Melissa and Heder’s wedding was gothic romance themed day in September. The couple exchanged vows at the St. Francis Chapel, an architectural gem tucked inside Balboa Park’s Museum of Us. “We love history, art, and architecture, and our venues reflect that,” Melissa says. “The chapel looks like something out of an old Catholic church, but it’s actually an exhibit. It’s unconsecrated, which made it feel like we were bending the rules just a little.”

The reception was held at a space often used for community events, close to Melissa’s childhood home. The bride and her mum designed most of the décor including personal elements and items from their own house. “It made the whole day feel more like us”, Melissa explains. “My mum did most of the centrepieces, I did all the table number candles, invitations, seating chart, etc. As a graphic designer, I also created a wedding newspaper with our love story, engagement photos, wedding party bios, a crossword puzzle, and a special shout-out to our vendors.”

However, for the flowers and overall styling, they worked with Simply Glamorous Floral who also acted as a day-of coordinator. “I was honestly blown away by our decorator/florist/day-of coordinator because she nailed exactly what I wanted”, Melissa said. “Not only in decoration but how the whole day flowed effortlessly. One of our favourite things was the skeleton waving from the second story window.”

When it came time to walk down the aisle, Melissa chose Ice Dance from Edward Scissorhands by herself to set the mood, she then met her parents at the top of the aisle. “It was whimsical and magical, but also a little dark, which is exactly what we were going for,” she says. Instead of the traditional ‘Who gives this bride away?’ the couple opted for a more inclusive moment, asking both sets of parents for their blessings. “We’re both of Mexican ancestry and we also wanted to incorporate part of our culture in our ceremony. We replaced the cross at the alter with a sacred heat, as we’re not religious. While the symbol was appropriated by the Catholic church, one of its many origins comes from the Nahua people, the native Mexicans.”

After a taco and churro dinner, which were delicious and kept costs down, the night turned into a joyful, chaotic celebration. The couple brought out large cutouts of their cats’ heads onto the dance floor. “We’re both huge cat people, so it was important to incorporate them somehow,” Melissa says. “The giant cat heads were a hit!”