The Paipaikou Hongwanji is a venue that has been transformed over the last year. The wood grain walls and pillars did a lot to improve the venue's appearance. This has got to be one of the nicest and best kept event spaces for a Hongwanji on the island. It was a perfect setting for this country themed wedding. This was the wedding of Jon and Shailyn.

Country themed weddings are a great idea for a themed wedding. It can be described as rustic with a casual elegance. A very organic ambiance with a natural feel. Country music also has some of the greatest love songs that are perfect for weddings. Songs from Edwin McCain, Blake Shelton, and Heartland are artist and groups that provide just a few country wedding classics.

I was surprised at how much work the groom put into making the decorations for this party. There were wooden fences, tables, chairs, signs, along with hay on the floor. It was obvious a lot of work went into creating this atmosphere and it showed. The ambiance was fantastic! For the lighting for this night we used amber lighting with light shadowing and touches of white. Lighting like this helps preserve the natural look.



In the picture of the head table above there was amber lighting with white lighting on the remembrance pictures on each side of the head table. It's always a great idea to bring loved ones that could not be present into a wedding. It really adds something special. String lighting also works very well for a country themed wedding. We did not use that technique at this wedding, but I wanted to throw that out because of how well it goes with a country themed event. I look forward to many more country themed weddings in the future. Congratulations to the new Mr. & Mrs. Menino!

To contact the Papaikou Hongwanji Hall call (808) 964-1640. For more info on Eclipse Effect Entertainment services, please call (808) 936-3552 or email bookings@eclipseeffect.com. Don’t forget to sign up for our bridal newsletter filled with useful wedding tips and downloads. Click on the link on the left of this page to sign up and for your bonus download.

- Blog written by Jase Takeya. jase@eclipseeffect.com

Tags: papaikouhongwanji, papaikou, Hawaiiwedding, Hilowedding, reception, Bigislandwedding, Country, Countrytheme, Countrywedding, Bigisland

The Hilo Hawaiian Hotel offers many benefits for weddings. They offer many accommodations from a ceremony site, two rooms to hold a reception, lots of parking, areas near by for wedding photos, food, and rooms for family and friends. For the wedding of the brand new Mr & Mrs. Ragasa, the reception took place in the Mala Ikena. A room that holds meetings more often than weddings, but it provides a nice intimate setting for a reception.



The Mala Ikena room is the room next to the buffet. This room is great for a small wedding intimate wedding. That’s exactly the feel that Jon and Brenda was looking for. It was a nice reception with family and friends having easy access to each other for socializing and catching up. Dinner was trips to the buffet which also comes with free drinks for the night. I think this is fantastic idea for a wedding. Not only are your guests able to eat as much as they want including desserts, but with the unlimited drinks you basically have an open bar. For the lighting set up we decided to set up lighting around the perimeter of the room in the wedding colors of light blue and white. This room works well with uplighting because it is small in size with low ceiling. This allows the uplighting to reflect the lighting better off of the walls and ceiling.



With this set up there is no need for the top lights to be on. It’s nice to find rooms at venue that not many people think of holding weddings in often. For a nice small wedding on the East side of the island consider the Mala Ikena Room at the Hilo Hawaiian Hotel. With it’s great accommodations it the perfect venue for an intimate wedding. Congratulations to the newly married Jon & Brenda Ragasa! Two great people with many years of happiness to come.


- Photo by Christopher Parayno

For more info on weddings at Hilo Hawaiian Hotel call Dallas Ide (808) 935-9361or visit them at visit them online at http://www.castleresorts.com/Home/accommodations/hilo-Hawaiian-hotel. The cake for this wedding was made by Chef Coen of Hilo Bake Company. Visit them online at www.hilobakecompany.com. For more info on Eclipse Effect Entertainment services, please call (808) 936-3552 or email jase@eclipseeffect.com.

- Blog written by Jase Takeya. jase@eclipseeffect.com

Tags: Hilo Hawaiian Hotel, Banyan Drive, Hilo Weddings, Hawaii Wedding, Bigisland wedding, Wedding reception, Mala Ikena Room

Red is the color that first comes to mind when you think of Valentine’s Day. Red is a color of energy and passion. When comes to Valentine’s Day the color red signifies love. So for this pre-Valentine’s Day event at Imiloa it was only natural to light up the room with the color of love.



A couple of weeks ago Imiloa put on a acoustic concert with Kris Fuchigami, Ace Loughmiller, and Brittany Paiva. Acoustic concerts are great events for all ages to enjoy. Everyone can enjoy the smooth mellow music to end a crazy work week. The concert took place in the planetarium and during the concert the atmosphere they can create overhead is simply amazing. I hope it’s something they will be doing more of. For the lighting for the night I just had to use red to match the Valentine’s Day theme.



We also used a custom gobo to customize this concert using the Imiloa’s logo and the artist’s name.



It turned out to be a great event. It’s all part of Imiloa’s revamp to hold more community events. Last month they did a Frozen movie Sing-A-Long screening for the kids. We also had the pleasure of designing the room lighting for that event.



I like the effort Imiloa is putting on to get the community more involved with their venue. They are coming up with creative and fun events and they have more to come. To find out the latest events coming up at Imiloa Astronomy Center visit http://www.imiloahawaii.org. For more info on Eclipse Effect Entertainment services, please call (808) 936-3552 or email jase@eclipseeffect.com.

- Blog written by Jase Takeya. jase@eclipseeffect.com

Tags: Imiloa, Imiloaastronomycenter, UHH, Hilo, Hawaii, Bigisland, Concert, Kris Fuchigami, Ace Loughmiller, Brittany Paiva

The Wainaku Center is one of the most grand looking venues of the East side of the island. This former C. Brewer building that has been fixed up and restored to be a great location for a wedding. It has a look that rivals any venue in Waikoloa and provides a great ocean view as well as a fancy looking building. If you want a venue that has an elegant look to it, but don’t want to travel to Waikoloa due to the cost or convenience of your guests, this is the perfect wedding venue for you.



Recently we got to add to the beauty of the Wainaku Center. We provided lighting services for the brand new Mr. & Mrs. Filipovich. It was a day that started with an amazing wedding ceremony complete with a flower pedal drop from a helicopter. That is a sight to see! From there it was a reception where there was live acoustic music then dancing. We had a lot of fun teaming up with Pepe of CJ’s Sound for this wedding. The food was fantastic from Aloha Mondays. They are highly recommended. They use fresh ingredients grown here on the Big Island and have a creative menu.

Here is what we did for the lighting for the night. An original design we created in 2012 was to light up the whole exterior of the building and we have been refining the design since.



For this wedding we did lighting in teal as well as blue in the patio area to match the weddings ocean theme. We also did a palm tree pattern and white wash in the grass as well as string lighting under the tent. It was a design that really worked well for this wedding. Lighting is always a worthy addition to a wedding at this venue. The ocean view is a great back drop in the day time then the building becomes that great back drop at night. In all it’s always an elegant affair at the Wainaku Center. For more information on the Wainaku Center visit www.wainakuventures.com. Check out what delicious tasting Aloha Monday has this week by going to www.alohamondays.com. For more info on Eclipse Effect Entertainment services, please call (808) 936-3552 or email jase@eclipseeffect.com.

- Blog written by Jase Takeya. jase@eclipseeffect.com

Tags: Wainaku Center, Hilo Weddings, Aloha Mondays, CJ Sounds

The holidays are always a special time of the year. It’s a time when family and friends gather around for good food, good times, and healthy dose of laughter. With the New Year here, I can finally reflect back on the holidays. It was a time when I got to be a part of one of the most meaningful and close to me events of the year...a family reunion.

Sound and lighting is something we do almost every week, but when it comes to a family event you can’t help but feel that little added pressure. The second night of our reunion took place at the Hilo Meishoin. I wanted to put a lighting design that would be memorable and something of a gift to the family that I could be proud of. Lighting is a great addition that makes a huge impact to any event. It should always stand out it pictures creating a nice back drop or enhancing the visibility of the people or objects in the photos. The design I had in mind for this reunion would have a vibrant, modern, with an asian feel to it.



For this design I did blue color scheme to match the reunion color theme. Bamboo gobos were also placed on the stage walls overlapping the green lighting to enhance the Japanese theme. In the middle of the stage I put a custom family crest gobo or “mon” in Japanese which looked fantastic. Then finished the room with string lights with lanterns. This is the first reunion I put lighting together for but realized lighting can work great to enhance a feel and add little more customization to any family reunion.

Family reunions are an amazing thing. Not only do you get to catch up and get reacquainted with family members, but it also is a great learning experience for those planning it. I was lucky enough to be a part of the group planning our reunion. It was very stressful, but the reunion experience was hands down well worth stress. Not only was it a great time, but to be a part of something so sacred as family bonding will be something I remember for years to come. For more info on Eclipse Effect Entertainment services, please call (808) 936-3552 or email jase@eclipseeffect.com.

- Blog written by Jase Takeya. jase@eclipseeffect.com

Tags: Hilo Meshoin, Family reunion, takeya

With Red & White night in Downtown Hilo happening tonight, I thought it would be a great time to look back at the Black & White night event we got to be a part of last month. Black & White Night is a night where Downtown Hilo transforms. Many of the shops are open till late, there is live entertainment everywhere, and families and friends can walk safety and enjoy what Downtown Hilo has to offer. It’s a bustling night filled with fun. So when we were contacted to be a part of this night we definitely said, “Yes!”

The event was a Masquerade After Party at the Palace Theater. A place built in 1925 that created a venue that was ahead of its time, which allowed people watch various plays and concerts. So it was exciting to be able to be able to work in this historic building. We were to provide the DJ and lighting for this event. We also knew that it would be a huge undertaking because of how huge the Palace Theater is.



For the lighting set up we did blue lighting on ceiling with a stars design to give the palace a night time feel. We also did red uplighting around the room. Dark colors like red are great colors to use to have the lighting stand out on Palace’s darker colored walls . Here’s a picture of the set up we did.



Here’s another picture during the event. This is when the Samba dancers performed an exhibition routine. Thanks to the Downtown Improvement Association for the picture.



Here’s a look at the back of the palace during the dancing part of the night.



The night started off with an orchestra playing classical music on stage. Then at 9:00 pm drinks and pupus were served in the lobby as the Palace turned into a classy after party with dancing. It was great working with the Downtown Improvement Association, The Palace Theater, The Wave 92.FM, and Pepe Romero of CJ Sounds on this event. Looking forward to teaming up with these companies to hold more great events in the future. You can keep up to date on the latest events happening in Downtown Hilo by visiting www.downtownhilo.com. Check out the history of the Palace Theater as well as upcoming events they will be having at www.hilopalace.com. Listen to The Wave 92 FM on Hawaii Island and check them out online at www.hawaiiswave.com.

- Blog written by Jase Takeya. jase@eclipseeffect.com

Tags: Blackandwhite, BWnight2014, Hilo, palacetheater, Thewave92fm, thewavehilo, thewave, downtownhilo, DIA, Blackandwhitenight, Bigisland, Hawaii

Nani Mau Gardens is turning out to be a very busy venue on the East side of the island. It’s no wonder with it’s friendly staff, wonderful gardens, and excellent prime rib. You have everything you need for a great wedding all in one venue. Weddings have a great feeling there and the wedding Kaho’okele and Jaymee was one of those. It was a wedding of over 300 people. It was a huge wedding, but it’s nice have a choice to hold a bigger wedding there. Some of the party had to sit outside, but that is a good thing especially if you place the drinkers outside when putting together the seating because that’s where the bar is. Nani Mau does have one of the best prime rib on the island. Here’s a sample plate of what you may be ordering for dinner that night if you go with the prime rib.



It’s as good as it looks. There were also great fellow vendors we worked with this night. John Kunishige of 808 Cakes always does tasty and elegant cakes. We’ve worked with him for four events in a row. That’s one busy man for good reason. For the photographers we worked with Joe Febo of Hana Hou Photography and he did some very creative shots with the spot lights and the bride and groom. Lighting works very well and changes the mood in the reception room due to its low ceilings and white walls. Here is a lighting design we have been doing recently that works well for this venue.



In the top picture we have the head table set up with a classic uplighting design behind the table. We also did some star gobos on the wall to give the design an extra elegance. Purple was the wedding color and the bride really wanted stars in her wedding so it was a perfect design. The bottom picture is during the dancing part of the night. There was a wash of color that changed on the dance floor as well as the gobos on the back wall changing to the beat of the music. Another beautiful wedding in the books, but it’s really the bride and groom that stands out in our minds. Congrats to Kaho’okele and Jaymee and many happy years to this fun couple. For more info on our services here at Eclipse Effect Entertainment please call (808) 936-3552 or email jase@eclipseeffect.com.

- Blog written by Jase Takeya. jase@eclipseeffect.com

Tags: Nanimaugardens, nanimau, Hilowedding, Hilo, Bigisland, Bigislandwedding, primerib