Jason Cost and April Shaw Wedding

Our 2014 rolls steadily along with another Fall wedding in Syracuse.  Off-site ceremonies don’t happen often, but I enjoy it when they do.  It goes without saying, but the days of the church wedding still exist, but in smaller numbers.  More and more these days, I am finding couples who are looking for something different, and I love different.  Jason Cost and April Shaw were looking for something different.  While the bulk of the party happened at the Syracuse University Sheraton, Jason and April first tied the knot at the gazebo at Onondaga Lake Park’s Butterfly Garden.

The morning of September 13th was a windy and wet one.  Guests were seated outside the gazebo under a tent, while the gazebo itself was covered.  Jason was waiting in the gazebo with his officiant, friend of SCSM Stephen Melkanos, and the sound was ready to go.  Down the path leading to the gazebo, the bridesmaids entered (Canon in D – Pachelbel) followed by April’s Bridal Processional (Bridal Chorus – Wagner).  After a wonderful ceremony service by Stephen, Jason and April formally exchanged vows and were married.  Upon their Recessional (Beautiful Day – U2), Jason and April happily walked away from the Butterfly Garden for some pictures and the day transitioned to the Sheraton.

The Sheraton’s Comstock Room was all decorated for the reception, accented by fuschia uplighting for aesthetics.  Guests arrived for the cocktail hour and shortly after the festivities of the reception began.  The parents, wedding party, and bride and groom themselves lined up for their Grand Entrance (All You Need is Love – The Beatles).  Once Jason and April walked in their guests looked on as they enjoyed their first dance (Pride and Joy – Stevie Ray Vaughn).  It seemed like all the time Jason spent on the road for work and the anticipation of the day came out in a moment of joy for our newly formed Cost family.  When the first dance ended, everyone was seated for speeches and toasts and a great sit down dinner.

After dinner, the dancing portion was kicked off with some parents dances.  Up first, was the
father/daughter dance (Walk With You – Edwin McCain), followed by the mother/son dance (Edelweiss: From The Sound of Music – Oscar Hammerstein II and Richard Rodgers).  Once the dance floor opened, it turned into a true representation of the variety of the good people attending the Cost wedding.  April and Jason of course were a mainstay on the dance floor, but it was a true depiction of the different backgrounds and tastes that walked through the door.  Some truly memorable moments happened as well.  First, Jason and April’s officiant, Stephen, and I used to have a weekly show at Singers Karaoke Club, where we would recreate the old Fresh Prince of Bel-Air “Apache” dance (Apache – The Sugarhill Gang).  With him in attendance, we got a chance to relive the old days.  Also at some point in the night, one of the guests did a one-man entertainment show by singing along with the songs, playing air guitar, and getting the guests to dance along with him.  The charisma was off the charts.  It was also great to see Tom and Melissa Dougherty, friends of the bride and groom and one of Salt City Sound Machine’s wedding couple from our first year.

But the night rightly belonged to the new Jason and April Cost and they had their own memories yet to be made.  Shortly after dancing began, they cut their cake (Candy Girl – New Edition) and the specific moments tended to occur at regular intervals.  Next up was the bouquet toss (Girls Just Want to Have Fun – Cyndi Lauper) to the single ladies in the house and a garter removal/toss (Keep Your Hands to Yourself – Georgia Satellites) with the garter placement rounding out that ceremony (Another Bites the Dust – Queen).  Directly following the bouquet/garter, Jason and April went onto the dance floor flanked by their Best Man and Maid of Honor for their Dollar Dance, which spilled into two dances (If I Had $1,000,000 – Barenaked Ladies, Money – Pink Floyd).  Things continued in the final hour, where we found out who in attendance has been married the longest with the Generations Dances (When I’m 64 – The Beatles, Wonderful Tonight – Eric Clapton, I’ll Be – Edwin McCain).

After 16 specific songs, 7 hours, and 2 venues, it was time to wrap up the night.  Jason and April had smiles on their faces as their day was ending.  They danced to their chosen Last Dance song ((I’ve Had) The Time Of My Life – Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes) and said goodbye to their guests before heading off to their new life and husband and wife.  I enjoyed working with them and it’s great to stay in touch today!

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

Soundtrack

• Canon in D – Pachelbel (Ceremony – Processional)
• Bridal Chorus – Wagner (Ceremony – Bridal Processional)
• Beautiful Day – U2 (Ceremony – Recessional)
• All You Need is Love – The Beatles (Grand Entrance)
• Pride and Joy – Stevie Ray Vaughn (First Dance)
• Walk With You – Edwin McCain (Father/Daughter Dance)
• Edelweiss: From The Sound of Music – Oscar Hammerstein II and Richard Rodgers (Mother/Son Dance)
• Candy Girl – New Edition (Cake Cutting)
• Girls Just Want to Have Fun – Cyndi Lauper (Bouquet Toss)
• Keep Your Hands to Yourself – Georgia Satellites (Garter Removal/Toss)
• Another Bites the Dust – Queen (Garter Placement)
• If I Had $1,000,000 – Barenaked Ladies (Dollar Dance 1)
• Money – Pink Floyd (Dollar Dance 2)
• When I’m 64 – The Beatles (Generations Dance 1)
• Wonderful Tonight – Eric Clapton (Generations Dance 2)
• I’ll Be – Edwin McCain (Generations Dance 3)
• (I’ve Had) The Time Of My Life – Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes  (Last Dance)