We first heard from Elena & Mike back in early 2019 when they were planning their wedding for the spring of 2020. We instantly connected on our shared sense of humor and love for art. We were so excited to capture their big day- but of course, their 150+ person wedding did not happen as planned. They pushed their date into the summer, and in a way that can only be described as perfectly Elena, they set up their own personal “ghost wedding” at home with just the two of them to commemorate the day that they had planned but lost. In haunted-looking formalwear, they sat at a tiny table, shared a drink and toasted to the day that couldn’t be.

Their summer date postponed again into the fall, and when they realized that they would not be having the wedding of their dreams in 2020, they decided to move forward with a ceremony on a day that had been really important to them in the years leading up to their engagement. Back when they only knew each other because Mike hosted trivia attended by Elena and her friends, he found away to get some alone time by asking her for help with his makeup before the Zombie Ball they were both attending. After that, each Halloween became a bigger production than the last. It has become a ritual to spend weeks crafting up new (and usually macabre) characters for themselves and Mike’s daughter. So, they invited just their closest friends and family members to their favorite restaurant for a private, masked ceremony followed by a 2020-style costume party.

They still plan on throwing a big celebration in 2021, so they found a way to make this day meaningful but unique: Elena wore her mother’s wedding dress and made her own signage, program, invitations, amazing vases and other details throughout. Messages from their loved ones who could not attend in person were printed on stars that formed a night sky backdrop for photos. The cookies had shapes like snakes and moons, and there was a custom saint candle for every costume they had worn in the past. Elena’s vows recounted every Halloween they had together and how it brought them closer as a couple. Her dad married them and proudly passed around more photos of their spooky adventures.

And that’s how Mike & Elena ended up with 3 different wedding anniversaries: the ghost wedding, the Halloween ceremony, and- we hope- the big 2021 celebration! We feel so lucky to have met these two- whenever we are with them we are usually laughing, if not swooning over Elena’s creative talent and Mike’s dedication to family (including their adorable rescue pig-dog Clarabelle). At this point, the four of us are contractually linked as BFFs, and we look forward to the day when we can follow them to the biggest and best Zombie Ball ever.

Ceremony at: Peg & Ter’s / Catering: Peg & Ter’s / Florist: Nancy Bishop Floral Design / Cookies: Chrissy Moore / Live music: The Mean Waltons / Dress alterations: Make it Sew