A Victorian-Era Venue Sets Backdrop for Wedding In Menomonie

Pang Zong and Domenico Marzovilla’s romance started as an OkCupid success story. “Our first date was at a now-defunct feminist bookstore,” Pang recalls. “He didn’t pay for my 50-cent coffee and schooled me on the best way to eat ramen. I was intrigued.” Four years later, a nervous Domenico asked Pang for her hand in marriage as they were birdwatching. Knowing they wanted to be married in a historical venue, the Victorian-era Mabel Tainter Theater was the perfect fit, and even matched Pang’s Belle Époque-inspired engagement ring. During the ceremony, the newlyweds paid homage to their families’ backgrounds by watering an azalea bonsai that contained soil from the bride’s childhood home in Wisconsin and the groom’s parents’ hometowns in Croatia and Italy. Their palette of terra cotta, mauve and rose complemented the vintage colors and textures of the theater with hand-painted gold walls and peach opera seats. Runners in alternating colors of terra cotta and vintage rose, thrifted brass candlesticks, an assortment of vases filled with dried florals and glass cloches filled with mineral and crystal specimens bedecked the tables. Global-inspired food was a main culinary focus, with pupu platters served at cocktail hour and international cuisine at the candlelit dinner. For keepsakes, the couple, who share an interest in mineralogy, gave out crystal specimens in personalized muslin bags, along with apple-filled doughnuts in the shape of Wisconsin with a heart sprinkle marking Menomonie.

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