Nonbinary fantasy wedding with a first sword duel

We're so envious Nicki Fietzer of De Nueva Photography had the honor of experiencing Jessica and Kristen's fantasy-filled day. From the impeccable bespoke suit fashion to the sword duel in lieu of a first dance, their wedding was nothing short of a faery wonderland. Jessica's floral and satin cape and Kristen's jeweled floral crown take nonbinary fashion finery to a whole new level. Wait till you read how they designed fantasy personas for themselves, plus all the incredible wedding wisdom Jessica drops, like this one:

There is so much joy in being yourself, rather than being what other’s may want you to be.

And that's just one of the many wise reflections Jessica shares on their wedding planning process!

Now let's get lost in this fantasy world…

We adore how the two of them got ready together.

The two most important accessories of our outfits were K’s spindly, jeweled floral crown and my regal embroidered floral cape with satiny blue lining. We commissioned artists for both pieces, to have them custom made from scratch to perfectly make our visions a reality. We came up with fantasy personas for ourselves as inspiration for designing our individual looks – K as an ethereal fae prince and me as a roguish prince of bandits. Our artists were beyond amazing to work with, and we felt truly majestic and happy with how we dressed on our big day. We felt like our true selves.

Both of us sported wonderful bespoke suits by King Brothers Clothiers. The bespoke suit experience is something we’d been looking forward to for a long time, especially since I love dapper queer style. It was fantastic being able to select all customization options for our suits, down to the thread color for buttonholes! Our suits followed our wedding palette of deep jewel tone reds and blues, and incorporated some special symbolic touches. My suit jacket was a deep red, with a blue patterned interior lining and contrast buttonholes as a nod to K. K’s suit was a deep blue, with red lining and thread, as a nod to my suit.

Which do we love more, the officiant's ‘fit or the handfasting cord?

It was incredibly important to both of us to wear exactly what we wanted at our wedding, not whatever may be expected by wedding standards or by anyone else we know. Personal style is so empowering, and we wanted to feel our most powerful, radiant, and joyful. We knew we could do that by staying true to our unorthodox vision for our wedding ‘fits.

One of the more unorthodox elements of our wedding was our super indulgent take on a first dance. Although a traditional dance would have been lovely, we felt a little self-conscious and awkward at the idea of just the two of us dancing in front of everyone. At one point during planning, we were trying to figure out some way to incorporate swords into the wedding, because I just love swords. A friend gave the idea for us doing a sword dance. It totally clicked with us, like “Oh, of course! If swords are involved, it’s absolutely worth doing a dance.”

Here's the advice from Jessica that Nicki believes will resonate with Offbeat couples:

You can just do things, actually. Seriously. Maybe we can’t all afford a palace or a champagne fountain for our wedding, but there are so many amazing things you can have for your wedding that may not think of at first.
Want a sword duel-dance hybrid set to a Sailor Moon song for your first dance? Ask around for nerdy theater folks with experience in choreography and stage fighting who would be thrilled to work with you! Need a fancy cape or an intricate crown? Look for creative folks who do custom work by asking friends, searching Etsy, or researching local designers, cosplayers, and artists. Think outside the box! There are infinite ways to throw a wedding and really thinking about what you love and don’t love will help you design a celebration you’ll be truly happy with.

Wedding vendors behind this nonbinary fantasy wedding:

• Photographer | De Nueva Photography, by Nicki Fietzer | @denuevaphoto
• Videographer | Mae B Films, by Nikki Miller | @maebfilms
• Venue | Watson Block Event Center | @watson_block
• Caterer | Sterling Catering
• Dessert Caterer | Deco Catering
• Ceremony Singer/Musician | Noelle Pangilinan
• Ring-making instructor | With These Rings, by Stephanie Selle
• Bespoke Suits| King Brothers Clothiers | @kingbrosclothiers
• Cape Designer | Samantha Rei | @samanthareiofficial
• Crown Designer | Jean Fioca | @hylianjean
• Enamel Pins Designers | Francesca Buchko & Justin Oaksford
• Reception Pianist | Nate Hance