        
|
 |
A Homerun Wedding at Progressive Field
By Breanne George
Photography By Cirino Photography, Willoughby
 A Progressive Field wedding is the perfect way to capture the fun and laid-back personality of the sports enthusiast couple. Perhaps you and your fiancé met at the ballpark, went on a first date there, or he proposed in the stands on game day. Or maybe your favorite activity as a couple is to watch the game from the comfort of home, cuddling on the couch as you cheer for the Indians.
Whatever your reason, a wedding at Progressive Field will have your guests talking for years to come. The ballpark’s first-class amenities and unique setting attracts all kinds of couples looking for a one-of-a-kind experience—not just baseball fans.
“I think people understand that the ballpark is a very unique location within Cleveland. They want a wedding here to show off the city to out-of-town guests, or they want be able to say ‘this is where we got married,’” says Kristan Dolan, event coordinator at Progressive Field. “It’s mostly the sports fans, though—people who met or had their first date here—usually a more casual crowd.”
 Although the ballpark lends itself to a more casual wedding, Dolan says she sees both informal and formal ceremonies. Some couples take the traditional route with dresses and tuxes, flowers lining the field and stands, and a sit-down dinner at the Terrace Club overlooking the ballpark. Other couples get creative with the baseball theme, Dolan says, and ask their guests to wear Indians jerseys instead of formal wear. Dolan emphasizes that Progressive Field goes above and beyond what is offered at hotels and banquet facilities with unique touches such as use of the scoreboard for personal messages or photo slideshows, use of the dugout suites for the bride and groom before the ceremony, and appearances by Slider, the Indians’ mascot. “Those are the unique things that we are able to offer couples that they can’t get anywhere else,” Dolan says.
Wedding packages include the cost to utilize the ballpark for the ceremony, reception and photography in addition to audio-visual, food and beverage and other customizable options. Couples can bring in any vendor they choose for their wedding cake, flowers, wedding favors, photography and entertainment. Event coordinators work with them to customize a package based on their own ideas. “One couple wanted to throw out a first pitch at one of the games, so we worked that into the package,” Dolan says. Another couple, for example, decided to take the money they would have spent on wedding favors and made a donation to the Cleveland Indians Wives Association, which supports and coordinates outreach initiatives in greater Cleveland. Ballpark tours also can be arranged for out-of-town guests to showcase an impressive landmark in the couple’s hometown.
A wedding ceremony typically takes place on home plate, although the Terrace Club or luxury suites can be used if the couple prefers or if weather does not cooperate. An elegant décor can be achieved in terms of flowers, runners and archways on the field. “We’re very flexible and let the couple design the ceremony however they choose,” Dolan says. “But usually they keep it pretty simple; it’s a beautiful backdrop all on its own.” During a field ceremony, the bride walks “down the aisle” from the home plate dugout on a flower-lined runner. To symbolize the altar, the wedding party often holds baseball bats to form an archway that the bride walks beneath before meeting her groom. Guests sit in the stands behind the third base dugout. Dolan adds, “Couples always ask us how many people can come to the ceremony, and we say, ‘the stadium holds 43,000, I’m sure you’re not planning to have that many!’” To accommodate guests, discounted parking passes are available for the garage beside the ballpark. “We send the bride and groom parking passes that they usually put right into their invitations for guests to present on the wedding day,” Dolan says.
 With stunning views of the ballpark, many couples choose to host their reception at Progressive Field’s elegant Terrace Club. The dining venue, which holds 280 guests, offers a full catering menu by award-winning chefs who handle the fine dining for both game day and non-game day events. “The menu encompasses hors d’oeuvres, buffets, plated dinners, desserts—the whole nine yards,” Dolan says. Ceremony and reception wedding packages include two to three plated entrees and an open bar with top-shelf offerings, if desired. Dishes, glassware and linens—white tablecloths and red napkins to echo the baseball theme—are all included but any color scheme can be accommodated. The bride would only need to bring her own centerpieces. Following the reception dinner, the bride and groom can share their first dance as a married couple on the Terrace Club’s built-in dance floor.
From simple shots of the bride and groom sitting in the dugout or in the stands with the dramatic ballpark backdrop, a skilled photographer can capture artistic shots that aren’t possible anywhere else. “We had three photographers who took a total of 1,400 photos, so we have a really nice album to remember the day,” says Burt Sivon, who married his wife Janine at Progressive Field after winning the 2007 Cleveland Indians Ultimate Wedding Giveaway, a contest voted on by thousands of Indians fans. “We were photographed around different parts of the stadium and used baseballs and bats for some action shots—it was awesome for me because I’ll never get that close to a major league field again.”
Couples get creative with their photos, such as the groom pitching on the mound and the bride catching, or the wedding party taking positions on the field. “I’ve seen where we’ve had the bridesmaids and groomsmen on top of the dugout and the bride and groom down on the field like players signing a baseball and tossing it up to the fans,” Dolan says. “It’s really a matter of how they incorporate the field. We will provide the couple with bats and baseballs if they need them for props.”
Dolan recommends that couples contact her as early as possible to book a wedding date, especially if they are interested in the summer months so they can be placed on a waiting list. Event coordinators cannot book an event for the following year until the baseball schedule is available in September or October. For weddings in off-season months, couples are able to book years in advance. “We’re available seven days a week as long as it does not conflict with the baseball schedule,” Dolan says. “Our only other major challenge is the weather here in Cleveland, but if someone wants to get married down on the field in November, we certainly can accommodate them.”
Scott Demchuk, who married his wife Cathy at Progressive Field in the 2006 Ultimate Wedding Giveaway, says he can’t think of a better place to have a wedding. “Both of us are big Indians fans, so to get married on the field where you watched the games growing up was pretty amazing,” said Scott, who actually proposed to Cathy during the fourth inning of an Indians game. It proved to be a memorable day, as Cathy actually caught a homerun ball during the third inning and the Indians ended up winning!
The couple hosted the rehearsal dinner in one of the ballpark suites the night before the big day. Guests were asked to wear their favorite Indians gear, and the menu included classic ballpark food such as hot dogs, pizza, French fries and popcorn for a fun evening. The ceremony was kept formal with white flowers decorating the field and stands, navy blue tuxes and dresses for the wedding party, and a white wedding dress with red detailing for the bride. Following the ceremony, everyone in the wedding party threw souvenir plush baseballs into the stands. Scott concludes, “Everyone, even friends of friends, made comments that it was the most fun they ever had at a wedding.”
|
|
