It was a dark and stormy night....

...the rain fell in torrents, except at occasional intervals, when it was checked by a violent gust of wind which swept up the streets (for it is in Culver City that our scene lies), rattling along the housetops, and fiercely agitating the scanty flame of the lamps that struggled against the darkness.

Oh, snap. I'm getting carried away by the melodrama of this story already. Edward Bulwar-Lytton would be proud. 

Seriously, though, this is a fantastic story. I just have to share this story and the awesomeness that is Auntie Em’s Kitchen Catering and TACT Event Management. I wasn’t personally at this wedding, but I work with all of the vendors who were there and so I got to hear the different sides of this story from them all.

 Image by Picotte Photography

The Smog Shoppe in Culver City is an incredible place that is the perfect SoCal venue where you can have that indoor/outdoor feel at the same time. You know, unless it rains. And rain it did last Saturday. It poured cats and dogs. Thankfully, the bride and groom had contracted with the rental company to have the courtyard and kitchen of the Smog Shoppe covered with an awning, so guests could be kept dry.

That didn’t prevent the coordinator from getting in a car wreck on her way there (thankfully, she was fine), the glasses from the rental company to be dirty, a few cases of beer to be forgotten, or the power on the entire block going out an hour and a half before guest arrival. The. Power. Went. OUT.

So it is freezing cold, pouring rain, and dark in the venue and Auntie Em’s and TACT spring into action. A server is sent out to the closest store to buy hundreds of candles. Jeff Fleming of TACT gets on the phone working on getting generators brought in for power. And the cooks in the (pitch black) kitchen start cooking a formal sit down dinner of Filet Mignon and Salmon. Know that this food should be made in an oven, but instead, these chefs were working on a grill with candles and flashlights being held over their heads. As the venue was dark, rainy, and silent (no power=no DJ), Jeff had the brilliant idea to ask of any of the staff sang? Not one, but TWO of the Auntie Em’s staff confessed that they were trained opera singers,  so the guests were welcomed inside to a delicious candlelight dinner by the chefs singing Opera.  OPERA!

Soak that in for a second.

This wedding would have been the biggest disaster had any other vendors been on board. As it was, Auntie Em’s and TACT Event Management  kept the flow going and improvised any way they could. Thankfully, when the generators showed up, the power came back on and the guests were able to boogie the night away. Good vendors are priceless, y’all.

WOW.

photos by Douglas Hill of www.doughill.com