Long before Shannon McNulty crafted viral TikToks reviewing Vogue weddings and Michael Lange became a film trailer editor, they were students working at the Loyola Marymount University television station in Los Angeles. They dated for nearly a decade before Michael proposed on the Bow Bridge in Central Park. “We had certainly discussed marriage and picked out my vintage 1920s engagement ring together, but the proposal was all him,” Shannon shares. While she had a hunch the day might end with an engagement, she was nevertheless overcome with emotion when it actually happened. They toasted their impending nuptials with happy hour at the Loeb Boathouse.
Pinning down a venue that resonated with them—and could accommodate their guest list—was decidedly difficult. But once they discovered The Maxwell House in Pasadena, California, everything just “clicked.” Not only is it a lush 1920s mansion, but Maxwell House was also the site of the non-profit Western Justice Center. With a historical institution as their destination, Shannon and Michael leaned into the milieu’s inherent Old Hollywood aesthetic for the rest of their wedding elements. For the month of and day of coordination, they enlisted Peggy Kelley from Timeless Celebrations. Igor for The Shalom Imaginative documented the day.
Actress Sophia Bush served as the unofficial “fairy godmother” of the entire event. Shannon reviewed her Tulsa nuptials on TikTok, and Sophia not only watched it all, but she also reached out to Shannon and helped her accessorize with FashionKind for the wedding weekend. “I’m convinced she is a real-life princess,” Shannon confesses about her new friend. Sophia Bush personally thrifted blue and white vases, too, and connected Shannon with Brett Haymen of Edie Parker. Brett gifted the bride-to-be with a custom “Mrs. Lange” clutch. Additionally, Or & Elle generously lent sparkling diamonds for the wedding.
Shannon confesses she did “something a little crazy” when it came to selecting her bridal gown. Uninspired by the dresses available in her budget, she stumbled upon a Spring 2012 Oscar de la Renta gown on Poshmark. Without ever seeing the dress in person, much less trying it on, she ordered the gown and made its shoulder bow removable. Her wedding day outfit was complete with secondhand ivory Manolo Blahniks and a chapel-length Oscar de la Renta veil. Ixora Floral Suite created the event’s lush florals.
“The real hero of my wedding look was my incredible seamstress Orsolina, who my mom and I got to visit many times in her magical garage studio in Pasadena,” she shares. Orsolina freelances for Oscar de la Renta and has frequently worked with Carolina Herrera, in addition to totally transforming Shannon and her mother’s dresses.
She turned to her friend Claire McCarthy for all of her bridal makeup needs, while Krystal Rose styled her hair. And on the day-of, the bride’s friend, Talia Mayden, snapped a few getting-ready shots.
Michael sported a custom tuxedo by Indochino and accessorized with an Elsa Peretti Amapola brooch on his lapel. This piece was a gift from his bride-to-be who fell in love with the bijou while researching Kate Bock and Kevin Love’s wedding. An added perk of the dapper trinket? The poppy is the official flower of California.
On November 12, 2022, the wedding party arrived in an array of colors like Shannon’s sister’s green beaded Mac Duggal dress, Michael’s sister’s blue beaded Adrianna Papell gown, and Shannon’s mother’s bronze metallic Rickie Freeman for Teri Jon gown.
Shannon savored every moment of her ceremony. “The fall afternoon light coming in through the stained glass windows, everyone sitting in the pews, Michael and I holding hands on the altar; I felt so serene and present,” she admits. After being pronounced husband and wife, Michael and Shannon stepped outside to see Elizabeth Taylor’s legendary Green Goddess Rolls-Royce waiting for them. After several photos and hellos, they absconded in their getaway ride.
This private drive around Pasadena will forever be one of Shannon’s happiest memories. Before arriving at the reception venue, Michael and Shannon asked their driver to pass by the famous Father of the Bride house—the Nancy Meyers remake, not the Elizabeth Taylor original, it should be noted—a few blocks away. In this wonderfully surreal experience, passersby honked and cheered for the newlyweds.
It was important to the couple that a complete “vibe shift” happen upon entering the reception. To accomplish this, guests were greeted with Champagne and DJ-selected big band orchestrations like Glenn Miller’s “In The Mood.”
Passed appetizers waited in the back patio; Mike Pisciotta, the resident bar magician of the world-famous Magic Castle in Hollywood, performed in the front library. “Michael and I went to the Magic Castle on Valentine’s Day once and were floored by Mike’s show,” she recalls. “We vowed that if we ever got married, he would be a surprise for our guests.” Spectacle and glamour were omnipresent—Elizabeth Taylor’s car was also parked for endless photo ops.
With speakers erected on the stairwell, guests gathered in the foyer for heartfelt speeches. Shannon’s sister particularly brought the crowd to tears (of laughter) with a toast in the style of the bride’s TikTok wedding reviews where she reviewed the day in real-time. The father of the bride shared his first dance to The Father of the Bride reprise of “The Way You Look Tonight.”
Then, guests moved into the two dining rooms for an intimate meal made by Cutting Edge Catering. Shannon was awestruck when she saw the space’s tablescapes for the first time. She had spent so long collecting blue and white vases and dreaming of this day, and it was even better than she hoped for. She and Michael cut into their Takes The Cake confection and then hurried upstairs to slip into something more comfortable—for Michael, dance-friendly Nikes; for Shannon, an Oscar de la Renta party dress.
The bride and groom’s first dance was set to “Do You Believe in Magic?” by The Lovin’ Spoonfuls. “I loved this song because it’s happy, kicked the energy up for dancing, and reminds me of The Parent Trap,” Shannon explains. “It also perfectly referenced our magic moment from earlier in the night!”
Michael made a three-hour compilation of dance scenes from movie history—in chronological order, nonetheless—and projected it onto the second-story wall across from the Dart Collective deejay. In addition to raising spirits, this montage subtly referenced a line from the couple’s first dance song that says, “It makes you feel happy like an old-time movie.”
Of the many wonderful moments from the evening, Shannon’s “hands-down” favorite was the last dance to Taylor Swift’s “Lover” with the added flourishes of a saxophone and trumpet. By the time the last song played, guests voyaged to the Langham Hotel for drinks in The Tap Room bar. The entire evening was thrilling, and, as Shannon says, “went by too quickly.”
