Ken & Melissa at the Chism House in Reno

I had the pleasure to be a part of Melissa & Ken's beautiful day at the Chism House in Reno recently.  If you haven't considered the Chism House for your outdoor, garden wedding and reception, it is well worth a look.  It is just west of downtown Reno- a tranquil oasis in the midst of suburbia.  The house dates from the 1800's and has quaint dressing rooms and plenty of great picture opportunities.  But the garden is the main attraction.  They have a lawn and pond where most ceremonies take place, and a permanent tent set up on the other side of the property complete with a dancefloor and tables and chairs.   A huge plus is that you can bring whichever vendors you'd like to go with the venue, which is not always the case at other venues.  Another plus is that it is just a couple of minutes away from all the downtown hotels, and many brides & grooms arrange for shuttles and rooms, keeping the party going all weekend.  Jerrine is one of the Chism House coordinators and she worked hard all evening making sure every little thing went smoothly.  I was so appreciative of all her help.

It was a warm Friday, but the ceremony by Russell was fun, very personal and quick.  Melissa and her bridal party all entered to Josh Radin's "Today" and the newlyweds exited to "Hey Soul Sister" by Train, with everyone singing along!  It was a fun group.  As the bridal party and families posed for pictures, the guests headed back to the tent and tree-shaded western end of the property where they enjoyed cold drinks and some big band and crooners that Melissa & Ken had selected for cocktail hour.

When pictures were through, Melissa & Ken had their Grand Entrance through the archway with "Damn it Feels Good to be a Gangster" playing them in.  Very fun couple!  Everyone was soon enjoying a BBQ dinner in the gorgeous evening air.

Cutting the cake!

Cake and Toasts soon followed, and then the dancing began.  I love that this young couple really knew their music and picked "Our Love Is Here To Stay" by Louis Armstrong as their first dance.  Never will I hear that song again and not think of them.  And that is the idea- pick a song and make it yours, and they certainly did.

Dancing to Satchmo...

The rest of the night was filled with laughter, dancing and music.  Melissa & her dad danced to Seal's "Kiss from a Rose" and Ken & his mom danced to "Simple Man" by Skynyrd.  "Unchained Melody" was the Anniversary Dance, and I loved their playlist had things like Kool & the Gang (there was a special dancer for "Hollywood Swingin"), Elvis, the Doors and Wiz Khalifa.  Really a wide variety which kept everyone happy.  When the limo arrived and it was time for the last song, Melissa & Ken exited the party with Josh Turner's "Time is Love" playing them out.  Just a fantastic evening under the stars.  Thanks to Jerrine at the Chism House and most of all thanks to Ken & Melissa for having me play their big day.  Congrats you two!

The Happy Couple!