In late summer 2009, I was a part of 12 copywriters and designers at Switch Creative Group that were asked to individually concept a single idea for the branding of a wedding. Through a spoken presentation, four of the twelve concepts would ultimately make the cut and move on to the creation phase of a new division of the company: Gatsby Events. Idea's ranged from 8 bit weddings to film noir, but I simply chose wine. I chose wine because it has gained massive momentum as a cultural pastime and passion in America in recent years, and because it is a deep and wide metaphor for our lives, and has been since ancient times. I entitled the project Terroir, which at it's most basic, can be translated as "a sense of place." I wanted to let couples explore in depth why the person they had chose for their husband or wife was their sense of place in this world.
Using the terroir of wine and the grapevines as metaphor was key to making this project a success. Wine that has great terroir means that individual elements have come together to make the relationship harmonious. The root structure of the vines can reach more than 30 feet into the ground, struggling to find water. It is in this struggle that the berries acquire character and flavor from the minerals in the ground.
During the presentation there were four small trays on the table. These contained dark chocolate, blueberries, small fragrant flowers and espresso beans. I asked the participants to pass around the trays and take in the scent of each of the elements. I then asked them to think about the individual attributes that each of them enjoyed in their partner. With this in mind I opened a bottle of wine I had selected that contained all of the individual elements that had been passed around the table. I asked the participants to smell and taste the wine to find those individual elements and to see how they had been formed together to make a wonderful marriage of flavors that was greater than the sum of it’s parts, and how that sensation related back to their own lives.
It was then time to move onto the practical aspects of branding the wedding. Some of my ideas were
1. To have the save the date printed on wine corks and sent out as part of the invitation. At the wedding there would be these same corks that would be signed by the guests and put in a glass bowl that would double as the couples guest book.
2. Many wineries will now partner with event planners to create custom labels and even custom blends. These would be served at the reception.
3. Sachets of elements such as flowers and espresso beans would be given out to guests in a gift bag.
I am proud to say that this idea was accepted and is currently in the design phase at http://www.gatsbyevents.com
