ALEX & DEREK

Married and celebrated: NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM, LOS ANGELES Date: JUNE 29, 2019

A timeless palette of black and white set the stage for the union of Alex Kramer and Derek Boeckelmann at the Natural History Museum in Los Angeles. They loved the idea of combining the unique setting of the museum’s Dinosaur Hall with a classic and elegant aesthetic. Every detail was thoughtful, from the contrast of Alex’s white tuxedo jacket against Derek’s black tux to the white flower-embellished chuppah. During the cocktail hour, guests perused the dinosaur and gem exhibits. At the reception, white flowers presented a beautiful contrast against the museum exhibits; and olive branches accented the hydrangea-and-rose centerpieces, were tucked into napkins and adorned the traditional three-tiered white wedding cake. Alex incorporated his love of doughnuts into the celebration with a doughnut tower, and the couple also gave a nod to their pet snake by naming one of their signature drinks “The Howling Ricky.” (Ricky also made an appearance in the photos of the couple getting ready before the ceremony.) Starting the dance party with a traditional hora, the grooms then danced with their mothers for a mother-son dance, switching moms halfway through the song in a moving gesture that symbolized their newly merged families. But one of the night’s biggest highlights was the nontraditional groom bouquet toss, which featured specially created bouquets that the husbands tossed from opposite corners of the dance floor to the waiting singles gathered in the center.

cake/desserts: LARK CAKE SHOP (larkcakeshop.com) | catering: TGIS (tgiscatering.com) | florist: BLOSSOM FLORAL (blossomfloral.net) | grooms’ attire: SUITSUPPLY (suitsupply.com) | hair & makeup: KELLY ZHANG (kellyzhang.com) | invitations/programs/signage: SIMPLY STATED CUSTOM INVITATIONS (simplystatedstationery.com) lighting: MIKE MERCY (mikemercylighting@gmail.com) | music: ANGELICA STRINGS (music; angelicastrings.com), TOMMY O’SULLIVAN (DJ; soundcloud.com/ tommy-osullivan) | photo booth: TRIUMPH PHOTOBOOTH (triumphphotobooth.com) | photography: ALEXANDRA WALLACE (alexandra-wallace.com) | rentals: ORCHID PARTY RENTALS (orchidpartyrentals.com) | transportation: FIVE STAR LIMOUSINE OF LA (fivestarlimola.com) | venue: NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM (nhm.org) videography: AMARI PRODUCTIONS (amariproductions.com) | wedding planner: KACI MALLAT OF XOXO WEDDINGS (xoxowed.com)