“Abbott Elementary” Star Zack Fox’s Wedding Photos

Both Zack Fox and Mayumi “Kat” Matutina are multi-hyphenates of the highest order, and though neither is a DJ first—Zack is an actor and comedian known for his role in “Abbot Elementary,” while Kat is the founder of Mayumi Market and a well-known vegan chef—they both have it on their resumes. In fact, DJing is what brought them together. “We met through mutual friends in the music industry and connected on Instagram first in July of 2018,” Kat recalls. They didn’t meet in person until three months later, when Zack put her on the guest list for a live podcast taping he was part of. Two months after that, they had their first date—and there was no looking back. “For years, we proposed to one another every single day, so we always knew we wanted to get married,” Kat says. “It was just a matter of time before we went to shop for a ring.” In March 2022, they did just that. 

Ring on hand, the Angelenos got to wedding planning. “We originally wanted to have our wedding in the desert at a hot spring resort, but we decided to have it in a more central area [of Los Angeles] to make it accessible and easier for our guests visiting from out of town,” Kat says. They fell in love with the Japanese American Cultural & Community Center in Little Tokyo for its gorgeous gardens full of Asian flowers and unique architecture. Though the venue was in downtown L.A., the intention was for it to feel far away. “We wanted it to feel like a lit party in an Asian tropical paradise,” Kat says. “We wanted it to feel like you were not in Los Angeles—as if we were at a destination wedding somewhere beautiful. We had midcentury chairs and furniture, exotic tropical floral design, and a ‘no black attire’ wedding guest dress code. We encouraged our friends and family to wear vibrant and colorful ’fits for the special day.” The color palette set the tone: Yellow, orange, pink, and green gave off vibrant vintage vibes. 

The couple booked the venue, floral designer (Gabriela Sage Masuda), and a handful of other vendors on their own—”but we knew we needed an amazing wedding planner to execute our vision,” Kat says. The team at SixteenFourteen Events brought it all together. “It was important that we worked with as many POC vendors as possible and that our wedding was fun, entertaining, and far from traditional,” the bride shares. “We had Filipino-Hawaiian food, Black Soul food, a Japanese floral designer, Filipino wedding planners, a Vietnamese makeup artist, and Filipino photographers.” 

The finishing touch was, of course, the element that brought them together in the first place. “Music is a huge part of our lives; I’ve been a DJ for 20 years, and Zack just finished a DJ tour in the U.S. and Europe,” Kat says. “We fell in love nerding out over music, so we curated the playlist, hopped on the decks a few times, and had [friends perform].” Read on to see all the unique details from Zack and Kat’s November 9, 2024, wedding, photographed by Wanderlust Creatives with videography by Cody Turple.

Zack has a distinct sense of style, and it carried over seamlessly to his wedding day. The actor wore a brown corduroy Bode suit and Bottega shoes and accessorized with Chrome Hearts glasses and a Shinola watch. An orchid boutonnière popped against the neutral fabric. He prepped his skin with a little help from the bride. “Kat and I pretty much use the same products,” Zack says. “We use Mad Hippie vitamin C serum and Mayumi Goods regenerate serum, and finish it off with Tata Harper Crème Riche moisturizer and Boosted Contouring eye balm.” Since the two got ready together on the morning of the wedding, Kat even styled his hair.

Kat went wedding-dress shopping at Loho Bride in West Hollywood and fell in love with Katherine Tash’s Jane gown, which has a corseted cowl neckline and a draped mermaid skirt. “The design has an Old-Hollywood glamour style [for the] sleek, modern bride,” Kat says. “It fit my body perfectly, and my friends said it looked like liquid on me!” A dress that good called for not one but two veils: She paired it with a short Vivienne Westwood veil overtop a cathedral-length Avery Austin one. The finishing touch? A platinum gold and diamond grill by The Grillest.

Though nothing could outshine the bride, the bouquet, by Gabriela Sage Masuda, did its best to try. Tied in a waterfall shape, it featured cascading orchids and hanging amaranths. “The vibrant, tropical color palette was balanced with delicate touches of peonies and pink anthuriums, adding a subtle softness to the overall look,” Kat says.

“I am inspired by Asian makeup and beauty,” Kat says. “I love Chinese Douyin makeup and Korean makeup, so my beauty inspo was very light, dewy, and ethereal with light shimmer around the eyes, tiny jewels and pearls under my eyes, and a focus on anime-style lashes by 323 Lash Therapy.” She used a creamy liquid blush from Black-owned brand Juvia’s Place and the On ’Til Dawn setting spray from Asian-owned One Size, plus her very own fragrance: Mayumi Goods’ Kiss of Life body spray. For her hair, “I love big, sexy, voluminous hair reminiscent of Brigitte Bardot or ’90s supermodels,” Kat says. She achieved the look with the help of stylist Janelle Oldham.

“We didn’t do a first look,” Kat explains. “As non-traditionalists, in fact, Zack zipped up my wedding dress and brought me a matcha latte while I was getting my hair and makeup done. We do everything together, and we love doing ’fit checks with one another. I trust him more than anyone when it comes to ‘Do I look good?’ and he wants to look good for me, so it’s natural for us to get ready together before the chaos!”

The bride and groom weren’t the only ones donning extra-special attire. “The Filipiniana fashion brand Vinta Gallery created a custom set for my father,” Kat says. “These Filipino barongs are meticulously hand-manipulated and machine-embroidered in-house, with a stunning tayabak (jade vine) motif illustrated by their in-house artist.” The silk blend suit was custom-dyed a burnt orange color and finished with coconut husk buttons in the design house’s atelier in the Philipines.

The bride’s four-year-old niece served as flower girl. “My grandma Liberty walked with her down the aisle, which was actually stone steps through the garden,” Kat says. “Our ring bearers were our two dogs, Pepper and Kiwi. Kiwi is our 13-year-old Pomchi (pomeranian chihuahua), and Pepper is our one-year-old miniature pinscher-chihuahua mix. Our floral designer made the cutest custom flower collars for them.”

They tapped a friend, Devin Morrison, to play live synths for the ceremony. “He played ‘Tender Love’ by Force M.D.’s for Zack and his mom’s walk down the aisle,” Kat says. When it was her turn to enter the ceremony alongside her father, the musician took up INOJ’s “Love You Down.”

The ceremony took place in the James Irvine Japanese Garden at the Japanese American Cultural & Community Center. “The garden was beautiful as it was,” Kat says. “The only ceremony décor we added were cherry blossom trees from GreenSet Inc.” The trees were a nod to the location and her heritage and seemed to mesh organically with their surroundings. The couple exchanged personal vows—which, naturally, were filled with funny stories from their relationship—and recessed out to Stevie Wonder’s “All I Do.”

Inside, the Toshizo Watanabe Culinary Cultural Center was perfectly set for the reception. “We had exotic tropical floral design by Gabriela Sage Masuda, vintage glasses, green velvet napkins, and green linens,” Kat describes. “Gabby’s floral style is whimsical and sculptural, heavily influenced by ikebana, the Japanese art of flower arranging. She likes to think of each arrangement as if it’s a living sculpture, balancing negative space, unexpected shapes, and natural movement to create something unique and intentional. For our wedding, we worked with her to make it feel tropical and elegant, with subtle Asian influences.”

The newlyweds had a sweetheart table, though they admit they never once sat down at it; instead, they were making their rounds and greeting friends and loved ones as their 130 guests enjoyed a meaningful meal. “For cocktail hour, we served plant-based ‘spam’ musubi, and dinner service included a mix of plant-based Filipino-Hawaiian food and classic Black Soul food,” Kat says. “Think chicken katsu with tonkatsu sauce, onigiri, siopao steamed buns and fried rice, baked mac and cheese, collard greens, and fried chicken.” A large dessert spread boasted gluten-free goodies, Vietnamese coffee soft serve, and fresh churros. The couple doesn’t drink—nor do most of their friends—so they offered mocktail versions of their signature yuzu margarita and passionfruit cocktail.

The guest list was stacked. “It included music artists Thundercat, Earl Sweatshirt, Devin Morrison, Kenny Beats, BNYX, and Ethereal, and actors and comedians Quinta Brunson, Janelle James, Aida Osmon, Langston Kerman, Sydnee Washington, Marie Faustin, as well as DJ friends Jyoty and Sky Jetta,” Kat says.

“All of our friends share our passion for music, so people barely ever sat down during the reception,” the bride reminisces. “We ended up doing our toasts on the dance floor because people were already dancing before and during dinner service. We never even sat at our sweetheart table for one minute; everyone was dancing and having fun throughout the night.”

Their vintage-inspired three-tier cake was flavored with mango and the Filipino citrus fruit calamansi. “It was completely gluten-free and plant-based, as well as naturally dyed with natural ingredients,” Kat says. “It was extremely moist and decadent, thanks to our cake and dessert vendor Cup My Cakez.”

The newlyweds spun to “Never Knew Love Like This” by Alexander O’Neal and Cherelle and snapped countless photos in their nostalgic photo booth by Syd Studios—then, they spent nearly every moment on the dance floor. When the party wrapped up, guests left with nontoxic candle favors by Mayumi Goods and the newlyweds jetted off on a honeymoon that was a nod to their wedding vibe: “We went to Vietnam!” Kat says. “Hanoi, Ninh Binh, Danang, and Ho Chi Minh City.”