I just found out that my boyfriend’s sister’s wedding, which we attended together last June, won Special Events Magazine‘s Best Event of the Year, and netted the event planner a Gala Award in the category “Best Wedding: Budget $1,000 and above Per Guest.”
Special Events Magazine says:
Wedding Day Details: Erick Weiss, president of Los Angeles-based Honeysweet Productions, orchestrated the first — and so far only — wedding to take place in Hollywood’s Kodak Theatre, home to the Oscars ceremony.
Inspiration Strikes: The Kodak Theatre itself, which hosts the ceremony celebrating the best celluloid has to offer, served as the June event’s inspiration. Weiss dreamed up a theatrical wedding complete with dance numbers, famous film clips and even some theater magic. The big show landed him a Gala Award in January.
The Big Day: A pre-wedding teaser video played on a projection screen, channeling Hollywood glamour with clips from famous films with wedding scenes. Next up was a ukulele player strumming “Over the Rainbow” from the classic “The Wizard of Oz.” The Hollywood theme continued into the reception with tables named after such movies as “Father of the Bride” and “Bride of Frankenstein” in lieu of numbered tables.
But a trick of lighting helped stage the showiest moment of the evening. The bride and groom appeared in silhouette behind a scrim to perform the first dance, which included dramatic lifts and leaps “well beyond what anyone thought the groom could muster,” Weiss says. In a movie-worthy switcheroo, the scrim lifted to reveal the bride and groom, who then introduced the professional dancers masquerading as the happy couple.
Lotta Look, Less Money: While the Kodak Theatre doesn’t come cheap, aspects of this wedding do. For example, the signage showcasing the dinner tables’ movie-inspired names consisted of simple DVD cover art from wedding movie classics such as “Four Weddings and a Funeral.” The video composite of great wedding scenes wasn’t a pricey endeavor either — a good video is less a financial commitment than a time commitment, Weiss notes.
But I’m sure that my own sister’s wedding will be great, too.
(We were seated at the Bride of Frankenstein table.)
