An and Mario were married exactly twenty years to the date after they first met, on February 29th. As well as only having one date every four years they could make this happen, they had to plan around other real circumstances. After An developed post concussion syndrome following a serious accident, a full traditional schedule was completely off the table. Instead, they split the celebration in two days – the civil ceremony took place on the Thursday and the party on the Friday night.

The starting point for the look of the wedding’s came from an unusual place: an arm warmer. An explains, “That arm warmer, and our shared love for reusing materials and caring for the planet, inspired us to visit Madame Tirette with the idea of upcycling our entire wedding outfits, incorporating that sleeve into our attire.”

Making their outfits ending up being a wonderful journey. Not only did the bride and groom shine in clothes made from curtains, tablecloths, and old garments, but their wedding party also wore unique outfits, created from second-hand materials but in their own styles. “The only ‘rules’ were that they were to be black and gold, and not included anything new.” This idea of sustainability thread ran through the rest of the wedding too, and the food was fully vegan, even though most of their guests had no idea!

The reception took place at a nightclub, Café Local. The space already matched their colour palette so needed no extra décor brought in – except the two life sized cut outs of the couple which Mario had had made! They committed fully to the idea of a big party. There was no formal dinner, seating plan or cake. They had multiple DJs, a confetti cannon, and pink and blue cocktails alongside alcohol free versions.

If they could could change one ‘rule’ about weddings it would be that they all have to follow the same format. “There should be no rules”, An concluded, “only love, personality, and comfort. You can get married in a disco, wear upcycled clothes, eat pizza on the sofa, and still have the most beautiful wedding ever!”