This Black-Tie Bel-Air Wedding—Complete With Multiple Martini Bars—Channeled Old Hollywood Glamour
Christopher Slager and Madeline Whitesell like to joke that they were set up by their HR department. In 2014, Christopher, then an assistant in WME’s motion picture department, was asked by human resources if an intern could shadow him for several days. He agreed—and up from the mailroom came Madeline.
Five years later, Christopher, now head of film at the production company Fifth Season, was still thinking about Madeline. So he opened up Instagram, took a deep breath, and slid into her DMs. They had their first date in the Blue Bar at San Vicente Bungalows soon afterward.
On March 3, 2023, Christopher proposed to Madeline, now a WME agent, on the slopes of Deer Valley, Utah. After convincing her to ski into the glades, he “fell” beside an Aspen tree. When Madeline came over to check on him, Christopher was on one knee in the snow. Behind him, their initials and engagement date were carved into the bark. After she said “yes,” their Bernese mountain dog, Roman, came bounding through the snow. Turns out Christopher asked ski patrol to snowmobile him up the mountain for one final surprise.
The couple held their three-day wedding in Bel-Air, California, in October 2024. “We felt a desire to share in the magic of ‘our L.A.’ with friends and family from all over the world,” Madeline says of the celebration, which was planned by Stefanie Cove.
It began with a Thursday-night welcome drinks at the Hotel Bel-Air, which the couple had taken over for the weekend. The bride wore a ’90s Moschino suit, found at Happy Isles Salon, along with a green Gucci corset and matching Jimmy Choo heels. “Knowing that our welcome party would take place in the Hotel Bel-Air bar gave me inspiration for my look,” Madeline says. “The bar is such a beautiful, classic spot, with larger-than-life Norman Seeff photographs adorning the walls. I had this vision of a ’90s power suit that would match the vibe and feel sophisticated—kind of Goldie Hawn in The First Wives Club or Samantha in Sex and the City.” What started as a civilized, postwork affair with a sushi station escalated for many of the guests as more and more martinis were drunk from Madeline’s martini bar. “The night ended with a piano sing-along in the bar that lasted until the early hours of the morning,” says Christopher.
On Friday—after most guests spent the afternoon by the hotel pool, which had a “M+C” logo at the bottom—Madeline and Christopher held their rehearsal dinner on the grounds of the iconic property. It began with a cocktail hour by the Swan Lake and culminated with a four-course meal on the main lawn. Madeline wore a 1995 Versace dress, sourced from Lovers Lane in London. “I was immediately obsessed with the dress—the color matched my green diamond engagement ring, the dress was designed the year I was born, and it just felt right for the ‘garden party’ feel of our rehearsal dinner,” she says. A highlight of the evening? A humorous toast—or perhaps roast—of the groom courtesy of Emmy-winning writer Nick Cuse.
On Saturday, the couple wed at the Bel-Air Country Club in front of 350 guests, including Candice Bergen, and Jane Fonda, who starred in the Fifth Season-produced Book Club. The bride walked down the aisle in a Reem Acra lace gown to “Make You Feel My Love” by Adele. The groom waited for her in a Brunello Cucinelli tuxedo.
The couple incorporated elements from both of their faiths—Catholic and Greek Orthodox, respectively—into their ceremony before they read their own vows. “For both of us, the second we stepped up on the beautiful plaster aisle, surrounded by all the people we love most in the world, it was like a lightning bolt shocked our hearts,” says Madeline.
After their officiant, Brian DePersia, pronounced them married, they sauntered not down the aisle but straight into the Bel-Air Country Club’s clubhouse for cocktail hour as the sun set among the hills of West L.A.
Afterward, guests entered a secret 1920s tunnel, originally built for golfers to cut through a mountain from the clubhouse to the 18th green. There, they found a glass structure with so much color it felt like a jewel box. “Our design inspiration was a mix of Babylon, Old Hollywood, and the Copacabana. We wanted it to feel glamorous, fun, and a little wild while still being beautiful,” says Madeline. “We had a mix of rectangular, circular, and serpentine tables covered in custom linens.” Off to the side was a custom lounge with a martini bar and cigars.
After a family-style dinner of fried chicken—and the couple’s first dance to Lady Gaga’s “You and I”—the band began to play and the night really got started. “After our song, the dance floor was mobbed as the room broke into a dance party before dinner even began. The energy was incredible,” says Christopher. Their friend producer Josh Rosenbaum also performed a set of original songs onstage.
At 11 p.m., guests headed back to Hotel Bel-Air, where Cove and her team had turned the ballroom into a nightclub called Roman’s—complete with a sparkly bar, neon palm trees, and passed trays of Jell-O shots. Madeline changed into a custom Undone by Kate corset and skirt set with beaded fingerless gloves.
Months later, Christopher and Madeline say the weekend was “perfectly them” in every way. “We loved having all of our friends and family all in one place to celebrate with us,” says Christopher. “It really felt like a destination wedding right here in L.A.”
Photo: Amy Stuart1/52The presidential suite at the Hotel Bel-Air was our home base for the weekend. While tranquil in this picture, it was the center of a lot of action!
Photo: Amy Stuart2/52While on a trip to London, I found this 1995 Versace dress at Lovers Lane Vintage and immediately knew I had to wear it on Friday night. It fit the garden party vibe of our dinner perfectly. Eteri Couture in L.A. tailored the dress and shortened it to tea length.
