Gothic, Victorian Inspired Elopement with a Heavy Metal Soundtrack

Rafal Podlacki

December 15, 2021

We regularly talk about the importance of playing by your own rules on your wedding day, and Justyna and Konrad are the epitome of this. They hired an entire 19th century gothic mansion – Rushpool Hall in Saltburn-by-the-Sea for their June wedding day for the sole purpose of sitting there at night while drinking whisky and listening to Black Sabbath, while dressed in their best!

They didn’t have a set budget for their day, but managed to get everything done for less than £3,000. Justyna bought her 1860s evening gown-style dress from an online store and paired it with custom-made, Victorian leather shoes from Etsy. As a collector of oddities who is fascinated by Victorian mourning customs, she incorporated these interests in her outfit with real crow skull and feet in her necklace and a headdress made from magpie skulls (all ethically sourced, of course.) Konrad wore black Victoria shirt and trousers from Devil Night UK with a skull belt by Jeffery West and armour rings. 

They kept costs down by keeping the rest of the details minimal – Justyna’s bouquet was made from foam flowers and made to look like a funeral bouquet. The only stationery they had was a vintage, American hearse sign. they bought cupcakes from the supermarket which they bought less than two hours before the wedding and as it was just the two of them, didn’t need to dress their a wedding party or foot an expensive catering bill.

Their ceremony, held on 06/06 at 2:06 (they had to get another 6 in there somehow!) included simple vows, the first part said outside on a gazebo with a sea view and the second part inside. Justyna walked down the aisle to Freezing Moon by Mayhem. “When I saw my future wife walking down to the gazebo I thought I saw a demon,” said Konrad. “The most beautiful demon I have ever seen.”

As they had the entire mansion to themselves (aside from a couple of night staff), the couple’s perfect idea of entertainment was to turn off all the lights and explore by candlelight. “We went ghost hunting, knocking on some room doors where paranormal activity supposedly took place. We didn’t have much luck as none of the ghosts answered, but wandering around a Victorian mansion, dressed as slightly more fashionable Victorians looking for paranormal apparitions was one of the best experiences ever.”

“Don’t listen to what other people say,” Justyna concluded. “Go with whatever makes you happy on your wedding day. If there’s something you really want to do, just go for it – it’s THE occasion to spoil yourselves after all!”

Suppliers