Color Lovers, This Multicultural Wedding at Ebell Long Beach in California Is for You

Abraham is from Niamey, Niger in West Africa and for his wedding to Nicole the couple wanted to celebrate the "vibrancy of that culture" throughout their event. "We both love bold, beautiful color palettes mixed with the greens from tropical scenery and wanted to make sure our wedding reflected that. We leaned into all of the bright and beautiful fabrics that are found all over West Africa and carried those accents throughout the décor." Beyond selecting colors and fabrics that paid homage to Abraham's heritage, the couple also tied in many French-inspired moments since his side of the family speaks French. "Because my husband's family speaks French, we wanted to make sure to incorporate that into all aspects of our day. We had our ceremony printed in French and a few members of our bridal party come up and repeat some parts in French so that everyone could participate," Nicole says. At the reception, a neon sign that read "You, me, oui!" memorably decked out the couple's photo booth backdrop. 

In addition to ensuring their multicultural wedding was representative of them as a couple, it was also important to Nicole and Abraham that the wedding at Ebell Long Beach feel inclusive and inviting. "We wanted to make sure that our guests felt welcomed and invited to participate from the moment they entered the ceremony space. This started with LALA brass playing Latin jazz as soon as the guests walked in and carried forward into our ceremony where our guests clapped and cheered whenever they felt like it," says Nicole. The couple recalls their ceremony as being an especially memorable, and inclusive, part of the wedding day. "Our officiant Saral Burdette crafted the most personal and touching words that made sure to account for us and of families needs. When we told her we wanted our guests to participate, she leaned into that and invited it. One of the best parts of the ceremony itself was when she had us switch places with her so that we could face our guests and take in this moment where all of our friends and family were gathered to support us," recalls the couple.