Being a huge fan of all things whimsical and vintage, a wedding theme which they dubbed ‘Estate Sale Chic’ was inevitable for Marissa and Keenan. They sourced all of the décor themselves and encouraged their guests to wear their favourite vintage pieces.

Marissa actually began with a vision of 60s glam, Priscilla-and-Elvis style. But the more they leaned into that look, the less it felt like them. “The lack of colour felt sterile,” she said. “I then created mood boards with elements I liked and started calling the vibe ‘Grandma Chic’. No one was a fan of that phrasing, so then we started using ‘Estate Sale Chic’! The idea was your cool, well-travelled grandma’s house that hasn’t been renovated since the 60s. Super cosy, colourful and fun!”

Most of the décor came from thrifts and estate sales, with the couple scoring finds that felt too perfect to be chance. The tables were dressed with treasures from their travels, each named after a place that held meaning: the family table was Naxos, where they got engaged, and the wedding party table was Windermere, their favourite spot. There were plenty of tables named after places in England, where the groom and his family are from.

Keenan walked into the ceremony with his mum to the Austin Powers theme song, both of them dancing the whole way. Their wedding party entered to a string quartet version of Blackbird, while Marissa’s friend Laila sang Can’t Help Falling in Love as she came down the aisle. They exchanged simple vows publicly and saved more personal ones to read in private, later that night.

As they didn’t have a wedding planner and were doing everything themselves, the couple themselves didn’t do a lot of DIY projects. but they did have lots of help from friends. “Besides all our décor being thrifted, I had very talented friends volunteer to help with various things. Mindy, my friend in fashion school, created my bridesmaids dresses, Keelin created my stationary, Jackie sewed my veil, and Laila sang me down the aisle and our first dance! Our wedding choices are really just an extension of our own lifestyle, taste and values. I feel very passionately about supporting small businesses, woman owned businesses, and ethical consumption – which I feel dictated our wedding décor and vendor decisions.”

Yet, not everyone understood their decisions. “We got a lot of grief for having a child-free wedding”, the admitted. “We got some snide comments on theme. We got pushback on serving pizza! They got free food, free drinks and a killer party – how can they complain about that? Our advice to other couples is just to do whatever you want, invite whoever you want because it’s YOUR DAY.”

But if she could pass on one lesson, it would be to trust your instincts. “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. I had several vendors fall through before (and on) our wedding day. Don’t bother with ‘flash deals’ or ‘raffles’ unless you’re comfortable with that service not being provided. Do what YOU want to do and don’t feel rushed to plan. Take your time, enjoy being engaged too.”