Page 34 - Indulge February/March 2016
P. 34
ETHING OLD, SOMETHING NEWWEDDING FESTIVITIES more couples started to assert their the number of wedding guests. “You
EMBRACE A independence, breaking the mold might invite 200 people to a reception
DOWNTOWN with themed or destination weddings and still have people you didn’t get
RENAISSANCE and receptions. on the list. … The after-party has
given the bride and groom the ability
By Patrick O’Donnell Today’s brides and grooms are to expand their wedding beyond the
changing the scene again. “I think traditional scope.”
In America’s early days, weddings the wedding has gone from being a
were usually a far different affair four-hour event to an entire weekend He says couples are also organizing
than the large ceremonies to which celebration,” says Mark De Intinis, other nontraditional get-togethers:
we’ve become accustomed. A director of sales and marketing at The “We’ve had wedding parties sign up
service was typically held at the Renaissance Allentown. “People are for yoga and spin classes at the Lehigh
home of the bride or groom, with checking in for a weekend reception Valley Health Network Fitness Center
just family in attendance; the bride as early as a Thursday,” he says. next door. We’ve had couples that
was later announced at Sunday wanted a wedding-party pub crawl on
church service. There were no The draw: Downtown Hamilton … some groups are booking
large celebrations; no rehearsal Allentown’s revived business and their weddings concurrent with an event
dinners; no extravagant dresses. Big entertainment scene. at the PPL Center, where the rehearsal
ceremonies and raucous receptions dinner is in The Morning Call Lounge
didn’t really come on the scene until “They’re having dinner, visiting during a hockey game. One wedding we
the early 1900s. Ruby’s Floral Factory, the Moravian worked on wanted a ‘take me out to the
Bookstore, enjoying the nightlife … ballgame’ theme at the IronPigs.”
By the late 1950s, weddings there’s just more resources at their
had become more uniform, turning fingertips now than ever before. De Intinis says the connecting
into the familiar, formulaic festivities In just a short walk from Seventh thread he sees in all the requests
most of us are familiar with: church and Hamilton, they have all the is a changed Allentown that now
ceremony, photographs afterward, resources they need to put together offers the ability to “park your car
reception to follow. As time passed, their dream weekend/wedding.” on Friday and not have to move it
for the entire weekend.”
One of the biggest changes De
Intinis sees is the expansion of the That, and what he calls the
after-party. “It’s evolved to become Millennial Flavor: “It’s younger, more
just a huge piece of the overall casual. This generation knows how
wedding experience.” to have a good time, and how to do
it in many different ways.”
It’s derived in part, he says, from
the difficulty of winnowing down
EMBRACE A independence, breaking the mold might invite 200 people to a reception
DOWNTOWN with themed or destination weddings and still have people you didn’t get
RENAISSANCE and receptions. on the list. … The after-party has
given the bride and groom the ability
By Patrick O’Donnell Today’s brides and grooms are to expand their wedding beyond the
changing the scene again. “I think traditional scope.”
In America’s early days, weddings the wedding has gone from being a
were usually a far different affair four-hour event to an entire weekend He says couples are also organizing
than the large ceremonies to which celebration,” says Mark De Intinis, other nontraditional get-togethers:
we’ve become accustomed. A director of sales and marketing at The “We’ve had wedding parties sign up
service was typically held at the Renaissance Allentown. “People are for yoga and spin classes at the Lehigh
home of the bride or groom, with checking in for a weekend reception Valley Health Network Fitness Center
just family in attendance; the bride as early as a Thursday,” he says. next door. We’ve had couples that
was later announced at Sunday wanted a wedding-party pub crawl on
church service. There were no The draw: Downtown Hamilton … some groups are booking
large celebrations; no rehearsal Allentown’s revived business and their weddings concurrent with an event
dinners; no extravagant dresses. Big entertainment scene. at the PPL Center, where the rehearsal
ceremonies and raucous receptions dinner is in The Morning Call Lounge
didn’t really come on the scene until “They’re having dinner, visiting during a hockey game. One wedding we
the early 1900s. Ruby’s Floral Factory, the Moravian worked on wanted a ‘take me out to the
Bookstore, enjoying the nightlife … ballgame’ theme at the IronPigs.”
By the late 1950s, weddings there’s just more resources at their
had become more uniform, turning fingertips now than ever before. De Intinis says the connecting
into the familiar, formulaic festivities In just a short walk from Seventh thread he sees in all the requests
most of us are familiar with: church and Hamilton, they have all the is a changed Allentown that now
ceremony, photographs afterward, resources they need to put together offers the ability to “park your car
reception to follow. As time passed, their dream weekend/wedding.” on Friday and not have to move it
for the entire weekend.”
One of the biggest changes De
Intinis sees is the expansion of the That, and what he calls the
after-party. “It’s evolved to become Millennial Flavor: “It’s younger, more
just a huge piece of the overall casual. This generation knows how
wedding experience.” to have a good time, and how to do
it in many different ways.”
It’s derived in part, he says, from
the difficulty of winnowing down
