Wedding Date: April 21st 2023

Sometimes the stars align and two people come together that are such a perfect fit, you have to wonder how they found each other in this big beautiful world. This is Laila and Zachary. Their energy, humor, friends, and interests all fit like the perfect puzzle pieces that make up their relationship. So when they decided to get married, they wanted to plan something completely unique to them and pay tribute to their worlds colliding at the perfect moment. No other place could have held such an honor as The Bell Museum in all of its glory.

As soon as I joined Laila and her family the morning of the wedding, I knew this was going to be something really special. Her hands were covered in beautiful henna designs to honor her Indian heritage and she dawned a rich velvet blue dress in which she added her own personal touches by hand. In lieu of flowers, she had each of her bridesmaids carry a little blue stuffed shark while she carried a gray one. I have to say, in all the thousands of weddings I’ve seen, this is a first and I was 110% on board for this unique touch.

We joined Zach at the Bell Museum where we decided on a Mars landscape for their perfect first look location. As he readied himself and took a few deep breaths, one of their friends in an inflatable dinosaur costume tiptoed up behind him to make for the perfect surprise. After the laughter died down, Laila was quick to follow and gave him a huge hug as they both laughed and their dinosaur friend watched from afar. We took some time to explore the museum and enjoy all of the exhibitions. It was like the movie, Night at the Museum. We had the entire place all to ourselves and it felt like everything around us was coming alive.

Once all of the guests arrived, they gathered in the planetarium and gazed at the night sky as the bridal party made their way into the auditorium. Laila’s mother proudly took her place at the front to conduct the ceremony and wore a big smile as she watched her daughter walk down the steps toward them. Galaxies glittered in the background as they exchanged vows and assembled a replica of the Hubble Telescope. This telescope was so powerful that for the first time it could see things no one had ever seen before. This was much like them as a couple, something that made the world a better and more exciting place to be.

Guests enjoyed all of the exhibitions during the cocktail hour and the handlers even brought out some of the animals so everyone could get a closer look. I took the opportunity to bring Laila and Zach back into the auditorium to take in the view of the sky for the first time as a married couple. You could see their eyes light up just as brightly as the colors above them. As the reception began, guests took their seats at tables decorated with shark and star decor to cover both the sky and the sea. After a few lovely toasts during dinner, everyone made their way back to the auditorium for a guided tour of the night sky. So we reclined our seats, stared up at the sky, and were whisked away to a galaxy far far away.

Vendors: Bell Museum (venue), Ambient DJ (lighting), Green Mill Catering (catering), Wuollet (cakes)