Held at Whitebottom Farm in Stockport, Nicolle and Matt’s wedding traded convention for colour, dinosaurs and tattoos! “We wanted our wedding to scream that it belonged to us,” said Nicolle. “Where our guests would walk in and think ‘this is definitely Nicolle and Matt’s day!!'”

They didn’t want anything formal so where was no three-course meal, first dance or cake cutting. Instead, they filled the venue with references to dinosaurs and Yu-Gi-Oh, lawn games, street food and a tattoo studio that stayed busy from the moment the ceremony ended.

Guests who wanted a permanent souvenir could choose a tattoo or piercing, paid for by the couple. Those who preferred something less permanent could opt for temporary tattoos, while younger guests had their own supply to enjoy. By the end of the day, around 60 people had been tattooed!

Finding the right artist proved just as important as any other supplier decision. After struggling to find someone they clicked with, they met Poppy from Divine Tattoo. She became a key part of the planning process, helping navigate licensing hurdles and eventually bringing her team from Hull to Manchester to tattoo a queue of eager guests.

Nicolle wore emerald green rather than white. The dress, made by one of her closest friends, came complete with pockets. Against her pillar box red hair, the look felt entirely her own. “I didn’t wear white, it would wash me out and I adore the colour green!” she explained. “By the way, you can you can have a colourful alternative wedding – we don’t have to wear a black wedding dress to feel alternative!”

At the reception, guests ate burritos, nachos and cornflake chicken burgers. Later came posh kebabs, alongside a steady stream of snacks from a crisp wall and dessert station loaded with cupcakes, brownies, cookies, popcorn and shortbread.

There was bingo, beer pong, giant games, a peg-and-run challenge, a photo booth and a live band to keep them entertained. Children had their own dedicated area stocked with colouring supplies, stickers and glow sticks. Then Nicolle’s dad disappeared carrying an ordinary shopping bag and returned dressed as a dinosaur, much to everyone’s delight!

Nearly every decorative detail was made by the couple. They did the table flowers themselves, tied ribbon sashes onto every chair, hung lights and lanterns, built a pom-pom hexagon altar and created a flower-covered crescent moon installation. Dinosaurs borrowed from home guarded the dessert table and a custom photo album encouraged guests to vote on categories such as who was funniest and who was the lightweight of the relationship.

Nicolle and Matt became experts in second-hand sourcing, tracking down décor through Facebook Marketplace, wedding groups, Vinted and eBay. They collected flowers from previous owners, travelled across the country to pick up larger pieces and restored items themselves. “With the flowers, as we were the 3rd owners of them, I boiled them all in essential oils then fluffed them all up so they looked as good as new again and smelt lovely.”

Looking back, Nicolle hopes more couples realise that alternative weddings are simply another way of doing things. “We don’t have to wear white wedding dresses anymore, we don’t have to have such formal events if it’s not our vibe, we don’t have to have our dad’s given us away or take our spouses surnames if we don’t want to. “It’s your day so do it how you want it, add the nerdy or alt little touches, think about what represents you as a couple and run with it!”