An Eclectic-Glam Wedding at Fernbank Museum of Natural History in Atlanta, Georgia

After exchanging vows at Druid Hills Presbyterian Church, newlyweds Alyse Schultz (27 and a business travel sales manager) and Alex Paquette (28 and a global services and support manager), along with their 220 guests, celebrated their nuptials with dinner and dancing at Fernbank Museum of Natural History in Atlanta, Georgia. The couple decked out their museum space with “vintage blue” linens, glitzy gold decor and lush purple floral arrangements. Their reception decor also took inspiration from their honeymoon destinations, France and Italy. “My mom was my planner,” says Alyse, who also hired an event designer and a day-of coordinator. “She is a retired interior designer, so I relied on her for almost everything.” During cocktail hour, the couple had a four-piece band serenading guests as they enjoyed passed hors d'oeuvres and cocktails. The lobby and terrace were decorated with floral arrangements and ornate gilt mirrors for signs. Dining tables, gussied up in blue linens and topped with gold decor, were set up in the atrium among dinosaur skeletons. “We wanted an organic feel but formal in nature,” Alyse says. “The bridesmaid dress color, my favorite ‘vintage blue’ and my wedding dress color and style set the tone,” Alyse says of her champange-colored strapless ball gown with ruching, crystal embellishments and ivory lace applique. The newlyweds made a grand entrance down the museum’s staircase and had their first dance to “I Can Only Imagine” by MercyMe. A live band played a variety of dance music throughout the evening, and the couple capped their celebration with a sparkler exit before being whisked away in a 1965 White Bentley S3. —Marissa Hermanson