THE GAZETTE
Page A-4
VENUE
Continued from Page A-1 said the couple initially talked about football when they first met at work so getting married on a football field seemed to bring their relationship full circle. Tom Hoover, who lived in Laurel when the couple was married, said he resisted the urge to do his best touchdown dance after the end of their May 7, 2011, ceremony. “We kept it pretty straightforward,” he said with a laugh. “It was unreal actually being on the field and having the stadium all to ourselves. We actually got dressed in the locker room, and they did locker room tours for all our guests. Just seeing yourself on a 100-foot video board and just the awe of it is something.” In addition to the video screen, Lisa Hoover said pictures of the couple were on display on monitors throughout the stadium, including an owner’s suite where they had their reception. “Everyone thinks it’s so cool,” Lisa Hoover said. “We usually get the ‘How did you do that?’ or ‘You can get married there?’” For the runway — not runaway — bride (and groom), a landing point is the College Park Aviation Museum, located at 1985 Corporal Frank Scott Drive in College Park. Since working at the museum since 2007, program coordinator Chelsea Dorman said at least three couples have gotten married at the museum. “It’s not terribly common, but we do have them,” Dorman said. “It’s a memorable sight. It’s definitely for people who have a real interest in
aviation. We just have a unique and memorable space available.” Dorman said one of the main attractions for the museum is its wall of windows, which faces the airport runway allowing couples to see the airfield during their ceremony. Couples tend to hold their receptions in either the museum lobby or the upstairs mezzanine, which also provides a view of the airfield. Kathleen Teaze, Prince George’s County Memorial Library System director, said while it’s not all that common a request, one former employee booked to have her wedding at the Surratts-Clinton library. “Some people just have a real attachment to their local library,” Teaze said. “They’re places of possibility and a really strong part of a community, while some are really beautiful buildings. All those things together might attract people to that.” In addition to providing a unique setting for their wedding, some couples seek less traditional wedding locations to save money, said Yvette Albury, founder of Elite Platinum Affairs and Events in Largo. “With the economy being the way it is, people are looking for ways to cut costs,” Albury said. “They are looking for alternate routes in which to get married. I’ve done some weddings in parks, community centers and military bases. It really depends as couples are finding the halls are kind of expensive.” Couples seeking quieter locales are making use of nearby community centers. Briana C. Hardin, special event coordinator for Blissful Blessings Events in Bowie, recalled a wedding her company coordinated at the
Thursday, February 27, 2014 bo
BY THE
NUMBERS A couple gets married in June 2012 on the mound at Prince George’s Stadium in Bowie while family and friends look on in the stands. Lake Arbor Community Center Park. “This turned out to be a marvelous venue after decorations, lighting and sound,” Hardin said. “The traffic and surrounding neighborhood seemed to have disappeared for a few hours. Being on the small lake added a very special touch for this nontraditional venue.” Prince George’s Stadium in Bowie has been a hit with sports fans looking to experience the thrill of being on the mound while their families and friends watch their big moment from the stands. For a wedding hosted at the sta-
dium in 2012, Matt Kemp, Bowie Baysox communications manager, said invitations were sent out like tickets to a typical Baysox game, the cake topper featured the bride and groom playing baseball, and guests received baseball-themed party favors. “We’re open to any suggestions people have,” Kemp said. “... It’s certainly a lot different than going to a church or a ballroom, and it’s something that’s a little more special for sports fans.” jlyles@gazette.net
In the hustle and bustle of planning a wedding, it’s common for couples to overlook small details that could have a large impact on their big day, Prince George’s County wedding planners said. Here are some tips couples should be mindful to include on their to-do checklist: • Remember that parents of the couple need to attend the rehearsal to make sure they’re aware of their responsibilities for the wedding.
• Finalize contracts prior to the wedding to prevent vendors from tacking on extras and charging for additions you never approved. • Make sure to bring money to tip the clergy, musicians, etc.
• Make sure to have a backup CD of your music.
• Don’t forget last-minute items such as a cake knife, bouquet for the bouquet toss, pen for the guest book, toasting goblets, etc. They may not sound significant but their absence will be significant on the wedding day.
• Have extra outfit accessories, such as combs, garter belt, pins for the corsage, etc.
• Pay attention to contract dates, specifically due dates for final payments.
• Make sure the couple’s parents, ushers/hostesses and vendors are wearing complementary
• Have an emergency pack with stain remover and a sewing kit for unexpected mishaps. • Break in your shoes before the ceremony so the slick bottoms don’t cause a fall.
MONTHS
Average engagement
47.1
70.1
percentage of couples engaged for more than a year
percentage of couples married in their hometown
BOWIE BAYSOX
Something borrowed, not forgotten • Bring gum and mints; you’ll be talking to a lot of people.
13 to 15
• If you’re having a reception, be clear about who is responsible for breaking down food tables, moving chairs, etc., after the event.
80.9
percentage of couples who go on a honeymoon
$314 $350 $463
Continued from Page A-1 their own spin on their ceremonies. “A lot of couples are looking to personalize the whole wedding experience now where they draw on their own lives,” Warden said. Briana Hardin, CEO of Bowiebased Blissful Blessings Events, has been coordinating weddings since 2011 and said she has noticed bridal party sizes breaking from tradition. “No more than six is traditional, but people have more friends and they just want to use everyone instead of just close family members,” said Hardin, who said she has seen as many as 11 bridesmaids at a wedding. “And some of it is that a lot of people would like to be incorporated in their special day and brides can’t say, ‘No.’” Shelby Tuck-Horton of Bowiebased Exquisite Expressions and Events, a coordinator for more than 20 years, said social media is also playing a larger role in weddings. “Some couples use wedding apps where their guests can upload their photos and share on Instagram,” Tuck-Horton said. “Some
people use hashtags with their combined wedding names. Then there are others who stream the ceremony online so people who cannot come, like grandparents who are incapacitated or those who are far away, can watch it live.” Receptions are becoming more unique as well. Amil Mendez, managing partner of Lanham-based Showtime Events Inc., which has been doing events since 2010, said a growing trend for couples is cocktail-style receptions. “Part of it may be the culture, but as brides and grooms get younger, they want to do something different,” Mendez said. “In most traditional receptions, after the eating, toasts and the cake, there’s not a lot of time for dancing, which is what younger couples want to do. They want to party all night.” In some cocktail-style receptions, round tables are replaced with lounge furniture and bar stools, where guests enjoy an open bar and hors d’oeuvres are served. “That setting is more conducive to having a good time, partying and dancing,” Mendez said. While cakes are the traditional wedding dessert, cupcakes had be-
come the popular alternative — but now donuts are the latest reception treat, Warden said. For her April wedding, Mabinty Koroma-Moore of Hyattsville said she and her husband wanted their wedding ceremony to be unconventional and contain things they both enjoyed — one of which was doughnuts that they used in place of a traditional wedding cake. “We had a number of reasons for wanting to do that. We wanted to include our favorite doughnuts, and they had all these great flavors to choose from, and another was that cake costs a lot more,” KoromaMoore said. “We wanted tradition, but we wanted to share we’re not a traditional couple.”
Mabinty Koroma-Moore of Hyattsville chose to have a doughnut cake at her wedding in April. “I think the doughnut cake stole the show,” she said. JACK MANNING III OF JAXON PHOTOGRAPHY
average cost of invitations
colors for photographs. • Champagne is not normally included as part of the regular bartender package. Be sure to account for that separately to avoid having to do a wine toast. • Have someone in charge of minors in the wedding party so parents are able to enjoy themselves. • In all the excitement, some couples forget to set aside time to actually eat. Don’t let hunger pangs end the fun prematurely.
$1,249
While their wedding also featured invitations that resembled album covers to reflect their love of music, Koroma-Moore said the doughnuts were the biggest hit. “I think the doughnut cake stole the show,” she said. Mendez said dessert receptions, where chicken and beef are skipped in lieu of cupcakes and brownies, are becoming more common. “They’ll have a late wedding and do maybe a wine and champagne bar with different types of small desserts such as little shot glasses with layers of chocolate, caramel, whipped cream and Oreos,” Mendez said. “It’s really up to the imagination.” jlyles@gazette.net
average cost of a ceremony location
$1,309
SOURCES: BRIANA HARDEN OF BLISSFUL BLESSINGS EVENTS IN BOWIE; CYNTHIA TAYLOR OF CINT’S ALL-IN-ONE BRIDAL/EVENT PLANNING IN UPPER MARLBORO; SHELBY TUCK-HORTON OF EXQUISITE EXPRESSIONS AND EVENTS IN BOWIE; YVETTE ALBURY OF ELITE PLATINUM AFFAIRS AND EVENTS IN LARGO
TWIST
average cost spent on wedding favors
average cost of a groom’s tuxedo
$1,672 average cost of a rehearsal dinner/ additional meals
$1,423 average cost of a florist
$1,424
$2,582 $4,417 $5,619 average cost of engagement ring
average cost of music for a wedding
average cost of a wedding planner
average cost for photography/ videography
average spent on honeymoon
$7,411
$7,843
average cost of a reception venue
average cost of catering
$29,428
average wedding budget, not including engagement rings and honeymoon
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$39,464
Local Companies Local Candidates
1911746
average wedding budget, including rings and honeymoon 1910628
SOURCE: WEDDING WIRE