Wedding at WVU Erickson Alumni Center

Just because your wedding is in October, that doesn't mean you have to stick to Fall colors for your decor.  Jason & Alyssa Schmiddle used Royal Blue and White to create a beautiful atmosphere for their guests at the WVU Alumni Center October 15, 2011.  They held the ceremony on one side of the Grand Ballroom and their reception on the other side, separated by a partition wall.  As most weddings go at the Center, a cocktail hour was held upstairs in the Lounge and guests were escorted into the reception hall shortly before dinner was to be served. 

Guests had just enough time to top off their drinks before the bride and groom entered in grand fashion to "Moves Like Jagger" by Maroon 5 and Christina Aguilera.  Toasts were given followed by salads.  The couple chose to cut their cake before dinner (to "Pour Some Sugar On Me" by Def Leppard) so that the table, in the middle of the dance floor, could be removed for dancing. 

I was able to position one of my lights onto their cake for a nice blue accent.  This is a great way to bring lighting into your reception area without adding uplighting.  As a bride, I'm sure you've seen "My Fair Wedding" with David Tutera or "Platinum Weddings" and dreamed of giving your reception that look of elegance and class;  but you don't have to be Kim Kardashian to make your reception glamorous.  Uplighting is a great, cost effective way to decorate your reception area.  You can use just a few lights behind the head table to give some pop to your wedding party.  Ideally, you can place lighting around the whole room for a dramatic effect.  Lights come in an array of colors and I can match them to whatever color palette you have chosen.  Call, email or text me with any questions you may have about this must-have accessory for your reception.

Jason & Alyssa danced to "Come Away With Me" by Norah Jones for their first dance.  A special song was chosen for Alyssa and her dad, "State of Mind" by Clint Black.  They sang every word to each other and you could tell it was a song chosen for it's sentimental meaning rather than it's words of fatherly love.  It was a sweet moment between the two of them.  Jason chose to dance with his mother to "Simple Man" by Shinedown followed by the Anniversary Dance.  Alyssa's grandparents were the winners with 40+ years of marriage...Hugh wouldn't tell me the actual years :). 

Alyssa,her bridesmaids and the rest of her guests had a fabulous time dancing to the 80's and current Top 40 the rest of the night.  Jason and his bride ended the night with "At Last" by Etta James and of course, no wedding is complete in Mountaineer Country without "Country Roads" by John Denver. 

PS. If you book your wedding at the Alumni Center, expect to have the venue staff join you on the dance floor for the Cha Cha Slide.  The crew there always takes great care of me as a vendor and they like to have fun too!