It was all about purple sparkles and glitter, cocktail hour, frisky dance moves, cheesy fries, a not-so-funny priest, wishing lanters, noisy aeroplanes, dodgy lobster cappuccinos, a lip-syncing performance and a Congo dance wearing sunglasses on this week’s episode of Four Weddings USA.
Bride No 1: Lara had the biggest budget out of the four brides with a whopping $55,000 to spend on her big day. With so much of daddy’s cash at her disposal, it was hardly surprising that she won the honeymoon holiday prize. However, some of the little touches that decorated the reception were more well-thought-out than well bought.
I loved the extravagant amount of flowers at her wedding. They were tasteful, elegant and added a nice welcoming vibe to the venue. It was sweet how the couple wrote their own vows and highlighted the motto that ‘money can’t buy love.’ The Coney Island station which served cheesy fries, pretzels and cocktail wieners seemed to go down a treat with the other brides. But, it was Vietnamese hour that had guests drooling and pushing Lara’s wedding to first place. It looked delicious!
The only downfall to the event were Lara’s frisky friends that gave guests an eyeful on the dance floor with their promiscuous moves (get a room!). I award this wedding 9/10. A Very deserving winner!
Bride No 2: I instantly fell in love with the idea of Nicole’s beach wedding. The ceremony was simplistic and quick. However, I found it a bit distracting and inappropriate when the priest kept on cracking lingerie jokes. I felt incredibly awkward for poor Aurea who had to attend the ceremony on her own (Oh dear!). The centre-pieces looked phenomenal, but it was disappointing to discover that the flowers were fake. I wouldn’t usually be a fan of dinner buffets (the queues are always way too long), but everything moved along quite quickly at Nicole's wedding.
With a budget of $25,000, Nicole could have brought her beach theme into the reception area more. Apart from the wedding cake tops comprised of two deck chairs, nothing really captured the beach vibe. For the fantastic wishing lantern idea, I am giving this wedding a 7/10.
Bride No 3: I was excited when Ty said that she was having a New York orientated wedding, but the theme fell flat. The Historic New York City banquet hall venue was beautiful and the elevator ride to the penthouse terrace was very impressive. However, the noise of the aeroplanes floating on by was extremely distracting. I didn’t get to hear one word of their vows, but it must have been semi-decent as the bride shed a few tears.
Ty could have done way more with her wedding on an excessive budget of $45,000. Apart from the impressive black reflective ceiling and tables named after famous NY landmarks instead of numbers, there wasn’t really anything noteworthy about this wedding. The music seemed to go down well with guests and everyone looked like they were having the craic. 6/10 for this mediocre wedding.
Bride No 4: I liked how relaxed Aurea’s daytime wedding was. She really maximised her $25,000 budget. The scenic view of plants, trees and flowers made a great impact upon arrival – and the bar overlooking the water seemed to score brownie points from all of the guests. The only problem was the beating sun which made the other brides feel really uncomfortable. The reception had a fall theme which seemed a bit random and didn’t really link in with her beach design.
Her dress was my favourite and fit her superbly. I loved how she accessorised her ensemble with a few sparkly bangles. It has become the norm to have a signature drink at cocktail hour during these US weddings, but I still think it is a great idea (and she was the only bride that thought of it this week!). The food looked great, but there didn’t seem to be that many options. The lobster and cappuccino main looked creative but not very appetising.
I won’t even begin to explain what the little brown droppings looked like! Before the main course everyone got up to participate in an energetic Congo dance with sunglasses on which put everyone in the party mood. However, it was the lip-syncing song/dance that Aurea performed for her new hubby that stole the show. Get the divorce papers out now! Purely for the giggles and entertainment value – I award 8/10 marks to this wedding.
Laura Delaney
