Wednesday, January 29, 2014
Page 11
DESTINATION WHIDBEY & CAMANO WEDDINGS
Entertainment adds ambience to special day BY BEN WATANABE
Just like a movie scene, the right music can perfectly accent a wedding. On Whidbey, the options are abundant from live musicians to lively DJs. Which one is a matter of the couple’s preference and the vibe they are after, and given the island’s natural setting of sea and mountain ranges to the west and east, outdoor nuptials are common. “Whidbey Island offers the best backdrop of any area around Puget Sound,” said Quinn Fitzpatrick, a Whidbey Island guitarist who regularly performs at weddings. For the Whidbey-based musicians of Trio Nouveau, weddings are an opportunity for their talents to add to an already magical evening’s majesty. “We set an ambience,” said Kristi O’Donnell, the band’s bassist. “We’re at the right volume. We’re very sensitive to the moment.” Specializing in swing music from the 1920 and 1930s, Trio Nouveau is part of a movement to bring a simple elegance to outdoor weddings, once considered a more informal affair. Imagine a Whidbey sunset setting, having the three-part band — expandable
to a sextet, if requested — strum and pluck while guests filter in, enjoy a cocktail hour or dine, essentially background music. “This is heartfelt playing,” O’Donnell said. “We practice it and we feel it.” “We send out love beams.” One of the innovations offered by Trio Nouveau is a speaker system that is iPod compatible. If a wedding party is ready to transition into top-40 dance grooves, plug it in and play the hits. “We’re versatile,” O’Donnell. Of course, if that’s the angle the betrothed couple wants the entire time, the services of a DJ who has amassed a library of music and brings a speaker system can suffice. Moose Moran, a Central Whidbey-based entertainment expert, is one such DJ. Moran has the right tunes for the entire wedding, from ceremony to reception to dance. Fitzpatrick, an instrumentalist with plenty of musical friends to call upon if a couple wants a vocalist or violinist, has compiled a long list of popular wedding songs — classical and modern — he has arranged for a solo guitar. It reduces the cost associated with hiring a band or DJ and provides a mellow aesthetic.
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Whidbey Island-based Trio Nouveau are ready to perform at weddings at various venues throughout the picturesque island. “Instead of having to hire a duet of a guitarist and vocalist, I can play everything on the guitar,” Fitzpatrick said.
A common practice for the musicians is to request favorite songs from the couple, which they can work into their performances.
Finding a wedding officiant With government officials, religious leaders and even family members available, couples have a multitude of choices of who can officiate their wedding ceremony. “There’s so many ways to go out and make ceremonies more meaningful,” said Gloria Mickunas, owner of Whidbey Party Girls!, which coordinates and organizes weddings on Whidbey Island. If a couple wants to have a family member officiate a wedding, then that person can get ordained at places such as as the Universal Life Church, which is recognized by Washington state. She also noted judges, attorneys and elected officials such as mayors are also able to serve in that role. For more information, go to www.whidbeypartygirls.com
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