke$ha’s “Your Love Is My Drug”. The real crowd-pleaser, however, was when the groom’s mother was introduced to the Oak Ridge Boys’ classic hit “Elvira”. The dance floor was packed, as every single guest at the wedding joined the bridal party in line-dancing.
Congratulations Jodi and Matt! We wish you all the best in your marriage, and we want to thank you for having us be a part of your special day!
Workman/Kabealo Wedding at the Palm Event Center
Aug 12th
Kate and Patrick were married May 6th, 2011 on a beautiful spring day at the Palm Event Center. The ceremony in the Estate Room was extremely intimate, with an abundance of candles warming up the entire room. Patrick’s cousin Brewer Stouffer was the officiant, and he stated that the love between Kate and Patrick was electric, and every person in the room could feel that electricity!
Our videographers Jillian and Fallan were on hand to capture all of the love, and they had an amazing time working with this couple. Kate and Patrick were extremely fun and energetic, and as such it was incredibly easy to transfer all of that energy to the screen. We have just finished editing their video, and we wanted to share it with all of you!
Thank you Kate and Patrick, for allowing us to be there to capture all of the magic on your special day. We wish you all the best in your life together!
Sanchez/Palacios Wedding at St. Mary’s College and Lafayette Park Hotel
Jul 22nd
On Friday, July 9th, 2011 Christina and Aaron were married in a wonderful ceremony inside the beautiful chapel on the Saint Mary’s campus in Moraga, California. The color palette of the wedding was a soft green and orange, which gave the entire wedding a light, summery feel. Christina made sure to incorporate the soft green in her dress, with a beautiful green accent at her waist, with matching green shoes. Her hair was done in soft curls, and Aaron couldn’t take his eyes off of her as she walked down the aisle. They exchanged their vows in a light and joyful ceremony.
The reception moved to the Lafayette Park Hotel, and that’s when the party really got started. Christina and Aaron appeased all their guests with kisses anytime people clinked their glasses, which happened often throughout dinner! The couple chose to cut their cake to an adorable song called “Chupee” by Cocoon, which is featured in one of the couple’s favorite movies L’arnacoeur. It was a perfect cake cutting song, because everyone was clapping to the beat of the song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJ5XOreQz28
The party continued to the dance floor, and Christina and Aaron played a little joke on everybody during the garter toss. Aaron pulled out a pair of Spongebob Squarepants boxers instead of a garter! It was such a funny moment to watch, and everyone enjoyed the moment.
Everyone had a great time on the dance floor! All the guests were asked to join Christina and Aaron in dancing to “Party Rock Anthem” by LMFAO. It was the perfect first song, because it’s so high energy, and it really set the tone for the rest of the night. The dancing continued on throughout the night, culminating in a dance-off to Daft Punk’s “One More Time”. Christina’s father Lou even got involved!
Congratulations to Christina and Aaron! Thank you for letting us be a part of your special day, and we wish you all the best in the future!
We’re Wedding Wire Rated!
Jul 1st
Fantasy Sound Event Services is now WeddingWire Rated for 2011!
Livermore, California – July 6th, 2011 – WeddingWire, the nation’s leading wedding technology company, is pleased to announce that Fantasy Sound Event Services is WeddingWire Rated 2011 for Disc Jockey, Videography, and Wedding Planning. WeddingWire Rated is an annual award program that distinguishes wedding vendors across the country for their excellence. Based on hundreds of thousands of recent wedding reviews, WeddingWire Rated is the most recognized and trusted brand among engaged couples looking to find the best local businesses for their wedding.
Fantasy Sound Event Services has 25 reviews on WeddingWire. Reviews by our newlywed clients include detailed ratings and insightful descriptions about their experiences working with our business and staff. Our reviews provide transparency for potential clients, assisting them in making the most informed decisions for their big day.
“We are delighted to unveil the 5th annual WeddingWire Rated program,” said Timothy Chi, CEO, WeddingWire, Inc. “Fantasy Sound Event Services has made a commitment to capturing their clients experiences on the nation’s leading wedding review site.”
As the largest site for wedding reviews, WeddingWire empowers engaged couples with the most comprehensive and trusted review system available. The WeddingWire Rated program provides Fantasy Sound Event Services with a simple platform to capture customer feedback from their wedding planning experience. Newly engaged couples can easily access all of the reviews for Fantasy Sound Event Services on WeddingWire.com. We would like to thank our newlyweds for our WeddingWire Rated 2011 recognition.
For more information, please visit Fantasy Sound Event Services on WeddingWire here.
For more information on WeddingWire Rated 2011, please visit www.WeddingWire.com.
Congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Loar!
Jun 23rd
Roux and Ian were married on Saturday June 4th in a beautiful outdoor ceremony at Murietta’s Well. They had a gorgeous color palette of light green and white, which certainly helped to brighten up the overcast and chilly day. Luckily, the heat lamps helped keep everyone nice and toasty during the ceremony! The ceremony was extremely emotional, with both Roux and Ian shedding tears of joy. It was a beautiful ceremony to watch, and you could tell they were so happy. They even snuck in a kiss right after they exchanged their heart warming vows! The ceremony was incredibly emotional, with both Roux and Ian shedding tears of joy. It was such a beautiful ceremony to watch!
Once Roux and Ian were declared Man and Wife, the party moved indoors. Our DJs Marshall and Elasia provided the music, and everyone was on the dance floor having a great time. Ian and his best man had an amusing “Bro-ment” on the dance floor, to “Once in a Lifetime” by the Talking Heads. It was awesome!
We had a great time with Roux and Ian, and we wish them all the best. Thank you for letting us be a part of your special day! Also, thank you to Christina Hernandez from Nightingale Photography for providing us with this wonderful photo of Roux and Ian with our DJ Marshall. Christina was on hand to capture all the beautiful moments from the wedding, and she does amazing work! Check out her blog post about Roux and Ian at http://nightingalephotosblog.com/?p=2332.
“How to Find A Photographer” by Rhee Bevere
Jun 17th
Choosing a Photographer is not as daunting as you think!
You do a quick internet search and whamo – five billion listings for wedding photographer! Are you kidding me? Next, you try a wedding magazine, a popular one, and check the listings. Row upon row of little thumbnails and listings. Where do you start? Whom do you trust? And can it be less overwhelming?
Know what your budget allows first, before you look.
If I could have had any photographer in the world, the one I would have chosen would have cost us the same as our entire budget. Yes, entire budget! Okay, so we had a tiny budget. :D
Agree to how important photography is to you, and how much you want to spend. If it is important, add on an extra $1000 to give yourself some shopping room. If it’s not that important to you, then don’t go above the budget you set, and save that money for what IS important to you.
Start with what you know!
First, ask your venue if they have a list of trusted photographers. Many venues keep this list up to date, some don’t, and some actually require the vendors to pay to be listed. Keep an open mind and check them out anyway. Also, ask the person you’ve been working with at the site if they have recommendations. Sometimes they may give you a few extra names not on the lists.
By getting venue lists first, you’re hopefully guaranteeing that you will eliminate those photographers who have only been doing this for a handful of times and threw a few images up on a website. In fact, ask all the venues you visit for their list! Heck, ask your DJ, your florist, your dress shop…everyone!
Visit each of their websites
Which one really appeals to you? Do you see a pattern of styles you like more than others? There are many styles out there, some like me specialize in documentary style, others “editorial” style (like a fashion magazine), and others are more traditional.
Do you see yourselves wanted a lot of posed photos? Why not, right? To show off the dress, the hair, the tux… if so, lean more toward the editorial style. Photographers like me who are documentary like to get our couples back to their party as soon as possible, so we don’t spend as much time with poses and set ups.
Get in touch with no more than five
Five? Why so few? If you go over that number, you’ll find yourselves overwhelmed with the responses and will not be able to keep them straight. By only approaching five or fewer, you can ask questions, take notes, meet in person or by phone, then decide if you need to explore further. At this point, be sure to do some research on Yelp as well as asking for a past bride’s referral or two.
By Email: what to find out before committing to a meeting
Your time is precious – and so is theirs. Ask three things when emailing photographers to weed down to your top three:
1. My date is ______. It will be at ______. Are you available?
(Why do you tell them where the wedding will be? Travel time. I’ve had to decline weddings in Carmel on the day after a wedding in Healdsburg and I’d rather tell them ASAP so they can move on to another photographer)
2. We’re budging between $ and $ thousand, will that fall within your packages range?
(It’s nearly impossible to compare photographers by price because there are so many different variables! But by providing what you’ve budgeted, you’ll be pleasantly surprised how many photographers will go out of their way to help guide you toward something that works, and lets you see quickly if you’ve budgeted enough for your taste level.)
3. Is it possible for me to see an entire wedding on Pictage or on an online proof site?
(The big one! By seeing an entire wedding, you will see what YOU can expect to get. Ask them to pick a wedding that’s similar to yours, ie, outdoors, church, nighttime, etc.)
Meet face to face with only your top three
Again, to keep things from getting overwhelming, only visit with the top three photographers you’ve selected. You’ll be looking for a great fit personality wise, as well as the kinds of products they offer.
In Person: ask the “Anderson Cooper” BIG Questions
Ask every photographer these questions – these makes more sense to you as the client rather than “what kind of camera do you have?” It will quickly separate the professionals who know what they’re doing and do it well from those still “fakin’ it to make it.”
1) How many weddings have you shot as the lead photographer?
2) Are YOU the one who will shoot my wedding? If not, who will be and can I meet him or her? If so, will that be in our agreement?
3) Do you carry insurance to cover the cost of redoing some photos if something happens to my images? What about liability?
4) In case something happens to you and you can’t shoot our wedding, what will you do? Is that in our agreement?
5) Do you color balance my images to make sure they look as beautiful as my day was?
6) Do you bring back up equipment?
7) Are your second shooters actual professional photographers, or people learning on the job?
Are all the images on your website from weddings where you were the lead photographer? Were they from you as a second shooter? Were any of the brides models, paid or unpaid, on your website?9) Can I see an album? Is this the same that’s in your package? How long is this album guaranteed to last? Is this same retouching you’ve done on the images you’ve shown us in this album the same as what we’ll get with our album? Or is it extra?
The Decision: go with your gut!
If something doesn’t seem right, let it go and move on to the next photographer.
Sign with the one you love
But what if they’re out of your budget? Two things -
First, if all of your favorites were out of your budget, it may mean your budget wasn’t realistic to what you want. You’ll either need to go back and adjust your budget to fit your taste level, or reassess the photographers you’ve chosen.
Second, if they’re only slightly outside your budget, see if you can find a way to make it work. Does the photographer offer a registry so guests can help with the costs? Do they have a payment plan? Is there something they’ve included in a package that perhaps come out?
Photographers always prefer to work with couples who really love their work and usually will try to help if they can, but understand that they’re also running a business and may not be able to offer substantial discounts, especially if they’re already offering their package as low as they can go.
Tell the world!
By telling your guests who your photographer is and that you’d love to register with them, enterprising guests will see this as a great opportunity to get you what you want. We’ve seen many a dent in an album thanks to registries! Also, if your photographer is on Pictage, each guest who pre-registers often gets a “thank you” credit towards their print purchase.
Best of luck on your photographer search!
Meet Marshall!
Jun 16th
Name: Marshall Benjamin Roberts, Disc Jockey
Hometown: Clayton, CA
Favorite part of a wedding: My favorite part of a wedding is listening to the speeches because they are always entertaining and usually funny.
Which three words best describe you: Spontaneous, outgoing, and dedicated.
What are your favorite hobbies: Anything to do with sports, cars, music and the outdoors.
Favorite sports to watch: My favorite sports to watch are football, racing and basketball.
What makes you laugh: Things that make me laugh are babies, other people laughing, good jokes and good one-liners.
Favorite vacation spot: My favorite vacation spot so far would be Jamaica.
Favorite quote: “I always prefer to believe the best of everybody; it saves so much trouble” -Rudyard Kipling and “A woman’s guess is much more accurate than a man’s certainty.” -Rudyard Kipling
Favorite movie: I have a million favorite movies, but some of them are Dazed and Confused, Home Alone, The Toy Story trilogy, The Friday trilogy, Lion King, Dances With Wolves and many more!
Favorite music genre: It is hard to pick a favorite genre of music but I listen to classic rock, country and hip-hop the most. I also love some good soul music!
Pearls of Wisdom: Wisdom is the sharing of wise experiences and knowledge, but a lot of it is common sense. The difference is how we apply this common sense – we all have the ability to keep going even when we face challenges in our lives – basically it comes down to your attitude. We can have a positive attitude towards life, or a negative attitude. We can focus on the good or we can focus on the bad. Keeping a positive mental attitude is one of the keys to success. The choice is always up to you!
If you weren’t in your current profession, what would you do instead: If I was not in my current profession, I would probably be doing construction full-time and trying to take night classes to finish college.
What’s the best advice you can give to a couple when planning their wedding: The best advice I can give a couple would be to stick it out through all of the frustrations that pop up while while planning a wedding. It goes by quick, so make sure you take the time to enjoy the entire experience. If you pick the right vendors to work with, then you have very little to worry about. Also, remember that it is all about YOU and nobody else!
We Love Cake Delight!
Jun 9th
A wedding cake is an important part of your reception so it has to be beautiful and delicious to please your guests. It should not only match the style and theme of your wedding but also be a proper reflection of you as a couple. The cake is a symbol of a couple’s love, trust, and commitment. Cake Delight will help you select the right design, size, frosting, cake flavors and fillings for the most exciting and important event of your life. Contact them at 925.373.7786, or check out their website at www.cakedelight.com.
Introducing….
Jun 3rd
Our new 12′x12′ beaded chandelier! Isn’t it gorgeous? Check out a couple of preview pictures for an upcoming wedding at The Palm Event Center. We hope our brides love it as much as we do!
