The Wedding Planner

Recently, one of our bands played for the ceremony, cocktails and reception at a very well-planned wedding — envisioned and orchestrated in great detail by the groom.

I can’t take any credit for its success, except for conceptualizing and orchestrating the strategic plan for a killer continuous music presentation of the bride and groom’s favorite vintage music, played in three locations by various people who just happen to be the finest musicians in the world.

The bride and groom barely stopped to eat, although everything that was served at the many food stations in the triple ballroom was absolutely extraordinary. They were too busy dancing.

“Look for us on the dance floor,” they had told the guests — and they meant it!

Resorts like this one usually demand that events be overseen by a real, live, certified professional wedding coordinator — which the groom is not.

“No dice,” said the groom. “I’m planning my own wedding, and that’s that.”

Clipboard in hand, he had walked the site with me on a sunny afternoon some weeks before the wedding.

“I’d like to put the harpist over there,” I had told him, pointing to a distant spot on the lawn below us where the curvature of the property aligned perfectly with broad blue-green waves of surf-dotted ocean. “We’ll need a power drop so she can be amplified.”

“Done,” he said.

“And the jazz trio over there, just inside the walkway,” I suggested.

“Perfect,” he said. “That’s just where I had them already.”

In the ballroom, we were met by the catering manager, who helped us measure the area where we would put the stage and helped me decide how to best utilize the space.

“Perfect,” said the groom.

Soon, I had received a floor plan, seating chart, timeline, song list and detailed instructions.

The big day arrived, and the weather was crystal clear, with a gorgeous bride and a handsome — and totally relaxed — groom.

As the processional began, the harpist played the bride’s selections — “It Had To Be You” and “For Me and My Gal” — on her antique Aeolian harp with a gold crown finial.

The lovely vintage wedding ceremony music wafted up the lawn, past the guests and the jazz trio waiting for their arrival at the cocktail area.

In the ballroom, the stage was perfectly configured to comfortably accommodate twelve superb musicians.

Following the cocktail hour, the guests entered the ballroom to a vintage medley that included one of the groom’s favorites, “On The Sunny Side Of The Street.”

Other songs on the list included:

Just In Time
Time After Time
As Time Goes By
Soon
I’ve Got A Crush On You
While We’re Young
Our Love Is Here To Stay
Isn’t It Romantic
Where Or When
Skylark

The couple particularly liked songs that dealt with time and the passing of time. Accomplished ballroom dancers, they wowed the crowd with their foxtrot steps and even waltzed together several times during the evening.

Because they were having such a good time, everyone else had a good time, too.

Great wedding planning and a great band really do make a difference!