It’s not often you see gothic inspired weddings on white sand beaches, but that’s exactly what felt right for Koleen and Tay. Both hairstylists with the same February birthday (!) they chose a private stretch of Mexican coast because Koleen had always dreamed of getting married by the ocean wearing black. Tying the knot the day before Halloween, right in the middle of Día de Muertos celebrations, it was the perfect setting for them.

“I was told that I was the first bride to wear a black wedding gown at the resort!” she told us. “My whole vision was to not only embrace Tay and I but to truly unite our family and fiends that travelled to be there and to ultimately be in that present moment.”

The wedding kicked off with a beach photo shoot the day before, then on the morning of, the pair got ready separately and met for an emotional first look and photo session before the ceremony. “We flew our photographers and videographer out to Mexico, so we wanted to make the most of them!” Koleen said. “They were our biggest expect but so worth it!”

Guests arrived to the private beach ceremony in to a playlist of their favourite songs, and the bride walked down the aisle with her parents to the classical version of Radiohead’s Creep. “At the time of the ceremony it threatened rain thankfully it only misted for a minute or two, but when it did it felt like our ancestors were also giving us there love and abundance”, the bride said. “Tay and I are very playful and loving so everyone told us they really felt that in the ceremony.”

Tradition was never a concern to these two. The table numbers were repeating angel numbers – 111, 222, 333 – painted by the couple the night before. There was also no seating chart, just leather luggage tags used as place cards. “I really wanted a wedding that was very in the moment and truly just Tay and I. We both did not care to follow wedding or Instagram trends.”

Their first dance stayed on theme: the original version of ‘their song’, Creep. The bridal party chose their own entrance tracks, which meant Def Leppard crashing into Guns N’ Roses! People kept dancing until it was almost morning.

Another big moment was Koleen cutting all her hair off mid-way through the reception. As a hairstylist she wanted a fresh look and there was no more perfect time than this to do it!

“We loved planning our wedding”, the bride concluded, “we didn’t have any bad experiences. The only thing I would say, is if you want a more alternative wedding, you might need to find things on your own a bit more. If you want things to be different then change them! Set the trend you want – no one needs to tell you what to do. Be the leader not the follower!”