Chloe and Cody’s New Orleans wedding drew inspiration from Tim Burton films, the writing of Edgar Allan Poe, and a dark, eerie approach to romance with subtle witchy references. They were also heavily influenced by New Orleans history and culture, as well as vintage aesthetics.

Black invitations set the tone early and a custom logo of two intertwined snakes appeared throughout the day. The florals were dark, they had hand-dyed eggplant coloured handkerchiefs on the tables. Tattoos replaced favours, with a real tattoo artist working alongside a temporary tattoo station designed by the couple themselves. They also gave everyone smudge sticks to light and set intentions with. “Our favourite part of the wedding planning was the freedom to be creative and fun with intentionality”, Chloe said. “We never felt pressured to make choices that didn’t feel like us.”

After the light-hearted ceremony, the wedding spilled into the streets with a Second Line. A brass band led everyone through the city, dancing and waving the handkerchiefs.

They were engaged for two years, which gave them lots of time to do everything, but at some points also made it more stressful. “We had several reasons for a two-year engagement”, Chloe explained, “one was that we thought it would make planning easier… but we were wrong! We had a hard time remembering conversations, ideas, decisions, and the reasons behind decisions. I also didn’t realise how much we would have to repeat the same information; the joke was on us, though. Sometimes, trying to be too prepared and pre-planning too far in advance ends up biting you in the butt!” Despite that, the couple valued the space the timeline gave them to experiment and be really intentional about what they included.

Looking back with some hindsight, Chloe is now clear about what really matters. “Make choices that feel true to who you are, that represent your relationship, and that are meaningful to you”, she advises. “This might be an unpopular opinion, but I think a lot of the time, couples plan their wedding for everyone but themselves.”

“These days, with everything so expensive, I believe some couples may end up regretting spending money and energy on a wedding instead of saving or buying a house. This is your time, your turn, so be a little selfish. There are small things that didn’t turn out the way we intended, but there wasn’t one single thing we chose that wasn’t, first and foremost, for us. Our guests said it was the most or one of the most unforgettable weddings they’d attended.”