Paige and Rick described their wedding theme as ‘a wedding in Wonderland’ and they were inspired by a version of Lewis Carol’s Alice in Wonderland illustrated by Salvador Dali. They used the book’s illustrations as inspiration for their different centrepieces, various decor and overall funky feel. They wanted the visuals to inspire curiosity much like Dali himself and his artwork, and hoped their wedding would transport their guests down the rabbit hole to Wonderland…
“As our guests entered the museum for our ceremony they were greeted with pink flower flamingos and the sign ‘Holy Shitballs Today is Going to be Awesome!’” began Paige. “Our ceremony took place on a helix shaped staircase in the middle of the Salvador Dali Museum with our family and friends on the floor above us looking down so everyone had a great view. We were married by the Mad Hatter with a light hearted, short and sweet ceremony. It was filled with messages of love but one of our most favourite parts was the ‘We Do’s’.”
“After the ceremony we had a private viewing and photo shoot in the Dali Master Works Gallery. Dali is my favourite artist of all time so to be able to capture beautiful memories with his master works and my new husband was one of the best moments of my life.”
The couple’s favourite part of the day was getting married, closely followed by cake! “Our cupcakes were really dope. From upside down Alice, to the Cheshire Cat and Mad Hatter hats. We also had a floating rose cake topper! Hung from the ceiling it floated perfectly like a Dali painting above our cake. It was amazing. We also had chocolate Dali moustaches on sticks. They were great for photos and delicious. They were a hit!”
“To add to our Alice theme we had custom ‘Drink Me’ stirrers for our guests to use in the champagne toast. We had ‘Eat Me’ cards and vanilla macaroons on the tables and each and every centrepiece was a unique master piece much like each of Dali’s illustrations. We also used my Grandfather and Great Great Grandfather’s pocket watches in Rick’s boutonniere and my bouquet to incorporate the Wonderland theme and something old.”
The couple’s biggest expense was their venue and catering. “We wanted good food and a memorable setting. We had the whole museum to ourselves from 7pm – 12am and two hours in the galleries. However we saved money on my dress and shoes which were both on sale!”
“Our advice for future brides and grooms is to trust your vendors creativity and suggestions but check in with them for progress reports. You wouldn’t hire Dali and tell him how to paint. When you do your research and find amazing vendors, you should be able to convey your vision to them and trust them to knock it out of the park for you. It’s what they do day in and day out. Trust them and the process.”
“And if you can afford it, hire a wedding planner at the beginning! Life will be organised and easy after that. Our wedding planner Staci made everything so easy and seamless; we wish we’d brought her in from day one.”
