Fabienne and Nox, were married at their home in Arnold, a small mountain town in California. Their property sits among tall trees and was the setting for a wedding influenced by their shared life in fantasy worlds. Both are involved in live action role play, its also how they met, and both work behind the scenes in Hollywood. Storytelling is part of how they live and work, so their wedding followed the same path.

“We met at a live action role-play game in Southern California in 2013″, they explained. “Fabienne was an elven archer and Nox was a rogue tavern keeper, in the ensuing chaos, we became friends and starting dating in 2015 after realising how much we shared a love for interactive entertainment, performing, art, and adventure our relationship changed for the better.”

Their wedding theme was called The Contract. It drew from fairytale lore where deals with the fae are sealed through ritual, feasts and promises. The groom wrote the ceremony using his experience with LARP and immersive theatre. It imagined two fae courts meeting in a formal pact. Nox’s side represented the Unseelie Court, the darker fae. Fabienne’s side stood for the Seelie Court, the light. Rather than splitting the wedding party along gender lines, they chose their closest people and divided them between the two houses.

Friends Izzy and Courtney Kraft performed As the World Falls Down from Labyrinth. The groom’s side entered to the sound of hurdy-gurdy while the bride entered to a full harp. The two instruments carried different versions of the same song. After the ceremony, the instruments played the same tune together, as a duet.

The entire guest list arrived in costume ranged from elaborate fae looks to characters drawn from different fantasy worlds. “What made the day even more unforgettable was that every single guest leaned all the way in – arriving in full costume and fully embracing the fantasy”, they said. “It wasn’t just a wedding; it was an experience.”

Nearly every element of the wedding was built by the couple and their friends. Due to their careers in film production and immersive events, they already owned a large collection of props and costumes. They transformed their property into their perfect wedding venue. They build the stage where they were married as well as two large moon gate arches. Their families arranged the flowers while a friend draped fabric across the venue and hung the lighting. The chandelier overhead was built by Nox and decorated with silk flowers.

“While we technically saved money on not hiring a venue, we spent a great deal on making it functional”, they continued. “As we are on a septic system out here in the mountains, we trucked in some really nice trailer washrooms and needed tents, tables, chairs, dishware, bar, and sound setups. We had a lot of help from the mother of the bride and her friends on the sound front, and we certainly didn’t skimp on style when it came to the seating arrangements.”

Looking back, the couple do say a day-of coordinator would have helped them step back from the logistics and stay present in the moment, but all in all they have zero regrets.

“You won’t have time to spend with everyone that want on the day”, they advise. “Maximise the brief moments and hugs with each person and move on. Don’t allow a tipsy distant uncle or cousin to monopolise your time. Be rude if you have to or ask someone to pull them away. Work with your partner to have secret signals to extract each other from any situation where you are cornered.”

“We don’t believe in rules when it comes to weddings”, they concluded. “We followed some guidelines, maybe, but we started from scratch. If others find comfort and joy from the traditional path, cheers to them. For us, we knew that anything less than this would be disingenuous.”