Lauren & Chris Orpheum Theater Wedding
Lauren and Chris came to me with the idea of hosting their wedding and reception at a local restaurant. Lauren knows the GM really well and also loves the space at this restaurant. My interest was peaked as I’d never heard of someone hosting both ceremony and reception at this restaurant. After some planning discussions together we decided sadly this wouldn’t work well as the capacity was maxed and we felt guests couldn’t be accommodated well if hosted at the restaurant. I am all for non-traditional venues but it definitely needs to make sense for everyone involved.
Vendor Team
Day Of Wedding Coordinator - 618 EVENTS, Maggie
Venue- Orpheum Theater
Florist- Michael Darin, family friend
Photographer- Complete Weddings and Events
DJ- Complete Weddings and Events
Cake- Cakes by Lori
Catering- Nelsons Catering
Hair and Makeup- friends of the bride
As you can see from above they landed on booking The Orpheum Theater in downtown Champaign. When they booked the theater it was still under construction as it was recently purchased and being renovated. One of the major renovations was leveling the floor. As you can imagine the theater had a sloped floor which made sense for a theater however for weddings and events it made all the tables sloped. Yikes! The owner installed a platform so everything is level.
The Orpheum Theater was most recently a children’s museum so all of the exhibits were cleaned out and the flooring and walls were painted or cleaned up.
Chris, the new owner, has impeccable taste for vintage furniture. He purchased really beautiful lounge sets, tables and other wooden furniture, plus chairs to be used for events. One of my favorite parts is Chris purchased 150 mismatched wooden chairs to be used as seating for receptions. It is so cool!
Lauren and Chris wanted strolling stations for dinner. LOVE this idea but there’s definitely a right and wrong way to do this.
If you want strolling stations, the tables need to be completely separate to encourage the strolling otherwise it’s just a big buffet.
There needs to be CLEAR instructions/communication to the guests. Strolling stations are unique so I made sure to stand out in the foyer where the stations were set up to instruct guests there were tables all over and they didn’t need to wait in line in any specific order.
Have plates and silverware and napkins at each station! Otherwise they will have to start somewhere and it’s no longer strolling.
Nelsons Catering handled the strolling stations like a PRO (well that’s because they are pros)! Their team did wonderful with set up and ensuring chafing dishes were full etc.
Lauren and Chris had alot of friends and family involvement in their day. Chris’ cousin is a photographer out of Indiana but they wanted her to enjoy the party with her family. She arrived that morning to capture details and the bridal party getting ready. Lauren’s friend did all the florals and decor! What an amazing wedding gift! Two of Lauren’s friends were the bar tenders. Lauren’s brother was their officiant- always love a personal officiant who truly knows the bride and groom! Lauren’s friend did her hair and makeup. That same friend is a drag queen out of Vegas so they traveled all the way here to help with hair and makeup along with a surprise performance for all the guests at the reception!
Lauren and Chris really wanted everything to be in one place so they hosted both the ceremony and reception at Orpheum. I am also a HUGE fan of this as 1) it’s way easier for guests and 2) you can roll right into cocktail hour or dinner so there’s no awkward break in between the ceremony and reception.
But before the ceremony even started there was a happy hour at 3pm. This is a unique feature that is becoming even more popular. This allows guests to mingle, get a drink, maybe even say hi to the bride and groom (if they choose to participate). So guests got a drink then sat down to chat and enjoy charcuterie on their table. Instead of a traditional ceremony set up with chairs in rows, guests sat at their table for the ceremony. There wasn’t time or space for a full room flip and this option works great as an alternative!
Lauren and Chris didn’t want to be a part of the happy hour so Lauren was hiding before she walked down the aisle. We directed guests to take their seats and then the ceremony started. Once the ceremony concluded we instructed guests to enjoy happy hour while family photos were taken.
Once cocktail hour ended we lined up the bridal party for introductions while everyone found their seat. I like to have the bride and groom go right into cutting their cake and this way catering can cut and plate it whenever they are ready. After this, Lauren and Chris had purchased a very nice bottle of champagne so they took photos popping the bottle at their sweetheart table.
Then the dinner stations were opened. The DJ handled dismissing tables and I directed guests. Like I mentioned above it’s SO important to clearly communicate so I was thankful to work together with the DJ to efficiently move guests through.
There was a time for toasts once everyone had their dinner. It was very sweet- the two flower girls surprised Chris and Lauren and shared a toast. The maid of honor, best man, Lauren’s mom, Lauren’s brother, Chris’ dad, and another friend or two all shared kind words about the bride and groom.
First dances were next and because Lauren’s dad and Chris’ mom are no longer with us they shared a combined parent dance- Lauren with Chris’ dad and Chris with Lauren’s mom. Lauren and her mom also shared a first dance. It was such a special moment!
Immediately following first dances, Lauren’s friend performed their drag show. It was a surprise for all the guests and everyone loved it. There was no better way to get guests up and dancing for the party to start. They are very talented and came all the way from Vegas!
I was hired to coordinate through open dancing so at that point I left and returned to help clean up. This works out wonderfully because the venue staff can help with little things that come up during the night and the DJ is running the show anyway. Also, by me returning to clean up, the family can just leave and not worry about a thing! I know Lauren was completely exhausted and couldn’t wait to put her feet up. It is such a long day and everyone is drained (in the best way!) at the end.
What a beautiful day incorporating so many personal elements! Congrats to the happy couple!