Meeting with Miguel Nelson at Marvimon (www.marvimon.com)
Liz, Jon and I met at Marvimon downtown, well, after I got completely lost, called them three times from the side of the road. No fun to show up all tangled up, and late - also, it was cold and I wasn't layered enough. Despite this, the conversation/process was useful, though as is the norm, took a while to gel. From the get go, Miguel was inviting and informative; he owns Marvimon and the Smog Shoppe, as well as conceiving and heading up the Wooley Pocket company.
I’m sure our budget won’t be able to bear the cost of either of his event spaces, but they are incredibly seductive and aesthetically right on target. I am in awe of the consideration and originality of every detail - its a bit of an embarrassingly pleasing hipster paradise. Also, he has really perfected the flow of a good event: how to park people/seat them/feed them/keep them entertained, let alone fitting in the ceremony itself. I think I've got the entertainment part covered though - it will be dynamic and all the elements will be re-thought, and presented differently than any movie or real-time marriage.
I did think the talk should have been more about Miguel's artistic contribution to the project than the workings of the space, but we got there in the end with a bit of verbal nudging. It took a little while for him to remember signing up for this (it was a year ago when he did so), but after I went over the list of artists and their role in the ceremony, the inception of the idea, and why I chose Liz and Jon (not necessarily in that order), he seemed to understand and was more excited/interested. His is to be the artist in charge of the presentation/concept of the food and has done many unique visionary art projects involving gatherings, food and/or drink.
Overall the experience helped me immensely, since sometimes when you repeat why you are doing something out loud in front of others, it helps you to remember why you are doing it.
