STV.tv says "The reception party features a stunning performance from none other than stage and screen legend Liza Minnelli, sure to be one of the highlights of the movie..."
And check out this, well, stunning description of the wedding scene from Collider.com, taken from the film's press notes, with quotes from writer/producer/ director Michael Patrick King. Even the swans came out of the water and nestled at her feet? Well, I guess I would have too. Roger
Not to be outdone by the ladies, Stanford and Anthony–Carrie and Charlotte’s best gay friends, respectively–have each found the love of their life: Anthony and Stanford, respectively. And though Carrie may have ultimately opted out of the big wedding, nothing can compare to this movie’s black-tie gala nuptials–complete with swans, an all-male chorus and none other than Liza Minnelli herself officiating–all arranged by Stanford, not his wedding planner fiancĂ©, Anthony.
“I’ve been on a lot of movie sets, but I had never seen anything like this,” Willie Garson declares. “It was reminiscent of a Busby Berkeley musical of the `30’s and `40s, with hundreds of extras and an orchestra and two camera cranes. It was probably the biggest thing I’ll ever be part of.”
Mario Cantone turned the occasion into a true family affair. “I got my sisters, Marion and Camille, to walk me down the aisle, so it was actually very emotional,” he relates. “And for my character to have this great sequence at the beginning of the movie was really thrilling and magical, something I’ll never forget.” ...
Unlike the understated, intimate City Hall ceremony between Carrie and Big, this one, King reports, “is a real extravaganza.” The wedding itself occurs about 10 minutes into the film and, while set in Connecticut, was filmed at Brooklyn’s Steiner Studios, on an elaborate set created by production designer Jeremy Conway and his team.
“Michael said it was important that this sequence was white,” Conway says. “I think the line he used was that ‘it should look like a snow-globe had exploded,’ which was a funny, really great image for me to work from–brilliant! Then he told me about the swans and a water feature, and it was off to the races.”
“We’re playing with the idea of what’s traditional and what isn’t,” King adds. “The wedding is right up front and, for me, it’s a combination of everything you would ever want to do in a big movie, from elaborate sets and gorgeous costumes, to swans and dogs, to a big musical number with a legend–it was quite a big deal. What’s funny and unexpected about this big Connecticut summer wedding is that it’s two men getting married,” King says, “and just like that, traditional and non-traditional collide–one of the themes of the movie.”
Almost every aspect of the set was custom-made, including the tent, the tablecloths, and the floral arrangements in various shades of white. Floral designer Tess Casey even added crystals to the flowers so that they would pop. “As in everything we do,” Conway says, “the details are really, really important.”
The cast was floored by the sheer size and beauty of the design, replete with such dazzling frills as a graceful footbridge and a huge male chorus attired in white tuxedos. Upon arriving to film the musical number in which she appears, Minnelli whispered to King that she hadn’t seen anything like it since, as a child, she visited her father, director Vincente Minnelli, at MGM. Perhaps to show her appreciation, after her final take Liza, accompanied by her pianist, Billy Stritch, gave the entire cast and crew an impromptu, farewell performance of Cole Porter’s “Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye.” Everyone from producers to prop masters was spellbound and teary-eyed; even the two swans walked out of the water and nestled at her feet while she sang.
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