Real Bride: Liz

Liz and Josh had a whimsical mix of Halloween, 80's music and more for their "Mad Wedding"! If you are thinking of doing a more alternative-themed wedding, you have got to check out their amazing esthetic, highlighting their love for all things spooky!

Your name: Liz

Partner’s name: Josh

Wedding date: October 22, 2017

City, State: Colorado Springs, CO

Tell us more about you!

How long have you been together?

We met 3 years ago at a track meet (we are both middle school teachers) and began dating a few months later.

How did he propose? (Or how did you propose!)

Josh proposed in the most ridiculously, wonderfully, spooky way possible! In addition to teaching, we also volunteer as actors in a local charity haunted house, The Haunted Mines. The year Josh proposed, our haunt's theme was "We're All Mad Here"-- a sinister spin on famous fairy tales. Josh's character was an eccentric, evil Mad Hatter, and I was a Dark Fairy. One night, I was working in the queue, creeping out guests as they waited in line to enter the haunt. Suddenly, the lights grew brigher and I heard a crackle in the speakers as our sound system's usual eerie sound effects faded into one of my favorite songs: Concrete Blonde's "Bloodletting." Then, from around the corner, The Haunted Mines hearse drove up, and out jumped Josh with a megaphone! He made his way through the crowd toward me and proposed in front of our hundreds of customers. The best part of the night was that we got right back into character and continued working until we closed and then celebrated with our fellow actors and directors afterward.

What was your favorite part of the wedding?

I loved how we incorporated our favorite music into every moment. We really wanted to avoid the stereotypical wedding soundtrack and, instead, feature all of our favorite songs, no matter how alternative or "not romantic" they might seem. I walked down the aisle to the string quartet cover of Nine Inch Nail's "The Fragile" and we used "Touch-a Touch-a Touch Me" from the Rocky Horror Picture show during the garter toss. Then, during the cake cutting, we played "The Distance" by (you guessed it) Cake! The wedding party's entrance into the reception was also fun and offbeat: the "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" theme song played as we all showed off our best fighting moves and made our way to our seats! Our friend, Aaron, a.k.a. DJ Batboy, who organizes events for the local goth community, was an incredible asset to have at our wedding. We knew we could count on him to play music that represented us and our theme.

Our other favorite part was the fact that we were able to share this special day with Josh's dad before his unexpected passing. We couldn't be more grateful that we will forever be able to cherish these memories with him. He will forever be dearly missed.

What went wrong with your wedding?

This is such a funny question because I remember being so frustrated when, as the big day drew closer, people kept reminding me not to sweat the small stuff because, inevitably, "SOMETHING WILL GO WRONG!" I am such a control freak that I REALLY didn't want to believe that! But, somehow, when the day came, I really wasn't concerned about the little details that may not have gone quite according to plan. I just wanted to take in every moment. That being said, we DID completely forget to do the champagne toast! Instead of fretting over it too much, we just treated all our guests to mimosas at our home the morning after!

Did you find any tricks to save you money?

I did a LOT of DIY projects! I made all of our centerpieces with supplies from Michael's craft store. Our guest bedroom became my personal crafting studio for the last few months leading up to the big day. I also googled freebies and coupons before making any purchases, either in-store or on-line. I used Vistaprint for all of our save the dates, invitations, and thank you cards…they weren't the fanciest, but the image quality was still excellent, and they give you lots of discounts! I also made our guest book cards (a spin on MadLibs, which, as English teachers, Josh and I love!) myself using good ol' Microsoft Word and some nice cardstock. The biggest thing we did to save money, though, was ask our friends with special talents to help us with the festivities in lieu of a gift. Because our venue is an "open" venue, we were able to take control of some of the specifics rather than be limited by a set menu or selection of services. Our close friend and AMAZING styling artist, Heather Jeffrey, did my hair and makeup, and my Aunt Siera did all the hair for the bridesmaids. My other aunt, Bee, used her sewing skills to create our groomsmens' bowties, and our friend, Rachel, who bartended in college, was in charge of mixing drinks. This ensured we saved money, but it also allowed us to highlight the talents of our close friends and community members.

If you could go back and redo it, would you change anything; and if so, what would you change?

There is not much I would change. If anything, I just wish I had allowed myself to slow down and appreciate even the most stressful moments during planning. It's an exciting time in one's life, and I definitely rushed through some parts when I could have taken my time and enjoyed the process.

Do you have any advice for new brides?

Don't be afraid to ask for help! A lot of people (whether it's your mom, mother-of-the-groom, bridesmaids, or other friends and family) will offer to help you, so let them! The weekend of the wedding, give everyone a job to do. It doesn't have to be a super important job, but something as simple as asking someone to grab a bag of ice or be a local contact for out-of-town guests can really make everyone feel included in the festivities, as well as relieve you of some stress. Communicate with your guests AND your vendors. Make sure you write things down and, even if you don't hire a professional day-of coordinator, assign someone (or a few someones!) to that role. Meet with them ahead of time to go over the details, because on the big day, you shouldn’t have to worry about any organization, just on having an amazing and unforgettable time!

Did you over-plan or under-plan, or was it just right?

I was very meticulous with my planning; I had a binder filled with notes and schedules (including a schedule for getting ready, a playlist schedule, and an overall schedule for the ceremony and reception). Our venue staff were truly the best, and I was able to meet with them beforehand to go through all the logistics. I think, though, no matter how much you plan, there will always be some tiny little thing that doesn't quite pan out. If you focus your efforts on the "non-negotiables"and allow some wiggle room with the less-important details, all will be well.

Did any of your vendors knock your socks off?

The venue really blew us away both aesthetically and with their staff's kindness and attention to detail! Knowing that we are big fans of Halloween and all things creepy, they took the time to add little effects (like using the American Horror Story font on our signs and playing The Nightmare Before Christmas soundrack as we were getting ready and setting up) that made the day reflect us so perfectly. The owner, Uriah, was also our main photographer. He had some really great ideas for poses that highlighted our goofy personalities and Halloween-y details!

Did any of your vendors disappoint?

We were fortunate enough to have amazing friends and vendors who truly took care of us. We feel so, so lucky! I think a lot of our success with vendors also came from communicating clearly, honestly, and frequently with them throughout the planning process to ensure things went smoothly. I was worried I was annoying our vendors, but they really appreciated me telling them exactly what we wanted so they could provide us with the very best services!

What was one (or more!) special element in your wedding that isn’t in most?

We really made the day our own, refusing to include traditions that didn't speak to us and putting our own spin on the ones that did! We also had a lot of quirky, spooky touches that provided our guests with an excellent pre-Halloween party involving a candy buffet, sugar skulls, felt pumpkins and fall leaves, and, of course, a funky photo booth with props like plastic fangs, and, of course, the wedding party's surprise performance of the "Day O (Banana Boat Song" scene from Beetlejuice in the middle of the reception. We also wrote our own ceremony and vows, incorporating our love of independence, love for each other, love for pop culture references, and love for our families and community. We even had "Unity Jack-O-Lanterns" rather than a traditional Unity Candle. Josh carved the pumpkins himself the morning of the wedding. A groom who carves jack-o-lanterns for his bride-- how did I get so lucky?!

What do you wish you’d spent more on (whether you were able to or not)?

Sometimes I think "Hmm, maybe I should have spent more money on that," but when I think about it, the wedding itself is not the important part, it's the marriage that follows! And no amount of money can guarantee a happy relationship; the time you have with your spouse is priceless.

Where do you feel like you could have saved money or overspent?

We definitely overestimated how hungry our guests would be after a full taco buffet and ordered WAY too much cake. Luckily, it was still an incredible price for the cake, and it was pretty darn delicious, so we didn't get too hung up on the fact that we had a month's supply of cake afterward. Other than the cake, I also think I was a lot more frugal at the beginning of the planning process, and toward the end was so anxious that I was willing to spend anything to maintain our vision for the event. I'm sure there were some small things I didn't need, but I don't have many regrets when it comes to the financial aspect.

How many guests did you invite vs how many RSVP’ed vs how many actually came?

We invited around 150 and had approximately 120 show up.