Alissa and Wesley’s wedding planning began when the bride starting looking for her dress. She wanted something witchy, romantic and inspired by nature, steering clear of anything too Halloween-y. Her answer was a sheer black gown, made to order by NRT Fashions and covered in hand-applied beading. The dress then set the direction for the entire day. Its botanical detailing fed into the use of trailing vines, overgrown flowers, old books and flickering candlelight.

Designing the fashion became Alissa’s favourite part of the planning process. She worked closely with her designer on her ceremony gown, reception look and each of the bridesmaids’ dresses. The bridesmaids were included in the process, giving everyone an outfit created around their individual style. Then, six weeks before the wedding, FedEx lost Alissa’s gown!

Her designer remade the entire fully beaded dress within the remaining time and Alissa flew to Calgary for a single day to attend fittings for both of her looks. The finished gown was worth the stress. Its sheer black base, fitted silhouette and beaded vines captured Alissa’s version of bridal fashion perfectly.

After such stress in the run up, the couple were pleased the day itself went off without a hitch. The ceremony was arranged in the round, with guests forming a circle around Alissa and Wesley. This brought everybody closer to the vows and reflected the couple’s desire for their families and friends to feel involved. Music was chosen to feel spooky and ethereal. They completed a binding ceremony using a handmade cord, wrapping it around their hands to represent their lives becoming intertwined.

At the reception, four chandeliers hung above the room, each covered with large floral installations made by Alissa and her step-mum. Flowers and vines appeared to grow across the frames. Alissa created almost all the remaining décor herself. She crystallised old books, applied gold leaf to the menus, made the bar signs and built a display using the couple’s engagement photographs. The table arrangements were the only decorative element handed over to a professional florist.

“I knew going in to this I was going to have to do a lot of DIY because alternative weddings are not mainstream,” she told us. “It takes a lot of sitting down and putting together exactly what you are looking for.”

Alissa’s sheer black dress and some of their styling choices certainly attracted questions, but they were never questioned by the couple themselves. The things they chose expressed exactly how they wanted to feel on their wedding day.

“It really does not matter what people think”, Alissa concluded. “If your wedding is true to who you are, let them think whatever they want. At the end of the day, it’s about you as the couple. We are put on this earth to be exactly who we are, not to pretend to be someone else because other people are telling you so. A wedding is the perfect time to say, THIS IS ME, ALL OF ME. Did I think I would get questions or looks because I was wearing a sheer black dress?!? Of course! But I couldn’t see myself wearing anything else but that.”