What's wrong with a Thursday wedding? Absolutely nothing! When you have a super couple, fun guests and family, great vendors, and a fantastic alpine setting, the day of the week is hardly a concern. Travis & Crystal and their guests fit that bill perfectly.
On a Saturday, and to a lesser extent a Friday or Sunday, your choice of venues may be limited. The caterer or photographer you want may be booked already. But by having your big day on a non-traditional day of the week, you can make your planning much simpler and bring those costs down considerably. Of course you need to make sure that any conflicts with bridal party or guests' schedules can be overcome, but with plenty of advance notice, everyone will schedule for your wedding and reception long in advance and there won't be any difference in fun or atmosphere.
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| Tannenbaum's ceremony site |
Travis & Crystal made some great choices for their day besides taking advantage of a weekday. First they booked the Tannenbaum Event Center on the slopes of Mount Rose. The Tannenbaum is a gorgeous venue, both for ceremonies and for receptions. There is a grassy area, perfect for a ceremony, just behind the building, below the deck that looks out over the mountains and it is surrounded by pines and greenery. The building itself is beautiful and reminiscent of a mountain lodge and the people at the Tannenbaum really do a great job coordinating the event while allowing for various vendors and setups. In the last year or two they really upgraded the bride's and groom's rooms, giving the bridal parties lots of space to change and celebrate the day. Indeed, the bridal suite opens up so the ladies can just walk right out as the processional starts to play. It is dramatic and convenient. Another huge plus there is the level of professionalism from the coordinators. That day Rachel, Kylie and Rebecca went above and beyond (as usual) and smoothed over details both small and large making the event and my job much better and easier.
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| Crystal & Travis saying "I do" |
Next they hired Alexander from Alexander's Catering. I have blogged about him before. He is one of my favorite caterers- always going the extra mile for his customers. His crew is dedicated & friendly as well, taking the whole event to another level. His food is always delicious too, but many caterers have great food but drop the ball on service or are great on service but drop the ball on the meal. Alexander's consistently hits home runs on both levels, and that is why he is on my personal preferred vendor list.
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| Cutting the Cake |
They made an inspired choice with Dan Thrift Photography as well. I have worked with Dan in the past and I really like his style when he works. He is unobtrusive but seemingly everywhere at once, getting not only all the normal posed shots but also candid shots of the guests enjoying the moment. A true professional and great to work with.
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| First Dance! |
Finally, I loved all the extra little touches Travis & Crystal thought of to make the day all about them and their guests. There was a photobooth guestbook, which is always fun and gives your guests something fun to do together. They named their tables after various types of wine instead of plain old numbers, infusing their love of wine into the evening. And they thought about their guests' safety in that they had a bus take them up and down the hill so they didn't have to drive from their hotel to the Tannenbaum. To me that is the ultimate show of caring for your friends and family- making sure if they have had a few glasses of their favorite libation that they can arrive safely at their rooms. Very cool. Here's another example of them going above and beyond: coming up the hill, a bus broke down bringing guests up to the ceremony and reception. Travis and his groomsmen immediately headed out to the parking lot and took several vehicles down the road and picked up the stranded guests. Here they are, getting ready for the ceremony but they didn't want their guests to have to wait for a replacement bus. Just the kind of atmosphere that Travis & Crystal engendered throughout the day. I heard several guests telling others how happy they were to see their new chauffeurs come to the rescue in snazzy tuxedos.
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| Such a great couple |
The music was hand-picked by them as well. I love when my couples add their musical tastes and personalities to the mix. It started with the seating music prior to the ceremony: instrumental string versions of classic rock that set a fun yet ceremonial mood, and then Bach's Prelude in C Major accompanied the bridal party followed by Crystal and her dad entering to "Concerning Hobbits" from the LOTR soundtrack. How unique is that! I really liked a line that the officiant uttered during the ceremony: "Love is a friendship that has caught fire." So descriptive and true! Then after he had pronounced them husband & wife they exited to "The Throne Room" by John Williams which was the end of "Star Wars: A New Hope"... How cool is that!?!
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| Leroy and his daughter |
After what I imagine were amazing picture opportunities out and around the Tannenbaum, the bridal party entered to the Black-Eyed Peas "I Gotta Feelin" and shortly thereafter Alexander's Catering were working their magic. Another nice touch Crystal & Travis thought of was to feed the kids with their own kid-friendly buffet prior to the adults. Alexander's Catering had many choices for them and they (some with their parents help) went through their own line and got settled into their seats before the rest of the guests. This was great for a couple reasons: the kids got something they'd like and eat, they sat down and got a head-start so they were happy, and their parents were happy being able to go through the adult line without jostling a second plate with a child in tow. Just another thoughtful touch by the bride and groom. When the kids were through, Alexander quickly changed out the serving dishes to the adult fare and people were up getting their delicious dinner in no time.
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| Start of the special family dance |
After dinner, the reception events began, first with some great toasts by the two dads and then the bridal party. The cake was then cut and soon thereafter Crystal & Travis were dancing their first dance to Journey's "Faithfully". Then Crystal and her dad Leroy danced to "Through the Years", and in another classy move invited all of the fathers and daughters in the audience to join then halfway through the song. I love it when all the dads and their daughters get to experience a Father-Daughter dance alongside the bride and her dad. It's something that they will always remember, and something that sets Crystal & Travis' reception apart from other wedding receptions they've been to. This was immediately followed by a Mother-Son dance started by Travis and his mom Roxanne, and again halfway through the song, this time the Beatles tune "In My Life", I invited all the other moms and sons up on their behalf. Following a few slow songs for the Money Dance, dancing started in earnest and never quit all night long.
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| Everybody joining in... |
Some of my favorite moments were a great Anniversary Dance and later the bouquet & garter tosses using "Ladies Night" for the girls and the theme from Indiana Jones for the guys. Very unique and fun!
Another awesome moment was a traditional Mexican dance led by several people in Crystal's family. They used a song I love, "La Marcha de los Zacatecas" for the dance (I know the song from one of my favorite comedies, "The Three Amigos" when it is played at El Guapo's birthday party). Basically they all started the dance like a train or a conga line, with a column of people in a line moving all around the room. Then they made two sides and the couples would go through the arches the previous couples would make. Finally, everyone got in a large circle and Crystal & Travis were put in the center. It was a great dance and a fun family tradition that the whole crowd participated in.
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| Going through the arches |
They danced to all kinds of genres from country to hip/hop and rock & roll to oldies. Any wedding that I get to play "Volver" to a crowded dance floor with everyone singing along is exceptional in my book. When the bus arrived to bring everyone down the hill, it was a bittersweet moment as the night had to come to an end. Glowsticks were then distributed and all the guests formed a glowing tunnel for the bride & groom to make their exit through with Semisonic's "Closing Time" setting the mood. It was a great afternoon and evening, and I was so happy to be a small part of it. Thanks to Alex and crew from Alexander's Catering, everyone at the Tannenbaum, and Dan Thrift Photography for helping make their day even that much more special. Congrats Travis & Crystal!
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