A Colorful, Pop-Culture-Themed Wedding in Seattle, Washington

As pop culture enthusiasts, Allyson Balansay and Stephen Culpepper drew wedding inspiration from the 2016 film La La Land. "Just as the movie opens with brightness and color," Allyson says, "I wanted our wedding to open similarly with light and color at the ceremony," which took place at Marion Oliver McCaw Hall in Seattle. Flower arrangements lining the aisle held bright roses, dahlias and painted palm leaves. "Playing on our movie theme, I also picked up an LED cinema box for a movie marquee," Allyson says. "My mom, sister and brother helped assemble gold popcorn boxes filled with gourmet popcorn flavors, chocolates and ice cream tickets"—and guests could use these at an ice cream truck outside of the ceremony site. The newlyweds and their guests then headed to The Museum of Pop Culture for a fun-loving reception. "As La La Land goes on, we see Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling dancing against the evening sky and city lights backdrop. These sunset hues and city skies were the inspiration for our reception," Allyson says. The museum's ambient blue-hued lighting mimicked the night sky in the film. Table names were inspired by the pair's favorite movies—ranging from Mean Girls to Office Space—and the seating chart used auditorium numbers to show guests to their tables. "The table linens were a dark blue with gold accents in the cutlery and floral stands. The linen for the head table was a sequined white and gold, which was a nod to the twinkling of the city," the bride says. The blue and red wedding cake was also inspired by La La Land, and it matched the twilight-inspired color scheme of the evening. 
Our favorite #MakeTradition Moment: "One of my favorite parts of the entire day was Stephen’s dance down the aisle," Allyson says. "We had our wedding parties walk down the aisle first to 'Canon in D'—I’ve always loved that song and think it’s beautiful at weddings. But once our bridal and groom parties filled the front stage, the DJ turned on 'Come and Get Your Love' by Redbone, and Stephen danced down the aisle just like Chris Pratt (aka Star Lord) does at the beginning of Guardians of the Galaxy. He practiced his moves leading up to the big day, which I wasn’t allowed to see, so I’m so thankful for our videographers."