Copper and Velvet Wowed at This Everhart Museum Wedding in Scranton, Pennsylvania

Gavin Esham (44 and works in acting and management) and Ron Pritchyk (46 and works in sales) opted for an unconventional planning style when preparing for their big day. After winning a wedding contest orchestrated by a local art museum, the duo left the planning up to the pros. “We chose to enter a contest in order to have all of the questions answered for us,” the couple says. “We left our wedding up to fate.” To complement the art museum’s existing exhibits, the duo’s team of vendors designed a swanky, mid-century modern-inspired wedding that played with geometric shapes and bold hues. While much of the day felt modern, thanks to Lucite signage and velvet linens, an assortment of pampas grass, roses, orchids and greenery added a relaxed, boho flair to the space.

The mayor of Scranton presided over the couple’s wedding ceremony, sharing some, “beautiful words,” before Gavin’s sisters delivered readings for the occasion. During their ceremony against the Everhart Museum’s façade, the couple exchanged vows they wrote themselves. In his, Gavin shared, “When I was a kid, I believed in miracles and magic...You are my miracle. You are my magic. You are my husband.” For the ceremony, Gavin wore a metallic pewter suit jacket while Ron donned a similar design in floral. Later, the men swapped metallic for velvet, changing into different jackets for dinner. Instead of traditional boutonnieres, the couple sported creative floral pocket squares.

It was important for the décor to blend with the museum’s displays, not detract from the existing art. To achieve this, a burnt orange, soft pink and metallic palette was selected. The couple’s modern signage and stationery “was beyond our wildest dreams.” The curvilinear design introduced in the couple’s invitation suite was threaded throughout the day.
 
As a reference to the 1989 comedy-drama film Steel Magnolias, the grooms served a red velvet armadillo cake coated in gold and sliced with a sharp blade. Though the animal-inspired dessert’s gray icing is a point of contention in the flick, Gavin and Ron chose a metallic finish in keeping with their color palette. "Our catering was a collection from 10 of the area’s top restaurants. For desserts we had lemon lavender cake, a doughnut wall and even an amazing replica of the Steel Magnolias red velvet armadillo cake," Gavin shares. Ten local businesses contributed to the evening’s family-style catering needs. Guests dined on the curated menu with tarnished brass flatware, rose pink chargers, vintage goblets and velvet linen napkins. Circular die-cut menu cards further enhanced the arch theme seen in much of the day’s stationery. Calligraphed Lucite place cards were layered atop. Fitting given the art-centric venue, Gavin and Ron’s pale green two-tier wedding cake was embellished with a dramatic cascade of florals, which included dried ruscus and orchids.