Tips and helpful hints from the experts in planning and executing an artful California gay wedding

Part I of II

BY JASON MURAKAWA

The creativity we have as individuals and as a combined community should be displayed with confidence when planning a wedding. These tips and people can help you through the most memorable day and the start of your life as a legally wedded couple. Remember, we are the trendsetters and arbiters of taste. Be the “beatnik” generation of the 21st century and adhere to tradition or break all the rules. And of course, have fun; it is your day.

THE COUPLE

Chuck Ansel is Vice President of Operations for Universal Music Publishing's Production Music division and Brian Gordon is Operations Manager for Countrywide Bank, FSB. Living in West Hollywood, they met at the Burbank Taco Bell during a crowded lunch hour; 18 years and one day from that meeting, they will legally exchange their marriage vows.

I spoke to Chuck and Brian about the wedding experience they want for themselves and their guests. These are the basic starting points for their wedding day: 1. Setting: California semi-formal attire. Let guests interpret what that means. 2. Art Direction: Every table will be unique using the Small Masterpiece Collection. 3. Colors: White with blue or purple. 4. Logistics: Oct. 4 at 4 p.m., sunset ceremony at a private home for 75 guests. (An at-home wedding will save you thousands in renting a venue and can be extremely effective in creating warmth, intimacy, and privacy.)

INVITATION

The invitation is the first visual statement and establishes the setting of the wedding day. Print savings are about quantity, not necessarily the number of various pieces. However, here are a few tips on maximizing the opportunity: 1. Print everything at once—invitation, envelopes, thank you cards, dinner place cards, menu cards, and programs. 2. Make the invitation and thank you card a postcard format versus a folded card format. 3. Use the heaviest cover weight paper the printer can print. It will make the invite feel more substantial. 4. Print addresses on the envelope flap for a cleaner look. Some printers charge extra so investigate. Also, there are two kinds of envelope flaps, pointed and square; square is the format for an invitation. 5. Ink Color should be kept to either formal black, or a color from the wedding palette. It necessary, go shades darker to have readable copy. 6. Consider future usage of the printed pieces. Think creatively and stock up on thank you cards, envelopes, and dinner place cards for future at-home dinner parties.

FLORIST

The tabletop environment is where guests will spend most of their time during a party. Therefore, enliven that environment with the help of a fantastic florist. Hoot and Heart Co. in Santa Monica established a unique concept of choosing seasonal organic flowers much the same way a fine chef creates a menu from what looks best at market. Brother and sister Laura and Blake Bachman, owners of Hoot and Heart Co., agree that these floral tips can help: 1. Choose local, seasonal flowers. They will be the freshest and most affordable. 2. Stay away from vases with a wide lip. They always require more flowers to achieve a desired look. 3. Choose no more than three hues to tie into a centerpiece and look to the table settings, menu, and environment for color cues. 4. If a table is too deep or the noise level will prohibit across-the-table conversation, a centerpiece that is a bit higher can create intimacy. 5. If all else fails buy flowers in bulk. Three dozen of the same flower is much better than six stems of different flowers.

CATERER

Reserve a private chef early in the process as talented chefs are in high demand. From personal experience, every chef has signature dishes that are big hits. Yet even some great chefs aren’t sensitive to food presentation, and this detail and can greatly compliment the experience at a reception. Paul McCullough, owner of Paul’s Kitchen and one of the finalists in last summers Food Network’s The Next Food Network Star, has some wonderful advice. Paul has been featured on television, radio, and interviewed for magazines and is currently writing his own cookbook titled, Simply Fabulous Food, A Taste of Celebrity.

Here are Paul’s tips for an at-home wedding. 1. Budget: Be realistic. Let the caterer know what you can spend. Great food can be had at many different price points. 2. Food should cost about the same for a buffet or seated dinner. The price increase of a seated dinner is the additional staff required to get the food out fast and to the tables. 3. Plan a menu that suits the style of your wedding. Whether an upscale meal or down to earth comfort food, order what you love. And don’t be shy; ask to sample some of the cuisine. 4. Set a table for the kids. Cover the top with butchers’ paper and provide crayons and stickers. The chef can prepare kids’ meals and consider hiring one or two baby-sitters. 5. Many times the garage works as a great kitchen space. Kitchen equipment can be rented for a nominal fee and will keep the mess out of the house.

STAFFING

Wait staff includes servers and bartenders. Like a private chef, book these professionals early. Good help is hard to find, and in this city, knowledgeable staffing is critical to the seamless flow of your wedding. Art Levyas, a freelance bar and event manager who also works private at-home events, is the person to see.

Many of Art’s experienced tips will help you order confidently in the areas of staff, liquor, and glassware. 1. One bottle of wine equals five glasses. 2. A cocktail and passed hors d'oeuvres reception needs three to five all-purpose glassware per person for a simple bar consisting of red and white wines, a possible pre-made specialty drink, soft drinks, and bottled water. 3. One to two bartenders per 50 people for a simple bar. A roving wait staff walking around the party refilling glasses is quick, and also cuts down the rental order of glassware. 4. Remember blended drinks make noise pollution every time a blended drink is ordered. 5. Having a full bar means spending more money. You will need additional staffing, liquor inventory, and glassware. You can’t serve a martini in a wine glass! 6. For a seated dinner, it is best to have one waiter per table or one wait staff per eight people. 7. Stagger the waitstaff to cut down on cost. As the party is winding down, release some of the waitstaff who hit the five-hour minimum. 8. Dress the staff in all black, bistro attire, casual daytime, etc. Coordinate their dress to compliment the overall wedding environment.

EVENT COORDINATOR

I turn to Craig Kraynick, owner of 4C•foresee, with 14 years of, and well versed in “foreseeing” any problems that a client would normally not think about. Craig is the maestro, organizing all the parts and syncing them together. An experienced coordinator will help advise of the possibilities, deal with timing and flow, support, advise of shortcuts, answer questions and deal with any troubleshooting, and help a couple achieve as close to their vision with what they can actually afford.

According to Craig, a walk-through of the site with all involved vendors is invaluable to ensure everyone is on the same page and where ideas are shared and confirmed. And on the “day of” it is crucial that vendors arrive on time, stay on schedule, and follow through every last detail as discussed. Get everything in writing and thoroughly read the contract, advises Craig. Never assume anything. A coordinator has experience with many vendors at many levels and has a vast scope of what things cost.

Resource Guide

Hoot and Heart Co.
Laura and Blake Bachman
www.HootandHeart.com
310-319-9700

Paul McCullough
www.PaulsKitchen.com
323-578-5926

Art Levyas
Freelance Bar/Event Manager
Acaterleyvas@gmail.com
323-788-0691

4C•foresee
Craig Kraynick
www.4cforesee.com
310-463-5079

About the Author

Jason Murakawa of Small Masterpiece (www.SmallMasterpiece.com; 323-931-8800) provides an art direction approach to table top design. The Small Masterpiece Collection organically integrates modern day decor with original objects d'art dating from the mid-18th and early 19th century. Says Jason: “Planning private at-home parties to wedding ceremonies, our clientele are confident, discerning, and value the ambience of entertaining.”