Saturday, 9:44 PM
—johnsontayl@columbiapictures.net
Aaron,
I don't know about Hollywood parties. One of these days I need to go to LA and visit a couple. I do know New York parties and this wedding was a classic—in more ways than one. I gather Schwartz—I guess that's Schwartz-Richards now—provided the initial concept. The actual project was managed in house, by the groom's sister Dr. Siobhan Richards. That is a name to remember, though perhaps not in a business context. The work was done by the house and grounds staff, several of the Richards family businesses. Francine Martel supplied costuming, performers and technical assistance.
I understand you have met Martel. There is a story going around that there was a dispute about who was really in charge. According to the story, Dr. Richards picked her up and dangled her, head down, out of a second story window. Dr. Richards is six feet tall and oozes, "Do NOT fuck with me." You know how small Martel is. It could be true. Interestingly, both Richards and Martel were very prominent at the dance.
On to business. I hope you have something highly portable for this project. The couple is coming to you. They will be changing planes in LAX. The arriving flight is UCommute 6844, departing Hawaiian Air 8922. I spoke with Curtis Albrecht, as indicated in my last email. We have an agreement for an inspection and negotiation. They are bound to confidentiality. We are putting in $10K as a retainer. If they are willing to accept the project, a contract along the lines you discussed with Mr. Richards is anticipated. If the offer is declined, they will not charge the retainer.
Richards Enterprises was willing to waive the retainer. I insisted. If Mr. Richards is anything like Dr. Richards, he will be a handful. On the scale of things, the money is cheap. It generates goodwill and initiates the relationship on a strictly businesslike basis. This is a new player, but not a naive one.
Get what you can throw together and meet them at LAX. They will give you an answer when they return from the honeymoon.
On a side note, Schwartz-Richards' personal assistant has Hollywood experience. I'll give the details to Janice. They hired an experienced girl out of Martel's LA office. She's in town for the wedding and should be set up by the time they get back. Their level of professionalism impresses me.
Saturday, 11:43 PM
—wilsonrandall@uniquebride.com
Bob,
I don't care what you've already done. Tear it down. This one is the cover and lead story. It will be the cover and lead story of the year end review. Hell, It may be the cover and lead story of the 25
th
anniversary edition. It's a freaking goldmine.
I waited until I had at least one good shot of the bride, see attached. The details of the dress are worth an insert article. If she looks impossibly thin, she is. She used a corset. Even the groom's sister wore one. More on her shortly. This picture—all the pictures—are 100% natural light. This one was shot using banked reflectors and a dish reflector for the spotlight effect.
The bride's dress was custom made. All the mens suits and bridesmaids dresses are tailored costumes. Yes, that includes the groom's sister, who wore almost the same suit as the best man. The work was done by Vivian's Costume in Manhattan. Both the bride and the groom's sister were wearing stunning earrings. Miss Schwartz wore emeralds and Dr. Richards wore rubies.
We have covered the preparations for the fair in some detail, so I will only say that the impact had to be experienced to be believed. The carousel in the middle of things—I do mean the middle—was unforgettable. The food and beverage service was nearby, so the activity level was amazing. Food was simple—sandwiches, fruit, cold finger food and fresh baked bread and pastries. Available drinks were beer, lemonade, vintage soda and iced tea. Noteworthy was the ice cream churn, which could be heard all over the yard. The band director let it beat the time, rather than fight it.
The bar, located in the entry foyer, was also noteworthy. Rather than stock a full bar, they served only whiskey, coffee or an Irish Cream made from the whiskey. The only mixed drink of note were whiskey sours. Otherwise it was whiskey neat, with ice (glacial ice was a nice touch), with water, with soda or with coffee. If you wanted sweet, the only option was the Irish Cream. None-the-less, the bar was a great success.
Simplicity was a general theme, underscored by quality. The excellence of the whiskey made the bar a success. Similar things can be said of the smoking porch, which provided pipes and tobacco, and the ladies parlor, which served tea and shortbread. After years of buffets at Tavern on the Green, it was a welcome change.
The Ball is worth a feature article by itself. The imagery of that will take longer, so I will cover it in detail later. Page one will be the bride, who is poetry in motion on the dance floor. Page two will be Francine Martel, who was everywhere. She demonstrated many of the period dances. My generation tends to think we invented line dance, but it is similar to the pre-Civil War reel. Jazz became popular in the 1920s, but Ragtime was a rage before the war. Miss Martel knew and explained it all.
Also of note were the many men attending in military dress. Current military parade uniforms are
very similar to those of a century ago. Naval whites and Army greens contributed greatly to the period feel of the dance. Here again Dr. Richards is significant. Her ballgown might have been made with Army dress greens in mind. The contrast of colors was perfect. She provides an element of humanity, which the divinely beautiful and ethereally graceful Mrs. Schwartz-Richards does not.
Dr. Richards is not particularly attractive, though she photographs well. If you look, the figure control is obvious and there are times her posture lapses or turns stiff. However, those are the exceptions, not the rule. On the whole, she is an impressive figure, handling multiple duties with grace. I recommend a full second article on the supporting people, which Dr. Richards typifies. While she is not the Maid of Honor, she filled many of the roles the MoH typically handles. As I noted above, she is much easier for our readership to relate with.
There is much more. We will be mining this wedding for years. But, it's late and I am going to get a drink or two. See you Monday.
Chapter 28—
Take Me Out to the Ball
Interlude:
25
th
Anniversary
Cindy:
I always wanted to have a ball like Mom's Wedding Ball, but these things need spontaneity. No one my own age wants to do vintage dance, but the vintage dance societies—yes there are such things—tend to be narrowly focused on one period. The wedding ball did a little of everything. Aunt Francine knew an incredible number of them, but not everything. One of my favorite pictures is of Niles, one of Dad's security people, demonstrating British formal dance with his then future wife Harshini. Aunt Francine's studious expression is priceless.
Many of my other favorite pictures are of Aunt Jo. She danced with Dad, of course, and with Gerald, with Uncle Lars, but it doesn't stop there. According to Mom, Aunt Jo was one of the most popular partners at the ball. She knew enough dance to make a good partner, but without the intimidating brilliance of Aunt Francine or the liquid grade of my Mother. In about ten minutes, we are going to clear the floor and you will see what I mean. Even now, Mom has to be seen to be believed.
Sean:
I doubt if I will ever forget the feeling when I saw Jo come down the hall, arm in arm with Sheila and Francine. Jo proceeded to do a number on Gerald and her fellow students, which made me grin like an idiot (Sheila cropped me a picture). For all her accomplishments, that was the first time I thought of Jo as grown up. It was with genuine pride I followed her through the rabbit hole into Wonderland, a.k.a. Sheila's Ball.
Before I had a chance to adjust, a voice cut through the buzz of conversation. George, my driver, does not talk much. That doesn't mean he can't. Sergeants need to be heard, so George knew how to raise his voice. He called for quiet and he got it. Mitchell Gilbert's cultured voice took over.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, on behalf of Sean Richards and Sheila Schwartz-Richards, thank you for coming. As you can see our space is somewhat limited. We hope to be able to entertain you all this evening and we request your cooperation. Those who are not actively using the dance floor are invited to use the seating outside. It is promising to be a gorgeous evening. We also request that no food or drink be brought onto the dance floor.
"Now, since the happy couple has arrived, we may begin the dance portion of of our festivities. Kindly clear the floor so the wedded couple may have room for the first dance. Maestro, at your discretion."
There was a good deal of shuffling. Many people did not want to vacate the floor, but Gerald's people were politely insistent. In the comments, I heard repeated references to Youtube, which I found ironic, given the period theme of the dance. It took a couple of minutes, but the floor was cleared. The orchestra announced its readiness with
Pomp and Circumstance,
which had been played at my high school graduation. I suspected the irony was intentional. Giving the orchestra leader an evil eye, I led Sheila into the center of the floor. It was only when Sheila winked at me that I realized I had no idea what the orchestra would play.
