Marcus + Gracie by Jenny Markham Photo

One could probably say the wedding was cascading amaranth-themed.

Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love…

Marcus is an actor, and Gracie just left her job in operations at a VC firm. She is exploring new creative opportunities in Toronto.

How/where/when did you meet – and what were your first impressions?

Gracie: Marcus and I met on the first day of 6th grade. Not many people look back fondly on their middle school days, but we both joke that those three years were our peak. We ran in the same circles—our archive consists of pictures of us trick-or-treating together, partying at Marcus’ iconic Halloween parties, and me absolutely towering over him at graduation. Marcus was understandably quite busy during our high school years, but middle school brought us back together senior year when we were invited to participate in a mock “signing day” where we chatted with current sports academy students about college. The timing wasn’t right, but a few months later in August 2018, I got a text from Marcus inviting me on what I now can confirm was a date. We whispered through a lot of Mission Impossible, kept catching up over Bigg Chill froyo, and have not stopped chatting since!

Marcus: We originally met at Emerson Middle School in West LA. A lot of people kind of glaze over their middle school experience, but I think we both can tell you, Emerson is truly special. I remember seeing her during one of our lunches over at the benches, thinking “who is that?” I never had the courage to ask her out. We both ended up being in the sports academy at our school and ran in the same friend groups. It wasn’t until senior year of high school that we went back to our middle school to talk to kids in the sports academy about what it takes to get into college and survive high school. I saw her there and knew it was fate. I could finally grow a full moustache; I was feeling confident. I found out through one of our mutuals that she was in a relationship. And so the long game continues. As soon as my homie hit me and told me they broke up, I sprang into action. The rest is history.

What styling and visual elements worked best for you? (could be things, the florals, particular hire products or your marquee, etc., something the stylist created or simply just the scenic beauty of your location or the existing design of your venue).

The florals fully transformed the entire venue space. I never knew my floral taste until having the pleasure of working with an incredible floral artist, Jahmadi, at my job in NYC. She introduced me to the world of amaranth, and I am never looking back! One could probably say the wedding was cascading amaranth-themed. I sent a few inspo shots and chuppah mock-ups to our floral team at Dogwood, and they understood the assignment. I really wanted to incorporate produce, which Rachel did seamlessly.

What did you enjoy most about the planning process, and do you have any tips for couples starting their wedding planning journey?

I don’t think I ever sat down to think about it beforehand, but after the wedding I did some finger counting and realised that we planned the whole thing in 4 months! My mom planned her wedding in 3 days, just because she and her mom were so excited, so anything felt possible. Prior to planning, most of the thought went into where we’d get married. We’re both from LA, we live in NY, and we love to travel (especially to Mexico). We decided on LA because it was important to us to give all of our living grandparents an opportunity to see their first grandchildren get married! We got engaged over Labour Day weekend, we signed with our venue in January, and we tied the knot in early May!

I was not the wedding binder girl (with all the love and admiration for the binder girls!!!), dreaming of her wedding, so it all felt kind of low stakes. I wasn’t comparing it to other weddings; I just wanted to marry the love of my life and throw a great party!

Tell us about your vendors. Were there any standout suppliers you would like to make special mention of?

Marcus: It takes a village. I gotta shout out my barber Stacey Kutz and makeup artist Amber for making me look pristine. I was tasked with DJ selection and playlist curation, and I think it’s safe to say I bodied it. Shout out to my boy DJ Ease.

Tell us about your main outfits, what was unique, and is there a story?

Gracie: I love vintage fashion. In a world of fast trends and overconsumerism, I prefer to slow down and buy (old) things I’ll love for a long time, mend well-loved pieces, tailor or upcycle garments to breathe new life into them. I knew vintage was what I wanted; I didn’t try on a single new dress sample. I was home in LA for the holidays, and I wanted to include my grandma in a dress shopping appointment. We have always connected on food and fashion, and we don’t live in the same state anymore, so it was important to me that she felt part of the shopping experience. We went to the LA Happy Isles salon, and I ended up with two great dresses: a classic strapless drop-waist gown—a familiar silhouette that you might see at a modern salon—and a funky, less traditional dress with a lot of tulle. I said that I was shocking myself by pulling it, but something about it was screaming to me, waving its arms, making sure I was paying attention. When I put on the 00s Alberta Ferretti, I absolutely knew! It was only my second appointment, so I wasn’t putting pressure on finding THE dress. When I’m dancing, I want to be in big pants and a little top for full range of motion. When I was describing my vision to my friend Tara, she insisted I go visit an Indian designer, as she said what I wanted was a classic Indian bridal silhouette. She connected me with the stunning Harleen Kaur, and we got to work. We were reaching the final stretch, and Harleen didn’t bat an eye at the challenge. I ran to their studio from my office, two phones in tow, taking calls with pins sticking out of my top. Again, I wanted to mirror the asymmetry of my dress, and the ruching of the neckline. The outfit arrived on my grandma’s doorstep in LA 48 hours before the buzzer, and I couldn’t have been more grateful.

Marcus: I was very conflicted. I kept going back and forth between a baggier, more hip silhouette, or a classic suit. I ended up going with a classic wool suit from J. Meuser, but went with chocolate brown for the colour. I thought that way I was doing something a little different, but could still feel like James Bond. My shirt was a classic white J Meuser button-up. I just love a clean black dress shoe. The best at fulfilling this role was the Givenchy Derby. I loved the snub nose and rounded edges. It felt fluid, not too ostentatious, and perfect for the day. Also something I could wear daily in the future. Anyone who knows me knows I will find one nice pair of shoes and wear them till the soles fall off

Tell us about your wedding and engagement rings.

Gracie: I wear a jewellery stack daily, so I needed to pare down more than I needed to build. My engagement ring is the most beautiful piece of jewellery I own, and I am proud to say that Marcus picked it out. A stunning and imperfect antique Old Mine stone on the chunkiest gold band. I was married with my Grandma and then Mom’s antique Ed Weiner cigar band. In a Jewish ceremony, it’s important that the band is a simple circle to symbolise the everlasting marriage. I hope my sisters use it for their weddings too! Marcus and I also have matching signet pinky rings with each other’s fingerprints engraved, so we were both wearing those. For our 2-year anniversary, Marcus gave me a gold paper clip chain necklace, which I wear every day (except this day). A year or so later, my grandma gave me an almost identical paper clip chain bracelet, which was the first gift my grandpa ever gave her when they moved to California from New York, because she knew I’d love it. She was very right. I didn’t have my grandpa with me on the day, but I was wearing the bracelet. I wore my mom’s gold hoops, which were an elevated version of my everyday, a gold chain also borrowed from Grandma, and my singular “m” earring that I haven’t taken out since 2019. Marcus is sexy as hell, and so is everything he wears. I had no concerns about his wedding look, and for good reason. He wore a perfectly tailored chocolate brown J. Mueser suit and Givenchy shoes. After the fact, we kicked ourselves that one of us wasn’t wearing something from Celine, our dog’s namesake!

Marcus: For my ring, I went for a classic white gold band. There is something so smooth and iconic about a classic wedding band, and I didn’t want to mess with greatness. I also had a very nice oyster steel Rolex courtesy of my boy Devin.

What were one or two elements that were most important to you both that you were happy to spend a little more on? (food, photography, florals, the venue, your outfits?).

We knew we were interested in getting married at a restaurant because food is our top priority. We go on dates to have a forum to discuss food. We travel around restaurants we want to try. I come home and recreate our favourite dishes for us with Marcus as my sous chef. The lazy girl in me was also excited that a restaurant means everything is there, so no rentals; it’s already staffed with experts, and did I mention we knew the food would be incredible?

We toured a few of our favourites in LA, including an iconic tour of Horses on their last night of service, but once we knew Republique was an option, there was truly no other choice! Republique was a constant for us when we were home in LA. Birthdays, anniversaries, new jobs, all led to Republique. It felt only fitting that we celebrate the beginning of the rest of our lives there too! Food is top tier, the space is historic and almost cathedral-like, and it felt right. I am an admitted cake snob, so I was really excited about going custom with Baked on Rose. Her cakes are some of the favourites I’ve ever had, and she got the stamp of approval from the toughest critic: my grandma! Olive oil yuzu cake was the perfect mix of fun and playful, and never too sweet.

Was there a favourite moment (or two) that you will treasure always?

Gracie: Speeches were potentially the best part of the night. Our parents spoke beautifully; I was a mess! The evening truly felt like the start of a new chapter, not just for myself and Marcus, but for two families coming together as one. Our mega cousin crew is already planning a group trip. Our best friends stole the show. Juliette has been my best friend since kindergarten; we’re one day apart (Pisces), and I think she’s been writing her speech since college. She was fully off book and looked drop-dead gorgeous while doing it. Marcus’s elementary school bestie Devin spoke and had everyone laughing. All four of us have known each other since middle school, so it was quite nostalgic.

Marcus: When Gracie came out, the world stopped. My heart was in my throat. I was so nervous and excited. She was stunning. She practically floated to me. My entrance was chaotic. It felt like she soothed the room. It was still and quiet aside from a violin cover of “Video Games” by Lana Del Rey. It was magic. We circled each other three times before facing one another. We had already recited our vows privately, each one of us bawling our eyes out. We said a few prayers. Drank some wine. Smashed a glass. And the rest is history. We were married!!! After the ceremony, we rushed upstairs to take a few extra photos. It was the first time it got to be just us. I took her in. She was looking TOO GOOD. We were geeking. We were really doing it! Probably my favourite part of the night was those transition periods. We had some champagne and white wine and prepared to enter back into the fray.

What does being married mean to you, and are there any special rituals you have that you would like to share?

Gracie: I’m so happy to have wedding planning behind us, beautiful pictures and memories to last a lifetime, and my dream man and best friend as my husband. We’re saying “see you later” to NYC and moving ourselves and Celine to Toronto to be together as a family as Marcus films his next season. Things that “went wrong” didn’t matter! The ceremony was a little squishy, dinner was a smidge long, apparently we had a Cake Boss-style mishap upon delivery, cousins got a little drunk, and yet everything was perfect! That’s life. The life that we get to spend the rest of together!

Marcus: Life is beautiful, and we get to spend it together forever. I kept saying I was so excited for this part, but I truly wish I could live the wedding over and over again. Our rabbi left us with a nugget of wisdom. “Bottle up this feeling and save it for a rainy day” I’m going to hold onto this feeling for the rest of our lives. We’re already talking about renewing our vows next spring and every following spring.