Elevate YOUR DAY Experiential weddings are growing in popularity
58 NORTHWESTFLORIDAWEDDINGS.NET
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ood trucks personnel serve hungry partygoers. Guests laugh as they pop out of a photo booth and grab their newly printed mementos. Attendees keep a bounce house rocking. Others line up for a turn with the live portraitist. And a fireworks show lights up the sky as glasses clink with cheers. All of that may seem appropriate to a Gatsby-esque party or a city festival in the streets. But for many, it’s the ideal vision for wedding-day festivities. Experiential weddings were a trend even before the pandemic, but COVID-19 caused them to become even more popular. The approach offers couples and their guests interactive ways to celebrate, beyond boogying on the dance floor. “Following lockdown, there was an overall heightened appreciation for meaningful and memorable interaction,” said John Gandy, owner and creative director at John Gandy Events. As wedding planners and designers, Gandy and his team help couples create novel experiences for their big day. Some of his favorites include processions from the ceremony to cocktail hour and taking guests on a cruise. Sky Nobles, owner of Fizz & Foam mobile bar in Tallahassee, began her business in 2020. She has seen an influx of business in the years since, as couples return to the drawing board for their once-postponed wedding. “Experiences make a wedding unique to that couple,” Nobles said. Nobles’ mobile bar can be merged with any setting. Her signature Truckster serves guests pint-sized keg cocktails, specifically curated and named as the couple’s signature drink. Her champagne-lined Cheers Wall makes for a unique beverage presentation and photo
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By Rebecca Padgett Frett