Sam Barbose and Deborah Yamrick Wedding

A mere 15 days after the Bradshaw wedding, we were back at Mirbeau Inn and Spa.  This time it was Sam Barbose and Deborah Yamrick’s turn to use the awesome facilities at Mirbeau for their big day.  The settings were the same… ceremony on the bridge, reception on the deck under the tent, but no two weddings are the same, no matter how familiar the setting.  So it’s always interesting and fun to take in the differences.

This time it was a rainy day in Skaneateles.  15 days prior, we had a scare that rain might delay the ceremony.  On this day, the scare turned into a reality.  Rain poured from the sky and Sam and Deborah could have moved the ceremony inside, but they kept the faith and held off.  When things were looking at their most grim, a slight break in the rain showed up on the radar and we were able to have the ceremony outside, on the bridge, in Mirbeau’s courtyard.  Sam and his groomsmen walked onto the bridge from under the covered overhang leading from Mirbeau’s main building.  In the mean time, the bridesmaids began walking the entire perimeter of Mirbeau’s koi pond for the Processional (Unchained Melody – The Righteous Brothers (Instrumental)).  Deborah took a similar path for the Bridal Processional (From this Moment – Shania Twain), but she had a special escort.  During the first half of her walk, Deborah was accompanied by her father, whereas for the second walk, she was escorted by her son.  Everyone was glad that the weather held so that the outdoor ceremony could be completed and when it was over, Sam and Deborah walked away as Husband and Wife (Signed, Sealed, Delivered I’m Yours – Stevie Wonder) and the party transitioned to the deck and the safety of the party tent.

Due to the 30-minute weather delay, the cocktail hour was shortened significantly.  The guests settled in on the Monet Deck and soon after was the Grand Entrance (Best Day of My Life – American Authors) where the parents, wedding party, and Sam and Deborah were introduced.  Directly after the intros, Sam and Deborah met on the dance floor for their First Dance (The Very Thought of You – Etta James) and were eventually joined on the dance floor.  When the dances ended, but before dinner, the standard toasts were made by the Maid & Matron of Honor and the Best Man, but that was followed by and interesting blessing by the Brother of the Bride.  His version of a blessing was playing an acoustic guitar version of Crazy On You – Heart, with rewritten lyrics dedicated to our bride and groom.  The blessing was well received and served as a fun transition into dinner.

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Family dances marked the end of dinner and the beginning of the dance portion of our evening.  The family dances were done a little bit differently.  For the Barbose wedding, both Sam and Deborah danced with their partners at the same time for two separate dances.  The first tandem dance was the standard Father/Daughter, Mother/Son Dance (Because You Loved Me – Celine Dion), and that was followed by another tandem dance where Sam danced with his new Mother-In-Law and Deborah danced with her hew Father-In-Law (My Wish – Rascal Flatts).  

Finally the dance floor opened and it was kept pretty full all night long.  The guests were happy to dance to most of the tunes that were provided and somehow I ended up with the bride’s veil!  Once the Cake Cutting (That’s Amore – Dean Martin) was over, a group called “Team Bride” was called to the dance floor to join our bride in a specific song (We Are Family – Sister Sledge).  There were of course other memorable moments.  I got a priest to join in dancing to Like a Prayer – Madonna, which I will always remember as something particularly awesome.  Also at one point, there was a massive singalong to Young Forever – Jay-Z.  In addition, a lucky couple who had been married for 52 years as of that day won the Generations Dance, headlined by Grow Old With You – Adam Sandler.

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The end of the night didn’t have the paper lanterns that they did 15 days prior, but it was no less a good way to end the night.  Sam and Deborah danced their Last Dance (I’ll Be Seeing You – Etta James) and their guests backed off the dance floor to allow them to enjoy the moment on their own.  Sometimes the best way to end the night is the most intimate.  The night ended and Sam and Deborah began their stay at Mirbeau as Husband and Wife before getting on the road to their homes a state away in Pennsylvania.  It’s always great to have people from other states visiting Central New York and leaving their memories here.

Congratulations to Sam and Deborah.  Thank you for choosing Salt City Sound Machine and we wish you the best of luck in the future!

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Jonathan Bradshaw and Kristin Kielar Wedding

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I go to several wedding venues a year in and around Central New York, and although I am a preferred vendor at many, there are few that can match the beauty you get when you have your wedding at Mirbeau Inn and Spa in Skaneateles, NY.  And that that end, it was tough to find a better couple than Jonathan and Kristin Bradshaw (Kielar).  Communications were easy and they were very organized which resulted in both being a joy to work with.

As the recap goes on, in the interest of fairness and honesty, it must be said that this one sort of got away from me.  I was a bit off my game.  It doesn’t happen often, but even ace pitchers have a bad outing once in a while.  But, I feel that it’s important to always be honest, even when you aren’t at the best of days.  That being said… Recap!

The day started a little concerning.  Due to the outdoor set up in Mirbeau’s courtyard, there was always the danger of bad weather.  It looked iffy, but the weather held off and everyone went off without a hitch.  The ceremony occurred on the bridge at Mirbeau with the guests looking on across Mirbeau’s koi pond.  For their ceremony, Jonathan and Kristin had a Nashville, TN based, but Central New York native Indie/Folk singer-songwriter, Juliana Richer Daily to perform live acoustic covers for musical accompaniment.  The first song (Just Like Heaven – The Cure) was dedicated to the entrances of the groomsmen, followed by Jonathan, who walked into his wedding ceremony with his father.  Next, Juliana sang a song for the bridesmaid and bride processional (Stay With You – John Legend).  Kristin looked amazing walking the long path in Mirbeau’s courtyard to the bridge, escorted by her mother.  The parents were both left at the foot of the bridge, where Jonathan met Kristin to walk the remainder of the way to where they were married.  Finally, when the ceremony was over, it was Juliana again with another acoustic cover (Got To Get You Into My Life – The Beatles) for the recessional, as the festivities moved for cocktail hour and the reception under a tented deck across the courtyard.

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Under the tent, the party continued without a hitch.  Guests enjoyed their drinks and lite fare and were eventually joined by the bride and groom.  As cocktail hour concluded, the VIPs of the day were lined up for the introductions (Say Hey (I Love You) – Michael Franti).  However, this time along with the wedding party being announced by name, they were also accompanied by a short bio provided by Jonathan and Kristin.  That way, the guests not only found out who these people were, but also little facts like where they met the bride or groom and an idea of their relationship.  After the introductions, Jonathan and Kristin began their first dance.  It was a mix of slow and fast as we created a custom mix where the first song (Better Together – Jack Johnson) was seamlessly transitioned into the second (Love You Madly – Cake).  Along with the learned dance steps from some lessons, it proved to be a memorable first dance.  Following some speeches including a bridesmaid, the groom’s son, and the groom himself, everyone in attendance was treated to a multi-course sit-down dinner courtesy of Mirbeau.

Dancing began as the last course was finishing, and mishaps aside, it was a pretty positive point in the night.  I played several of the requests from the bride and groom along with some special ones.  Jonathan was previously in bands called Necessary Evil, The Zach Wasilenko Four, and The Guts with one of his groomsmen.  I managed to find a Guts song called Hey Delilah.  In addition, I found an original by the ceremony singer, Juliana Richer Daily called If I Had a Boat that was also played at some point during the night.  Dancing was definitely available throughout the night but for those who opted to take advantage of the beautiful landscape of the Mirbeau courtyard, it was an understandable choice.  In fact, our bride and groom took advantage themselves, taking some time out for a sunset picture.

The night progressed and the memorable moments continued.  At one point, Jonathan and Kristin cut the cake (Crush – Horrible Crowes) and their only other specific song of the night was for their last dance (Your Song (Moulin Rouge) – Ewan McGregor).  However, as the night ended there was one thing left to do.  All of the guests were instructed to head out along the path of the courtyard and light off paper lanterns to fly into air as a send off to the night.  Jonathan and Kristin joined in by lighting their own lantern and getting a very cool silhouette picture among the fabric and flame.  Our night came to an end with lanterns rising and floating over Mirbeau and Skaneateles.

Congratulations to Jonathan and Kristin.  Thank you for choosing Salt City Sound Machine and we wish you the best of luck in the future!

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