Kimmy and James planned a 14-person micro wedding with a black, gold and orange palette inspired by Halloween Horror Nights in Orlando, where James proposed during their annual trip. The ring came in a black velvet coffin box and featured an opal stone surrounded by skulls and roses. From there, the aesthetic unfolded naturally. Matte black stationery with gold foil lettering sat alongside tiger lilies, skull candles and a coffin-shaped card holder.

TIL DEATH was also stitched across the back of Kimmy’s leather jacket, which she had made by Niamh Designs, in white lettering above two skeleton hands locked in a pinky promise. It summed up the mood of the whole wedding.

Kimmy’s style shaped much of the visual direction. “I have a very edgy, rebellious style but most of the gothic weddings I was seeing on Pinterest focused on reds and purples. My love for orange tiger lily flowers had to play a part,” she said. “The colour palette ended up being black, gold, and orange which isn’t one you see often in weddings! The fun part was trying to find creative ways to make it sexy, spooky, and a whole vibe without making it Halloween or tacky.”

They also kept the guest list very small. They skipped having a bridesmaids or groomsmen and focused on making the whole experience feel personal and relaxed. Kimmy’s grandmother also officiated the ceremony.

James is an extremely private person who does not show his face online, so documenting the day became a creative collaboration between the couple and photographer Desiree. “With James being a private person, we knew there needed to be creative ways to showcase the wedding without revealing his identity,” Kimmy explained. “We found ways to lean into the emotion, intimacy and make the vibes more artistic, mysterious, and moody which honestly fit the vibe and the aesthetic and made the photos more enticing in my opinion!” This gave the gallery a cinematic quality and they used stairwells, empty hotel rooms and dim corners as creative portrait locations.

Looking back, the couple only had one real regret. They wish they had shared a single long dinner table with their guests rather than sitting separately at a sweetheart table. “Having the sweetheart table, although nice, made us sad we missed out on all the lovely conversations everyone else was having,” Kimmy said. “With our guest list being so small, we definitely could have had one big table to make it cosier.”