A love of history first brought Broward teachers Barbara Bell and David Segal together, so it’s only fitting that the Hollywood couple will celebrate their upcoming nuptials in the City’s Historic Downtown District.
Bell and Segal, who met in the history department at Parkway Academy Charter High School in Miramar in 2003, will exchange vows July 30 in the ArtsPark at Young Circle and hold their wedding reception at the nearby Art and Culture Center of Hollywood.
Segal said the former colleagues were just friends for a while, until “history and a love of children, and teaching and molding young lives” helped turn them into soulmates.
During their courtship, the couple would pick up provisions at the Downtown Publix and share an intimate picnic in the ArtsPark every other week. “It was very enjoyable, sitting under the baobab trees,” Segal said of the tradition that has continued since their Christmas Eve engagement.
Choosing unique Hollywood venues for their wedding and reception was a natural decision for the couple, who prefer places they can revisit and relive the occasion over a hotel ballroom.
“Barbara is emotional in terms of wanting to feel connected to a place,” said Segal, 37, an eighth-grade U.S. history teacher at Arthur Ashe Middle School in Fort Lauderdale.
Bell, 35, who teaches 11th-grade U.S. history at Fort Lauderdale High, is a lifelong South Floridian who migrated from Coral Springs and Boca Raton to Hollywood three years ago. Back in high school, she attended concerts with friends at the former Young Circle Park.
And while Segal and Bell were not acquainted with the Art and Culture Center before starting their search for a reception site, they have since become center members and are excited about celebrating their nuptials with 100 friends and family members in one of Hollywood’s oldest existing buildings. The City-owned former Kagey mansion at 1650 Harrison St. was constructed circa 1924.
“We went inside and just loved the space,” Segal said.
Beginning June 18, that space will be transformed into a dynamic contemporary-art wonderland created by New York-based artist and freestyle BMX bike rider Ryan Humphrey. His “Fast Forward” exhibit will be a large-scale, floor-to-ceiling installation featuring BMX bikes attached to the gallery walls, a massive wrap-around rug, a collection of bike-inspired paintings and mixed-media pieces, an interactive activity area and BMX bike ramps.
“We happen to like modern art,” Segal said. “And we’ll do a minimal amount of decorating. Once we see the exhibit, it’ll give us an idea.”
The couple has chosen a honeysuckle pink and green color scheme, and their wedding party is expected to include their 15-year-old dog Max as one of Segal’s “best men.”
The pre-wedding festivities also will take place in Hollywood, including the rehearsal dinner at Joe’s Tiki Bar Grill & Sushi on the Intracoastal Waterway and Bell’s bachelorette party in Downtown Hollywood. Out-of-town guests will stay at the Hollywood Beach Marriott, the former Howard Johnson hotel where Segal vacationed as a child. A Chicago native, he has called Hollywood home for the past six years.
Both he and Bell feel it’s vital for people to support their hometown venues and businesses.
“You have to, because if you don’t, what happens to your hometown?” Segal asked. “You always get more personal attention. We eat in Hollywood unless we’re out with friends who live in Boca. The restaurants Downtown are so accommodating and the food is so good.”
“Downtown Hollywood is a great place. It’s not nearly as busy as it should be,” Bell added. “We’re trying real hard to help keep it alive.”
The couple, who currently share their small abode with their dog, a cat and Segal’s mother, a recently transplanted Chicagoan, are hoping to move soon — but not out of Hollywood.
“This is where we want to put our roots down,” Bell said.
“It’s a terrific town,” added Segal. “We’re looking for a home in Hollywood Lakes.”
In the meantime, the couple is busy planning for their big day, including taking weekly ballroom dance classes at Hollywood Hills High, finding a florist and arranging for an ice cream truck to provide refreshments for guests along the two-block walk from the ArtsPark to the Art and Culture Center.
“It’s going to be fun,” Bell said.
As Segal put it, “It’ll be a wedding that you won’t forget.”
