Jonathan Bradshaw and Kristin Kielar Wedding

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.

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!

Soundtrack

• Just Like Heaven – Juliana Richer Daily (The Cure Cover) (Ceremony – Grooms Processional)
• Stay With You – Juliana Richer Daily (John Legend Cover) (Ceremony – Bridesmaid/Bridal Processional)
• Got To Get You Into My Life – Juliana Richer Daily (The Beatles Cover)  (Ceremony – Recessional)
• Say Hey (I Love You) – Michael Franti (Grand Entrance)
• Together/Love You Madly remix – Jack Johnson/Cake  (First Dance)
• Crush – Horrible Crowes  (Cake Cutting)
• Your Song (Moulin Rouge) – Ewan McGregor  (Last Dance)