June/July 2015 81 CUE THE RECEPTION These days YouTube is flooded with videos of elaborately choreographed musical numbers performed by newlyweds and bridal parties, leading viewers to believe that the modern couple will go to great lengths to host a reception that’s fun and entertaining for guests. To be sure, music plays a major role in loosening people up and getting them onto the dance floor. As a rule, today’s couple seems to prefer letting the professionals handle the music, and live bands seem to have the edge in the Bay Area. As Patten says, booking a band is one way for couples to keep their weddings “extremely well-done and personalized.” Emily Day is the lead singer and manager of the Cosmo Alleycats, a multigenre band performing at various South Bay hotels and events. “Couples have two major criteria for us: to provide an elegant backdrop during cocktails and dinner and then get the guests on the dance floor and keep them dancing!” Day says. For that “crucial energy shift,” the band often uses a sixpiece configuration featuring two horns. “This allows us to perform our New Orleans Jazz and Big Band repertoire,” Day explains, and to catch “the fastestgrowing trend” in theme requests, the Gatsby wedding. The latest film adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby” features contemporary songs performed in a 1920s jazz style, prompting a social media explosion of bands performing today’s hits “remixed” as old-timey jazz numbers. It’s quite common today for couples to choose a favorite movie and turn it into a wedding theme, one more example of how to keep the big day personal. Disney movies seem especially favored, with one couple opting for a “Beauty and the Beast” motif and another choosing “Frozen,” complete with ballroom bathed in iceblue radiance and white-hot spotlights. Then there is the couple from Southern California, united in their love of “Star Wars,” who married earlier this year with the movie music thundering, Stormtroopers standing guard, R2D2 carrying the ring and guests brandishing light sabers. ON TO THE HONEYMOON A few years ago, we saw the rise of “minimoons,” briefer and less lavish versions of the all-out honeymoon. While the minimoon remains popular, Forrest sees a shift toward more luxurious, exciting trips. An informal WeddingWire poll reveals that beach destinations are prevalent, but adventure travel is soaring. According to Forrest, favorite options include safari trips and sites ideally explored by hiking and ziplining. “Couples who are athletic and adventurous really want to do these things, choosing exotic destinations to make their honeymoon an amazing, oncein a-lifetime trip.” Some couples split the difference, taking a mini-moon while reserving a more opulent trip for a later date. Tan notices that fewer couples marrying at the Four Seasons travel immediately after their wedding. Since most newlyweds “are hoping to enjoy at least two weeks of disconnected time,” she says, waiting gives couples options that better fit their schedules, and potentially “the best pricing on a lower season with less demand.” Also noted, today’s newlyweds are unafraid of challenging vacation logistics. Patten laughs in amazement as he tells of a couple who had to pack ski clothes for their jaunt to Switzerland and diving gear for their Bermuda visit: “This was on the same trip!” n WEDDINGS FOR A CAUSE Today, more couples are finding ways to make their weddings socially meaningful, in large and small ways. George Patten, director of catering and convention services at the Fairmont San Jose, tells of a bride and groom who reserved a block of 50 rooms for their guests. Instead of throwing away the half-finished soaps and other toiletries, they asked the hotel to collect them for shipping to a designated charity in Africa. “Weddings are about showing the couple’s personality, who they are and the things that are important to them,” WeddingWire’s Kim Forrest points out. Sometimes this involves a charity registry. A couple who loves dogs, for instance, will donate to an animal shelter and encourage guests to do the same. “Some couples, instead of offering a traditional favor to their guests, offer a small donation in each guest’s name to the charity of the couple’s choice,” notes Ashley Brand, principal planner for LVL Weddings & Events. Most often, the emphasis is on a more subtle social awareness that nevertheless influences the ceremony and reception. Vendors and venues are making it easier than ever to have an eco-friendly wedding. “There are so many beautiful reclaimed and found object options being offered by decor and rental providers,” notes Lyndsey Hamilton, creative director for Lyndsey Hamilton Events. This reduces waste and adds distinctive and memorable touches to a venue. Hamilton sources flowers from local, sustainable farms whenever possible, and her firm seeks options to compost the flowers after the wedding. She has also worked with caterers who donate excess food to local shelters, as do several hotels, including the Four Seasons and the Fairmont. “I would say everything we do is environmentally conscious and green-based,” notes Patten. Kitchen products are sourced within a 50-mile radius or less whenever possible, lessening the hotel’s carbon footprint while adding appealing local options for clients. “When we tell our clients what it is we do and where we get our products,” he says, “they’re very excited by that.” Local greens accentuate the environment in this runner, created by Lyndsey Hamilton Events. SHAWN CONNELL
South Bay Accent - Jun/Jul 2015
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