One of the things I love about weddings here at the Natural History Museum is how diverse they are. Even within the same faith I find that couples always manage to throw in their own personal touches to really make the ceremony their own. This time I was fortunate enough to get to see my first Quaker ceremony.
The ceremony took place in the Rotunda. JJ and Nathalie were seated on chairs adorned with greenery while family and friends faced them in a semi circle. After a period of reflective silence guests would periodically stand to give a blessing to the couple, or pass along well wishes or even share a memory.
After the ceremony guests headed outside to sample of of the most unique cocktail menus I’ve seen in quite some time. Aside from the signature drinks, there were craft sodas such as ginger, cream and two kinds of root beer.
Tables and bar stools were set up along with the bar on the portico. Guests also took advantage of the gorgeous weather to take some time for a stroll through our newly opened gardens.
Once the cocktail hour was over guests were ushered through the dinosaur hall and into the Africam Mammal hall for dinner by Heirloom LA and dancing to music provided by DJ Eva Kim.
Place cards not only showed how to make a shadow puppet of the table animal, it listed the name in French. Animal masks were provided so guests could blend in with the surroundings and opera glasses were on hand just in case someone wanted to get a closer view of the local wildlife!
Tables were set the length of the room and were adorned with a variety of fresh green foliage put together by Heather Reeves from Holly Flora. Blub lights strung the width of the room gave the area a festive feel.
Whether it was dancing or shuffleboard, everyone had a great time under the watchful eye of the African elephant!
A huge thank you to Jen Roper for allowing us to use her amazing photos! To see more of her work please visit blog.jenniferroper.com .She can also be reached at 323-660-3157 or at jenroper@mac.com.
Thinking about having your next event at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles? Give us a call at 213-763-3221 or send us an email at specialevents@nhm.org and see how we can help make your next event a memorable one!
