This glam Halloween wedding had eyeballs in the flowers and a string quartet

Offbeat Couple: Nikki & Dmitri Glickman

Location and Date: Brazilian Room, Berkeley, CA – 10/28/2022

Nikki and Dmitri are two amazing humans who are creative, authentic, incredibly loving, kind, and quirky (our favorite kind of clients!). Their Halloween wedding featured jewel tones – emerald green, bright orange, dramatic purple, navy blue – that played up a spooky but subtle Halloween vibe, with a touch of vintage and Hollywood glam.

Pumpkins decorated the ceremony and reception, as well as vintage ceramic ghosts, a spiderweb wreath above their sweetheart table, bowls of Halloween candy, a Frankenstein Couple welcome sign!

Then there were Nikki’s frighteningly gorgeous painted nails of black and purple spiderwebs:

Hidden in each centerpiece and Nikki’s bouquet were handcrafted, polymer clay eyeballs wrapped with real flower petals, created by artist Little Wickeds. The flowers and some décor were assembled by Conjured Events – dahlias and snapdragons, the couple’s faves.

Elegant, haunting signage adorned the proceedings, designed by The Painted Papier on Etsy.

Nikki’s dress from Unique Vintage was a DIY dye of lavender as a subtle nod to the colors of her mother’s wedding!

The cake knife had been passed down from her great, great grandmother.

Dmitri’s ring from JL Designs is made from meteorite and gold leaf – and if that wasn’t cool enough, it glows in the dark!

Nikki’s starry veil was created by one of her bridesmaids.

During the ceremony, Nikki read Neil Gaiman's poem “All I Know About Love” (“…nobody else's love, nobody else's marriage, is like yours, and it's a road you can only learn by walking it“), while Dmitri chose “One Hundred Love Sonnets #17” by Pablo Neruda (“I love you as one loves certain obscure things, secretly, between the shadow and the soul“).

In lieu of a traditional guest book, the couple had their guests leave messages via a special number. Who knew that voicemails were retro already?

The ceremony aisles were lined with books from Nikki’s personal collection. A proud bookworm, Nikki selected ‘The Awakening’ by Kate Chopin – a book she made Dmitri read when they first started dating – as well as Edgar Allen Poe, Stephen King, Ruth Bader Ginsberg, J.R.R. Tolkien, and more!

Loved ones who have passed were also part of the celebration, honored on an Ofrenda-inspired table which was adorned with mismatched frames, marigolds, and lavender lace.

Dmitri carried his vows in a journal once used by his late father that had the words “Everything is Shaka”, and a favorite sweatshirt of his was placed in a chair next to the groom’s mother.

It began as a joke between the couple: “What if we walked down the aisle to the theme of Jurassic Park? I could wear an inflatable dinosaur suit!” With Dmitri’s trained ear as a composer, he was inspired to write a pastiche of the music: a song that sounded like Jurassic Park, but unique and just for them.

Yes, Dmitri literally composed their processional music, and had it performed by a string quartet!

The recessional was another arrangement for the string quartet by Dmitri, “As the World Falls Down” from the soundtrack of Labyrinth. David Bowie was featured throughout the ceremony, including “Starman” and “Magic Dance.” The bridal party walked into dinner to “She’s a Bad Mama Jama.”

The first dance was “Summertime Magic” by Childish Gambino, followed by a father-daughter dance that was a mashup between “My Girl” by The Temptations and Pee Wee Herman’s “Tequila Dance.”

Nikki and Dmitri’s wedding was filled with magic and infinite love. They created a one-of-a-kind, memorable celebration that was a true reflection of the wonderful couple they are!

Wedding vendors:

• Photographer: Mister Debs IG: @misterdebs
• Florals: Conjured Events IG: @conjuredevents
• Eyeball Flowers: Little Wickeds IG: @littlewickeds
• Catering: Jasmine Catering IG: @jasminecatering
• String Quartet: supergroup featuring Evan Kahn of the New Century Chamber Orchestra
• DJ: Shane Lawton
• Cupcakes: Cupcakin' Bake Shop IG: @cupcakinbakeshop
• Hair/makeup: Uwa's Artistry IG: @uwaartistry
• Signage: The Painted Papier IG: @thepaintedpapier