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Julia Morgan Ballroom in San Francisco set for a dinner, with a coffered wood ceiling, arched windows with gold drapes and round tables

The rooms I've played

Ballrooms, barns, vineyards, a museum and a nightclub: venues around the Bay Area and beyond where I've been the DJ and MC for company events, weddings and private parties. Each one has its own page: how I set it up, what I ask the venue ahead of time, and my own photos from events there.

Why a page for each room

Every room asks
for something different

A ballroom high above the street means planning the elevator ride for my gear. A ranch on Tomales Bay has no cell signal. A lawn on the lake needs me to bring my own power. None of that is a problem when I know it ahead of time. All of it is a problem when somebody finds out at four in the afternoon.

So I wrote down what I know about the rooms I've played. Where the sound goes, where the power comes from, what to ask the venue, when the music has to end.

If you're planning an event at one of them, its page shows you what I already have covered, so you don't have to hold all of it yourself. No planner? That's fine. This is the part I handle.

By area

Pick your room

Every photo is from one of my own events at that place.

Napa Valley

DJ Wayne Noel on the microphone behind his DJ booth at Auberge du Soleil in Rutherford, under a wood ceiling washed in purple light
Rutherford

Auberge du Soleil

I set one system on the terrace, another inside, and ask the inn when music ends.

DJ Wayne Noel's sound system and controller set up under lit twig orbs in the event hall at Solage, Calistoga
Calistoga

Solage

I set up early in the Solstice Ballroom and sound check before doors open.

Wayne Noel's ceremony sound rack and speaker set up in the meadow facing rows of chairs under the big tree at Triple S Ranch
Calistoga

Triple S Ranch

I run ceremony sound under the big tree and the dance floor in the old barn.

Sonoma County

Apple orchard reception at Dawn Ranch in Guerneville with round tables, patio heaters and DJ Wayne Noel's canopy setup and speakers on the lawn
Guerneville

Dawn Ranch

I bring sound to whichever part of the grounds you use, so nobody misses a word.

Guests dancing close on a full dance floor under the balcony of the Hotel Petaluma ballroom in Petaluma, lit in pink and teal
Petaluma

Hotel Petaluma

Hardwood, big windows and hotel guests upstairs: I tune the room for all three.

DJ Wayne Noel at the decks during a first dance under chandeliers and string lights in the oak grove at Kunde Family Winery
Kenwood

Kunde Family Winery

Kunde runs uphill. I plan the music around that: the way up, the power, the cutoff.

Stone Room at The Lodge at Sonoma with timber beams, lantern chandeliers, fireplace, purple uplighting and amber swirl lighting on the floor
Sonoma

The Lodge at Sonoma

I plan the sound for the oak, the lawn and the Stone Building as one evening.

Reception room inside the barn at Olympia's Valley Estate with round tables, a wooden balcony, string lights and warm uplighting, with Wayne's DJ booth at the foot of the stairs
Petaluma

Olympia's Valley

I run two sound setups here: one at the willow pond, one in the old timber barn.

DJ Wayne Noel at his booth among the redwoods at The Secret Gardens in Bodega Bay, with a speaker on a tripod and a wine barrel beside the deck
Bodega Bay

The Secret Gardens

I walk the garden first, so the ceremony and the dinner each get their own sound.

DJ sound rig set up on a draped table in the stone courtyard at Viansa Winery in Sonoma, with the ivy cottage, fountain and olive trees behind
Sonoma

Viansa

A hilltop gets wind, so I plan the microphones for it.

Marin

Amber uplighting across the trussed ballroom at Cavallo Point in Sausalito, set with round dinner tables and DJ Wayne Noel's booth and speakers at the far wall
Sausalito

Cavallo Point

I plan the sound around the walk from the hilltop chapel to the ballroom.

DJ Wayne Noel's booth and speakers set up by the garden windows in the banquet room at Inn Marin, with teal uplighting
Novato

Inn Marin

On the lawn I aim the sound at your guests and keep it at the level they need.

Timber-framed ballroom at the Meadow Club with arched trusses, hanging lanterns, set round tables and red uplighting, with a DJ booth at the right
Fairfax

Meadow Club

Under the timber arches, I set up at the fireplace with the floor in front.

DJ Wayne Noel at his booth on the stage at the Mill Valley Outdoor Art Club, with a green velvet curtain, wood beams and set dinner tables behind him
Mill Valley

The Outdoor Art Club

I've set ceremony sound under the redwoods here and run the night from the stage.

DJ Wayne Noel smiling at his booth with two speakers and red lights inside the yurt at Slide Ranch, Muir Beach
Muir Beach

Slide Ranch

I set up twice here: ceremony sound on the bluff, then the full rig in the yurt.

A couple's first dance in the barn at Straus Home Ranch in Marshall, with guests watching from long farm tables under string lights
Marshall

Straus Home Ranch

No cell signal on the ranch, so every song I play there comes with me offline.

San Francisco

Wayne Noel's DJ booth and speakers set up before the bronze doorway in the grand hall at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco, with columns lit in orange and blue
San Francisco

Asian Art Museum

The rooms open late in the day here, so I arrive early and build in a set order.

Wayne Noel's DJ setup on the stage of the Golden Gate Club ballroom in San Francisco, with amber uplighting, chandeliers and seated dinner guests
San Francisco

Golden Gate Club

I plan the sound around the glass, and the night back from the venue's end time.

Reception set up in a ballroom at Hotel Nikko San Francisco with black linen tables, a wood dance floor, window walls and DJ speakers on stands
San Francisco

Hotel Nikko

I set up to suit a ballroom that's 145 feet long and 48 wide.

Julia Morgan Ballroom in San Francisco set for a dinner, with a coffered wood ceiling, arched windows with gold drapes and round tables
San Francisco

Julia Morgan Ballroom

I plan the sound for a long room on the 15th floor, high above California Street.

Wayne Noel's DJ setup with two speakers and a subwoofer on a riser in the Marines' Memorial Club ballroom in San Francisco, facing the parquet dance floor
San Francisco

Marines' Memorial Club

Here I plan the elevator ride for my gear before I plan the first song.

DJ Wayne Noel at the Pioneer DJ controller in the booth at Temple nightclub in San Francisco, with the blue LED ceiling and lit columns behind him
San Francisco

Temple Nightclub

The booth is the focal point, so I plan the night from there outward.

East Bay

Dance floor at Alumni House, UC Berkeley seen from behind DJ Wayne Noel's laptop, guests dancing under blue and pink lighting by the window wall
Berkeley

Alumni House

A room of glass and brick in the middle of campus, and I tune the sound to it.

DJ booth and two speakers set in front of the stone fireplace in the Brazilian Room at Tilden Park, Berkeley, with tables set for a wedding
Berkeley

The Brazilian Room

Amplified sound outdoors gets the first 90 minutes, so I plan the move inside.

Ballroom at The Club at Ruby Hill seen from the staircase, walls covered in amber pattern lighting above a busy dance floor
Pleasanton

The Club at Ruby Hill

I light the two-story ballroom and run the music and the mic from one spot.

DJ Wayne Noel at his controller and laptop on a wooden deck at Little Hills in San Ramon, with a string-lit tent and guests dancing behind him
San Ramon

Little Hills

The whole event is outdoors, so I bring sound to each spot you use.

The coast and beyond

Wayne Noel's DJ booth and speakers set up on the parquet dance floor in the ballroom at the Inn at Spanish Bay, Pebble Beach
Pebble Beach

The Inn at Spanish Bay

A bagpiper plays here every evening, so I time anything outdoors around him.

Long Branch Saloon in Half Moon Bay set for a reception, with red uplighting on the wallpapered walls, timber rafters, a photo booth and round tables
Half Moon Bay

Long Branch Saloon

I plan a sound setup for each stop: the church, the town square, the dance floor.

Atrium at Oceano Hotel and Spa in Half Moon Bay with magenta uplighting, a blue skylight wash and amber swirl pattern lighting across the dance floor
Half Moon Bay

Oceano Hotel and Spa

One day, one property. I run the sound and the timing in every space.

DJ Wayne Noel smiling behind his controller and laptops while guests dance with their arms raised in a ballroom at Seascape Beach Resort
Aptos

Seascape Beach Resort

On the bluff lawn I plan for ocean wind first, then build the night indoors.

Bride and escort walking down the cypress-lined rose garden path at Villa Montalvo toward the villa in warm backlight
Saratoga

Villa Montalvo

Two sound setups here: one in the ceremony garden, one inside the villa.

Also played, no page yet
  • 1015 FolsomSan Francisco
  • BarndivaHealdsburg
  • The Bently ReserveSan Francisco
  • California Academy of SciencesSan Francisco
  • The Carneros InnNapa, now Carneros Resort and Spa
  • The de Young MuseumSan Francisco
  • RamekinsSonoma, now Seven Branches

No page for these yet. Ask me about any of them on a call.

Not on the list

Your venue
isn't here?

These are the rooms where I have my own photos to show you. I play all over Sonoma, Napa, Marin, San Francisco and the wider Bay Area, and I travel for destination events.

A room that's new to me gets the same preparation as one I know. You fill out a planning questionnaire, we talk through the day and the music, and I ask the venue what I ask every venue: how I load in, where the power is, and when the music has to end. Then I arrive early and bring backup equipment.

Good to Know

About these
rooms

Do you only play at the venues on this list?
No. These are the rooms where I have my own photos from my own events. I play across Sonoma, Napa, Marin, San Francisco and the wider Bay Area, and I travel for destination events. Travel, when there is some, is added to the estimate.
Are these only wedding venues?
No. Most of them host weddings, and they also host birthdays and milestone celebrations, company parties and galas, fundraisers and club nights. Each page says what the place is used for and how I'd set it up for your kind of event.
Where do the photos on these pages come from?
From my own events. Every photo was taken at an event I played at that venue, so what you see is that room on a night I worked it and not a stock picture of the building.
Are you the house DJ or a preferred vendor at these venues?
No. I'm an independent DJ and MC, and you book me directly. Some venues keep their own vendor rules, so each page lists what I ask the venue for you.
What do you do before an event at a venue you haven't played?
The same things I do for one I know. You fill out a planning questionnaire, we have planning and music calls, and I ask the venue about load-in, power and the music cutoff. On the day I arrive early and carry backup equipment.
How do I find out what it costs at my venue?
Use the instant estimate. It asks about your event, your date and where it is, and gives you a price in a couple of minutes. You can also book a short call.
Your event

Tell me where it is

The instant estimate asks about your event, your date and where it is, and gives you a price in a couple of minutes. Or book a short call and we'll talk it through.