A Theatrical Wedding Ceremony
Some weddings are theatrical in spirit. Sometimes they are literally theatrical. Such was the case with the wedding of Los Angeles-based event producer Priyan Chandraratna and luxury travel planner Justin Dolan.
After planning a wedding on the stage in 2019, Priyan knew someday he would want his own wedding here. Last year, he did just that.
For the ceremony on the stage of the Ebell Theatre, the couple chose not to incorporate gender-related customs such as walking down an aisle. Instead, when the curtain rose, they emerged from the back of the stage and walked towards the audience as Priyan’s oldest friend, classically trained soprano, Madyson Boyd, serenaded them with Andrew Lloyd Weber’s “Love Changes Everything.”
The Broadway-style ceremony was a series of songs like this interspersed with vows, a slideshow of their courtship, and words from their officiants (their two best friends). The grooms were joined on stage by their “best people,” Justin’s brother, Donavan, and Priyan’s sister, Sahani.
After the ceremony, the guests moved from the Theatre to the Clubhouse side of the Ebell, entering through a “Champagne Garden” where servers tray passed champagne around the courtyard fountain and into "Little Lanka,” a room where the grooms brought a little bit of Sri Lanka to LA for an art deco fusion wedding.
We talked to Priyan more about his creative process and why he chose the Theatre.
We decided to have a more traditional church wedding earlier in the week for just family. For our main wedding, we wanted to do away with the traditional ceremony and treat our guests to something more exciting. Taking to account our mutual love for Broadway and musicals, we decided we wanted to put on a show! We searched for theaters all over LA but nothing beat the charm and beauty of the Wilshire Theatre. To top it off, we loved the Ebell's history and commitment to social justice and civil rights causes. We even highlighted on the website for our guests the fact that the reading of "8" took place in the Theatre and that proceeds from the show benefitted the legal fight which ultimately led to a historic victory of the Supreme Court in favor of marriage equality which allowed us to get married at all.
What were the best parts about having a wedding at the Theatre?
The full capabilities of a working professional stage -- the scale, the rigging, lighting -- the drama of it all. But we also loved that we were then able to just have our guests walk over to the clubhouse side of the compound and treat our guests to white glove service for the reception. There is nowhere else in LA where we could have managed to move our entire guest count through a stage show, indoor/outdoor cocktail hour, and dinner with another stage for entertainment without having to shuttle guests to different locations.
What was the best thing about working at The Ebell?
The people! I'm so grateful to have known and worked with the lovely staff of the Ebell for years. Hosting our wedding here was truly like coming home and working with friends. Everyone begin to finish was so lovely - I might have even caught a few staff shedding a tear or two!
Above: The on-stage wedding of Michael and Jeremy produced by Priyan Chandraratna in 2019
What was your favorite part of both weddings?
I love that for both weddings we were able to seamlessly combine old world glamour and charm with modern elegance. The looks for the two weddings were different but both of them managed to be simultaneously grand and timeless without feeling stuffy.
Location & Catering: Ebell of Los Angeles | Planner: Alfred House Productions | Floral Design: Shawna Yamamoto | Rentals: Bright Event Rental | Lighting: Samson Sound and Lighting | Engagement Location: Enchantment Resort, Sedona, Arizona | Groom’s Attire: Klein Epstein Parker | Hair & MUA: Bre Luxe Beauty | Entertainment: Downbeat Agency | Invitations: Social Savvy | Cinematography: Leira Productions | Photography: Duke Images