Aisle Style

By Holly Dolezalek

 

Wedding style, like all style, generally gets set elsewhere than the Twin Cities. But our secret weapon is The Wedding Guys, whose expertise in all things weddingy has earned them national renown. We caught up with The Wedding Guys (known to ordinary mortals as Bruce Vassar and Matthew Trettel), and got the skinny on what’s in and what’s so last year in weddings.

 

Invitations

What’s In: Metals and acrylic

What’s Out: Paper

Invitations aren’t just fancy letters with flowery fonts anymore. They’re more like a marketing event, part of a package that sells the event as something that nobody should miss. That’s why the discriminating couple has begun to use new materials, like raised copper or acrylic, instead of the usual paper invitations. They’ve also been using interesting packaging for those invitations. “We just did a wedding at the Chateau St. Croix where the invitation arrived in a wood box that was lined with wine corks,” says Vassar.

Fabrics

What’s In: Organza, tulle, more fabric

What’s Out: Satin A-line

The days of the satin A-line are over, at least for now. Vassar says that he’s seeing different fabrics like organza and tulle, fabrics that lend themselves to a more ethereal look. “There’s more fabric and more layers, and people are going for romantic rather than shiny,” he says.

Dresses

What’s In: Jackets and sleeves, pleats in chiffon and organza

What’s Out: Plain and no sleeves

Years past have seen a lot of more simple dresses with no sleeves, partially as a reaction to the previous days when sleeves were gigantic and scary puffy. But sleeves are making a comeback, without the puff. The sleeves are of light fabric, almost see-through, with beading. And Vassar says he’s seeing more jackets, like a short Bolero jacket over a strapless gown. “The brides are really enjoying the variety of options,” Trettel says. “There are more pleats in chiffon or organza, and it’s nice to see that diversity, because not every figure looks perfect in a strapless gown.”

Times

What’s In: Fall

What’s Out: June

Interest in outdoor weddings has been growing, and for this climate, that means tents and reliable weather. That rules out June, when a hailstorm might ruin everything. “The weather is more reliable in September or October, and it’s also drier,” says Trettel.

Colors

What’s n: Brown, blue

What’s Out: Black

To see what will be hot in weddings in a couple of years, all you have to do is pay attention to what’s going on with the celebrities. The color cues come from the red carpets, like the Oscars or the Golden Globes. Trettel says that blue is having its turn this year. Also, brown is the new black, especially brown with an accent color.

Bridesmaids

What’s In: Same hairstyles, different dresses

What’s Out: Same dresses, different hairstyles

The days of identical bridesmaids aren’t over, but the method of sameness has changed. Vassar says he’s seeing more weddings where brides allow bridesmaids to choose their own dresses — or at least necklines — as long as they all have the same color. “It depends on how lenient the bride wants to be,” he says. “You could end up with three shades of red, and even if you select the same color, dye lots can be very different.” Still, he says, the regard for different body types has become more popular in the last couple of years.

Wedding Size

What’s In: Small

What’s Out: Large

Weddings have been getting smaller, except in the smaller towns, because of the tendency for people to have less contact with their extended families.

Budget

What’s In: Spending more, everyone pitches in to pay

What’s Out: Bride’s family only

But that doesn’t mean people are spending less; on the contrary, since the responsibility for funding is coming from the bride’s family, the groom’s family, and even the bride and groom, weddings are getting more extravagant in many ways. “People are getting married later than they used to, in their late 20s or 30s, and so they’re more established financially and probably making more than their parents did,” says Vassar.

 

Picture Perfect Weddings

Here’s a flash. The photo booth is back in a big way. The nostalgic picture-takers are making the rounds at wedding receptions everywhere. With just the touch of a button, guests can create memorable pictures for original guest books and favors. Matt Gassman of The Traveling Photo Booth in Minneapolis admits it’s hard keeping up with the demand. “It’s really growing. We are working all the time. It’s gone way beyond what we imagined.”

The booth may have an old-school feel, but Gassman says his business is very high tech. The Traveling Photo Booth produces blur-free, sharp, high-resolution photos in black and white or color. There’s even a digital preview screen to practice poses.

So why are the booths booking up so fast? “It comes down to the curtain. People can be uninhibited behind it,” Gassman explains. “These pictures capture people’s personality… what’s inside of them.” They are also extremely interactive and the photo strips are a definite conversation piece. Guests can even go online after the party to order pictures.

“We are still getting calls about how much fun our guests had throughout the evening. The Traveling Photo Booth added a whole new entertaining dimension to our reception,” attests bride Missy Stein.

If you plan on having one at your reception, you might want to warn the deejay. Gassman laughs, “Sometimes there are more people around the photo booth than on the dance floor.” Lori Storm

(www.thetravelingphotobooth.com)

 

Style

What’s In: Different (2 outfits for bride, 2 for groom)

What’s Out: Sameness (rooms, etc.)

In fact, weddings are almost becoming like concerts, with theatrical spotlighting and different outfits for different phases of the event. “The bride might have one dress for the ceremony and another for the reception, maybe something that’s more appropriate for dancing or a little sexier, maybe in a hot purple or fuchsia,” says Vassar. “The guys are doing a tuxedo for the ceremony and then a white dinner jacket for the reception.”

Eco-friendly Wedding

What’s In: Green

What’s Out: Green

One option that has always been an option and is catching on in the media — if not in the market — is green weddings. But Vassar points out that weddings have always been green in many ways. “The linens, the outfits, the decor, all of these things are rented so they’re re-used over and over,” he says. Cakes can be organic, and flowers can be locally grown, but for the most part, weddings have always been green — with the exception of wedding gowns, which are frequently made of polyester. But green can mean a little more expensive, and price sometimes dictates the cheaper, less organic option.

Event

What’s In: All-weekend event

What’s Out: One-day deal

Other than the rehearsal dinner, weddings used to be a one-day affair. But now people are having a groom’s dinner, an after-party, and even daytime events for the wedding party. “The ladies might all go to a spa day while the guys go golfing,” Vassar says. “The after-party might be pizza or a late-night buffet after the reception is over, a smaller, more intimate gathering with a relaxed atmosphere and just the wedding party and intimate friends.”

Receptions

What’s In: Different spaces, experiences, entertainment

What’s Out: Chicken dinner and dance at a hotel ballroom

There’s no need to limit yourself to the usual DJ and dinner at the Ramada Inn; receptions are getting more fun all the time. Couples are using museums (like the Walker or the Weisman Art Museum) or restaurants for their receptions instead of the usual hotel ballroom, and they’re including entertainment and experience in the event. “You can bring in an espresso bar or an oxygen bar. where people can smell different odors like magnolia or lilac,” says Trettel. “Or you can serve cookies and milk at the end of the reception.” And why not do something educational? Some couples are holding formal dinners at the reception, with several courses and wine pairings and a chef who explains each course and the wine that goes with each.

 

*The main thing to understand, though, is that today’s trendy is tomorrow’s boring tradition. You don’t have to do what everyone else is doing. whether that’s time-honored tradition or the newest new thing.

Vineyard in Vogue

Samantha Kemming & Nathan Flaherty
June 29^th, 2007 St.Croix Falls, Wisconsin
Photographed by Kate McGough

Samantha Kemming and Nate Flaherty met by chance while attending a festival in their hometown Minneapolis. But it was Samantha who made sure their first meeting was no their last. “I actually asked Nate to take my number because I didn’t think he was going to ask for it,” she admits. Her insistence worked, and the couple fell in love.

 

With Christmas being Samantha’s favorite time of Year ( “I love snow!”), Nate planned his proposal for a wintry December evening. He asked a local restaurant to open its rooftop dining area just for him and cleared a path in the snow to set a table for two. There, overlooking the festival area where he and Samantha had first net and with the holiday lights displayed across town, he asked Samantha to be his wife.

It seemed that the couple’s wedding planning was as fated as their introduction. Samantha and Nate envisioned having a small summer celebration at a winery, but due to a lack of available venues, the couple settled on a large, winter event instead. They soon learned., however, that their dream event was still within reach. Samantha and Nate were the winners of the 2007 Trend Wedding contest, which entitled them to an all-expense paid celebration organized and designed by Bruce Vassar and Matthew Trettel, the coordinating duo known as The Wedding Guys. From fashion to favors, food to flowers, each and every element of the wedding would be catered with Samantha and Nate in mind, but the most felicitous part about the prize was that the Trend Wedding theme was dubbed the “Vineyard Wedding Experience,” and was designed to embrace the trend of “smaller, more intimate experiential weddings.” With their ideal wedding day laid out in front of them, Samantha and Nate happily trimmed their 250-person guest list down to seventy-six and put their hopes and dreams in the hands of the local wedding industry’s most innovative thinkers.

Copper and dark blue invitations delivered in cork-lined wooden boxes announced the location for the wedding — the Chateau St. Croix Winery and Vineyard, a sprawling location that boasted a quaint courtyard for cocktails, a grand hail for dinner, an art gallery that was transformed for dancing, and an outdoor ceremony area graced by an enormous elm tree. The entire property was dressed for the wedding in rich and dramatic colors ranging from chocolate brown and copper to aubergine and royal blue. Plum calla lilies, burgundy roses, hanging fuchsia amaranthus, purple mums, and amber orchids were just some of the flowers that were used alongside grapes, feathers, maple leaves, and vines to play up the rustic elegance of the setting.

As guests arrived at the chateau, they were greeted by a polo match being conducted on the grounds. Samantha and her maid of honor rode out to the ceremony pasture in a horse-drawn carriage strung with a garland of blooms. The bride walked down the aisle on her father’s arm and met Nate beneath the majestic tree with traditional love knots fashioned from ribbons and flowers dangling from its limbs.

The bride and groom exchanged original vows, which they spent much time creating together. “This was a great learning and growing experience as we prepared for marriage,” says Samantha. They also decided to forgo lighting a unity candle for something a little more personally inspiring: a dove release as Nate’s father sang “In My Life” by The Beatles. After becoming husband and wife, the couple relished the ride back to the main house. “It was such an amazing moment seeing everyone all decked out in their finest, waving and smiling in the beautiful sunshine.”

Having enjoyed cocktails and appetizers with their loved ones, the newlyweds dashed away to change into their reception attire. Nate donned a white dinner jacket while Samantha appeared in her second Michelle and Henry Roth gown of the evening, one that was a little more conducive to a night of dancing. But before she and her husband took to the floor, the entire group gathered at a single horseshoe-shaped table draped in midnight blue and copper linens for the eight-course wine pairing dinner. “We could not have thought of a better way to combine our love of wine and cooking,” asserts Samantha. The caterers even took their favorites into account, addressing Nate’s love for steak with a filet mignon course and Samantha’s taste for seafood and cheese with a salmon Napoleon and a separate duet of brie and Maytag blue cheese. The decadent courses were served simultaneously to each guest, an impeccable presentation technique described by Vassar as “waiter ballet”.

The diners took a break and adjourned outdoors for an impressive fireworks display before returning for the dessert finale, a wine inspired “cake flight” that was according to Samantha, the highlight of the meal. A tasting of the three-wedding cakes-in-one were plated along with sugar grape leaves personalized with “Samantha and Nate” in piped chocolate.

A Performance by professional ballroom dancers kicked off the dancing and set the stage for the newlyweds’ first spin around the floor. The Big Band sound of the Minnesota jazz Orchestra was followed by a DJ who kept the gallery packed all night long.

Upon their departure, guests were given gift bags full of treats (such as artisan chocolates and St. Croix ‘s Thoroughbred Red wine) and custom-designed lanterns tagged with the sentiment “Let Love Light the Way.”

But the wining and dining was not over for Samantha and Nate. They enjoyed a thematically fitting honeymoon in the wine country of Napa and Sonoma, stopping to explore San Francisco along the way.