Hollywood-Inspired Wedding Venues for the A-List Bride
It’s time for your close-up.
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Live Out Your Favorite On-Screen Wedding
There’s no place like Hollywood when it comes to big, extravagant weddings. Nuptial unions captured on the big and small screens have inspired more than a couple brides-to-be. From silver screen-themed fetes to venues featured in famous films, here are some Hollywood wedding snapshots worthy of the A-list.
Moss Mansion
Entrepreneur P. B. Moss commissioned his namesake mansion for himself, his wife Mattie and their six kids in 1901. Moss went on to greatly impact the development and culture of Billings, Montana, but his grand home has remained pretty much exactly the same as the day he built it—making it a prime movie set. It’s been featured in a number of period films, including Falcon Song and popular mini-series like Return to Lonesome Dove and Emmy award-winning Son of the Morning Star with Gary Cole. Expect the music to screech to a halt when the bride and/or groom descends the dramatic stairway to the ornate French Parlor, where guests will be awaiting the momentous occasion.
Game of Thrones
Working on an off-beat, non-traditional styled wedding shoot with a bunch of local vendors, photographer Caitlin Fletcher Reardon, owner of Cait Fletcher Photography, was inspired by the mystical and mysterious symbolism of Game of Thrones.
“In the shoot, the bride wears a black dress and hat, something far from the traditional wedding garb,” Reardon said. “The florals were mysterious and monochromatic, adding to the overall moodiness of shoot,” much of which was staged in front of a truck painted with giant Jon Snow image by Connecticut-based artist Ben Keller.
The Great Gatsby
Pulling inspiration from the Roaring 20s and The Great Gatsby, this styled shoot planned by Carisa Lockery of Pink Olive Events in Cheshire, Connecticut drew on the glitz, glamour and rebellion of the Gilded Age.
“The brides wore silk dresses with sleek hair and had their makeup done in an extravagant fashion,” said Caitlin Fletcher Reardon of Cait Fletcher Photography, who captured the images at Bugsy’s. “Sticking to the theme of prohibition, we held the shoot in a speakeasy venue where jazz music is at the forefront of entertainment and dueling pianos take center stage."
The Chronicles of Narnia
While planning their early winter wedding in the forests of western Colorado, bride and groom Juli and Nick came up with an otherworldly idea—a complete Chronicles of Narnia-themed nuptial union. The couple lives in Durango, a town known far and wide for its convivial costume celebrations, so there were plenty of fantastical outfits donned by guests at the wedding.
“They figured that there would be no better theme then the magical, whimsical, fairytale inspiration of The Chronicles of Narnia,” said photographer Alexi Hubbell of Alexi Hubbell Photography.
Hunger Games
When Hunger Games: Catching Fire debuted, North Carolina-based photographer Mollie Tobias teamed up with a bunch of local wedding vendors to style their ideal version of an Effie and Haymitch Mockingjay wedding.
“For this shoot I was really inspired by the idea of love in the midst of chaos,” Tobias said. “I wanted to portray the decadence and glitz of the Panem Capitol against a rustic decaying backdrop.”
Inspired by the decaying mill in District 13, the team designed a party at an abandoned mill with fiery flower arrangements to complement Effie’s vibrant butterfly headdress and neon makeup, a decadent fondant and a Mockingjay-adorned cake peeling away to reveal its naked interior made by Bijou’s Sweet Treats.
Wizard of Oz
Drawing on the vibrant colors and classical pastoral scenery of one of the most iconic films in movie history, the creative event team at Couture Events went all out with their styled Wizard of Oz shoot. Poppies were aplenty in Leaf It To Lexi’s bold floral arrangement and the gorgeous cake made by Hey There Cupcake. The wardrobe team even found a pair of ruby slippers.
“We brought in a touch of magic, a dash of red glitter, and our own yellow brick road to create this wonderland,” said event planner Krystel Tien of Couture Events. “They say there’s no place like home, but we wouldn’t mind hanging out here for a while.”
Alice in Wonderland
“Inspired by the whimsical elements in Wonderland, Alice and the Mad Hatter share their vows among the 40-foot sunken gardens,” wedding photographer Ashley Vaughn of White Rabbit Studios said. “Alice returns through a stereoscope and is delighted to spend an afternoon celebrating love with her friends and family!”
That was the story behind the dreamlike wedding conceived by Vaughn and other local Huntsville, Alabama wedding vendors. The styled shoot wove a Wonderland theme throughout the entire setting, from the fairytale-like garden figures and playful invitations to the tea party-style menu and vintage bar car.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
“We love the movie and musicals are our thing,” said Paula Ortiz, who recently tied the knot with Juan Perez at their very own song- and dance-infused Rocky Horror wedding at Viva Las Vegas Weddings. “This movie has a little bit of everything—rock, goth, suspense, action and fun.”
If ever one were to try to settle upon the true definition of a cult classic, there would be no need to look further than The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Nearly 50 years since it was released, the campy film is still regularly projected on silver screens around the globe.
Ryman Auditorium
Elvis Presley, Patsy Cline, Dolly Parton and even President Teddy Roosevelt have stepped under the spotlight of Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium. Essentially the South’s answer to Carnegie Hall—the acoustics are said to be just as impressive—this National Historic Landmark was the longtime home of the Grand Ole Opry, the longest running radio broadcast in American history. The “barn dance” spread country music across much of the United States. The weekly show highlighted established and emerging artists in country, bluegrass and gospel. But here’s the romantic kicker: the Ryman was where Johnny Cash first met and was totally smitten by his future wife and lifetime collaborator June Carter, and it inspired the film Walk The Line.
Rosecliff
Nevada silver heiress Theresa Fair Oelrichs commissioned architect Stanford White to design her summer “cottage” after the Grand Trianon, the garden retreat for French kings at Versailles. The stately 1899 home was the site of many honorable fetes during its peak, but its grandeur has lived on and been broadcasted around the globe in a number of films, including the Robert Redford version of The Great Gatsby, True Lies with Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Katherine Heigl’s 27 Dresses. Whether you want to soak in the jaw-dropping ocean views or live it up like an A-lister, this Gilded Age masterpiece is sure to knock the socks off your Hollywood-obsessed guests.
Twilight Wedding
Drawing inspiration from Stephanie Meyer’s fourth book in The Twilight series, Breaking Dawn, wedding planner Lina Wallace of A Stunning Affair and photographer Meg Perotti decided to recreate the wedding of Bella and Edward—with floral arrangements that an average bride and groom could actually afford—in their staged shoot.
“The wedding was described as taking place at the house where Edward and his family live in the woods surrounded by all white flowers,” said Wallace, who decorated the tables with white arrangements and hung white rosebuds from the surrounding trees. “We also took inspiration from the iconic cover of the first book where hands are holding an apple.” Green apples were used as escort cards, candleholders, a cake topper and the signature beverage, hot apple cider.
American Museum of Natural History
Most New York City kids have fantasized about spending the night among the famous figures and exhibits of the American Museum of Natural History a la Night at the Museum. Chances are Teddy Roosevelt, Attila the Hun and Sacajawea—or the giant T-Rex—aren’t going to come to life like they did for Ben Stiller’s character, but couples can host their own fantasy wedding in the iconic institution with an after-hours celebration in some of the most famous exhibits featured in the films. Brides-and/or-grooms-to-be can rent out iconic halls, like the Teddy Roosevelt Rotunda that is centered around dueling dinosaurs or the Milstein Hall of Ocean Life. But, like a big-budget film, a wedding here is going to cost you.
New York Public Library
Carrie Bradshaw nearly said “I do” at the New York Public Library’s Stephen A. Schwarzman Building—though she stopped short of passing through the pair of stone lions that flank the iconic steps at the Fifth Avenue entrance. While its use in the Sex And The City movie may be its most recent noteworthy scene, the grand Beaux-Arts building has been featured on the silver screen in more than a dozen different films. Aspiring writer Paul Varjak brought Holly Golightly to the famous repository in Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Likewise, Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Rick Moranis got scared out of its reading room by a book-loving ghost in Ghostbusters. The landmark movie set offers several venues for weddings that can accommodate up to 500 guests.
Kualoa Ranch
Known as “the backlot of Hawaii,” more than 79 movies and TV shows have been filmed at Kualoa over the years, including Paradise, Hawaiian Style with Elvis Presley, 50 First Dates, Hawaii Five-0, Pearl Harbor, Lost, and both Jumaji and Jurassic Park movies. You get the gist. The sprawling property is beautiful and secluded, offering that quintessential tropical scenery featured on the screen. Kualoa Ranch can accommodate wedding parties of up to 10,000 guests; however, if you can keep it under 100 you might be able to convince the staff to treat you to the Jurassic Valley Party package. Normally reserved for birthdays, the package offers a one-hour petting zoo tour and outdoor games.