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Angela and Kristofer’s Dance Party - Hotel Del Coronado Wedding

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A perfect Southern California late afternoon for a perfect Coronado wedding, right on the beach. 

Angela and Kris celebrated their wedding day at the always majestic Hotel Del Coronado in Coronado, California. They took full advantage of having a Southern California wedding with a ceremony right on the sands of Coronado Beach.

The evening continued with an oceanside cocktail hour and experience (literally … a dining room was created on the beach by event decorators Platinum Pro) and finally moving inside the hotel for a dance party to conclude the night.

Angela and Kris were great to work with. Congratulations!

The party got off to a fast start since each couple in their wedding party walked/danced out to their own song … the last of which was Montell Jordan’s “This Is How We Do It.” And really, if you cannot get hyped up to that, then you don’t really need to be near a dance floor.

I provided DJ service, dance floor lighting and the slow motion video booth. The dance party included two bars, drinks and candy, to keep the guests filled with spirits and sugar.

After spending a considerable amount of time on the beach, the dance party inside was just two hours long. So it was a lot of quick hits so I could get in as much as I could.

Here’s their setlist:
Montell Jordan - This Is How We Do It
Usher - Yeah (Wedding Crasherz Break)
House of Pain - Old School Jump Off
Britney Spears, Iggy Azalea - Pretty Girls (Select Mix Remix)
George Clinton - Atomic Dog (Hot Classics Remix)
Kool & the Gang - Celebration
KC & The Sunshine Band - Boogie Shoes (Hot Classics Remix)
Marky Mark & The Funky Bunch - Good Vibrations (Select Mix Remix)
Whitney Houston - How Will I Know (Select Mix Remix)
Mariah Carey - Emotions (Select Mix Remix)
Boyz II Men - Motownphilly
Bell Biv Devoe - Poison
Eazy-E - We Want Eazy
Notorious B.I.G. - Hypnotize
Skee-Lo - I Wish (Select Mix Remix)
Next - Too Close
Backstreet Boys - I Want it That Way
Marvin Gaye - Sexual Healing
Silento - Watch Me
Chromeo - Jealous (I Ain't With It)
Aerosmith - Walk This Way
AC/DC - You Shook Me All Night Long (Short Edit)
Journey - Don't Stop Believin (Intro Clean)
Major Lazer & DJ Snake f./MO - Lean On
The Weeknd - Can't Feel My Face (Select Mix Remix)
Marcia Griffiths - Electric Boogie
Al Green - Let's Stay Together
Flo Rida f./Sage The Gemini - GDFR (Goin' Down For Real) (Promo Only Clean Edit)

Bouquet/Garters Toss
Jagged Edge - Where The Party At
V.I.C. - Wobble

Last Dance
OMI & Felix Jahen - Cheerleader (DjGogos Remix) (Clean)

Vendor Team:
DJ: Justin Kanoya, DJ Kanoya Productions
Venue: Hotel Del Coronado
Florals & Design: Platinum Pro
Wedding Coordinator: Emily Smiley Fine Weddings & Soirees
Photographer: The Youngrens
Slow Motion Video Booth: DJ Kanoya Productions

Other events hosted by DJ Kanoya Productions at the Hotel del Coronado

Dear Lululemon: You’re Doing It Right ... And This Has Nothing To Do With Clothes

This letter is to no one in particular at Lululemon. It could be a customer service manager, marketing director, executive Vice President or maybe even CEO Laurent Potdevin himself. 

This letter is to anyone at Lululemon who would find it comforting to know you are doing it right. And I’m not just speaking about your product line, because yes that is all kinds of right, but I’m speaking about your corporate culture. 

The values you instill in your employees and the way they carry those values through the customer experience, it’s all working.

Where is this coming from? Let’s take a step back to just over a year ago.

My wife and daughter enjoy frozen treats at the 2015 Seawheeze Half Marathon race expo. 

Are you familiar with the movie “Sliding Doors”? The lead character, played by Gwenyth Paltrow, faces a crossroad at the beginning of her day as she descends upon a stairwell at a subway station. In one scenario, she snags her coat on a handrail causing her to miss her train by just seconds. In the other scenario, she does not miss the train. The movie goes on to explore how different her life plays out based on the outcome of those two scenarios. 

In life, we also have these scenarios. A missed train or bus; a missed green light; dorming on the fifth floor instead of the fourth floor freshman year in college. The outcomes of these varying experiences affect who we meet, who we become friends with and the direction are lives go.

At the age of 40, I have had many “sliding door” situations. I can pinpoint two that I would label as “life changing.”

The first was a phone call I made that ultimately led to an internship during college, which led to my first job out of college, which led to another job, which led to meeting my wife, which led to  … well you get the idea.

The second of these moments was in February 2014 when I decided to attend a free run club meetup organized by the Lululemon store in La Jolla, California. The announcement, posted on Facebook, promised a healthy dose of hill work. This was something I needed because I was running the “hilly” La Jolla half marathon just a few weeks later. Had there been no mention of hills, I probably would not have attended. I didn’t really have any other incentive as I was already participating in another run group and I wasn’t necessarily looking to find another social group. I just wanted to learn a little hill running technique. 

I showed up, met Lululemon run ambassador, Sheri Matthews, and had a great workout. The following week I returned and eventually became a regular attendee through the spring and summer. 

During those months I met a lot of people and I got to know them as we shared running miles. I also learned of another free workout group, November Project, and started regularly attending those workouts in late August. At this point I was inadvertently expanding my social circle and getting into the best shape of my life.

Many of the people I was training with each week were employees from the various San Diego based Lululemon stores. I was also meeting other ambassadors such as Helen Cloots and newly crowned run ambassador and November Project San Diego co-leader, Lauren Padula. 

Through my interactions with ambassadors (whether at a workout or a casual conversation) and the employees (whether at a workout or shopping) I was also learning more about Lululemon’s culture.

I saw how these people were setting goals and committing to them. I saw how nonsense of the past didn’t bother them and it was all about forward thinking. I realized that the life we create is just that … it is the life we create. It doesn’t need to be dictated by someone else. Only we have the power to write our own history and make the best of whatever “sliding door” we take.

I also watched as people around me were leaving their jobs and diving directly into a life that means something to them.

And so I did the same thing.

I delivered this message to my co-workers the day I announced I was leaving my "day job" after a 13-year career in public service.

After years of pondering and 13 years in the same government job, I walked away to build up a mobile DJ business that I have half-committed to for the past decade. The decision to do that was not an easy one. But I realize the trigger to make that decision all stems back to that one day I said “yes” to attending a hilly, Lululemon run club workout.

You’re doing it right Lululemon. The values you instill in your employees means they carefully choose who their local ambassadors are. It’s not just someone that looks good in your clothes, but someone that also breathes the same values you hold important. 

These employees have also become my friends, both offline and online. 

When is the last time you “Facebook friend requested” a retail sales clerk … probably never?

I’ve started to brand myself as both a fitness and yoga DJ, providing beats for Lululemon shoppers and one very special yoga event at Parq San Diego nightclub.

On occassion I have the privilege of DJing for Lululemon customers at Fashion Valley Mall and downtown La Jolla. 

Lululemon run ambassadors, Pace Beavers and all around awesome ladies, Lauren Padula (left) and Sheri Matthews. 

Running the 2015 Seawheeze Half Marathon
Now this journey has come full circle.

This past week I descended upon the homebase of Lululemon in Vancouver, B.C. to participate in the annual pilgrimage of runners and yogi’s at the Seawheeze Half Marathon. It served as the perfect bookend to this summer, which of course started in May when I quit my “day job.”

Here I was, in the beautiful city of Vancouver, with my strongest supporters, my wife and daughter who cheer me on in life and in running and I was set to run a race orchestrated by a company that has brought so many other supportive friends into my life. 

Coincidentally, two of them -- the aforementioned, Lauren and Sheri (shown in the photo on the right) -- were official pacers, running about 20 minutes ahead of me. It was poetic that ultimately Lululemon was what led me to these ladies. They’ve helped me set and achieve personal goals by following in their virtual footsteps, setting the pace for the next chapter in my life. But on this day, I was literally following them, en route to a 1 hour and 57 minute finish time.

At the end of the race -- as they do everytime I am working out with them -- there they were, with a big hug and high five.

I suppose the only way to end this would be to say thank you. Keep treating your employees right and they will continue to treat your customers right. It’s amazing how that philosophy trickles down.

Thank you.

Offer Added Value, Not Discounts

A lesson learned from East Coast DJs

At the 2015 DJ Expo, attended by hundreds of wedding and mobile DJs, ideas are traded around among the attendees that represent all corners of the globe and of course, the United States. Of course this presents different points of view, particularly on the topic of sales. 

Temecula, California based wedding DJ, Jay Brannan and Wisconsin based wedding DJ, Brian Redd, picked up on a noticeable difference on how East Coast DJs sell themselves differently than West Coast DJs (and Midwest, I'm assuming for Brian).

The not so secret sales tip: They don't sell themselves short. 

The DJ Expo is lit up by manufacturers such as American DJ, who are on hand to promote their latest product offerings. 

Inquiring clients are always looking to save money. But they are also interested in added value. That is exactly, in general terms, the East Coast DJs sales approach.

Think of this situation than many of us have likely been in ... making a big DJ gear purchase. You've got a package of two speakers with stands offered to you for $1,200. A three year service plan on the items will cost you $300 and speaker bags an additional $100 -- a $400 combined value. You are hoping to pay a little less on the speakers so you can afford the additional $400. Your salesperson explains while he cannot offer any lower on the speakers, he can provide the service plan and bags for $200 (instead of $400). 

You've just been offered something that will provide you exactly what you want, and although you'll need to spend an additional $200, you are actually saving some money too. You've been offered additional value and take the deal.

In a competitive wedding DJ market, you will always experience customers that need to cut costs. Understandably, those customers are comparing once price to the other and unless they understand the difference in value, they will ultimately go with the lesser price. However as a professional, you/me/we need to convey why we are a better value because of our experience. We need to be ready to explain why we are charging more and why we are a better value. 

Now think of your own scenario. Your offer a quote for wedding DJ service for $1,400 and someone else has quoted a potential client $995. Naturally they are looking to you to match that.

The East Coast DJ mentality would be to simply say no, but offer added value. Perhaps it's a wireless speaker set-up, a cake pin spot, an additional hour of service, etc. Whatever it is, it's something that you are equipped to offer that the other guy does not. And you are able to do so because you've been doing this for 10+ years. You have added value, both in terms of your experience as a wedding MC and host, and in terms of extra pieces of gear that will enhance that potential clients event.

Now that potential client is an ACTUAL client because they recognize your value.

Thank you to Brian and Jay for sharing these thoughts. Here's the video:

Brian Redd and Jay Brannan, DJs who specialize in wedding DJ entertainment, describe how the East Coast DJ mentality helps them earn what they know they are worth.

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Brothers Signature Catering & Events - Slow Motion Video

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The slow motion video booth and props before the party begins.

When Brothers Signature Catering & Events, a San Diego special events and wedding caterer, celebrated the opening of their new kitchen and office building, they called on DJ Kanoya Productions to provide the soundtrack to the evening.

The slow motion video booth was also set-up and we captured some great moments. 

A slow motion video booth is a great way to remember the people that attended your event as well as all of the fun they had while they were there. For more information, submit your event details on the "request for quote" page. 

Most of the people wearing black are Brothers staff members and you can tell this is a special family business that employs people that love working together. Enjoy!


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Newsflash: Same-Sex Wedding Photographs Look Like Every Other Wedding

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A fairly popular hashtag on social media in recent months has been #loveislove, a mantra that was linked to the Supreme Court decision that made gay marriage legal throughout the United States. 

On the surface, the tag made sense to me, because love is love. What else would it be?

As an MC at hundreds of weddings in the past decade, I've witnessed love first hand. Seriously, I don't know if two people have ever been more in love with each other than on their wedding day. It is love defined.

Same-sex marriage was legalized in California in early 2008, then was rescinded in the November 2008 election. The proposition that made same-sex marriage illegal in that election was thrown out in 2013 and since then -- and up until the nationwide ban was lifted -- California was one of the states where same-sex marriage was legal.

However it was not until 2015, coincidentally about one month before the Supreme Court decision was made, that I MC'd my first same-sex wedding in San Diego at the Hotel Del Coronado.

And yes, there is a difference. It was two men getting married. That's different than the previous 300 or so weddings I have been privileged to be a part of.

But the one thing that was not different ... love. Because, yes, love is love. 

Sure, there are things I had to be mindful of, like being mindful to not to say "bride and groom" (in general, just say the couples first names); asking politely which last name I would use for their introduction (the same thing I would ask any couple); and being non-chalant when inquiring if there would be a best man and maid of honor (just ask who will be making up your wedding party).

This idea is illustrated perfectly in this photo essay. Twenty-two wedding photos. Twenty-two gay couples that are in love with each other.

Brian and Todd are toasted at the wedding on the beach in Coronado. They celebrated their wedding at the Hotel Del Coronado in May 2015.

This concept that love is indeed love finally struck me when I saw my couple, Brian and Todd, standing side-by-side as they listened to their friend give his toast. There they were, standing next to each other, basking in the euphoria that this was their wedding day. They were surrounded by people they love and people that love them back equally.

Until that moment, I will admit, I saw them as two guys ... as a gay couple. But at that moment, surrounded by love, they were not "just two gay guys" ... they were like every other couple on their wedding day.

They were two people in love. The gender didn't matter.

 Love knows no boundaries. It was "love is love" personified.