Chris and Chamilda didn’t aim for something perfectly polished for their wedding. They were married outdoors while it rained and almost everything they did was a surprise for their guests…and each other! Chamilda decided to arrive by horse and Chris dressed in a Caucasus-inspired ceremonial outfit.

“I wanted the wedding to be like a fairylike,” Chamilda said. “We didn’t have a colour scheme so it was a really fun surprise to see in the end that we matched really well.”

There was no venue in the traditional sense, the ceremony just happened outside. Guests were asked to wear something they had nowhere else to wear and one uncle and aunt even arrived in full steampunk. There was also no cake and no flowers. “We don’t really care for them,” Chamilda continued. “We saved money everywhere, My dress was a present from my mum, best friend and sister. My tip is to buy things that aren’t specifically for weddings, that will save you a lot.”

Planning was hands on and demanding. Chamilda is autistic and found did find the lack of structure challenging. “Being autistic I wish I could have practice-planned a few more weddings beforehand so I would have had a better idea of how everything works”, she said. “I was afraid of forgetting things, and I wanted everything to be perfect (which ultimately didn’t happen, but that’s okay).”

Yet in the end, their simple wedding was just want they wanted, and needed, it to be. “My favourite part of the wedding was seeing my husband and son for the first time, I instantly felt at ease”, she concluded. “I was super anxious but he feels like home so when I was with him I instantly felt calm.”