I was talking to a high school friend who I have not spoken to since 1993, (he noticed me on Myspace) and I was telling him about our upcoming wedding and our plans for the big day. My friend Matt then asked me what our theme is. I told him the wedding was going to have a black and white theme. Matt’s response, "Oh, it's not an Elvis theme?" I then explained to him how traditional weddings do happen out here in Las Vegas. This is actually the second person from back East to assume that since its Las Vegas, it has to have a crazy theme. So, I turn to Christine, Catering Manger at Wynn, and Jacquie, Director of Weddings at Wynn, with a couple of questions. Have you ever hosted outrageously themed weddings? And, I have to imagine that you have seen some strange request over the years; any real bizarre ones?
Christine writes:
Theme weddings are really a regional thing, mostly in the southern parts of the US and for couples that are maybe having wedding number two or are over 50. During the 70’s, 80’s & 90’s themes were more prevalent. The industry has become very sophisticated and savvy. Appealing to elegance is the way to increase profits. Let’s face it, scrumptious linens, imported European flowers, haute cuisine and beautiful décor smack more of $$$$ than Elvis and diner food.
The neatest theme wedding I have ever planned/catered was when a pilot married a flight attendant. We took over this entire aviation museum and designed everything around their industry. The ceremony was done in the main lobby of the museum. I got a friend who is the chief of maintenance for a major carrier to “lend” me 200 airplane seats for the ceremony. The wedding arch was the steel cockpit structure. All the guests had “In-Flight” cards in the seat pockets that listed the key players and music selections. All the staff wore a sort of 1950’s flight attendant uniform. The center pieces were my favorite part. I made 4,000 sugar cookies shaped like clouds and 4 varieties of airplanes that had a hole, pre cut in the tops. We iced the clouds in white and the planes in 8 shades of blues and silvers. Each cookie had a gorgeous silk ribbon strung through it. Then each cookie was hung from a sort of wooden tree my husband (the aerospace guru) made to create the effect of flying in the clouds. The centerpiece in the middle of the room was 12 feet tall and had 350 clouds and plane cookies dangling from it. The base of the structures had a beautiful fine mesh toile wrapped around it so the planes looked like they were flying out of the clouds into more clouds. The groom’s cake was a Gulfstream V taking off in flight! We passed hors d’ oeuvres off of aircraft service carts and as a take away gave little bags of peanuts with a gift card for 1,000 frequent flyer miles. The guests loved it and I had such a fun time putting it together. To bad the couple divorced 5 months later!!!! At least they threw one great party together….
Jacquie writes:
I saw Christine’s response and I think she just about said it all. Weddings (and the following reception) should be whatever the bride and groom want. From a colorful Balinese theme (with lavish peonies in tangerine and fuchsia, purple orchids accented throughout, a canopy swathed in abundant silk fabrics overflowing with shimmering gold and copper accents and candles everywhere) to a wedding where the bride and groom played “dueling pianos” during their ceremony… We are honored to be apart of this very special and intimate day and are committed to doing whatever it takes to make the dream not only a reality – but a perfect reality.
Maybe Laura and I should have done a WWE themed wedding. We would get married in a wrestling ring and instead of wearing rings we could wear championship belts. I love it!
