Bold Colors and Patterns Set Apart This Maximalist Wedding at the Weisman Art Museum in Minneapolis
Cupid’s arrow found its target on the night Ethan and Alex first met. Despite making plans for the future around his newfound lease on life, Ethan soon knew he wanted to make room for Alex in that future. “Alex and I dated for exactly a year before I proposed, though we started talking about marriage very early on. As she tells it, she knew I was the one for her the very first night we met,” Ethan says. Having to plan the proposal was tricky so as not to spoil the surprise, and Ethan had the ring sent to a friend’s house for safekeeping. On one of their daily neighborhood walks, Ethan popped the question, the perfect “intimate and private proposal” they both wanted.
Injecting some of their heritage and culture into the wedding was a big thing for the soon-to-be-weds, especially when it came time to choose a venue. Alex grew up visiting the Weisman Museum, and the eclectic space made it an obvious choice for the couple planning an intimate, unique event. The two say, “Our wedding was a maximalist, colorful, Studio 54-inspired celebration, with a distinct Lebanese flair… From the physical disco ball Save The Date to the color-matched peanut M&M favors guests took home, no detail was spared.”
Filling this art museum with colorful decor and custom accents helped craft the “modern maximalist” theme of their day. Their wedding planner, Gretchen Culver, even created a custom design patterned throughout the wedding, which flowed through various accents like their tablecloths, invitation suite and even their passed appetizer trays. The national flower of Lebanon also took center stage: poppies. Their team of vendors found ways to weave the rainbow of colors into their floral displays, decorations and attire, making the artistic space pop even more.
Speaking of wedding day looks, both Alex and Ethan were thoughtful in their style choices. Alex chose an embroidered floral gown from Reem Acra, a Lebanese designer, while Ethan incorporated poppies into his suit lining for his bride-to-be. The wedding day attire, however, was also about living as their authentic selves. Alex adds, “Ethan worked with designer—and fellow trans man—James Ford of Rowena Social Club to design two bespoke looks for the weekend. Ethan transitioned early on in our relationship, and this was an opportunity to present himself in the way he’s always wanted to be seen.”
Alex coordinated with stylist Gabrielle Hurwitz for all of her wedding weekend looks, including a multi-colored mini dress for the reception to jumpstart the couple’s disco party. Ethan had another surprise up his sleeve for his future bride, another nod to her Lebanese heritage. “Ethan surprised Alex on their wedding day with a new ring from Selim Mouzannar, a Lebanese jeweler who makes all of his pieces in Beirut. The center stone is a tanzanite (Alex’s birthstone),” the couple says.
Working with the art museum’s unique displays, Alex and Ethan’s vendors brought many of the paintings to life throughout the wedding design. The bride says, “The invitation suite shape, affectionately named Le Blob, was inspired by the art in the museum as well. An iconic art piece at the museum (Frank Gehry's fish) made an appearance on the invitation, and we used Roy Lichtenstein stamps for the RSVP card.” Many of the ceremony and reception installations were also inspired by geometric shapes within the museum’s artwork, with a vibrance to bring the modern maximalist theme to the forefront.
Florals, of course, also played an important part in the overall aesthetic. With poppies and Ethan’s mother’s favorite flower, dahlias, the florist transformed the space with asymmetrical arrangements and structured pieces that mimicked the artistic works. And what disco party would be complete without disco balls? “The ceremony structure and seating chart had colorful yarn stretched in abstract patterns, and the incredible dance installation had yarn AND colored disco balls! My favorite disco ball was the melting one,” Alex says.
At the ceremony, Alex’s mother walked her down the aisle, a special memory the two shared of the day. “ I am an only child, and my mom is my best friend; it was so meaningful to share this moment with her,” Alex says of the recessional. She met Ethan at the altar, in front of the faux apartment in the Weisman, beside displays of beautiful, multi-colored florals. They exchanged vows before their 82 guests, and then, it was time for the party to truly begin.
With so many personalized touches, the reception was full of one-of-a-kind details unique to Ethan and Alex’s story. Alex adds, “We were lucky to customize just about every single aspect of our wedding. Gretchen built our wedding’s color scheme from the installation in our reception room and integrated the colors in shapes into every aspect, including our custom die-cut invitations!” They even had a special appearance from their Frenchie, Coco, in the custom drink stirrers.
Guests were led to the reception with a traditional Lebanese drum procession, where they enjoyed passed appetizers and cocktails before being seated at the long dining table. Keeping to the intimate experience, their loved ones all sat together during the three-course dinner before indulging in the Weisman-style wedding cake, complete with three Lebanese-inspired flavors inside. From there, Ethan and Alex shared their first dance to Stevie Wonder’s “For Once in My Life” before Ethan led his very first dabke, a traditional Lebanese wedding dance.
The reception continued into the night with a photo booth, late-night snacks of walking tacos and Rice Krispies treats and dancing. “The photo booth attendant told us we had one of the most excited and engaged weddings she’d ever attended and were only the second wedding to fill the entire guest book,” Alex says of the memorable night. One of her most memorable parts of the day, she adds, was “seeing everything I…had worked on and imagined and planned come to life and getting to share it with so many of the most special people in our lives.”
The newlyweds largely credit their vendors for the day running so smoothly and bringing such detailed design elements from concept to reality. “My number one piece of advice is to choose your vendors carefully and when you hire them, TRUST THEM!!! Gretchen was an incredible leader and collaborator and brought my vision to life beyond my wildest dreams,” the bride says. As for both her and Ethan, one of their most cherished memories of the day is their wedding video, something they’ve watched over and over again since the lively wedding day ended.