A Celtic, Viking, and Lord of the Rings-themed wedding

A few weeks ago we shared an epic photo from Koontz Photography of these shieldmaidens holding dagger bridesmaids bouquets.

Now we're going to share all the gorgeous details from Melanie and Jake's Celtic, Viking, and Lord of the Rings-themed wedding.

You're not going to believe the DIY elements that went into this! Let's start with Melanie's Celtic and Viking-inspired dress.

Melanie found her dream dress at Minerva’s Bridal, but made a few alterations to really bring together that Celtic and Viking look. She added some gold chains across the back as an accent piece. Then she designed and created the watteau cape and attached it to the dress. 

Melanie's bridal tiara was another DIY project that started off as an $8 tiara from Shein, gold leaves, flowers, and a necklace from Michaels. Using wire wrapping, UV cured resin, and “mild ingenuity” Melanie created her one-of-a-kind tiara. We're totally getting Elven and Lord of the Rings vibes from this wedding accessory.

Melanie ordered some silk and real touch flowers and DIY-ed them herself. She says that at first she was nervous about having “fake” flowers at her wedding, but when they arrived and she felt them for the first time, she was amazed at how soft and realistic the calla lilies were.

When creating the bridesmaid's bouquets Melanie says:

Since our wedding was Celtic/Elven-themed, the groomsmen are the groom’s warriors, and the bridesmaids are my shieldmaidens. Since the groomsmen had swords, I wanted my bridesmaids to have weapons as well. So, for the bridesmaids’ daggers, I took a floral ring and used gold wire wrapping to add calla lilies and greenery to them.

The couple also wore bracelets with the latitude and longitude of where they had their first kiss on one side, and the date on the back.

Each of their personalized vows included the words inscribed in their rings, “Always & Forever”. 

The bridal party walked down the aisle, with their swords and daggers, to Enya's “Wild Child”. As Melanie came down the drive in a horse-drawn carriage, “Bag End” from the Lord of the Rings soundtrack played.

Melanie walked down the green toward Jake and was met by her mother who walked her the rest of the way down the aisle.

After sharing their handwritten vows and sealing their commitment to each other with a kiss, the two rang the bell and walked out to “Augie's Gret Municipal Band” from Star Wars.

Jake took Melanie's last name! Jake says:

We kept this a surprise to most people until yesterday. While it is a fairly unique thing to have the man take the woman’s name when getting married, this was what both of us wanted. I wanted to honor her and her name, which she holds very dear to her, while still honoring my own and allowing us to share a last name. I’m proud to be Mr. Cochrane now, and I look forward to a beautiful, long life together as Mr. and Mrs.

These DIY centerpieces look straight out of an Elven wonderland. Melanie made the lotus candle holders and the geode crystals from resin molds and attached the moss and butterflies with hot glue. She carved a hole in the bottom of the crystals to insert a battery-powered light into the bottom of each to create that magical glow.

After toasts and dinner, Melanie and Jake cut their wedding cake with an Elven sword.

After an evening filled with dancing the couple ended their night dancing to “I Got A Feeling” by The Black Eyed Peas and a sparkler exit followed by a fireworks display over the lake.

To say it was a fairytale ending to this magical Celtic, Viking and Lord of the Rings-themed wedding is an understatement.

The wedding vendors behind this Celtic, Viking, and Lord of the Rings-themed wedding:

• Photographer: Koontz Photography // @KoontzPhotography
• Venue: Gin Creek, Georgia
• Dress Shop: Minerva's Bridal
• Groom's outfit: Vatpave (jacket, vest)
• Hair: Ali Bullis of Element Style Bar
• Bride's Ring: Overnia Ceylon Sapphire from Diamondere
• Groom's Ring: Glamira
• Cake: Q-Ti Cakes
• DJ: Abernathy Entertainment
• Caterer: Catering Capers
• Stationary: Shutterfly