Jair and Lisa met at Club Antichrist, held at Islington Metalworks. As the club nights held there are a home away from home for themselves and many of their friends, they thought it would be a nice touch for them to marry there. It also meant that they could go clubbing there with their guests afterwards!
With a £5000 budget (although in the end they spent closer to £7000), they never expected to be able to afford the venue as it’s so unique, but they visited them regardless to discuss their needs and they trimmed down things they didn’t want or need to help keep the celebration within their budget. Their venue already included the epic decorations, they had bowl-food instead of a sit-down meal and kept their guest list small. Instead of a guestbook, Lisa made origami butterflies for their guests to sign, and she handmade their invites and running order for the day out of signs shaped like tombstones.
They used a lot of things they already owned to help save money, and only outsourced things they couldn’t do themselves. Lisa’s harnesses and jewellery were gifts, and she made her bouquet from supermarket flowers she dried and arranged herself. “I loved that I was able to keep it afterwards too, it’s lasted perfectly!” she said.
For their ceremony, they had their legal bit done at their local registry office a few days before, so they wouldn’t have to panic about timing for that on the day, and were able to have the ceremony of their dreams. Lisa wrote a satanic ceremony based on rituals she’d researched. “With some adaptation, the theatre and wording of it all fitted the occasion perfectly”, Lisa explained. “We had a room full of friends shouting ‘Hail Satan!’, building all this energy and excitement, and it felt magical.”
Being a polyamorous couple, it also meant the world to them that they could find ways to include their other partners in their day. Their ceremony was performed by Lisa’s girlfriend’s boyfriend, and she was her bridesmaid. “We received a lot of questions about how we function as a polyamorous couple now we’re married,” said Lisa, “but nothing has changed from before we were married, and why should it? Some folks might question how you’re doing things, but really it doesn’t matter. For every person who questioned the satanic aspect of our ceremony, ten said how cool it was. Work with your partner/s, figure out what’s important for you, and chase that!”
