For Samantha and Joseph, the music came first. Blink 182, Bay Area hip hop, pop punk classics and heavy EDM shaped the atmosphere of their wedding before anyone even walked in. Every guest arrived in black and the couple wore black too. The florals carried dark tones with a hit of mint as a nod to their matching tattoos.

Their theme sat somewhere between emo, goth and a little bit chic with what they called “Pop Punk, Mexican goth. Darkwave with a Latin twist” and they skipped anything that felt obligatory. They read personal vows to each other privately, instead of doing it in front of an audience at their ceremony.

“We spent significant time planning ahead of the wedding and made sure to include every detail we cared about, so there are no regrets or missed opportunities from the day”, the bride told us. They also worked with an amazing wedding planner. “Something Blue Productions helped everything go so well during the process and on the day. When the wedding planning is right for you, it makes the whole journey that much better.”

While they walked away with no regrets, they did learn a few lessons along the way, particularly when it came to choosing a venue. “Your wedding venue can limit your options and freedom once you sign the contract,” she said. “It’s important to establish your most important values and needs beforehand and use them to guide your selection. The venue was our biggest cost and they did put some limitations on us. Finding time to research and understand the pricing, structure, and availability of our options at the start was a lot.”

After the intimate ceremony, the party lit up fast. The playlist flipped between pop punk, metal and EDM. At one point, a mosh pit formed. The bride had made two piñatas shaped like their dogs for a chaotic, joyful toss. The cocktails followed a ‘Hers’, ‘His’ and ‘Ours’ structure, with the ‘Ours’ drink inspired by cocktails they have enjoyed together, and created and a nod to their shared history as working in bars (which is also how they met).

Their favourite part of planning was the aesthetics. They had lots of skull décor and DIY coffins for place settings. “We really enjoyed focusing on the specific, personalised things that made the day ours. Picking out a mix of music we both love for the playlist. Creating DIY touches like the skulls at the altar and coffin place settings. Creating the cocktail menu and the testing that went into the drinks. Creating the custom wedding favours which included cups, pins and stickers.”

The favourite moment on the day itself was something quieter. “We took 10 minutes after the ceremony to be alone together. Coming out to our guests after that moment, getting to arrive at the perfect party we’d spent months planning. It made it easy to be our authentic selves and enjoy the celebration”.

And if they could rewrite any rule of the wedding world? “Fuck all the rules, its your day and your time!” Samantha concluded. “Don’t have any expectations from others and decide what will make the day have most lasting impact on your relationship.”