The wedding at the Oviatt Penthouse was opulent and glamorous, reminiscent of an Old Hollywood era of Art Deco decadence. Set in downtown and built in the 1920’s, the Oviatt building is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The architecture was inspired by the French Art Deco of its time.
The couple getting married were true jet-setters who spent the majority of their relationship apart from each other. It naturally made sense that the theme of the wedding included travel. Each table was named after a country they had visited together (Sydney, Seoul, Paris,etc) , the guest sign-in was a photo of a vintage map where friends and family could leave their well wishes, and the escort cards were made to resemble international passports.
The bride’s brother stood as the “man of honor” and the bride and groom incorporated different aspects of their cultures including the breaking of glass as is customary in Jewish tradition while getting married under a chuppah. The wedding included the “hora” where the bride and groom were lifted on chairs with friends dancing around. The bride even surprised the groom with a traditional Lei Dance as a nod to his Hawaiian heritage. It was a beautiful evening under the stars with the downtown skyscrapers as a backdrop to the wedding festivities while Casablanca played silently on a projector screen in the background.
(The Hollywood component was to acknowledge the bride’s family and their involvement in entertainment. The bride is a writer and producer, whose father and aunt are also successful producers and directors. Needless to say, the conversation and toasts were witty and entertaining, but most of all endearing for such an intimate gathering.)
