Like a lot of millennial couples, Allyse and Ana met over the internet. The first time they met IRL was at a queer dance party, where Ana gave Allyse a magnet with her face on it, which sealed the deal!
For their November 2019 wedding, they wanted to hold it an an inexpensive, all-in-one venue that was casual, fit their personalities and had some sentimental value to the both of them. They found this in The Ballroom at the Spiderhouse Cafe in Austin, Texas, a mid-century café and event space with tonnes of rock ’n roll history!
“Music is something that plays a big role in both of our lives,” explained Allyse, “so having someone that knows us and our tastes be our DJ was a no-brainer.” They also had a friend act as their officiant, which really added a special intimacy to the day. They didn’t do a lot of the traditional elements of a wedding, like a guest book, speeches or a big to-do about the cake cutting. They had both parents walk them down the aisle. “We’re not a very conventional couple so we didn’t feel obligated to do what everyone else does for a wedding.”
Allyse wore a BHLDN jumpsuit with Opening Ceremony shoes for the ceremony, and changed into a Superdown romper and Modern Vice shoes for the reception. Ana rocked an Indochino suit. Their wedding party consisted of their ‘best humans’ and they just told them to wear navy trousers, a white shirt and green bow ties.
Most of the wedding was DIY, but since Spiderhouse isn’t a typical wedding venue, they brought in a co-ordinator to give a helping hand in getting the venue wedding ready. Their centrepieces were tea light candles and air plants, along with postcards of cool Austin staples as table names. They were fortunate that the venue didn’t need a lot of additional décor, and what they did bring in they patched together from craft stores, Facebook marketplace, and finds from their parents.
“The best thing about planning our wedding was that it bucked convention, as the wedding wasn’t for anyone else – just us,” concluded Allyse. We had full agency about what we wanted for our special day. If I could give one piece of advice to future couples; if you’re going to splurge on anything, get yourself a day-of coordinator. And make a plan for people to help you with takedown – it’s not something you want to tackle at the end of your day!”
