Not every wedding follows a formula! Sometimes, we take things in a different direction with the most unexpected and exciting results!

Cat and Paul had one request for their wedding: They wanted to eschew tradition! The goal was to treat their guests to an experience that was one part black-tie gala, one part Absinthe-inspired production. This couple knew that they wanted something progressive; something that would surprise and delight their guests at every turn. We designed the evening based on various touchpoints that would allow guests to experience unique entertainment every turn.

We set the tone immediately upon arrival. Guests were greeted by having an alternatively styled doorman who lead them through velvet ropes after checking their IDs. Once they passed through the ropes, the paparazzi were waiting to snap their photo as they walked a red carpet set in front of a 24-foot wall of red roses. Once their photos have been taken, they were offered a glass of champagne and we are free to roam around the cocktail hour. Sat in the center of the hallway was a black baby grand piano surrounded by nearly 1000 red roses. The pianist sat, suspend it slightly above the garden, playing classical tunes while family and friends enjoyed butler passed hors d'oeuvres and pop-up magicians.

The reception doors open to the sounds of Stratosphere, an 11-piece band that played for 4 straight hours! Midway through the set, an acrobat appeared in a psychedelic costume. He definitely climbed between the booths, setting up his apparatus and launching into a choreographed performance. All 300 guests were mesmerized as he contorted to the music.

Afterward, guests returned to the dance floor, only to be shocked once again when a dance troupe joined them, slowly moving into formation for a flash-mob performance of Thriller. This moment was inspired by the bride’s love of the movie “13 Going On 30” and the moment Jennifer Garner breaks into dance with her old high school friend.

While the band played on, guests were free to enjoy dinner, sample hand-crafted cocktails, and have their portraits taken at various Instagram moments. By midnight, family was beginning to leave and the couple’s friends retreated to a private speakeasy style room for performances by not one, but two headlining DJs.

Think about how many teams needed to come together to bring this experience to life: We had a doorman, a magician, and a pianist. There was a full band and a flash-mob dance troupe. We leveraged the talents of a contoronist while setting up for two different DJs. Each of these artists had their own requirements for lighting, sound, technology, and audiovisual support. Executing an event like this is no small feat, and it required months of planning, preparation, and the ability to work together on site to make adjustments as needed based on the energy of the room and the flow of the event.

Every moment was worth it! It was nearly 3 AM when the last and final guest left the afterparty - well-fed, with to-go bottles of water in hand, they could not help but rave about how exciting the night was. In the end, it was exactly what my bride and groom wanted: Completely unexpected and 100% them!

Want to see the flash mob perform? Scroll down and double-click on the photo to play our video!

xo - Andrea