When the city turned Times Square into a (mostly) traffic-free zone, it probably wasn't expecting a wedding tent to be erected in the center of it. Then again, five brides and five grooms probably didn't plan to be in the middle of a Midtown Manhattan street on their big day. But yesterday WE TV headed back to Times Square's Military Island for its summer publicity stunt, this time revisiting the public site to marry five members of the U.S. Armed Forces and their brides while promoting the return of its wedding-focused Sunday programming that includes Bridezillas and Amazing Wedding Cakes.
To pull it all off, Heather Umen, the network's vice president of events and brand experiences, hired guerrilla marketing firm the Michael Alan Group, a partner in previous Bridezillas stunts, to produce. In turn, the production crew reached out to Brian C. Whiting, president and C.E.O. of the U.S.O. on WE TV's behalf to bring in the couples and help facilitate many other elements. Umen also enlisted some help from My Fair Wedding's David Tutera, Amazing Wedding Cakes' Cake Alchemy, and former American Idol contestant Melinda Doolittle.
"WE TV has had Military Island as our venue, our site for our bridal stunt each year for the past four years, so it really made sense for us to be right there [for this event]," Umen said.
Even so, holding a real wedding—or rather, five simultaneous weddings—added another layer to the production and planning process. Much like securing the site involved acquiring permits, arranging for a legally-binding ceremony required all five couples to have marriage licenses at least 24 hours before the event. So, WE TV flew them in two days in advance, booked all travel, provided explicit instructions for getting to the marriage bureau of the City Clerk's Office, and worked closely with all 10 individuals to organize a format suitable for all parties. The production team event went so far as to submit a run-of-show to the couples so there would be no on-site surprises.
What did work to the cable network's advantage was the adjacent pedestrian lane, where, despite the wet weather, a small throng of tourists, press, and curious locals gathered to watch the stunt. "Having the pedestrian walkways is a great thing that the city is doing, and it definitely allows a lot of foot traffic to come by, which is great from an exposure stand point," Umen said.
The event garned an even larger crowd as its conclusion, when all five couples rode off in pedicabs, marked with "Just Married" signs, followed by a crowd of photographers.
