Kat and Chris, from Australia, were married in New Zealand in 2019 and this year, on their anniversary, did a commemorative photo shoot and and vow renewal. We loved both sets of photos so much we’ve decided to share them both with you today. We think you’ll understand why when you see them!
“For the wedding we wanted a Nightmare Before Christmas theme with black, kooky details and for it to be cold”, Kat told us. “Think Disney if they made a horror movie! We turned the normal on it’s head. Fuck tradition. We wrote our own rules for the day. Our wedding day is most important to us not anyone else. We did what we want, how we want, when we want.”
I have a question – could Terriann and Brittany BE any cuter?! “We met 12 years ago,” they told us, “when we were young, wild and free on Birmingham’s gay scene. We went on one date but our lives took us on very different paths. Little did we know that we would meet again and oh what a meet it would be! It was love at first sight, we both never knew what love was until we found each other again. We had a lockdown date that turned into being locked down together indefinitely.”
They decided they wanted an intimate elopement so that the whole day was for them and no-one else. They wanted something cool and wild, where their love was the star of the show. “We were inspired by the line ‘Wild women do and they don’t regret it,’ from the Pretty Woman Soundtrack by Robby Cool, The Angel Singers. We didn’t have a plan for the day, letting love and excitement lead the way. From heart shaped glasses, posing in the streets, stopping traffic so our boots could do the walking to smoke grenades in the back streets of Shoreditch, surrounded by graffiti and sunshine.”
With how much grief and sadness the COVID pandemic caused, it’s lovely to hear the light points shining out from it – Kristin and Dewan actually met because of international borders shutting down. had been working as a university professor in Kabul, Afghanistan, and she was meant to be traveling to a conference in the US via London on 12 March 2020. Instead, international borders started shutting down and she stayed in London. Two days later, she was told that she couldn’t return to Afghanistan as her university compound was going into quarantine. She stayed in England and met Dewan, who is a Londoner, a couple of weeks later. They had both been in successful rock bands in their early twenties, so they bonded over their similar life experiences.
“The reality of planning our wedding was that most of what we did was determined by the practicalities of the pandemic,” Kristin told us. “Being an American working in Belgium during a time when most borders and registry offies and consular services were shut made for tricky international marriage planning. We had to find a place where we could get married, legally, to start with. It was impossible in England due to COVID, but possible in Scotland.” Due to their families being overseas, they figured if it was just the two of them they may as well elope to somewhere spectacularly beautiful, and settled on the Scottish highlands. And then they could think about what they actually wanted the wedding to be like.
When Emily Zamora of Simply Wandering Photo got in touch with this styled shoot submission, we loved it not only for the gorgeous, fun pops of colour, but also for the unique styling concept! Emily told us; “The incredibly talented Abbey Rose Event Design with the concept of styling a wedding after a song.”
“Growing up in a household of musicians, music has always been a large part of Abbey’s life, so turning to music to inspire her was an obvious step. The song she chose was Rollercoaster by Bleachers. She wanted to incorporate the fun upbeat melody by adding in pops of colour and fun/vibrant elements throughout the day. And what better place to host such a celebration than at an actual working amusement park with rollercoasters.” We’re sure lots of you will resonate with Abbey’s love of music – is there a particular song that could inspire your day?
Both Bryan and Danielle had been married before and have three children between them, so the bride didn’t really want a wedding at all. However the groom did so they compromised on a Vegas elopement!
Covid gave them the perfect excuse to run away and get married without hurting any of their family’s feelings. The day also had a sight Star Wars theme as they were married in May 4th, the bride wore Lightsaber earrings. Unfortunately the groom forgot his Star Wars tie and cufflinks at home!
“I wanted our elopement to be all about fun”, the bride said, “which is easier said than done for a type A personality like me! I wanted it to be as stress-free and unplanned as possible. So, other than the absolute essentials like the location, photographer, outfits and florist, I refused to plan anything else!”
It’s September which means it’s now perfectly acceptable to talk about Christmas, right!? If you are planning your own festive wedding this year then read on because Katrina and Aerion’s 2020 celebration is a masterclass in how a small Christmas celebration can be just as beautiful and special as one with all the trimmings!
Spending “as little as possible”, the couple planned their elopement with one goal in mind – to be married by the end of it! They explain, “We met when we were both out separately with friends at the only lesbian bar in Atlanta. Katrina had just been through a break up, saw Aerion from across the room, sent her friend away to get a drink and seized the opportunity then to approach her while she was dancing. We ended up dancing all night together.”
