Been There Done That (So You Don’t Have To) – Matt & Stephanie’s Music and a Food Truck Celebration

I am very excited to introduce a new series of blogs featuring recent clients sharing their best advice on planning the wedding of your dreams. They’ve all been through the highs, lows, frustrations, and joys of wedding planning and want to help you navigate your experience.

First up: Matt & Stephanie’s Unique Music and Takeout Celebration

I recently worked with the sweet and talented Matt and Stephanie to capture their unique nuptials at a bar venue close to their hearts. 

To get to know my clients better, I like to do an informal interview to learn what’s most important to them for their wedding day. Instead of keeping these golden nuggets of information all to myself, I’m sharing the interview, which covers Matt and Stephanie’s love story, tips, and what not to do. Get to know their story, and be inspired to create your own outside-of-the-box celebration.

How did you come up with such a unique venue for your reception? What was your inspiration, how did you find it, etc.?

Matt is a musician, and we actually met at one of the shows he was playing. I had gone because I was friends with the drummer, he introduced us, and we were instantly into each other. Our relationship was built on the love of live music, going to shows, and listening to new bands. Our friends are in the Seattle music scene, so it was something we knew would be a big part of our wedding when we got engaged.

We knew we wanted to throw one hell of a party with a focus on live music, so we thought a music venue would be a much more fitting space than a formal wedding setting. Once we had that idea, it was pretty easy to look into some of our favorite music spots and find which ones offered private event rentals for the number of people we were thinking. Nectar was at the top of the list due to its easy location in Fremont and a layout that supported a lot of dancing or enjoying some people watching from the balcony. They do private events, and since we got engaged in 2020 and had set a date for 2022, we got lucky that most music events at the time had shut down due to covid. We were able to snag a prime Saturday evening in June by planning two years in advance. 

“Find what you love to do together and incorporate it into your wedding. Traditional weddings can be beautiful, but they can also be expensive, impersonal, and stressful.” 

 

2. Any hiccups you encountered with having a reception at a non-traditional venue?

The only almost hiccup we had was with the catering. We had a Thai food truck for dinner, and they could bring in platters and set them up at the outside bar. It was fast, easy, and delicious, but they didn’t provide utensils. The venue was our saving grace. Nectar has a kitchen from when they used to do food that we were welcome to use, and we were lucky enough to find boxes of spoons and forks that the staff was happy to let us have. Crisis averted, everyone ate, we had lots of leftovers people got to take home, and we did not have to do an emergency silverware run.

3. What advice do you have for future couples on how they can have an authentic, unique wedding experience?

Find what you love to do together and incorporate it into your wedding. Traditional weddings can be beautiful, but they can also be expensive, impersonal, and stressful. Because Matt and I went with what we enjoyed doing together and tossed a lot of the ceremonial theatrics (that honestly made us uncomfortable), we were able to have a wedding that spoke to us and felt like a representation of the love we were celebrating. We had a small private ceremony beforehand at the Volunteer Park Conservatory, and then after photos, we went to Nectar to celebrate with everyone we love. Breaking it up made it easy for us to do the traditional parts we wanted to hold onto in a smaller, more intimate setting with our immediate families and the fun part to the masses.

This ties into my second piece of advice – just because other people do it doesn’t mean you have to do it. If the garter toss makes you cringe, don’t do it. If you don’t care about flowers, centerpieces, or name cards, don’t have them. If you want to put out a s’more station instead of having a formal cake-cutting – DO IT! Everything is made up; nothing is required. Do what speaks to you, what makes you happy, and what you feel represents the union you’re trying to share. After our wedding, the majority of our guests reached out to let us know it was one of the best weddings they had ever been to! 

Want to always remember your own uniquely you wedding? Learn more about my wedding photography services or schedule a chat.

Preferred Vendors:

Hair: Alisha Riff

Wedding Dress: Grace Loves Lace

Ring: Green Lake Jewelry Works

Food Truck: Thai-U-Up Food Truck

Dessert: Cupcake Royale 

DJ/Band: Shakedown