Lou and Muz wanted their wedding to feel like stepping into a dark, enchanted forest, with a streak of Disney magic running through it. They chose Danby Castle in Whitby as their setting, bringing together gothic atmosphere, woodland details, and the references that mean the most to them.

“We wanted a dark forest theme for our wedding as we love dark, gothic aesthetic but also love nature and the outdoors”, Lou explained. “We also had some underlying Disney themes in our vows and speeches. Think Disney meets dark magical forest.”

Their flower boy and flower girl walked in to the ceremony with their mothers to an acoustic version of Rainbow Connection. Lou followed, walking to an orchestral version of When You Wish Upon A Star. The handfasting was written and conducted by Ellie of Alternative Ceremonies UK and included a bourbon ritual with a bottle of Maker’s Mark that Muz had been saving for years. Their dads toasted each other’s families, poured measures for the couple, and sealed the moment with shared drinks. Lou and Muz had made their own handfasting cords, and while the certificate was being signed, guests raised shots of whiskey or apple juice to the couple. The aisle exit was to Married Life from Pixar’s Up.

For the reception, the couple hired Foxglove & Black for the flowers and Fern Cottage Creations for the rest of the décor. They also made a few bits themselves. “We had wooden log slice centrepieces that I found at our local tip shop”, Lou said. “Muz’s sister spruced them up!” She also built a floral and wooden arch and styled the tables with moss, ivy and cheesecloth. Guests found their seats with place cards designed on Canva and table names that referenced the couple’s favourite places. Favour bottles of spiced rum and whiskey were joined by black-foiled chocolates and bottle opener keys.

Lou and Muz didn’t abandon tradition, but reshaped it until it felt like theirs. They both gave speeches, joined by Lou’s mum and maid of honour. “We didn’t skip many traditions but we did them all our way,” Lou said.

When asked what they’d want others to know about planning an alternative wedding, Lou said, “To just accept it and go with the flow. My family hadn’t been to a handfasting before and loved how personal it was and how much it was tailored to us rather than your traditional church wedding or standard vows.”

The planning process wasn’t always easy, especially as Lou lives with Fibromyalgia, severe anxiety disorder and OCD. “At times, I was overdoing it when my body was telling me to rest, it did cause some flare ups and burn outs but we still had fun throughout the process and tried not to let it stress us out too much, as we wanted to be able to look back on it fondly.”