“Should I invite a twice removed cousin to my son’s wedding?”

“This is a xx marriage for both my fiance and I, we have everything we need, should we put a note in our invitations that we don’t want gifts?”

“How do we let our guests know that donations to our Honeymoon would be better served than an actual gift?”

These and similar questions have come to me from clients in the past month.  I am also planning my own wedding and finding questions I didn’t realize I had.  I have decided to answer a couple of them each time I blog.

Q: “Should I invite a twice removed cousin to my son’s wedding?”

A: The guest list seems to be the first issue to arise.  Each person invited adds to the cost of the wedding and if you’re trying to maintain a budget, can get out of control quickly.

If the considered guest is not close to the Bride or Groom nor you then they probably won’t expect an invitation.  If they were to attend would they know many other guests or would you need to entertain them?  Your cousin will understand that the guest list consists mainly of the Bride and Groom’s closest friends and family.

Q:  “This is a xx marriage for both my fiance and I, we have everything we need, should we put a note in our invitations that we don’t want gifts?” and “How do we let our guests know that donations to our Honeymoon Fund would be better served than an actual gift?”

A:  I scoured the web for opinions on this subject.  Here’s what I found;  Gifts are up to the giver and should come from their heart not yours.  Majority opinion is that it is tacky to put something in the invitations regarding gifts or gift registry.  Miss Manners among others say, no no.

Most opinions favor putting “registry” information on a wedding website as “gift suggestions”.  Even more favorable was that “word of mouth” from your bridal party, family, etc. was the best bearer of this information.

There are Honeymoon Registries available however, Consumer Reports suggests reading the fine print since there are fees involved.  I found a few sites online that let you register for anything like gifts, money and honeymoon activities even donations towards mortgage, etc.  One of them was all “cash” gifts and the fees range from 1% to 5% of your withdrawal.

There were articles stating that it is quite appropriate these days for guests to give cash instead of gifts.  Many guests will bring cards so be sure to have an appropriate holder to collect them and keep them safe until after the reception.

Keep in mind that a Money Dance during the reception is where you dance with your guests in exchange for a generous contribution to your honeymoon fund.  I find that it is a “cultural” thing and done at filipino weddings as well as others where it is a tradition.  It is not unheard of to receive gifts as well as cash.

I have questions I would like you to answer for me…

Q.  We are getting married in Kauai and welcome people to join us but don’t expect them to travel for us.  Both Chad and I have the majority of our contacts (guest list) as friends on Facebook, etc. We don’t have many physical addresses to send announcements/invitations to.  The whole Electronic Invitation subject seems to have a 50/50 split of opinions on the web.

If you are a friend or relative of ours and hope for an invitation what is your opinion?  Do you expect us to retrieve your address and send a paper invitation or would you prefer and electronic one that you can RSVP to online?  We don’t want to forget anyone or leave anyone out by accident.

I have read several opinions on Wedding Websites and wondered what my friends and readers feel about them.  What do you think is the best way to communicate our plans to our guest list, friends and family?

I appreciate all of your opinions and hope this helps others as well!  More questions and planning suggestions forthcoming in the future weeks!

When trying to describe what the difference is in hiring a Disc Jockey versus an MC/Entertainer for your wedding, corporate or holiday party, Bar Mitzvah, Bat Mitzvah, School Dance, Summer picnic or any other private party and event this is one way to show you in video….

Today marks the 15th year anniversary of the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. April 19, 1995 and the week following is a period in time I will personally never forget.

My aunt lost her husband, my cousins lost their father, my father and his siblings lost a brother and my siblings and I lost our “Uncle Pete”.

Uncle Pete was one of the most influential people in my life. I know for a fact that his presence on this earth and his life touched many many others as well.

When you read articles written about him and his life you learn what he did for a living, how many children and grandchildren he left behind and you learn that he loved music.

When my brother, sister and I were little we went to spend the summer at “Uncle Pete’s”. We hung out with our cousins and played baseball, did the normal “kid stuff” and had a blast. But the main thing I remember was the music.

My Uncle Pete was a very talented musician and entertainer. He had a very large, charismatic personality. A “Joe Jackson” that was also the band leader! All of his children were part of the act. That particular summer there was a performance scheduled at a VFW or Eagle’s club and “Pete and his Family Tree” were rehearsing their Hula and singing skills. My cousins are all very talented dancers!

Even tough I had been in dance and music since the age of 2 I had never performed in front of strangers and was very shy. Uncle Pete made me learn the hula and sing with them. That experience never left me. From that summer forward I had the “performer bug”.

I started my entertainment company in 1995 and don’t know that I would have had the courage to do it if he hadn’t set an indelible impression on me at such a young age. The “stage fright” has never really left me but I’m not as shy as I was as a child. I love making people smile! I think the reason I love hosting Karaoke is because I get to do what he did for me – encourage people to sing and go beyond their comfort zones and release the inhibitions and fear!

My uncle was there for me in many ways along the years. He called me, “baby girl” and I always felt part of his family.

For my wedding in 1989, Uncle Pete honored me by flying in from Hawaii to play the keyboard and sing a duet with my friend Virginia as I walked down the aisle. Luckily we had the wedding videotaped and I always encourage my bride’s to have a video at their wedding to document the special people in their lives that may not always be here. I am so grateful to have that video since some of the guests at my wedding are no longer here with us in the physical and I can hear their voices and see their smiles to this day.

I became engaged again last week and when we began discussing the details of the upcoming wedding I realized that I miss my Uncle Pete tremendously. That’s also when I realized that although 15 years have passed since he was ripped away from our lives, he will always live in my heart, mind and soul and all the people whose lives he touched will never forget! Each of those people has a story and his influence on their lives will live on.

I know that Uncle Pete will be there in spirit on Kauai when I step onto that beach to marry my best friend and soulmate Chad.

Please take a moment from your life to remember not only the 168 people that lost their lives in the Oklahoma Bombing but all the people they loved and influenced as well!

In memory of my Uncle Pete (Peter Avillanoza); Thank you for the music you left in my life and I love you! – “baby girl”

A couple of weeks ago a prospective client Eileen phoned in a panic needing a DJ for her daughter’s wedding to take place in about three weeks.

Her son-in-law to be just got word that he is shipping off for Iraq so they needed to plan a last minute wedding at the lowest cost.

She told me that they had originally decided to simply hook up an I-Pod to the venue sound system and call it good. They figured it would save a lot of money and music is just “in the background” right?

She woke in the middle of the night with words from “God” asking her, “Who’s going to drive the event?”

“Drive the event?” she asked herself. Her mind started racing and questions started coming to her like:

Who will guide the flow of the timeline?

How will everyone know when to do what?

Who will keep the attention of the guests during the special traditions?

and….even though we are saving money on “music” who will set the “tone” of the celebration and be sure our guests and at minimum the Bride and Groom are having the best time of their lives???!!!!!!!!

She asked her photographer for any solutions and the photographer suggested hiring an MC/DJ to guide the event and gave her a referral to me.

I had been thinking of how to describe to people what I do as an MC/DJ/Event Planner. When she told me her story I realized that this is exactly what I do – I DRIVE EVENTS!!

I’m so excited to share my view of your special celebrations!

This is the beginning of my new blogs dedicated to tips and stories about being in the “driver’s seat” during the most important celebrations of your lives.

Stay tuned to get the rest of Eileen’s story and more…….

It’s been a busy 2010!! I can’t believe I can’t find enough time to “blog” more often….we’ve been doing lots of events and working on some pretty cool projects that we’ll show you as as soon as possilbe. Feel free to touch base on the message board or send me a direct email or phone call is even better! Look forward to seeing you soon!

We have family karaoke nights on Mondays at Zeek’s Pizza in the Issaquah Highlands.  It’s a really fun place for all ages to sing and the food is awesome!  Of course, every Wednesday and Saturday nights is 21+ Karaoke at Malarky’s in Issaquah.  This is what we do for fun when we’re not “driving” events!

Let us know if we can do anything for you!
Happy Easter!!

I can’t believe it’s already December!   Thanksgiving was quiet and relaxing and now we head into Holiday Party season.

We are looking forward to being part of the annual holiday celebrations we do every year.  We all look forward to seeing everyone and hearing updates about your lives and businesses.

So many of us have lost friends and family this past year and our thoughts and blessings are with everyone having a hard time in one way or another.   We wish everyone a happy end of the year and hope that next year brings positive abundance for all.

Here’s another great reason to come and sing at 88 Keys on a Monday or Tuesday night!

88 Keys Karaoke Nights – 88 Keys – Seattle – Events

Beyond Erika’s fun review you should come down and “sing” for yourself.  As usual we make the atmosphere fun and relaxed so if you’ve never gotten up on stage and belted out your favorite tune, this would be a great place to try!

See you there!

Here is the first of our monthly comic strip created by our own Karaoke/Gameshow Host/Artist Extraordinaire – Derek Matthew Rich…..

This past Monday night at 88 Keys Dueling Piano Bar in Pioneer Square, Seattle was Karaoke with your host – me!

The Seattle Karaoke All Stars were in the house and the following is an excerpt of a post by the groups moderator – “Dangerous Dan” and my response follows….

— In SeattleKaraokeStars@yahoogroups.com, “Dangerous Dan” <dangerousdan@…> wrote:

 “88 Keys is a huge venue, has awesome sound, a fun host with plenty of tunes, lots of video monitors.
 The great news for singers is the rotation was so short, we got to sing every 4th or 5th song.”

Hey Dan:

Thank you and Rena for coming to sing at 88 Keys on Monday, it’s always good to see and hear you two!

…..just to let you know, right after you left more people filtered in and there were about 25 total in the huge room   BUT it was a blast!

Shout out to Dave & Diana from this group – you rocked!  I look forward to seeing you two again soon!  If Christian and Tonya were also from this group – it was nice to hear you as well!  “Kaz” was celebrating his 30th birthday and there were out of towners from Austin, TX and So. Cal attending the Microsoft Conference and found our Karaoke show on Google.

I ended up playing until 2am so everyone could sing as much as possible (I didn’t have to sing anymore .

The cow bell and tambourine were going strong with some really great singers making people dance!  There are some pics up on my FB (not real great since I am using my Storm, but memories nonetheless)

See you soon!

Mari aka SeaDJGirl

 If you want to check it out for yourself come on down to 88 Keys on Mondays for Karaoke!  They have a full entertainment calendar you can check them out at www.88keyseattle.com 

You can check our Karaoke and Event Calendar on our website, Facebook, MySpace or follow us on Twitter for up to date info!

Virginia with Cobalt mortgage has teamed up with a few Real Estate professionals to present seminars/classes on how you can benefit from the $8,000 First-Time Homebuyer Tax Credit before the opportunity expires as we approach the end of the year. Basically, this tax credit is for first-time homebuyers only, and does not have to be repaid. The credit was made to help fuel home sales during the economic crisis, and it’s very apparent the market has picked up. Therefore, we’ve yet to hear any news saying the credit will be extended after it’s expiration date of December 1st, 2009.

Originally, the incentive was $7,500 in 2008, but 2009 purchasers have been handed the chance to take advantage of the credit for $500 more, and the buyer does not need to pay any of the $8,000 back.

To qualify, you must be a “first-time home buyer.” This means that neither you nor your spouse has owned a residence in the last 3 years, and it must be towards the purchase of a primary residence (single-family home, condo, townhome or co-op).

How does a tax credit work?

Every dollar of a tax credit reduces income taxes by a dollar.  Credits are claimed on an individual’s income tax return.  Thus, a qualified purchaser would figure out all the income items and exemptions and make all the calculations required to figure out his/her total tax due.  Then, once the total tax owed has been computed, tax credits are applied to reduce the total tax bill.
Example: So, if before taking any credits on a tax return a person has a total tax liability of $9,500, and $8,000 credit would wipe out all but $1,500 of the tax due ($9,500 – $8,000 = $1,500).

Also, since the credit is refundable, if your tax liability is lower than the $8,000 credit, the IRS will send you a check for the difference.  Also, the credit is currently targeted towards single taxpayers with incomes up to $75,000 and married couples with incomes up to $150,000, however some buyers may still be eligible even if thier incomes exceed those limits.  If a single buyer makes anywhere between $75,000 and $95,000, or a married couple makes between $150,000 and $170,000, the credit simply decreases.  However, if incomes exceed $95,000 for a single taxpayer, or $170,000 for a married couple, they are not eligible.

*Another thing to know about the credit, is although you do not have to pay it back, the credit will be recouped on the sale of a property if it is sold during the first 3 years after purchase.

To apply for the credit, all you have to do is claim it on your IRS Form 1040 Tax return.  there is no authorization, application, or approval process you need to go through other than just the standard approval process from a lender.

In addition to the tax credit, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 has several other provisions that will benefit homebuyers and housing market.

The legislation:

• Will help homebuyers in high-cost markets by extending the FHA, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac loan limit of $729,750 through the end of 2009.
• Allows state housing finance agencies to help homebuyers at closing by advancing the credit as a loan using proceeds from tax-exempt bonds.
• Extends the tax code section 25C credit for energy-efficient home improvements through the end of 2010; increases the credit rate from 10% to 30%; raises the lifetime cap from $500 to $1,500; expands the list of eligible improvements.
• Provides a “patch for Alternative Minimum Tax for the tax year 2009.

If you would like to learn more, attend one of our free classes or refer friends and family so they can find out if they qualify for the $8,000 tax credit!

 All seminars held at Cobalt Mortgage

 • Saturday, September 12th at 10am

11255 Kirkland Way, Ste 100, in Kirkland

• Saturday, September 12th at 2pm

11255 Kirkland Way, Ste 100, in Kirkland

• Wednesday, September 16th at 7pm

11255 Kirkland Way, Ste 100, in Kirkland

• Thursday, September 17th at 7pm

2345 Eastlake Ave E, Suite 201, in Seattle

 Attend and Learn:

• Why Buying Today Will Put $8,000 in Your Pocket!
• Why There Has Never Been a Better Time to Buy a Home
• How Renting Kills Your Net Worth
• How Buying a Home Will Increase Your Net Worth
• How to Be Credit Ready Today to Buy Tomorrow!

If you would like to attend, please RSVP as soon as possible so that we can plan and organize enough seating.

Call 425-605-1419

I highly recommend speaking with Virginia Lawson at Cobalt Mortgage if you are in need of a Mortgage Broker or have additional questions about the article above!