I was gripping the steering wheel and trying not to yell at every grandma driver on the road. We were running late… for a wedding! I hate being late for so much as a happy hour, so being late for a wedding was nothing but stress. We planned to arrive a half hour early donning our fabulous flapper costumes. Unfortunately, the look of a flapper takes more preparation than anticipated, and Haley and I spent a little too long waiting in line and catching up over brunch at Pancake Pantry.

We calculated the remaining miles, we looked at the building numbers, and we counted the minutes we had until we would arrive. Fingers crossed that they start late. As we left suburbia and mall traffic and got out into the countryside, it was a beautiful day with the changing fall leaves. The narrow drive up to the location on the hillside was gorgeous. We parked in the grass across from the tombstone parking sign, jumped out of the car, and hiked up the hill. In the distance, we saw the wedding party lined up, along with our gorgeous friend and bride Rachel. Letting out the first sigh of relief, we scooted past them with a quick wave to the bride and took our seats before they began the walk. Just… in… time… phew!

Haley and I met through a mutual friend in college. Actually, he had arranged for us to be roommates. Turns out he was a good matchmaker- we instantly clicked. The following year we were given a random roommate in our apartment. Her name was Rachel, she was a hair stylist pursuing a biology degree, and she was nothing short of awesome. She was immensely entertaining, and she brought a lot of laughter and ridiculousness to our apartment. She also tried hard to keep Haley and I as up to date as possible in terms of hair and makeup. It may have been a little bit of lost cause (yes Rachel, you would be ashamed if you had watched how long it took Haley and I to apply fake eyelashes and smoky eye makeup… I recall us saying more than once, “Now how does this work again? It only says Apply glue.” And I’m pretty sure we both said, “I wish Rachel were here to help” multiple times). Though we only loosely kept in touch since the five years we were roommates, when Haley and I received invites to Rachel’s Halloween-themed wedding, there was no question in our minds- we had to go! We were delighted to have a roommate reunion, and on top of that, who would ever miss out on the chance to dress up? I absolutely love costume parties, and though several would cringe at the idea of a Halloween wedding (opting for the more traditional route), Haley and I were stoked!

We sat up front on the bride’s side. The sun was shining through pockets in the trees, and the crisp fall air was just perfect. The groom took his place up front, and the music started for the bridal party. They walked out to this song, and it was beautiful. The fairy flower girl and the knight ring bearer were precious. Rachel walked out with her dad in a strapless gown with a black sash, black gloves, and a fun white headpiece. Rachel and Dyllon wrote their own vows… while some of the bridesmaids got teary-eyed over Dyllon’s heartfelt promise to always give Rachel the best, Rachel quickly saved the girls from runny mascara lines by always promising to love him when she’s right…. or he’s wrong. Yes guys, the girl is always right.

Following the ceremony, Haley and I were consumed with checking out the crowd. There were zombies, prisoners, hippies, nuns, priests, Harry Potter, athletes, doctors, a viking, and the list goes on. And the decor- fantastic. After the first dance, the bride and groom disappeared… and came back as Batman and Robin! The entrance was nothing short of comical with the Batman music playing in the background Duh nuh nuh nuh nuh nuh nuh nuh Batman! The fabulous orange dreamsicle cake was made by Jay Qualls, a contestant on the Next Great Baker.

The Decor:

Oh, the costumes!

The Bride & Groom:

Orange Dreamsicle Cake:

I’m thrilled that I was able to be a part of Rachel and Dyllon’s special day, along with our friend Haley. And, I must admit that the rest of my friends have a tough act to follow… I can’t imagine what could be more fun than a wedding involving costumes!

Congrats Rachel & Dyllon and Happy Halloween!