If you’ve ever thought a Halloween wedding was cheesy, today’s vintage wedding from Mikkel Paige is proof that even a themed holiday wedding can be elegant and fun! From the vintage and heirloom details to the adorable Wizard of Oz bridal party, this is one Halloween wedding you are sure to fall in love with!
We both love the fall so we felt very lucky to have October 31st as our wedding date. We had lots beautiful pumpkins and gourds lining the aisle and under the eucalyptus and amaranthus draped chuppah. The ceremony was perfect outside in the courtyard and then we danced the night away in the ballroom.
I find personalized objects with a history a beautiful way to include our families and to make the wedding feel special. All of my jewelry was heirloom pieces from my Grandmother and Bubby (yiddish for Grandma). Even Bryan and my wedding bands were my mom’s parents wedding bands. I also put heirloom pins on the stems of the bouquets. The tallit (jewish prayer shawl) that was wrapped around me and Bryan during the ceremony was my Zayde’s (Yiddish for Grandpa) as was the wine cup.
We wanted to strike a balance between a romantic heartfelt ceremony where we could share our dreams with our friends and family and having an absolute playful, fun party. It was important that the guests had a great time and felt that they were an important part of our lives and of the day. Good food, fun band, lots to drink.
I found it so special when we said our personalized vows to each other. Even standing in front of a crowd our family and friends I felt like we were in a bubble. It was a genuine heartfelt moment where we shared our feelings for each other and hopes for our marriage.
The colors were rich cranberry/garnet, cool minty greens, and gold. I love vintage deco but also more rustic elements and used that combo as inspiration for a lot of the decor and fashion. The Carolina Inn is a historic landmark in Chapel Hill, so that fit perfectly. Since it was Halloween we had fun elements- like our flower girl and ring bearers in costume trick or treating down the aisle (dressed up as the Wizard of Oz characters), costumes at the reception, caramel apple popcorn.
I am an artist and art professor so I wanted to incorporate lots of creative elements. My dear friend hand-painted our ketubah (wedding contract) with lots of little personal moments and details inside. I used vintage bronze cake stands that I found at antique stores and polished. All of the table numbers were painted on vintage paintings and prints with gold frames that I found at an antique market.
At the completion of our first dance (which Ali’s sister choreographed to Beyonce’s Love on Top) we pulled all of our friends from the dance floor where they had watched. The band began to play, everyone danced and the party really got started. At that moment all the lingering stress or fear for being in front of people fell away and it was time to truly enjoy and celebrate – all of our decisions felt right and hard work had made for the perfect wedding that we had imagined.
Photography | Mikkel Paige | Venue | The Carolina Inn | Planning | A Swanky Affair | Florals | Tre Bella | Cakes | Details Cake Design and Bakery | Linens | CE Rental | Lighting | Carey Sound Inc. | Invitations | Minted | Band | Attraction | Ceremony Music | Bunn DJ Company | Dress | Martina Liana | Hair | DB Sutton | Makeup | Tiwa Lawrence | Bridesmaid Dresses | Tadashi Shoji | Groomswear | Jos A. Bank
