Kyleigh and Bailey’s vintage inspired wedding only featured things they actually cared about: vintage fashion, emo music, tattoos, family history, and a venue with its own past. They didn’t have plus ones for guests, they didn’t follow the usual schedule, and almost everything was thrifted or DIY.

They married at Chandelier Ballroom in Hartford, Wisconsin, a space that once hosted gigs from everyone from Joan Jett and Motörhead to Chubby Checker and Rick Springfield. The building carried decades of music history, which made it the right setting for a wedding inspired by nostalgia and alternative culture in equal measure.

“Our theme was a mixture of us as a couple; vintage, eclectic, vampy, with a little bit of emo,” Kyleigh explained. “We wanted to tie together the 1950s era of weddings with our love for alternative aesthetics and music.”

Kyleigh wore a vintage 1950s A-line midi dress sourced from an antique store in Milwaukee, paired with her mother’s 1990s pearl crown veil and pearl choker. She also wore her late grandmother’s acrylic clip-on earrings from the 1960s and cotton gloves from the 1950s. The shorter hemline was intentional as she wanted to show off her tattoos. “They’re a huge part of my look and I wanted to be as much of myself as possible for our wedding day”, she explained.

Bailey complimented her with the same mix of eras for his outfit, which was also thrifted. He rocked an oversized 1980s pinstripe three-piece suit and a vintage bolo tie from the 1950s. Their guests were invited to wear thrifted and vintage looks to help create what Kyleigh described as “a time capsule” in the photographs.

The ceremony was handled by Bailey’s longtime friend Isaac, who kept things personal and funny rather than overly formal. Their grand march entrance was to For Whom the Bell Tolls by Metallica. They had originally planned to ride Harley-Davidson motorcycles into the ballroom, but the venue owners shut the idea down over concerns about preserving the floors.

Kyleigh and Bailey settled who would put the rings on first with a game of rock paper scissors. The rings were heirlooms – Bailey wore his father’s original wedding band from 1995, while Kyleigh’s engagement ring used Bailey’s mother’s original diamond, redesigned into a new piece.

There were also no public vows. Instead, they saved them for later and read them privately to each other in a gazebo outside after the ceremony. “We decided to read them to just each other post-ceremony,” they said. “We used a quaint little gazebo outside for a beautiful, intimate moment for just us two.”

For the reception, they skipped hiring a DJ and handled everything themselves using their own sound equipment. Bailey built a playlist of vintage classics, country music, hair metal, pop, and emo. In fact, almost every part of the wedding involved secondhand finds, family heirlooms, or DIY projects. Decorations came from thrift stores and dollar stores. Friends handled both the photography and the cake.

Planning the day taught them quickly that outside opinions are unavoidable. “We learned that people really like to give their own opinions on what they think you should do, but it’s best to go with your heart; do what you want! We wish people knew that there’s no perfect way to do a wedding. In today’s world, it can really be anything you want it to be. You can keep all traditions or none at all; as long as you two are happy, that’s truly all that matters!”