This past summer I was privileged to have been a part of Katie & Patrick's big day at the Chateau up in Incline Village. Katie & Patrick are a fantastic couple who had very definite ideas about how they wanted their wedding day to feel, sound and progress. They put a personal spin on so many things and made it a very unique and fun event.
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| Patrick and the bridal party prior to the ceremony |
First of all, they chose the Chateau. If you've never been, the Chateau is the clubhouse at the golf course in Incline Village. The course is immaculate- nestled in pine-covered hills and overlooked by the Sierras, and the Chateau is truly its namesake- a gorgeous mountain refuge with plenty of space, a huge deck, tremendous views, and a bunch of great people working there.
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| Katie and her dad Dave right before marching down the aisle :) |
They were married right outside of the building, on a picturesque tee on a gorgeous afternoon. An absolute killer choice they made was to have Anne Roos from Celtic Harp Music do their seating and ceremony music. Anne is a harp virtuoso who challenges your preconceived notions of what a harpist should sound like. One of her songs has been nominated for a Grammy and we are lucky to have her here in our area. Her beautiful music punctuated the ceremony perfectly. Speaking of the ceremony, I provided microphones and amplification for their officiant Judy's use. She did a heartfelt job marrying the two, and when it was done everyone moved up to the deck for cocktails and more of Anne Roos' artistry.
When pictures were through and the cocktail crowd had moved inside, we welcomed the bridal party accompanied by Imagine Dragons' "On Top of the World". Toasts then ensued, followed by a delicious buffet dinner by Alexander from Alexander's Catering. But wait! It wasn't that simple if you were a hungry guest. In order to get your table into the buffet line, Katie & Patrick had a surprise waiting...
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| "Didn't we almost have it all..." (Singing for their supper!) |
First of all, the tables were named after 14 different languages- from Swahili to Swedish, from Hungarian to Hebrew and so forth (I think between the two of them they know all those languages!!!). Then, James, a friend of theirs took one of my wireless mics and patrolled the dining room, looking for tables willing to sing for their supper. He got each table up, gave them a karaoke song (which I cued up and played), and they had to sing it to be released to the buffet line. Sweet! There was instant rivalry between tables and controversy ensued if a table thought another table's song wasn't loud or enthusiastic enough. It was a first for me- something I won't soon forget, and yet another cool way Katie & Patrick differentiated their wedding day from the ordinary.
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| First Dance! |
There was a sense of fun throughout the evening. Again I loved how they tweaked things to make them special. After the dinner was done, they started the dancing with their first dance, Ray LaMontagne's "You Are the Best Thing". It was a great dance but that wasn't all. As Ray was fading out, Katie had a surprise in store. I announced that "No first dance is complete without a little Whitney" and mixed in "I Will Always Love You" which Katie sang at the top of her lungs to Patrick. The place went berserk! Super fun! Dancing then ensued and really only ever stopped once, when they cut their cake and then tossed the bouquet and garter. I played "Mr. Jones" by Counting Crows for the cake cutting, and then "Ladies Night" for the bouquet. To put an exclamation point on Katie's noble profession, I played Van Halen's "Hot For Teacher" when Patrick was busy removing that small piece of lingerie, and then when he tossed it, "Sure Shot" by the Beastie Boys got everyone back in the partying mood. Just a great crowd all night long!
Patrick & Katie had spent some time compiling songs they wanted for specific times during the evening and also songs that they did not want played. They were very thoughtful as to what their guests would enjoy yet stayed true to their musical tastes- the best of both worlds. There were several birthdays and they made sure that I dedicated "In Da Club"to them. As you can see, it was a fun night!
Thanks so much to everyone at the Chateau- it is always such a pleasure to work there. Thanks to the fabulous Anne Roos at Celtic Harp Music for her inspiring play. Thanks to Alex at Alexander's Catering who always does such a great job, even when waiting for tables to finish singing their song :)
Finally, thanks to Katie & Patrick. You two really hit a home run with all that you planned that day and evening and it was so great to have been a part of your amazing wedding and reception! All the best and many, many happy years with one another!
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