Aptly describing their wedding as “midnight garden party”, Ariana and Derik were married in Dana Point, CA last May. The inspiration came from the concept of a whimsical gothic wedding, a term Ariana stumbled upon while looking for wedding ideas.

“We wanted to honour the goddesses and the earth, with lots of flowers and a touch of mysticism,” she shared. “Tarot cards were a key element, symbolising receptiveness to whatever the future holds. We had a psychic tarot reader there and well as all our tables were named after tarot cards. Our welcome sign/guest book was a large tarot card as well as our invitations.”

At the ceremony they did shots, a handfasting and paid tribute to the elements, the earth and the goddess, Hecate. “The ceremony was filled with piano instrumentals of some of our favourite alternative music”, she continued. “I walked down the aisle to Can’t Help Falling in Love by Elvis and we left to Halleluiah by Paramore. The most special thing for us was that we were able to really be lost in our love during the ceremony. Everything and everyone else kinda faded away and we got to really live in the moment.”

The reception was just as unique and thoughtful. After Ariana’s outfit change into a black gown, guests indulged in delicious food and had their fortunes told, or relaxed in the lounge area.

Looking back, Ariana and Derik wouldn’t change a thing about their day. “This was one of the most special days of our life, and we could not have asked for things to be any more amazing”, they concluded. “We were surrounded by love, friends and family. It’s hard to describe the exact feeling, but it was close to magical. We do wish our cats could have been there, though!”