Art, Architecture, and Literature Inspired Every Element of This Couple's Wedding at the Baltimore Museum of Art

After five years together, Thomas Cook was ready to take his relationship with Nina Ali to the next step, so he planned a proposal that would honor his girlfriend's passion for literature. In August of 2023, he brought her to the Reading Room at New York City's Whitby Hotel under the guise of a work event. Earlier, he had placed what would soon become her engagement ring inside a carved-out compartment in a copy of the biography of Madame de Pompadour, a book choice inspired by the marquise-cut diamond he'd selected—as the story goes, the diamond cut was originally designed at the request of King Louis XV to resemble the lips of his mistress, Madame de Pompadour. When Nina arrived to find an empty room, she was confused until Thomas retrieved the ring and asked her to marry him. They spent the rest of the night celebrating quietly together as they entered their next chapter.

On November 2, 2024, Nina and Thomas exchanged vows at Brown Memorial Presbyterian Church in Baltimore, Maryland, before hosting 164 guests for a reception at the Baltimore Museum of Art. “We wanted spaces that were artistic and beautiful in their own right,” Nina notes of their criteria when choosing venues. And once they found the perfect settings for each part of their wedding day, they turned to the team at Christine McFarlane Events to bring the rest of their vision to life. Nina and Thomas knew they wanted to host a modern celebration with an earthy color palette, but they also wanted the day to be broken into two distinct parts: First, they wanted guests to join in for a ceremony honoring faith and unity; later, they dreamed of hosting an art-filled party that would last well into the night.

Ahead, see how their fall nuptials came to life in the photos captured by Margaret K. Photography, including everything from the sculpture-inspired floral arrangements to the late-night Chick-Fil-A on the dance floor.

The couple’s invitation suite, created by their planner, was printed in shades of green and featured custom illustrations of the Baltimore Museum of Art. Their save-the-date cards also included a black-and-white photo of the couple walking through the museum. The suite was finished with a vellum overlay and wax seal with a dried floral detail.

Nina says she tried on around 20 wedding dresses while searching for "the one," but a lace A-line gown from Vera Wang's 2019 "Versailles" collection reminded her of the dresses described in Regency Romance novels. "In this genre, authors often dive deep into describing the intricate details of the clothing and gowns worn by the characters," Nina explains. "I wanted my dress to reflect that same level of detail—elegant, elaborate, and rich in design—while also capturing a look that felt both feminine and regal."

The dress featured a macrame lace bodice with a high neckline and cap sleeves and a full champagne-colored tulle skirt with asymmetrical pleating. She rented statement cluster earrings and a square tennis bracelet from Verstolo and paired her dress with Manolo Blahnik shoes and a Toni Federici veil.

"My friend took me to Scent Bar NYC to treat me to finding my wedding day fragrance," the bride remembers. "I wanted something floral and light.” She went with Ex Nihilo's "Santal Calling." She also held a hand-tied bouquet of textured blooms in earth tones like cream, apricot, moss green, rose, and wine. The arrangement consisted of butterfly ranunculus, garden roses, lisianthus, orchids, golden bracken ferns, and trailing green amaranthus.

Thomas wore a classic tuxedo tailored by Bhambi’s Custom Tailors, which he paired with a dress shirt that featured his initials embroidered on the sleeve. He accessorized with Tiffany Elsa Peretti heart-shaped cufflinks, a floral pocket square, and a white and yellow boutonnière.

It was important to the couple that they build a few private moments into their wedding day, so they planned to have a first look before the ceremony. Thomas says the experience was “very special and it was very us. Nina noticed a small temporary stain on my shirt and we shared in panic and proceeded to laugh about it.”

The couple’s ceremony took place at Brown Memorial Presbyterian Church, where sculptural arrangements of hydrangea were displayed in antique urns. The couple brought in a singer from the first church they joined together in New York who performed with a pianist and saxophone player. They chose Stevie Wonder’s “Ribbon in the Sky” for their wedding party to walk down the aisle to, while the groom, best man, and maid of honor walked down to Roddy Rich’s “Down Below." Nina’s father walked her down the aisle to the classic "Wedding March."

Nina and Thomas opted to exchange traditional vows during the ceremony, but they did personalize this important moment by reading scriptures they each chose a surprise for the other. The groom chose Matthew 18:19-20 while the groom read Ephesians 3:16-20.

After the ceremony, Nina and Thomas stepped away with their photographer to take golden hour portraits at their reception venue, the Baltimore Museum of Art.

When guests arrived at the venue, they found an escort card display that honored the bride's love of literature and the couple's unique engagement story. On a wall that read "Leave Your Mark," each guest found their own custom green and white bookmark—a nod back to the couple's invitation suite—that also outlined their seating assignment for the evening.

The couple’s reception took place in the museum’s ballroom, where round and long tables were dressed in white and warm ivory linens. The centerpieces varied from table to table, with some incorporating clusters of taper candles and floral bud vases and others being decorated with arrangements of garden roses, lisianthus, antique hydrangea, and amaranthus in compote dishes with sandstone taper candles.

The couple sat at a head table that was decorated with similar floral arrangements and a trailing display of green amaranthus.

Place settings included white ceramic plates in various textures with chocolate brown dupioni napkins and custom minimalistic menu cards. “Guests dined and danced under the beautiful lighting art fixture of the BMA’s ballroom,” the bride says. “Additional amber uplighting throughout the marble walls brought an intimate, warm feel into the space.”

Nina and Thomas made their grand entrance at the reception to Young Jeezy’s "Way Too Gone." The couple shared their first dance to Anthony Hamilton’s "Can’t Let Go." After, Thomas shared a dance with his mom to Kem’s “A Mother’s Love” and Nina danced with her dad to John Legend’s “Home” mixed with James Brown’s “Get Up Off That Thing,” which made for a fun moment on the dance floor.

After heartfelt speeches from some of the couple’s closest loved ones, Nina and Thomas cut their two-tiered wedding cake. They chose a red velvet and lemon mousse cake, which was decorated in a soft green color with gold accents and fresh flowers. 

To get their guests into party mode, Nina and Thomas hit the dance floor with a bottle service sign featuring their name and wedding date. Their DJ had everyone on their feet and even played the Syracuse game day cheer song for the couple.

The couple also served late-night Chick-fil-A in custom containers that read "Cook-fil-A" as a nod to the couple’s new shared name. To close out the night, Nina and Thomas shared a last dance to Alicia Keys’ “No One."

The newlyweds enjoyed a mini-moon in Mayakoba, Mexico, before traveling to New Zealand for their honeymoon. To couples planning their wedding, Nina recommends setting aside quiet moments throughout the day. “From the planning process to the wedding day itself, remember to stay focused on each other,” she says. “Be present, share the special moments, and make a conscious effort to stay close throughout the wedding day so you can truly experience it together.”