Stylist Taryn Shumway Wore Danielle Frankel Pants For Her Micro-Wedding at Sunset Tower Hotel
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Vogue’s goal in our coverage is to celebrate responsible wedding planning, showcase a love story, and shed light on the questions that engaged couples are asking themselves now.
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A chance meeting at a dinner in Los Angeles brought stylist Taryn Shumway and Alex Bossi together. “I was living there at the time, and he was visiting from Boston for design meetings,” Taryn remembers. Alex started his—now their—brand Bossi Sportswear in 2019. “I was supposed to be set up with someone else at that dinner, but I guess the rest is history now.”
Taryn had moved back to New York City for a few months shortly after meeting Alex to join the costume design team for Madonna’s Madame X tour. “I knew I would have limited time to see Alex during this job,” Taryn remembers. “It was my second tour with Madonna, so I was aware of the workload I was taking on, but he made every effort he could to come to New York as much as possible and see me. Sometimes the only way he could see me would be to come to late-night dress rehearsals and shows. I think he saw a total of five shows. I’m sure there are a lot of Madonna fans out there who would be very envious of this!”
After about three months of dating each other, the two knew they were meant to get married. “We never officially became engaged and never really thought we would plan a wedding,” Taryn admits. “We always said we would just wake up one day, go to the Beverly Hills Courthouse, then have a big party. We never had a specific date set either.”
But with COVID-19 restrictions in place, even planning a small courthouse wedding became difficult. One day around the end of October, they were in L.A. for meetings and having dinner at Sunset Tower. “Alex looked at me and said, ‘Why don’t we just do it here?’ The next morning, we booked the penthouse suite—the views on the wraparound terrace are spectacular—and began the wedding prep with just over two weeks until the big day.”
The two currently live in Boston, which is where their clothing brand is manufactured, but L.A., and the Sunset Tower Hotel, felt like the perfect place to marry as the City of Angels was where they first connected. “We wanted somewhere intimate and easy with a great outdoor area and views,” Taryn says. “We timed the ceremony perfectly, saying ‘I do’ just as the sun was starting to set.”
It turns out figuring out the location was the easy part. After that, wedding planning quickly became stressful. “I have a new respect for wedding planners, producers, any kind of event coordinator!” Taryn says. “Our attention to detail was evident throughout the whole wedding, which made planning a bit more intense perhaps. Everything was hand-done by me, of course with help from Alex.” From the fresh lavender in the bathroom to the Santa Maria Novella incense burning, Taryn and Alex wanted every detail to feel exactly like them, and it did.
The ceremony started at 4:30 p.m. on the terrace of the Sunset Tower on Friday, November 13th. “Friday the 13th in the year 2020…the irony isn’t lost on us,” Taryn jokes. “It wasn’t until after we set the date that I realized it was also my maternal great-grandmother’s birthday, which was special.” Upon arrival, guests posed for photos against a backdrop that photographer Max Bernetz had set up and mingled outside where everyone felt comfortable in the open-air environment while waiting for the bride to make her grand entrance.
A traditional wedding dress was never in the cards for Taryn. She always knew she wanted to wear a look by CFDA/Fashion Fund runner-up Danielle Frankel. “Her designs are exquisite and just cool,” Taryn says. “I had purchased a different style of one of her dresses, and then my friend sent me a link to the style I ultimately wore, which happened to be called the ‘Maude,’ and I knew that was the one. The halter top was a flattering shape on my shoulders, and the detail of the lace down the pants was exquisite. Plus, it was pants! I was so comfortable all night. It was the perfect outfit for a tomboy like me.”
Ironically, early on in the couple’s relationship, Taryn mentioned to Alex that her favorite name, should they one day have a baby girl, was Maude. “He looked at me, surprised, and said that was his maternal great-grandmother’s name,” Taryn remembers—making for yet another serendipitous connection. And so, for the bride’s wedding band, they decided to use one of the small diamonds that Alex had, which actually belonged to his great-grandmother Maude. “One is in my ring, and the other is saved for baby Maude one day,” Taryn says.
The groom wore a Grain de Poudre Saint Laurent jacket and patent boots paired with silk button-up and moiré pleated pants by Bossi Sportswear. There was no wedding party, but somehow everyone in attendance seemed to adhere to the same dress code. “I looked around at the guests, and everyone was wearing black,” Taryn remembers. “It was so chic—I couldn’t have planned it better myself.”
The ceremony was kept short and sweet, with the bride and groom exchanging personal vows that they both had written. “I kept smiling from ear to ear,” Taryn says. “Alex was so fidgety and kept squeezing my hand; I kept squeezing it back.”
After the ceremony, the newlyweds took advantage of the last bit of light and posed for photos before toasting with champagne and French fries on the terrace. “We wanted it to feel relaxed, like you came to a cocktail party and someone just happened to also get married,” Taryn notes. “Even though this year will prove to be the hardest we have ever and hope to ever experience, we are so grateful to have the silver lining of getting married and starting our life together.”
Photo: Max Bernetz1/36Can’t forget the deodorant—it’s not all glamorous. I love that our photographer Max Bernetz caught this moment and also his reflection in the shot.
Photo: Max Bernetz2/36Finishing touches. Bryce knows me so well. He suggested I pull my hair into a bun, otherwise I would be touching it all night, which I would have. We kept the curly texture of my hair and swept it back into a soft bun. It was perfect for the neckline of the top.
