1. Real Weddings

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

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

Alex popped the question with a brilliant-cut diamond solitaire set in a band encrusted in small diamonds.
The couple’s custom designed invitations incorporated a monogram with interlocking A's, for Alyse and Alex. “We added the logo to everything we could,” Alyse says. “Go cups, cocktail napkins, sparklers covers, cake and miscellaneous stationary items."
Bridesmaids beautified for Alyse and Alex’s wedding in matching lavender robes to match the wedding’s purple palette.
“I wanted an organic feel with unusual flowers in blues, lavender, purple and greenery, somewhat unstructured, that would complement the blue bridesmaid dress color,” Alyse says of the bouquets, which incorporated an array of blooms, along with succulents and thistle.
“We had two beautiful flower girls, sisters Grace and Nellie, my dad’s best friend’s daughters,” Alyse says. The couple’s floral designer created ribbon wands embellished with flowers in lieu of flower baskets for the girls to carry down the aisle.
Alyse’s dozen bridesmaids wore floor-length gowns in “vintage blue” and carried bouquets filled with blue and purple blooms.
“We tried to honor God our entire wedding day to hopefully be a witness to his love and grace,” Alyse says. The couple’s spiritual ceremony took place at Druid Hills Presbyterian Church.
Alyse and Alex held their wedding ceremony at Druid Hills Presbyterian Church in Atlanta, Georgia. They decorated the church altar and entrance with silver urns filled with purple and bloom flowers, and blooms lined the pews where family members sat. Ceremony flowers were repurposed for the reception at Fernbank Museum of Natural History in Atlanta, Georgia.
Alyse walked down the aisle to “Amazing Grace." “The song just reminded me of how powerful the Lord is,” she says. “My husband and I are so thankful that he bound us together.”
In lieu of escort cards, Alyse and Alex created a seating chart out of an oversize gilt mirror.
After their church ceremony, Alyse and Alex’s guests gathered at the Fernbank Museum of Natural History in Atlanta, Georgia, for an evening of dinner and dancing. Dining tables were set up in the atrium among dinosaur skeletons.
Tables were clad in “vintage blue” linens and topped with gold accents and purple floral arrangements. Gold chiavari chairs matched the gold tabletop decor.
Tall gold candelabras doubled as vases displaying large arrangements of pink and purple blooms.
An array of low and tall centerpieces were placed on dining tables. The low arrangements included pillar candles on gold pedestals, vases filled with pink and purple blooms, along with gold-framed table numbers.
Alex, who is a New England Patriots football fan, had a Tom Brady jersey groom’s cake made by Lush Cakery.
Alyse and Alex’s wedding cake included five distinct layers with alternating Amaretto and strawberry flavors, and it was embellished with a custom logo.
For dessert, strawberries were dipped in white chocolate and embellished with Boston Red Sox logos, a nod to the groom’s love for the baseball team. The strawberries were served alongside the groom's Tom Brady jersey groom's cake.
After a grand sparkler exit, the newlyweds drove away in style in a 1965 White Bentley S3.