Aurora and Thompson were married in Gainesville, Florida. Their day had a unique theme, Kermit and Miss Piggy leading the ceremony, and a guest list that stayed deliberately small. 35 guests attended and everyone stayed at the same bed and breakfast, owned by the bride’s aunt and uncle. Aurora described their theme as medieval tropical to anyone who asked, and guests dressed to match. Her gown was made by her mum and she bedazzled her own boots. All of the décor and flowers were DIY.

The ceremony was held at the Baughman Centre, a nondenominational chapel located along Lake Alice on the University of Florida campus. The couple arrived to the end credits music of Mystery Science Theater 3000 and exited to the opening credits as it was what they watched together on their first date. Their officiants were close friends Maggie and Emma, both newly married themselves, dressed as Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy. There were many tears.

“Thompson and I both absolutely sobbed during the entire thing and no one could hear or understand us besides each other, which was ok with me!” Aurora said. “We wrote our own vows, which were mostly serious and personal. Our officiants absolutely brought the house down! My best friend since 9th grade, Jake, caught my bouquet! He is not married yet, though.”

As many of their friends, and the bride, are part of the LGBTQ+ community, it was important to the couple that their vendors were celebratory of that too. “It was important to us, and although it did not feel super easy to come by in north Florida, I’m so glad we did this.”

The reception was laid back and fuss free, with trays of cigarettes in place of traditional favours. Food was served as hors d’oeuvres rather than a formal sit down meal. Aurora DIYed most of the decor and flowers, and her mum helped build a giant cardboard moon for photos.

One of the biggest projects was the bride’s dress. “My mum is extremely talented and generous and all of the time I got to spend with her while she was working on it was really special,” Aurora explained. “She really made my dream dress a reality, and made a lot of visits up to Rochester, NY, where we live, to do fittings and help out with all our DIY projects. I also added rhinestones to my shoes, which was a VERY rewarding process, though it has been hard to find other occasions to wear them for!”

After the reception, everyone relocated to an arcade down the road to play pinball. “I insisted that we find a normal, un-hipster arcade for this. We wanted it to be absolutely outrageous and budget friendly! Our wedding was fantastic and all our vendors were so accommodating and kind to us. Our advice to other couples is just to do whatever you want!!! Some things are not going to go as planned, but you will still have a great time.”