Tony 'n' Tina's Wedding

Tying the knot with a twist

By Caroline Fontein

Like weddings for the free flowing booze but hate having to feel restrained to save yourself from embarrassment? Well at Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding at Planet Hollywood you don’t have to.This interactive dinner and show experience makes everyone a guest as Anthony Nunzio Jr. and Valentina Lynne Vitale, an Italian-American couple, tie the knot in what ends up being probably the wackiest wedding you’ve ever attended.

With a bride who needs prompts from her flamboyant brother to remember her wedding vows, to an inebriated father of the groom who makes brash comments on the microphone, this event bars any rules. It has all the elements you’d expect at a real wedding, but here you can laugh the night away at the hilarious antics of the Nunzio and Vitale families as they celebrate the union of their daughter and son.

The experience starts when you step in line and wait to be seated. Instead of ushers like in a normal theater there are “wedding guests” who direct you to the table, and they won’t hesitate to engage in some comical banter.

A female performer wearing an ’80s-looking black velvet party dress says hello and then confesses that she is also known as a human version of Walgreens. Then she leans over so people can look down her top, which is filled with various pill bottles, mints, tissues and other items. She’s the first of many colorful characters that you meet.

Once seated at your table, it’s a nice time to get acquainted with the other show guests. Much like a real wedding, you are seated next to strangers but everyone’s there to have a good time, so striking up a conversation is easy. Performers from the show acting as family members of the soon-to-be newlyweds, the photographer, the caterer and other typical people at a wedding also mingle with the crowd before the ceremony.

After the couple has said “I do,” the celebration begins. A live band performs songs like Kool & The Gang’s “Celebrate,” Van Halen’s “Jump” and Bruce Springsteen’s “Dancing in the Dark” while people in the audience get out of their seats and break it down on the dance floor. Vinnie Black, Jr., the self-proclaimed Cadillac of caterers, showers the crowd with bubbles from a portable bubble blower that he keeps on hand during the reception.

Guests who stay seated are likely to have a run-in with the chatty wedding photographer and desperate bridesmaid on the hunt for a new man. She goes around tables asking who the single men are and then refers to her list of questions to see if they meet her standards. People laugh as she asks questions like "do you live with your mom and do you have herpes?"

A buffet-style dinner is served during the reception. It features traditional Italian fare including salad, bread sticks, two pasta dishes and chicken parmesan. Afterwards, everyone is handed a glass of champagne to make a toast to the bride and groom. A bar is also located in the showroom where guests can purchase drinks throughout the show.

The band continues to play more popular songs like Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer” and Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline.” Some guests dance while others watch the comedy unfold as members from the wedding party seem to get more and more intoxicated. A comedian named Jackie the Jokeman performs midway through the reception. He entertains the audience with his jokes on relationships, marriage and sex. The fact that he’s performing at a wedding yet he refrains from any censorship adds to the hilarity of his set.

The ceremony continues with wedding cake and more debauchery from the Nunzio and Vitale families. There’s no telling what might happen at Tony ‘n’ Tina’s Wedding, but you’re sure to have a good time.