Tater tots, gift rocks among new wedding trends

Rahmie Santoso and Zack Baumel wanted a wedding that showcased their personality. That meant incorporating their love of gemstones and rocks.

Their fall wedding reception featured tables where guests could paint rocks and create necklaces made from gemstones. Their cake was decorated with edible crystals and a gigantic candy amethyst.

"The guests loved that," said Baumel, a Baltimore native who co-owns a Washington software start-up with his wife. The couple hands out crystals instead of business cards. "It just felt like us. The whole party was a celebration of the love that we have together. The first thing that people said was, 'That is so you.' Everything was hand-crafted -- other than the cake. It was the most fun wedding they had because it was interactive."

Including natural, outdoor elements such as stones, foliage and fresh-picked flowers are just some of the fun, new wedding trends. Couples are ditching traditional elements while incorporating new aspects such as serving doughnuts as opposed to a traditional tiered cake and setting up tater tot bars.

At the Four Seasons Hotel Baltimore in Harbor East, a number of weddings there reflect the newer trends.

"I can't even tell you the last time I saw someone throw a bouquet or cut a cake," said Melinda Redling, director of catering and conferences for the hotel. "I'm kind of seeing more of that casual approach with how they are decorating the room."

Couples are taking a less traditional approach to weddings and receptions -- even when it comes to bigger-budget nuptials, according to Elizabeth Bailey, owner of the Maryland-based Elizabeth Bailey Weddings.

"So many of our couples are going to so many weddings that they have a desire to just make the wedding different from all the others that they have attended," said Bailey, who is known for coordinating weddings with six-figure budgets.

FUTURISTIC PHOTOS

Genevieve Grossmann wanted a wow factor for her October wedding in Philadelphia. She knew a 360 photo booth would accomplish that.

"I'm pretty sure I saw it on the Oscars, and there were probably some celebrities doing this technology," she recalled. "I Googled around and [OrcaVue] were the first people I was able to find. It was amazing. Our guests still talk about it, and every once in a while they'll post it on social media."

Daniel and Jonathan Rosenberry are the founders of OrcaVue (it stands for Orbiting Camera Vue) and inventors of the patented technology that allows for those sleek slow-motion photos that were popularized on the red carpet and have popped up at sporting events and now wedding receptions.

A camera is set up on a long metal arm -- think a selfie stick that you don't have to hold -- that spins around a foot-high platform where the photo subjects stand. The camera, pointing inward, takes a series of photos that creates a slowed-image finished product that shows every angle of the subject.

"People are really awestruck. It's like they haven't laughed before in life," said Daniel Rosenberry. "Seeing themselves in that shot -- in slow motion holding a pink flamingo or wearing a funny hat -- people lose their minds."

A 360 photo booth ranges from $2,500 to $3,000. Rosenberry estimates that it has been used 500 times since its invention in 2014.

YOU WANT TOTS WITH THAT?

Christina Eichenmuller, owner of Annapolis-based Creative Cuisine Catering, has been offering a popular mashed potato bar for seven years. But she has gone above and beyond with tater tot bars.

"I think it's one of those things that as an adult -- you may or may not want to admit you want it," she said with a laugh. "And it meets some dietary needs because it is gluten-free."

Eichenmuller serves up an array of toppings including cheese sauces, gravy, chives, bacon crumbles and sour cream for about $6 a person. More elaborate toppings, including sauteed crab or shrimp, can range up to $10.

Tater tots are also a major draw at Sticky Rice Baltimore. The restaurant has provided specially ordered tater tot bars at wedding receptions and rehearsal dinners.

"They are a great, classic American comfort food and a simple decadence," said Ginny Lawhorn, managing partner at Sticky Rice Baltimore.

What sets their tot bar apart is the offerings of kimchi, broccoli, vegan spicy mayo, buttermilk ranch and house-made tot sauce, a spicy Sriracha-based concoction. Prices for 100 people range from $350 to $600.

DOUGHNUTS ARETHE NEW CUPCAKES

First cupcakes, then macaroons. Now doughnuts are the latest dessert to dethrone the classic wedding cake.

In addition to doughnut walls, where doughnuts are hung on hooks, hot doughnut stations are a new craze, according to Bailey.

When Ada Mahoney got married at the Annapolis Maritime Museum in August, "We didn't want a fancy cake -- we're just not big on cake," she said.

Instead, she sent out her groom to pick up 14 dozen assorted doughnuts in "all of the fun flavors."

"The guests loved it," Mahoney said. "They thought it was fun and different. People just wanted to eat them right away. It was a fun kind of conversation piece."

According to Bailey, "There is probably no other dessert station more popular than a doughnut station." There, a chef grills doughnuts and serves them with all the toppings of an ice cream sundae bar -- and that includes sprinkles, whipped cream and caramel sauce.

CASUAL WEDDINGS

Wedding across the board are taking a more casual approach, according to wedding industry experts.

That means no boutonnieres -- or tuxedos -- for men; casual seating at dinners; and no served dinners at all.

Navy blue and electric blue suits -- sans bow ties -- are becoming the norm among grooms, according to Bailey.

Ceremonies and receptions are also heading in a casual direction.

"I'm kind of seeing more of that casual approach with how they are decorating the room," Redling said. "It all threads itself together -- the dress, the flowers, the table setting and the types of food they are serving. It's a lot more casual and interactive for the guests."

That means fewer stuffy seated dinners.

"We have brides who want to do something a little bit different," Bailey said. "We have our Baltimore country club brides who still want crab cakes and filet. But, we have more brides having cocktail parties for weddings. These aren't full sit-down dinners but stations with random seating. It's grab and go food with small plates that are pre-done. It's casual but up a notch."

The new casual approach isn't any cheaper than the traditional dinners, according to Bailey, who added: "A cocktail reception has more food. A traditional dinner has more staff. The cost is about the same."

NATURAL DECOR

Santoso and Baumel's wedding epitomized the natural approach couples are taking for their wedding.

In addition to all the gemstones, rocks, fresh-cut flowers and herbs they incorporated throughout their ceremony, there were also little touches that drove home the trend.

Their cake stand was made from a sliver of a tree trunk. They gave out basil seedlings as favors.

"You do not see the candelabras anymore," Redling said. "We're kind of seeing that natural type of look."

High Profile on 12/03/2017

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