| True to its name, the month of June—inspired by Juno, the Roman goddess of marriage—kicks off a season of costly, elaborate, and, if you’re Sly Stone and Kathy Silva, utterly groovy weddings. In 1974, The New Yorker published George W. S. Trow’s portrait of the funk star as he prepared to marry, starting with a voice mail for Stone’s “main man” at Epic Records: “My name is Sly, and I wish you would make my wedding the biggest event this year. You can do it if you want to. I’ll be at home awaiting your ideas.” Performing as his own opening act, the musician would marry Silva, an actress and the mother of Stone’s eleven-month-old son, at Madison Square Garden before a concert, with a rooftop reception to follow at the Waldorf-Astoria. “You are invited to a golden affair,” the invitations read. “Wear something gold.” There would be New York State champagne, a gold record on top of the cake, and a gold-sequinned gown designed by Halston. The clothes alone would cost ten thousand dollars, but the rings would be purchased for just fifty-nine cents apiece. Though the ceremony was not, perhaps, the biggest event of 1974 (the Watergate scandal climaxed that August, with Nixon’s resignation), it was indeed the biggest stunt of the year, and a publicity boon for Stone, who needed a boost on the charts. “I want a feeling of indefinition,” an event planner said, referring to the colored lights that would illuminate an artificial fog as the bride and groom said their vows. “It soars, and soars, and soars.” | 
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