Bella and Edward’s wedding in Breaking Dawn Part 1 was the main inspiration for Destiny and Kyle’s New Jersey wedding. They wanted it to feel like they were marrying in a dark, enchanted forest. “I never really saw myself getting married but to me their wedding was THE wedding”, Destiny said. “At least that was the main idea then we started adding a bit of a fairytale twist.”

The day was full of Easter eggs referencing the things they love most. A violinist played their ceremony music while guests sat surrounded by moss, flowering trees, and tiny houses set into the table décor. Place cards featured game artwork, and signs throughout the space nodded to video games and anime. The guest book was shaped like a PlayStation controller, with wooden button pieces guests could sign and add. The couple met online through gaming, so this was a nod to where their story began.

Their ceremony music mixed Disney melodies and gaming nostalgia. The wedding party entered to Pallet Town from Pokémon, while Destiny walked down the aisle to Would You Fall In Love With Me Again from EPIC: The Musical. “The day that song dropped I immediately knew I had to walk down the aisle to it,” she said.

One moment that stood out to Destiny was being walked down the aisle by her dad. “He actually met my mum when I was three. He raised me no questions asked and loved me everyday since. We are always first names but it’s never in a bad way. However that day, the officiant asked me who he was and I was able to happily and proudly tell everyone that it was my dad giving me away.”

At the reception, they traded the formalities for fun. Guests found their table by picking up personalised books from a shelf that read, ‘Our story couldn’t be written without your chapters.’ Each book had a name and table number handwritten on the cover, with little trinkets hidden among the shelves. The couple made a mini magazine for each guest featuring blurbs about themselves and their friends and family. They cut their cake using Zoro’s katana while the One Piece theme played.

The party included a reception entrance contest where guests competed for a cash prize. Performances included dance routines, props, scooters, and a White Chicks reference that stole the show. Destiny and Kyle entered on light-up cars. Later, they played a spontaneous game of human chess with their wedding party!

Their cats, Chips and Queso, were also featured everywhere – from the drinks and signage to giant cut-out heads on the dance floor. “Our furbabies were not missing this!” Destiny said. The couple designed all their signage on Canva and handmade their table numbers. “I’m a Canva nut so it was a blast!”

Her advice for other couples is to do things at your own pace. “There will be a lot of hurdles all for one day”, she said, “but so long as you’re always checking in on each other, remembering that the other isn’t perfect, and through this journey there will be good times – you’re going to be fine. It seems like a lot, and my god it is, but you’re doing this because you love each other and that very love is what you want to celebrate. Also, don’t let anyone dictate what you do on YOUR wedding. It’s yours and nobody can take that from you.”