What a choice for a wedding theme! When I went to meet bride Chrissy and her fiancé Jason, I discovered that they had officially chosen…wait for it…Alice in Wonderland as the inspiration for their wedding. Wow.
After initially meeting with the couple, I completely understood why Alice in Wonderland was their wedding motif; Lewis Carroll ’s story is about the twisted and unique underworld that Alice falls into. This was no ordinary couple; Chrissy and Jason were unique, interesting, open-minded, and loved the idea of a fantasy-filled wedding.
And then came the black bridal gown.
Now, I never thought I’d put any of my brides in a black bridal gown. Personally, I am fond of many of the traditional ideals of weddings and while I think it’s important for each and every couple to make a statement of their relationship, love and future together in their wedding, I believe that a black wedding gown balances a thin line between making a statement and being a little too outlandish. To say the least, Chrissy brought out a side of me that I didn’t know existed. The David Tutera you saw in previous episodes has officially been changed since my encounter with Chrissy – my bride wore black and I loved it.
On your wedding, conformity is the absolute worst thing you can do. Granted, sometimes it may seem that there’s only so much you can do with the relatively standard wedding “must-haves”: ceremony, reception, white dress, aisle, wedding party, centerpieces, etc. But within each of these elements, I find that the possibilities are actually endless. You can say anything you want at your wedding through your décor, florals, centerpieces, aisle runner, venue, etc! The message that Chrissy wanted to convey was her love for Jason of many years and that she’s not your typical bride. Chrissy wanted hats, stockings, comfortable shoes, and a black dress. How could I possibly deny her that? When these brides agree to have their wedding on My Fair Wedding, they know that they’re giving, ultimately, the final say to me. You know I love to put my girls in the most glamorous, flattering dress possible – they deserve it! The most flattering dress that Chrissy could have worn on her wedding day was the one that was most representative of her. In this case, that was a black wedding dress. The moment we entered the Ayres Hotel in LA and Chrissy knew for sure that she’d being wearing a black wedding dress, you could see it in her eyes just how much that meant to her.
On another note, I think that Tim Burton is a phenomenal director and I love the way he takes a traditional story’s plot and twists it, making it topsy, turvy, upside down, left, right, crooked, and altogether a little bit off. I had a moment at Louise Green Millinery Co when I realized that this was the direction I wanted to take Chrissy’s wedding in. I wanted to take this Alice in Wonderland theme, make it more wedding, less twisted Johnny Depp, yet completely Chrissy and Jason! The venue became a massive sound stage at LA Center Studios. There were mini cakes at each table, loads of topiaries, greenery, and maze-like additions in the room. The dance floor was black and white checkered and we had entertainment! How could you possibly attend an Alice in Wonderland wedding without birdcage and stilt performers?! A wedding should be full of memories and I love the idea of a singular stand-out moment that makes your guests say “wow”. I know that there were so many moments during this magical night, I can’t imagine the guests leaving without at least a dozen “wow” memories. Thanks to all of the small details that went into this event, the essence of Alice, the Madhatter, Queen of Hearts, and the entire Wonderland brigade were in attendance to Chrissy and Jason’s wedding.
