Matrimony & A Little High Culture

            Summit Avenue is one of the most wonderfully mysterious locations in the Twin Cities. The mansions sit like confident snap-shots of the past and the breaths of space between the houses are uncharacteristically pastoral for a city.  Summit Ave has a history of noteworthy inhabitants among whom include F. Scott Fitzgerald and Sinclair Lewis. For the lovers of literature—Fitzgerald revised and finished his novel This Side of Paradise in his home at 599 Summit Avenue (third floor room).
            So amid all of the history and grandeur of Summit Avenue, I was privileged to DJ an All Hallows’ Eve Wedding at the St. Paul College Club. The mansion was designed as a Georgian/ Neo-Georgian home that at times can feel like stepping into one of Fitzgerald’s novels. Other rooms such as the library feel a little Victorian in nature as might call to mind the dwelling of Doyle’s character Sherlock Holmes. 
            Consequently, the wedding ceremony was elegant and romantic in every way. The ceremony was held before a grand fireplace and the bride entered to a rendition of “Falling Slowly” from the Once soundtrack. The mahogany harmonies swam along the wooded walls of the early 20th century living room and the guests padded their eyes with kerchiefs as the bride descended the spiraled staircase to meet her fiancé at the fireplace. At the close of the ceremony guests dispersed into the exciting crevices, rooms, and hidden stairwells of the mansion to socialize with cocktails and hors d’oeuvres. 

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            The reception was held next to the library in a room large enough to accommodate dancing as well as lively conversation. The couple opened the reception with their first dance to Trampled By Turtles’ “Whiskey”. Their song was a lovely mixture of a sentimental melody and upbeat rhythm that made for an emotionally uplifting first dance.  The rest of the reception was a combination of old and new, fast and slow, line-dance and slow-dance. It was a wedding for the history books, and it was certainly one of the most romantic nights I’ve been able to be a part of.