Tyler and Lexi’s Heartfelt Western September Wedding at The Urban Cowboy in Nashville, TN
THIS ECLECTIC DAY OF THE DEAD THEMED WEDDING IS PROOF THAT BUDGET WEDDINGS ARE THE BEST!
Matthew and Katherine were married in vacant lot in downtown Birmingham. Their nontraditional wedding ceremony reflected the couple’s energetic, colorful spirit. Their reception was held in their newly purchased home, perched atop Red Mountain, right underneath the Vulcan (the world’s largest cast iron statue!) and was the perfect way to christen their new lives together.
The wedding day was November 1, the day after Halloween and during Dia de los Muertos, meaning the wedding was rife with costumes and color. Katherine’s mom even walked her down the aisle dressed as Humphrey Bogart!
“Our wedding was incredibly eclectic and we encouraged unrestricted creativity. We embraced any whimsical theme that our guests wanted to bring. It was the Saturday after Halloween and costumes were encouraged. Guests dressed in glow stick splattered suits, princess dresses, coyote head dresses, and more! Also, our ceremony was in a vacant lot in Birmingham. We had our wedding guests (roughly 50) surround us in a circle as we said our vows. We finished the ceremony with a kiss and then a whiskey toast to our guests who were just as much a part of our new family as the two of us.” Explained Kat.
“We had a Dia de los Muertos ceremony to recognize and welcome friends and family who had passed away to be acknowledge their light and souls as we went through the ceremony. My brother became ordained in order to marry us, we collaborated and designed the ceremony, reception and even wrote our own vows.”
“The only thing we really splurged on was the photographer. Andrea has been a friend for years. She’s got a great eye for unique pictures that don’t look staged. This wedding was anything but formal and staged so she was perfect for preserving the memories I was sure to forget with all the excited whiskey drinking!”
“We asked our friends to help in almost every aspect of this wedding. From food, to venue, to decorations our friends provided overwhelming support. Even the black glass toasting glasses we used for the ceremony were contributed by a friend. Both Matthew and our friends are artists so we used an array of community created art collected over the years and placed it throughout the house. This included two full-size mannequins and an old door, all of which we painted. We used lots of tapestries and cloth to drape over the semi-finished house. We asked all of our friends to bring any strings of Christmas lights they had and strung lights everywhere. Sarah’s Flowers provided tulle and strands of orchid flowers to adorn the house as well!” She added.
“Our friend Anna maria Santiago offered to make a cake for the wedding. I didn’t want to make too many demands since the offer was a gift of sorts and so nice for her to do in the first place. I was expecting a simple cake with a generic “Congratulations” written on it. What we got was a delectable three tier wedding cake with a beautiful skeleton and flower design to match our Halloween/Day of the Dead celebration.”
“Because my husband and I were flexible we were able to have a very low cost wedding that was powerfully emotional. We may not have achieved every detail we’d initially imagined or planned for, but what we did get was a collaboration with our friends and family that made us all feel more connected to each other.”
Super Suppliers – Photographer: Andrea Mabry Photography | Officiant: Will Smith, the bride’s brother | Hair: Gwyn Morales, Salon U | Cake: Anna maria Santiago, friend of the couple | Flowers: Sarah’s Flowers | Ceremony & Reception Venue: Kat & Matthew’s new house! | Bride’s Dress: Amazon | Bride’s Shoes: Bride’s Own Mary Jane’s | Bride’s Jewelry: Given by the mother of the groom | Groom’s Outfit: thrift store chic. Entire outfit = less than $45 | Grooms Shoes: Favorite pair of hiking boots | Submitted via Two Bright Lights |
Off beat in all the best ways, love this unique ceremony!