The Sonoma County wedding that gives back
Scott Corridan is planning a four-day June wedding in Sonoma County that requires $75,000 worth of landscaping. The couple will donate those plants to two Sonoma non-profits. (Beth Schlanker / Press Democrat)
By SUZIE RODRIGUEZ / Sonoma Valley Correspondent
One couple planning a June wedding in Sonoma County has added a whole new level to the notion of philanthropic celebrations. The living plants they will use as reception decorations — worth $75,000 — will be incorporated into the landscapes of two Sonoma Valley non-profits.
Sonoma Community Center is mid-way through a three-year plan to re-landscape its 2.5-acre property, using only native plants and in conjunction with Sonoma Master Gardeners. Sweetwater Spectrum, a housing community for adults with autism, is currently under construction on Fifth St. West in Sonoma.
“This is hugely important to us,” said Kathy Swett, executive director of the Community Center. “The wedding plant list we’ve seen contains the exact plants on the Master Gardeners’ list for the next phase of our landscaping. That’s like manna from heaven.”
Deirdre Sheerin, Sweetwater CEO and executive director, agrees with that sentiment. “It’s wonderful to have their wedding celebration be part of our celebration,” she said.
The idea for the plant donation goes back to the wedding’s early planning stages.
The bridal couple, who prefer to remain anonymous, hired California-based Corridan & Company Design Studios to create their celebration. Owner Scott Corridan has produced weddings and other events for thousands of clients and in 2008 was named one of the nation’s top 10 celebrity event producers by In Style Magazine.
We asked him about the upcoming wedding.
Without sacrificing the bridal couple’s anonymity, what else can you tell us about them?
They’re in their early- to mid-30s. He’s in the software computer industry in the San Jose area. She’s the Director of Marketing for an international company. They’ve known each other seven years, eight by the time they marry.
When did planning begin?
In March 2011 for the June 2012 wedding.
Tell us a little about the wedding celebration.
It’s a four-day event held entirely in Sonoma County, with 250 guests coming from around the world. The couple wants wedding guests to get a feeling for the state while they’re here, so each day will focus on a different kind of “California” experience.
Examples?
One day will be an old-time ranching experience at Petaluma’s 600-acre Chileno Valley Ranch, which dates back to the 1860s. It’s a working ranch where they raise grass-fed beef and have an organic apple orchard. We’ll have a farm-to-table menu, with our meal set up in the beautiful old barn.
The rehearsal day and dinner will be a really top-end experience. At Mayacama Resort, the groom, his groomsmen and the dads will have a day of golf and lunch in the clubhouse while the bride, bridesmaid, moms and grandmothers will enjoy the Spa, followed by lunch.
That night the rehearsal dinner will be at Lancaster Estate Winery, followed by an after-hours get-together at a private Lancaster home for the bridal party.
How did philanthropy enter the process?
A wedding is such a special time, so emotional, a fantasy. When you have money to do whatever you want to do, you can create a fantasy story. So that was the starting point for this couple. But they wanted to do it in a way that has integrity and is sensitive to these economic times.
When the wedding was over, they wanted to leave a legacy in the community. One way they could do that was by being consciously green and purchasing local. All the spending is through local vendors, including wardrobe, wines, flower design and so on.
And, of course, those plants.
Yes. The wedding itself will be at Chalk Hill Estate Winery in Healdsburg, and the reception will be in the winery’s covered equestrian arena. It’s Olympic-sized, so even with a four-level platform erected in the middle of the arena to seat 250 for dinner, dancing, a lounge area and a bar, there was still all this dead space around us.
That’s where the plant idea came into being. The plants will remain in their containers, creating a living, natural landscape frame around the multi-level platform. It transforms that huge space into an intimate space.
But the cost was significant. There was no way to justify that expense if the plants would be shoved back into a warehouse or thrown away. So the idea of donating the plants emerged.
They were really excited about the $75,000 plant donation going to a really good cause and setting an example for other people with deep pockets. They’re also paying transportation and any other costs involved with the donation.
How did you figure out which plants to use?
We adhered strictly to guidelines of the 2010 California Green Building Standards Code. We figured if the plants would go to a non-profit that collected government funds, we needed to get plants that would meet government standards. The plants we chose are all native or naturalized plants for Sonoma County.
How did Sweetwater and Sonoma Community Center get them?
We took proposals last summer, with dozens of organizations applying. We had help in getting candidates from Wendy Peterson of the Sonoma Valley Visitors Bureau, Chris Hogue and Teresa Raffo of Cornerstone Sonoma, and Colby Smith, founder and executive director of the Concierge Alliance of Napa Valley and Sonoma. The bridal couple made the final decision.
What stands out about this experience?
The wedding celebration’s incredible philanthropic focus and the couple’s integrity, not just within their relationship but with their families, guests and the community they’ve elected to celebrate their nuptials in — Sonoma.
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How 1% of you to give back to us little people. Do you give out your toothbrushes after you have used them once, too?
Your vanity of consumerism is really disgusting, can’t wait till your marriage fails.
What a sad joke this whole story is. They wanted to do it in a way that is sensitive to the economic times??? Personally, I’d be so ashamed to attend a wedding that is so over the top spending when there are so many people unemployeed and single parents struggling in our area. And no, I am not unemployeed.
Get over it. They have the $ and can spend it as they like. God for them! Thank you for having your wedding in Sonoma County!
I agree with Sports Fan! Couples with money like this are going to be spending more then the majority population makes in a year on their wedding no matter what. Many of these couples spend $75K on floral that they toss in the trash at the end of the night. Kudos to them for at least trying to do something good with it! Thank you for getting married in Sonoma County and focusing on using our local vendors!
I believe the theme for their Nuptials is going to be “Let them eat cake”. Seriously to frame a spectacular over the top blowout as being “giving” and “to justify that expense” they’re donating a fraction of their leftover to non profits is pathetic. These entitled Yuppie spawn and their “giving” belong down in Steve Jobsville or Mark Zuckerland, as all alone, pathetic money grubbing losers with zero emotional connection to the world at large.
“The wedding celebration’s incredible philanthropic focus and the couple’s integrity….” – Not to mention a $75,000 tax write off.
They are donating plants that they would have thrown out. Wow! When I donate a bag of clothes to the Goodwill, I just thought I was just cleaning out my closet. I didn’t realize how much that action spoke to my incredible philanthropic focus and integrity of my character.
Hey, I wonder if one of these “California Experiences” for their international guests involves a virtual pink slip and foreclosure notice on the 30 year old tract home they bought for a half a million dollars.
Just saying, since they wanted to do it in a way that has “integrity and is sensitive to these economic times.”
Let’s see… an out of the area couple would like to come to Sonoma county and… (1) spend their money with local economy; (2) introduce people “…from around the world…” to Sonoma county; and (3) donate a large portion back to the community. What’s wrong with this picture? Absolutely nothing… Congratulations Mr and Mrs Anonymous. there are some people that are truly appreciative.
Yay for the positive comment
Got a million dollars to burn? Glad you’re spending it here! The $75K is nothing compared to all the waiters, florists, caterers, rental companies, wineries, etc. who will be taking home a paycheck off these two.
I’m an artist, way on the low-income side, and I say kudos to the couple getting married for thinking above and beyond themselves. I don’t get all this anger directed at two people trying to do good in this world. You angry folks out there need to find better targets. May I suggest the immensely corrupt lobbying system in our nation’s capital? Corporations paying and bribing for laws to be passed that give, give, give to the rich? Get mad at all that!
More positive – nice t read
Benefiting our local economy is always a positive thing. I have a problem with this article using the word “philanthropy. When you are paying for a service and getting something in return the word is “patronage.”
When you donate a million dollars to save the 5 children that starve to death every minute in this world then you get to use “philanthropy.”
Hi, Patty — Your comment is well taken. I used that word, though, because the phrase “philanthropic wedding” has become popular in the last few years. When a couple builds in some sort of “give-back” into their wedding or reception, that’s what it’s called. It’s not uncommon these days for a couple to make donations in the name of their guests in lieu of the kind of favors typically given at a reception. You can find many other examples online by searching on “philanthropic wedding.”
How sad there are such negative jealous people here. Can’t we be positive about anything? Geez.