Angelique and Seth got married on Halloween. It is their favourite holiday but they didn’t want their wedding to feel like a costume party. Seth wore a suit jacket lined with skulls and jack o lantern socks. Angelique chose skull earrings and skull shoes. They both have ghost and jack o lantern tattoos, which felt like enough of a nod to the date without forcing a theme.

They eloped on the side of a cliff in Moab, Utah. The ceremony was just the two of them, their photographer and officiant team and a violinist. Music drifted into the canyons while they stood together and shared vows they had written for each other. Tamara played Funny How by The Maine, So High School by Taylor Swift, and Your Bones by Chelsea Cutler.

“There are no rules when it comes to planning a wedding”, Angelique told us. “A couple can do literally whatever they want and that’s the beauty of it. People worry so much about what you’re ‘supposed’ to do and forget that the rules they tell you to follow are just made up. Probably by a man, eyeroll, which honestly makes it more satisfying to not follow them. Just let people do their thing because it’s not about you girl.”

There was no reception in the traditional sense. After the ceremony they ate cake as the sun went down, pulled on matching Til Death sweatshirts from Etsy, and sat by a fire waiting for the stars to appear. Their photographer brought s’mores supplies and they spent the evening talking and taking it all in. Once it was dark, they drove to Arches National Park with headlamps strapped on, chasing moonlight and stars for their final photos of the day.

“We didn’t expect to have to plan very much since we were eloping, but there was definitely more that went into it than just showing up and getting married”, the bride continued. “Luckily we had the most amazing people, our photographers Traci and Bill, to help us plan the entire way. I’m pretty sure it would have been a disaster without them.” The only thing they wish they had added was videography, to capture the sound and movement of a day that passed so quickly.

“The anticipation was the best part”, she concluded. “All we had were pictures and dreams of what we thought the day would look like. It almost didn’t feel real most of the time. Almost like when you talk about what you’d do if you won the lottery! But as time went on and we got to October, things really started to set in which was so exciting. We also saved a ton of money by eloping. It may not be for everyone but it was the perfect decision for us. As much as we love our family and friends, we really wanted the day to be about us, and not stressing about entertaining dozens of other people.”