The Half-Million Dollar Wedding

A little over a week ago, I got an interesting video production gig. It was for the TV show 'Platinum Weddings', which airs on the cable WE channel. This reality TV series documents very extravagant weddings. The nuptials took place at the Omni Shoreham hotel in Washington, DC, and truly, I've not seen something so luxurious in my whole life. The wedding was of a young Jewish couple, Alexis and Noah--they couldn't have been any older than 25 years old--and the whole affair was, for the most part, very religious. All men wore black (so did everyone who was crew-ing at the wedding), complete with yamakas (little knit caps). After a 'contract ceremony', in which the men gathered to see the rabbi, groom, and several witnesses ratify an agreement for the bride, there was another ceremony to unveil the bride to the groom.

This ceremony was in turn followed by the actual, traditional wedding ceremony most are acquainted with. The exchanging of vows was like something out of a Hollywood ceremony: Held on the large backyard of the Shoreham hotel with over 200 select guests in attendance. Suffice it to say, the bride looked stunning in her long-tailed white dress. There were many camera crews--both video and photo--capturing every moment. Everything was arranged at top-notch standards. You would have thought it was Julia Roberts' wedding.

And that was just the start of the celebration. After the vows, came the first reception, held at a wide, open restaurant area in the hotel. Vegan finger food was served while a duo of Japanese musicians played mood music on string instruments. An hour later came the official wedding banquet, a separate sit-down dinner held in an adjacent room. The table and plate settings were meticulously planned and executed, and the vaulted ceiling of the room was professionally lit with leafy patterns. All tables were lit with floating candles. There was another set of musicians here, singing while the couple ate. Several friends and family members came forward to toast the couple. The bride's young brother even played some classical piano.

Then there was yet another room. This one a 'dance ballroom' where the newly-married couple was introduced yet again and danced on a custom-ordered hand-painted dance floor. Another set of musicians played up-tempo tunes while everyone danced. Succulent desserts were served by the waiting staff: little custard cakes and italian strawberry ice cream served right off carved-ice bowls. The groom and bride's parents were thoroughly celebrated. They did that dance when they lift people up in their chairs. There were even more celebratory toasts and the couple finally cut a slice of a rich, multi-layered chocolate cake. Who knew people partied like this? (Of course, I had to be on my tippy-toes through all this, as I was there working with a video crew)

You thought it be over right there, but it wasn't. This was an exceptional wedding. Those who were left standing after all this took their party to a special late-night dance club set at yet another one of the Shoreham large event rooms. Long, white drapes were stretched to the ceiling to serve as make-shift walls. A large event-lighting array, akin to that of a concert, was set at the center of the room, complete with a disco ball. Large flat-panel tv sets set around the scene displayed freshly-taken pictures of the lucky couple. There were waiters everywhere serving plenty of bubbly champagne. And specially-hired 'hip-hop dancers', all dressed in white, where there to get partygoers moving on the dance floor.

This whole event was organized to much success by a woman named Jamie Greenwald. I congratulated her at the end of the night, because she truly carried out the festivities to a level of accomplishment that impressed me. I really enjoy to see people who know what they're doing, and she was one of those people--precise, in control, and in her element.

We had started shooting the event around 11am. By the time we were done, it was 1am. I had not expected for a Sunday wedding to go that long. It was a sincere, hard day's work.

At one point, while talking to another video crew member, I took a guess that the wedding most have costed about 100 grand. I was quickly corrected--it was more like 250 grand. This crew member in turn was then corrected--it was actually over half a million dollars! The bill was footed by the bride's grandparents, who must've been loaded. The bride's father himself was a retired navy admiral. It's surreal to watch people with money carrying out like that when you are used to making do with much less.

I was left with the thought of how much in love this young couple seemed to be. They truly looked unbelievably happy, and they seemed incredibly lucky. For a moment, I envied them. God only knows if I'll ever be married. I was also left wondering if they would last, if their union, after such a grandiose start, would stand the test of time in an era where most marriages crash and burn so easily. Was such a costly celebration really worth it? Between their upraising and their tight-knit families, they seemed to have the foundation for a long, happy marriage. For their sake, I sincerely hope so. Alexis and Noah better be together until their golden years.

This particular wedding will be feature in the TV show 'Platinum Weddings' sometime late this year or next year... in case you come across the thing on cable.