Raph and Tawny had a completely unconventional wedding. Inviting just 25 guests to their 15-minute ceremony, they spend the majority of the event space rental time taking Vogue style photos! “You see, the people who attended the ceremony typically look and dress like heathens”, Tawny explained, “so I wanted to make sure to capture the one and only time we looked like real adults!”

The decor at the ceremony was inspired by the colours in Destiny’s Child’s Say My Name music video. Tawny walked down the aisle to DJ Khaled’s I’m the One, while Raph chose Frank Ocean’s Moon River. Instead of anything religious, they wove in lines from Megan Thee Stallion, and their vows—written at 3 am the morning of the wedding—featured inside jokes and all the feels.

The reception for 150 guest was held afterwards at a friend’s house. Their parents had a hard time accepting it at first, but as they were paying for it entirely themselves, it was their wedding, their rules! In total they spent just over $10,000, finding some real bargains along the way. Both of their outfits came from the clearance section at David’s Bridal (around $200 each + alternations), made their own bouquets from Trader Joe’s flowers, and they hired a food truck for dinner!

“It was more of a house party than a wedding,” they continued. “There was a food truck parked outside (all guests could eat until food ran out!) and we had 200 wings from Hooter’s. There were tons of mini kegs all over the backyard, complete with a fire pit and plenty of ‘herbal remedies’ going around. We didn’t even have real invites, we just posted on social media that we were getting married and told people to DM us their email and added them to a calendar invite! If you came, you came. If you didn’t, you didn’t. All that mattered was we were getting married and wanted to celebrate with whoever is down. And boy, did we CELE-FUCKING-BRATE!”

Raph, who is autistic, wasn’t keen on planning or being in the spotlight, so Tawny handled everything. “I planned it all myself, and it worked perfectly for us,” Tawny explained. “Her unwillingness to do traditional things didn’t mean she didn’t love me. We just found a way that worked for both of us.”

Their advice to others planning their weddings? Stay true to yourselves. “You don’t have to make anyone else happy but you two,” Tawny said. “Fuck the guests, fuck the wedding party, fuck what anyone else wants for your wedding. That’s the secret to a stress-free day!”