The Shining wedding: A subversive wedding theme for the not-so squeamish

When my best friend, Mini, announced that she was to marry in October, I was overjoyed. We have been best friends since high school — she has been at my side and offered guidance and support when I became wheelchair disabled from a car accident over 10 years ago. So I really looked forward to collaborating with her in the creative process of wedding planning.

And what I mean by that is planning a non-traditional event that many would consider subversive…

Mini decided to base her wedding theme on Stanley Kubrick’s macabre and terrifying psychological horror movie, The Shining. We have a wicked, creative sense of humor, and wanted to cleverly “unknot” the traditional wedding with this subversive wedding theme. As her friend and a graphic designer, I lent a hand. Here's what we came up with…

The Shining wedding invitation suite

This is the black and white image seen at the end of the movie. I superimposed the bride and groom’s heads in circles, then blew them up to resemble Bobble Heads.

The orange and brown graphic was deliberately used in this design, since it is a replica of the carpet pattern seen throughout The Overlook Hotel's hallways.

When Mini’s British mom saw this RSVP card, she inquired “What’s with the little kid?” Imagine her expression when Mini explained the significance of the creepy kid riding around the hotel on his Big Wheel.

Clearly this maze is from the movie where Jack Nicholson chases his family with an axe, but can’t find them and eventually freezes to death on a snowy winter Colorado night.

A Shining-themed wedding to-do list:

1. Lodging

Have your guests stay in a historic hotel like Timberline Lodge in Oregon, where parts of the movie were filmed. We stayed at the Berkeley Hotel — an historic boutique seaside hotel in Asbury Park, New Jersey, which has a boardwalk and historic homes.

2. Dress code

The groom was stylish, in a pair of red-laced Doc Martens to match his shirt. Of course, the most dapper dudes wear hats to their wedding. The bride dyed her hair pink and wore a Badgley Mischka gown.

Ask your guests to dress in period costumes from the '20s.

3. Sprinkle props from the movie throughout the wedding venue

4. Play music from The Shining

This song was playing while introducing the bride and groom right before vows were exchanged!

5. Dance and drink all night long since you never know when you’ll be axed

I can’t begin to tell you what a glorious weekend I had with friends at this Shining-themed wedding.