Alyssa & Andrew
Art Deco Glamor in the Motor City
Fillmore Theatre
Photographer: Niki Marie Photography
A&A's August wedding was a celebration of of music, entertainment, and summer in the city they call home. A multi-layered experience for guests, the wedding events were planned in such a way to embrace the places most meaningful to the couple, but also show-off the rich history of Detroit and the renaissance bringing the city back to life. From a ceremony at the Groom's home church (where his parents and grandparents were both married), a reception and multi-course dinner in a historical turn-of-the-century theatre turned concert venue, dancing into the wee hours of the morning, a little (surprise) confetti, and late-night popcorn.
Filmmaker: Spencer Whiteman Visuals
Weddings always begin with beautiful details that set the tone for the events to come. With the city of Detroit having such a rich history in the Art Deco period (fun fact...the D has the most Art Deco skyscrapers next to NYC), we wanted to blend the historic with the modern and create an experience that honored both old and new.
Guests arrived in the city and were welcomed at their hotels with a gift bag full of the Bride and Groom's favorite snacks, a custom scented candle, and a full 8-page broadsheet newspaper. Carefully crafted to look like the real deal, the newspaper included the couple's relationship history, wedding details, history about the city, a full wedding poster, and other newspaper-inspired details, including a full page of comic strips, Detroit-based ads, 'Dear Abby' columns, and restaurant suggestions in the form of classifieds.
St. Clare of Montefalco, a parish located in Grosse Pointe Park, dates back to 1923 and has been an important part of the Groom's family history for many decades. Both his grandparents and parents were married in this same church, so continuing the tradition with A&A's wedding ceremony was not only important to the couple and their families, but very meaningful.
When shopping for a venue, we walked into many theatres in the city, each with its own unique history and aesthetic...but when A&A toured the Fillmore Detroit, a turn-of-the-century theatre turned concert venue, something just clicked. Being lovers of music themselves, this venue seemed to fit their personalities perfectly...beautiful and rich in history but also a little rock and roll in it's modern form.
The Fillmore Detroit's interior lobby is decorated almost entirely with band and concert posters, so what better way to 'advertise' their own event than to have a poster made for them.
Collaborating with a local artist specializing in illustration, a poster featuring details from the city and hints of the wedding celebrations to come was created and hung in the large poster cases outside of the theatre for all to see.
During cocktail hour, guests found their seats for dinner by interacting with our theatre ushers at A&A's very own box office. Each guest was given their own personal 'ticket' into the show, which featured their seating assignments and other personal details.
When designing dinner in the old theatre area, we wanted to give guests different experiences. And with the interesting floor layout that the venue has, we had to get creative with shapes and sizes in order to fit every guest comfortably.
Giving a modern take on a 1920’s setting, we wanted the tables to feel current, but fully set for the multi-course dinner parties of the early 1900s (and for the four course meal we had planned for the evening).
We designed four different types of table for this wedding, all cohesive with each other, but all different and unique in their own way. Donut tables with mountains of palm trees (a reference to the venue's original name, The Palm Theatre), round tables with massive concentric circles of candles, family-style tables with never-ending rows of puffy white florals, and serpentine tables decorated with classic brass lamps, nodding to 1920s speakeasies.
When designing the stationery and smaller details for the weekend's events, we tried to tie as many items back to the theatre as we could. One of the most beautiful details of the entire wedding were the dinner menus, placed at each guest's seat. Embossed and treated with gold foil, each menu was designed to resemble the giant domed window in the ceiling of the main theatre space, each inscribed with the guest's name on the front center. Flipped around, the full menu was written out in an Art Deco-inspired letterpressed typeface, guiding guests through each of the 4 dinner courses and wine service.
Leaning once again into the theatre theme, while guests danced the night away, we prepared a late night snack for their departure. And what better snack at a theatre than a box of popcorn.
As guests travelled back through the lobby on their way out, our theatre ushers dressed in their full red and gold garb prepared and passed out popcorn packaged in a fully illustrated box resembling the inside of the Fillmore Theatre.
Just as beautifully as it began, the wedding day drew to a close with one final incredible hurrah.
Complete with a dress change from the Bride, as well as late night espresso martini service, we surprised our Bride and Groom with an end-of-evening confetti drop just as the last song came to an end and the curtain came down.
