“We figured, we’re planning on only getting married once, so why not do it with dinosaurs?” Amanda + Mike are a wildly creative and cool couple, and also not your typical couple. (And, we’re guessing if you’re reading this, then you’re probably a little outside the box, too!) We totally dig the un-typical couples, and yes—that pun was mostly on purpose. When you love dinosaurs, museums, and unconventional fun, there’s only one place to go: the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles!
Amanda says: We were looking for something unique and fun, but still formal and special, and so the tone of the wedding sort of became about walking that line. When we looked at the Natural History Museum, it sort of struck that chord for us of playful and refined while also allowing us to embrace our inner nerds. It also clicked with the idea of having an 80’s themed band as our entertainment (we wound up being married on “Back To The Future Day,” October 21st) and so it sort of became this fun blast-from-the-past adventure.
We are lucky to have great family that supported our somewhat nontraditional vision, and we hoped that if it was special to us, our guests would find it special also. We were both pretty hands on and found ourselves asking each other, “Does that sound fun to you?” Incorporating details like “artifacts” from our proposal, funny and elegant signage, and personalized vows helped tell our story. At the end of the day, the best compliment we received from our loved ones was that our wedding “felt” like us.
Holly at Anything But Gray Events was the perfect call when it came to designing a day full of surprises. Meanwhile Jenn Emerling, queen of color + fun, captured all the historic details!
Cecile’s Paper Co. designed some seriously cool paper goods for A + M. From the invitation suite to menus, even a map for the museum wedding!
The First Look
Aww!
Amanda’s Emmy London heels looking super cute on these tiles!
The Wedding Attire
The totally twirl-worthy dress by Watters is from Nordstrom!
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Mike’s handsome blue suit is from Malcolm Alexander—love the detail on the cuff!
Bridesmaids + Bouquets
The ladies dressed in cool tones and FlowerDuet packed a POP with the king protea bouquets!
How dreamy is this photo with that perfect golden hour sun? Amanda’s low ‘do by Face It Sugar was accentuated just right with a headpiece from our fave, Twigs and Honey.
Ceremony at the Natural History Museum
The most memorable moment would probably be the ceremony and vows, since this was kind of our introduction to our wedding guests and the most important part of the night! We both really enjoyed each other’s vows, and couldn't resist throwing in a few jokes here and there. Close second would be the dancing, though! Our first dance was choreographed to an 80’s montage, and our awesome wedding planner, Holly, who surprised us later in the night with a dancing T-Rex, which our guests are STILL talking about.
We’re dying over the lively, tropical pops from FlowerDuet‘s florals! The team incorporated tropical palms, protea, ferns, succulents, moss, branches and pops of colorful flowers to create texture and dimension between table centerpiece designs and the ceremony arch. And those gold dinosaurs figurines? SO fun.
The Dessert Dreamscape
The Sugar Philosophers designed a prehistoric dessert spread, featuring a tropical dino cake by Baked Goods Unlimited.
Mike: As far as advice, there are probably a hundred different helpful ideas, but I think our overall mantra was to keep it fun. That was something we strived for, while still keeping the importance and formality. It was awesome to have guests tell us afterward about how much fun they had, particularly when some of them go into weddings expecting to be bored!
Amanda: Love each other through the stress and don't be afraid to lean on each other for support. I'm very organized and opinionated, but when my work got crazy Mike stepped up and corresponded with vendors and communicated with our wedding planner so that it didn't all fall to me. If you need help, ask! And remember that at the end of the day, there are a lot of opinions but you and your partner have final say. You can do this!
Processional: Instrumentals on Guitar by Amanda's Brother
Recessional: Somebody To Love by Queen
First Dance: 80's Medley Mash Up
This video by Wandering Study features even more fun details!
Congrats to Amanda + Mike on a wedding that will go down in history!
photography: Jenn Emerling // venue name: Natural History Museum of Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA // event design: Anything But Gray Events // planning: Anything But Gray Events // florals: FlowerDuet // wedding dress: Watters // wedding dress boutique: Nordstrom // hairpiece: Twigs and Honey // bride's shoes: Emmy London // hair stylist: Face It Sugar // makeup artist: Face It Sugar // groom attire: Malcolm Alexander // videography: Wandering Study // paper goods: Cecile's Paper Co. // calligraphy: The Bleu Dahlia // catering: Room Forty // cake: Baked Goods Unlimited // desserts: The Sugar Philosophers // tabletop rentals: Town and Country // furniture rentals: Town and Country // linen rentals: Town and Country // music: The Flux Capacitors
Love this ! ♥♥