The Beauty of Art and Nature: Alan’s and Miles’ Wedding at the Monterey Aquarium

This weekend, my company, A Day Like No Other, had the pleasure and the honor to coordinate a really extraordinary wedding – a wedding of two artists, in one of the most spectacular venues imaginable: the Monterey Bay Aquarium. And what a celebration that was!

aquarium sign

It meant a lot to them, that’s for sure. Alan had admittedly nearly given up hopes to find his soul mate one day… but as we all know (or at least hope…) miracles still happen. And in this case, the miracle was Miles, and it was love at first sight. They complement each other perfectly. One is quirky and super-energetic, and the other is calm and keeps him grounded; and they deeply care about each other. After four years together, they were both sure that they were, indeed, meant for one another.

couple 1

rings

Alan and Miles, the grooms, are both incredibly creative (Alan is a graphic artist and designer, and Miles has a degree in Fine Arts), and so they wanted a visually compelling surrounding for their Great Day, AND they absolutely insisted on creating most of the decor themselves. Leave it to the artists!

shoesThey came up with a color scheme in hues of lavender and purple which they carried through from the bridesmaids’ dresses and groomsmen’s shirts and neckties and to the flowers – which Alan handcrafted himself! Each of them a little work of art – he made his own bouquet (a giant rose)

giant rose

and a toss bouquet; bridesmaids’ bouquets with the most delicate “wax flowers”

Bouquet

and elegant boutonnieres

boutonniere

and a cake topper

cake topperand and…

Here  is Alan with his “grooms maid” Lisa:

Alan LisaHidden behind Lisa’s bouquet is her gift from the grooms: a golden filigree pendant in the shape of their initials, designed – of course! – by the grooms themselves for all members of their bridal party.

Which was as unusual as nearly everything about this wedding: defying any rules and traditions, the grooms had picked a “Best Woman” and a “Grooms Maid,” along with more traditional roles – and they had a super-cute ring bearer (dressed up in a miniature version of the grooms’ suits!) and flower girl:

ringbearer flowergirl

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ring bearer

Here comes the groom

Their ceremony under the “fish dome” was officiated by Miles’ Godmother Gail who has played an integral role in his life since his childhood – and so their ceremony was a deeply personal one.

ceremonyWhen it came to the vows, Alan surprised Miles with something literally “unheard of:” he expressed his feelings in a song. In his beautiful, mellow, professionally trained tenor voice, he sang the lyrics to the melody of Eva Cassidy’s “Songbird:”

For you/the sun will be shining/’cause I feel that when I’m with you…

To you/I would give the world…

And I love you, I love you, I love you…

interspersed with everything else he wanted to say and promise to Miles. Needless to say, we all had moist eyes… So beautiful!

you may kiss

Just married!

just married

The eighty guests – handpicked closest friends and family members, every single one a trusted companion in the grooms’ lives – formed a spontaneous receiving line after the ceremony – and then proceeded to a delicious dinner (by in-house 886 Catering) in front of the huge shark tank. A truly spectacular setting!

dining tables

dining tables 2

fish tank

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And more was to come –  cutting the cake in front of the giant orange jellyfish exhibit…

cake jellyfish tank 1

cake

cake cutting

…. and a traditional bouquet toss (equal opportunity for gals and guys, in this case!)

Bouquet tossand a beautifully choreographed First Dance to  the music of “A Thousand Years:”

First Dance 3

First Dance

After that, the dance floor was open to everyone, and DJ Collin from DNA Entertainment kept the crowd going!

dance party

dance party 2

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Those who took a break from dancing had a chance to admire the gorgeous exhibits, from the puffins…

Puffins.. to the jellyfish:

Jellies 2

Jellies 1

jelly bed…and there is also the “hanging overhead” version – artificial and very artistic:

hanging jellies

 

All that beauty was captured in lasting memories – by Breeann Hollon Photography  and by Alan’s nephew on video.

Before they left, guests signed a very unusual “guest book” (well, nothing was “usual” at this wedding!) – a double portrait of the couple, painted by Miles:

guest book… and as wedding favors, they took home wood blocks, all designed and hand-made by Miles:

favorsWhat an abundance of beauty, both from Art and from Nature – and what a deeply moving experience that celebration was for everyone attending, me included!

love my job

Many happy years together, Alan and Miles!official wedding photo