Heavens are in alignment for Saturday's 'Star Trek' wedding

For their "Star Trek" wedding on Saturday, Alissa Mellis and Justin Gruba are asking guests to dress as if they are attending a cocktail party of the future -- one where a borrowed robot with glowing orange eyes will hand out chocolates and the bartenders, who will mix up a vodka-and-Chambord concoction called a Violet Vulcan, are aliens.

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As winners of the Detroit Science Center's "Star Trek: The Exhibition" Ultimate Wedding Package Contest, the couple -- who will have a traditional ceremony at a Greek Orthodox church earlier in the day -- want their big day to be fun but not silly, sophisticated but not stuffy.

"I know it disappoints people that we're not going to be in the full costumes," said Mellis, who won't reveal many details about her attire, except that she will not wear a miniskirt like Uhura or pointy ears a la Spock.

"We're not the type of 'Star Trek' nerds that dress up, we're a different variety.

"I think a lot of people give up themselves when they plan their weddings and it's not a reflection of their style," Mellis said a week or so ago as she sat in the basement of her mother's Troy home, assembling gold orbs that look like satellites. They will be placed on tables at the Science Center reception.

"How many cans of gold spray paint have we gone through?" she asked.

"Five," Gruba said as he fitted wedding programs with grommets.

Later, they planned to build planets from papier-mâché.

First mission

Mellis and Gruba, both 28, met in a painting class at the College for Creative Studies in Detroit. The instructor would set up a variety of still life scenes and students would choose which to paint. Mellis and Gruba usually chose the same ones.

Eventually, they began talking. Their first date -- "I wasn't even sure if it was a date," said Mellis -- was to an art exhibit in Ann Arbor by way of an abandoned tire factory. Gruba thought the factory looked cool and was excited that Mellis was game to stop and see it. After that, they became practically inseparable, sharing more and more of their interests, which came to include "Star Trek: The Next Generation," a spin-off of the 1960s series.
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"I've never seen a couple so on the same wavelength," said Erin Kanthack, who has been friends with Mellis since middle school. She and others in their social circle have forbidden the couple to be on the same team when they convene for an evening of board games or charades, because together, Mellis and Gruba always win. "They know each other's mindset so well, they can say one word and get it right off," Kanthack said.

The couple graduated from art school, started a painting business and spent two years designing wedding and engagement rings. They knew they wanted to be married, but couldn't figure out the timing. And Gruba was having difficulty figuring out the perfect way to propose.

Engage!

Then, Kanthack heard about the contest. Couples who got engaged at the Science Center's "Star Trek" exhibit on Valentine's Day would be entered into a competition. The couple receiving the most votes via an online ballot would win space for a wedding reception and use of the exhibit and planetarium, plus two nights in the "Star Trek" Suite at the MGM Grand Detroit Hotel and Casino.

"They both just love the kind of fantasy ideas of 'Star Trek.' They've always been big fans of that and shows like that," Kanthack said. "And Justin had been looking for a way to propose and he had talked to me about it before, so ..."

On Feb. 13, Mellis heard about the contest. Gruba knew he couldn't tell her he intended to take her to the Science Center the next day or she would figure out his surprise. He got Kanthack and her now-husband, Brenton Kanthack, to go to the Science Center, too. There's no way, they decided, Mellis would think they were headed to the "Star Trek" exhibit -- and a proposal -- with Kanthack along, because she is not a fan. They got Mellis to wear a blindfold and drove to the Science Center. They made her keep her eyes closed until Gruba proposed -- near the reconstructed "Star Trek: Next Generation" quarters of Capt. Jean-Luc Picard.

Setting a new course

Mellis and Gruba decided they didn't want to turn their wedding into a "Star Trek" costume party.
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Instead, they want to embrace some of the series' basic themes -- optimism about the future, equality, an appreciation for different cultures, all the things they want their life together to include.

"Most people would be really surprised if they watched one episode of 'Next Generation,' " said Gruba. "It's really cool they're beyond money and beyond capitalism. It's all about knowledge."

The couple devised a wedding logo, a purple heart with the triangular "Star Trek" seal over it.

They sent out invitations -- they're anticipating 180 people -- suggesting their guests think about geometric designs and art deco styling when they consider their futuristic wedding attire.

They have surprises in store for their guests, and we won't give all of them away here, but ... bridesmaids will wear silver gowns with draped fronts.

The couple plans to have a private ceremony on the Science Center's re-creation of the bridge of the U.S.S. Enterprise.

And they plan to serve a chicken, prosciutto and cheese dish named for the Cytherians, explorers known for having a blue patch on their foreheads.

Their cake will be topped with a bride and groom in a landspeeder, which isn't part of "Star Trek," it's from "Star Wars," but it's still out of this world.

Contact GEORGEA KOVANIS: 313-222-6842 or gkovanis@freepress.com


," said Erin Kanthack, who has been friends with Mellis since middle school. She and others in their social circle have forbidden the couple to be on the same team when they convene for an evening of board games or charades, because together, Mellis and Gruba always win. "They know each other's mindset so well, they can say one word and get it right off," Kanthack said.

The couple graduated from art school, started a painting business and spent two years designing wedding and engagement rings. They knew they wanted to be married, but couldn't figure out the timing. And Gruba was having difficulty figuring out the perfect way to propose.

Engage!

Then, Kanthack heard about the contest. Couples who got engaged at the Science Center's "Star Trek" exhibit on Valentine's Day would be entered into a competition. The couple receiving the most votes via an online ballot would win space for a wedding reception and use of the exhibit and planetarium, plus two nights in the "Star Trek" Suite at the MGM Grand Detroit Hotel and Casino.

"They both just love the kind of fantasy ideas of 'Star Trek.' They've always been big fans of that and shows like that," Kanthack said. "And Justin had been looking for a way to propose and he had talked to me about it before, so ..."

On Feb. 13, Mellis heard about the contest. Gruba knew he couldn't tell her he intended to take her to the Science Center the next day or she would figure out his surprise. He got Kanthack and her now-husband, Brenton Kanthack, to go to the Science Center, too. There's no way, they decided, Mellis would think they were headed to the "Star Trek" exhibit -- and a proposal -- with Kanthack along, because she is not a fan. They got Mellis to wear a blindfold and drove to the Science Center. They made her keep her eyes closed until Gruba proposed -- near the reconstructed "Star Trek: Next Generation" quarters of Capt. Jean-Luc Picard.

Setting a new course

Mellis and Gruba decided they didn't want to turn their wedding into a "Star Trek" costume party.

Instead, they want to embrace some of the series' basic themes -- optimism about the future, equality, an appreciation for different cultures, all the things they want their life together to include.

"Most people would be really surprised if they watched one episode of 'Next Generation,' " said Gruba. "It's really cool they're beyond money and beyond capitalism. It's all about knowledge."

The couple devised a wedding logo, a purple heart with the triangular "Star Trek" seal over it.

They sent out invitations -- they're anticipating 180 people -- suggesting their guests think about geometric designs and art deco styling when they consider their futuristic wedding attire.

They have surprises in store for their guests, and we won't give all of them away here, but ... bridesmaids will wear silver gowns with draped fronts.

The couple plans to have a private ceremony on the Science Center's re-creation of the bridge of the U.S.S. Enterprise.

And they plan to serve a chicken, prosciutto and cheese dish named for the Cytherians, explorers known for having a blue patch on their foreheads.

Their cake will be topped with a bride and groom in a landspeeder, which isn't part of "Star Trek," it's from "Star Wars," but it's still out of this world.

http://www.freep.com/article/20090816/FEATURES01/908160346/1322/Heavens-are-in-alignment-for-Saturday--Star-Trek--wedding