This regal LBGTQ+ wedding combined high-fashion glamor and a touch of spiritual mysticism to create a gorgeous and unforgettable affair. The grooms, their wedding party, and their families all sported custom couture garments–even their guests including the fabulous Jovana Benoit, creative director of Jovana Louis, arrived dressed to impress. The pairing of modern decor and a saturated gem tone color palette set against classic European architecture of the gorgeous Villa del Sol d’Oro, conjured a cinematic wedding that was equal parts elegant, vibrant, and whimsical. We are honored to have this wedding featured in The Knot.

Earlier this year, we had the pleasure of photographing Kris and Tertulien’s royal engagement session at a private estate in Pacific Palisades, California. You can view a selection of those images here.

LGBTQ Gay Fashion Luxury Wedding at Italian Style Villa in Southern California by Los Angeles Wedding Photographer Todd Danforth Photography

The Venue

Grooms, Tertulien and Kris, planned their glamorous nuptials drawing inspiration from their cultural heritage, high fashion, mysticism, and a little whimsical flair. Their wedding took place at the regal Villa del Sol d’Oro in Sierra Madre, California, a historic venue with classic European architecture and manicured grounds that recall a country estate in the French Riviera. The theme of the wedding was conceptualized as two royal houses uniting in celebration of love. The grooms worked closely with Sasha Mekhedova of Bearuza to design beautiful art deco inspired invitations on black velvet with gold foiling. Tertulien, who has a background in fashion, took the lead in custom designing dramatic and stately garments that were also highly symbolic for the couple. The result was a gorgeous, fashion-forward “noce,” the Haitian French word for wedding.

Scottish Highland, with a Twist

Kris’s ceremonial look was a twist on classic Scottish Highland formal dress consisting of a white kilt and Prince Charlie jacket. The couple approached Houston Kiltmakers, a renowned Scottish design house, to assemble an all-white formal kilt. White summer weight wool was custom selected to give a nod to traditional wedding white and paired with gold finishings. Kris’s v-neck tunic was custom tailored by Edison Cortez. Kris wore a moldavite pendant on a gold chain, a piece gifted to him by Tertulien earlier in their relationship. The shoes were white patent leather Cuban heel boots with gold buckles, designed in collaboration with a cobbler in Mexico City. A white sporran (a traditional scottish bag) and kilt hose completed the full look.

Celestial Spiritualism Meets Opulent Fashion

Tertulien opted for a showstopping embroidered opera coat with a dramatic train. Designed to make the groom look and feel like royalty, this statement piece was inspired by Lebanese designer Michel Kabbany’s evening gowns. As a spiritualist, Tertulien wanted to incorporate a symbolic connection to the heavens by embroidering golden celestial bodies along the asymmetrical collar and trumpet sleeve hems. In order to pay homage to the groom’s Haitian roots, he had the Veve–a symbolic sigil representing the goddess of love in Haitian Vodou–embroidered on the back. Finally, an ethereal peacock motif stands proud as the central focal point of the garment, a nod to the groom’s animal totem. Embroidery for this piece was done in collaboration with Nandy’s 13. Tertulien’s shawl blouse was inspired by Dolce and Gabbana’s Alta Sartoria 2021 collection with clean lines and a touch of sensual romance. The pants were custom tailored by Edison Cortez using the same white summer weight wool utilized for the kilt and jacket. Tertulien wore a one-of-a-kind upcycled necklace by Lauren Ahlert which merged the idea of something old and something new into one gorgeous piece. To bring in a familial element, Tertulien wore his fathers gold wrap cuff-links on his blouse and a monogrammed handkerchief in his bouquet, heirlooms passed onto him after his father’s passing. He also gifted his mother a set of beautiful vintage pink acrylic cabochon in a sunburst setting by Frederic Castet.

The Boo Crew

The mixed gender wedding party consisted of the grooms’ closest friends and family. The men sported tuxedo jackets in fuchsia summer velvet, black patent leather shoes, over-the-top floral boutonnières, gold sparkle bow ties and matching pocket squares. While the women donned ethereal and romantic custom dyed gowns with dramatic floral accessories in place of bouquets. The flower girls’ dresses were inspired by the late Princess Diana’s wedding and channeled whimsical fairy-like innocence with peony headdresses, a nod to Frida Kahlo’s floral headpieces. While these dresses were featured in custom dyed cool blue tones tempered by a light layer of pink organza, the flower boys instead, sported pink suits embellished with pink glass beaded appliqué and blue organza flowers.

Great thought was put into the attire for Kris and Tertulien’s family as well! Kris’s father was styled in a multi-colored contrast shawl tuxedo by Ron Tomson, a play on his favorite piece of clothing: the Hawaiian shirt. Kris’s mother opted for a two piece silk satin palazzo cut pant suit in robin’s egg blue, a look inspired by Queen Maxima of The Netherlands infamous crimson Liberation Day Concert pant suit. Tertulien’s mother channeled a Haitian Queen in a long sleeve turquoise gown with pearl embroidery, pointed sleeves and dovetail train. Her earrings were a beautiful vintage pink acrylic cabochon in a sunburst setting by Frederic Castet. She also wore a piece from her late husband: pearled satin pumps she only brings out for special occasions.

The Ceremony

The ceremony site took advantage of the spectacular manicured grounds of the estate, with a grand arcade flanked by massive cypress groves. Guests were seated in a single row on either side of the aisle facing inward, giving the look and feel of a high fashion runway show. Each guest, including Jovana Benoit, fashion designer and creative director of Jovana Louis arrived dressed to impress. Each guest was anointed with essential oils to prepare for the ceremony. The grooms walked down the aisle simultaneously, escorted by either respective families towards a massive floral arch. There, the two performed an ancestral ceremony using candles of beeswax infused with herbs, crystals, and amber scent as well as a unity candle ceremony. The grooms exchanged personal vows–and a musical performance–before saying their I Do’s. The wedding bands were designed by the grooms and crafted by Albert Malky of Los Angeles, California.

Wedding Fashion, Take Two

In true opulent fashion, the grooms sported separate but equally fabulous attire for their reception–these second looks were meant to be formal and elegant but more relaxed compared to the ceremony looks. Kris’s reception ensemble was Disney Prince-inspired with the same celestial gold embroidery featured in the opera coat, while Tertulien’s reception attire was an ode to the classic double-breasted suit replete with gorgeous asymmetrical pink and gold floral embroidery

The Reception

Wedding colors included deep, saturated gem tones and a mix of textures including sleek gold metallics contrasted against warm velvets. Custom cocktails included Haitian rum punch–a major hit with the guests! Rum cake truffles provided by Bon Bon Lakay, a Haitian Bakery in Brooklyn, New York, stood in place of a more traditional wedding cake. The truffles were assembled into a croquembouche onsite by a dear friend of the grooms, Chef Orcun Malkoclar. Wedding favors consisted of custom dyed, hand-poured candles scented with sweet orange, bergamot, rosewood leaf, and pink grapefruit essential oils from Sacred Scents Aromatherapy. The candles were housed in matte gold tin jars with the grooms’ wax seal insignia as a finishing touch to adorn the lids.

This glamorous LGBT wedding was photographed at Villa del Sol d’Oro in Sierra Madre, California

Event Design & Florals: Bearuza | @bearuza
Venue: Villa del Sol d’Oro | @villadelsoldoro
Photography: Todd Danforth Photography | @toddthephotographer
Videography: Daniel Parson’s Films | @daniel_parsons_films
Hair: Royalty Blends Barbershop | @royaltyblendsbarbershop
Hair: Knappy Hair | @knappyhair
Hair: The Loc Doc | @the_loc_doc
Hair: Barbara Lagazzele | @hairbybarbaralagazzele
Hair: Hairstring | @hairstring
Beauty: Londyn Juwelz | @londynjuwelzbeauty
Beauty: Pushies Makeover | @pushiesmakeover
Beauty: Sharon Quezada | @cherthemua
Jewelry: Albert Malky
Jewelry: Laurenda Shoppe | @laurendashoppe
Clothing Design: Tertulien Thomas | @tulitime
Clothing Design: Nandy’s 13 | @biplab_nandy
Clothing Design: Edison Cortez | @edisonsatelier
Tailoring: Gilbert Taylor
Kilt: Houston Kiltmakers | @houstonkiltmakers
Essential Oils: Sacred Scents Aromatherapy | @sacredscentsaromatherapy
Rentals: MTB Rentals | @mtb_event_rentals
Rentals: Redline Rentals | @redlineaudioproductions
Rentals: Event City LA | @eventcityla
Catering: Flavors From Afar | @flavorsfromafar.co
Croquembouche: Bon Bon Lakay | @bonbonlakay
Croquembouche: Chef Orçun Malkoclar | @cheforcun
DJ: DJ Shai | @dj.shai

Palm Springs wedding photographer Todd Danforth Photography is an LGBTQ+ and POC-owned wedding photography team specializing in capturing joyful and candid moments. As storytellers and craftspeople, we believe in the power of visual narratives. Our mission is to create honest and authentic photographs you can share with your loved ones for generations to come.