Krystal & Matthew’s red carpet premiere film noir wedding

The Offbeat Bride: Krystal, VFX Artist

Her offbeat partner: Matthew, VFX Artist

Date and location of wedding: Cinefamily, Los Angeles, CA — December 10, 2012

Our offbeat wedding at a glance: Matthew and I started dating because we both love film so much, and since we both work in visual effects, we were able to make a short film of our own to screen. We love film noir and decided that it would be the perfect genre to recreate.

We also had a tiny budget, so we had to really DIY it up. We designed our own invitations, tickets, and film posters. Matthew's aunt custom-made my dream dress from Moulin Rouge. We also had our guests dress in '40s-era outfits for a real “Old Hollywood” red-carpet premiere feel.

Here's a link to the short film we made and screened at our wedding:

Tell us about the ceremony:
The '40s-era clad guests arrived to a red carpet for photos, then were given fresh popcorn and sodas before taking their seats in the theater. After screening our short film, the bridal party all went up to the stage. We decided to have our dear friend (and the bassist in my band) be our officiant. We wanted the whole vibe of the event to be just the closest people in our lives having a good time. Since our venue was also our reception area, it was so easy to get everyone food and drinks as soon as possible after the ceremony.

Our biggest challenge:
Our biggest challenge was just logistics and making everything come together. Matthew and I did so much planning and prep work. I did all of the scheduling and coordinating. We both worked on the creative stuff together. The film was a big challenge in and of itself. We had all of our friends help out as grips and actors for the shoot, then Matthew and I took all of the editing on from there.

I made a playlist of '40s-era music and used my band's PA system and an iPod to play the music for reception time. For the reception area, my best friend's family took the reins and really made it something special. They are truly DIY masters. We'll never be able to repay them enough. When the night was over, I really couldn't believe it. It's amazing how something I've been planning for a whole year just goes by in a flash of light.

My funniest moment:
Our officiant wrote a lovely speech that brought us to tears. Then he asked us to say our vows. We remember telling him that we wouldn't have any, but he must have forgotten. So we just stared at each other for a few seconds and eventually went on with the ceremony like nothing happened.

Care to share a few vendor/shopping links?

• Photography: Katie Lee Photography
• Cupcakes: Big Sugar Bake Shop
• Venue: Cinefamily
• Catering: Unfortunately, our wonderful caterers went out of business shortly after our wedding. They were an awesome food truck called Pig's Feet Under. Chef Masa, Andrianna, and team all did a spectacular job.
• Rental sets: Silver Dream Factory
• Vintge clothing: Vintage Play Clothes
• Comfy vintage shoes: Karabel
• Custom-made dress: Donna Faller

Enough talk — show me the wedding inspo!

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@offbeatbride @offbeatwed

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