Steampunk Wedding for Madison and Hugo at Second Empire!

Madison and Hugo are unique individuals and they strive to express themselves in non-conformist fashion. They planned their wedding for January 9, 2010 at the historic Second Empire restaurant in Raleigh. Hugo lives in Chichester, England; Madison in Raleigh. They met on line via the Fiction-Post Writers' Forum and the romance took off. Both have spent much time visiting the other and now they will be making their home together in England after the wedding.

When Madison contacted me in November, she said that she was fearful of finding only ministers who were impersonal and/or dictatorial so she was pleasantly surprised that I was neither! She told me that she and Hugo were into Steampunk and wanted to know if that was okay with me. Well, I had never heard the term before. She explained that Steampunk is a subculture that combines Victorian culture with Sci Fi! Oh my! So I googled it and actually found a U Tube video of a Steampunk wedding! I must say that that wedding was certainly in the appropriate costume but the officiant, who was a friend of the couple and quite humorous, made the wedding a show mostly about himself, something that I am not into doing at a wedding. For me, the wedding is all about the couple! At any rate, Madison and her mother, Dionne, met with me and found out that I really enjoy officiating unique weddings that express the individuality of the couple. So we were a good fit.

 

I met Hugo the day of the wedding. He was strikingly handsome in his custom made outfit of blue wool. I decided to wear a black dress and my lacy prayer stole which looked Victorian, vintage heart pendant and earrings, and boots to fit the era.

 

Here are our three groomsmen in Victorian apparel for this wonderful occasion. I believe they all came over from England. I loved listening to all the British accents!

 

Here comes the bride in her lovely Victorian wedding gown! I emailed Madison and Hugo a bunch of ceremony material and they put together the ceremony they wanted and sent it to me. Of course we included the Celtic handfasting ceremony and some special readings. But for the most part the ceremony was fairly traditional. Madison opted not to have her father escort her into the ceremony and instead, they liked my suggestion of meeting each other in the middle of the aisle and walking to the front together.

The East Parlor at Second Empire was a perfect setting for this vintage themed wedding. The building's architectural style is Second Empire Victorian, a style developed in France under Napoleon III and marked by heavy ornate modification of Empire styles. The interior of the home has fourteen foot ceilings and deep bay windows. Tracy, the events coordinator, had to move a big plant from the corner so all 4 of our groomsmen would fit! The bridesmaid to the far left is Dulcie, the sister of the groom, and the maid of honor is Morgan, sister of the bride. Daniel, a good friend of Hugo's serves as the best man. Hugo's parents, Coral and Rob, are on the right front row skyping the wedding to Hugo's younger sister, Venetia, would could not come "across the pond" to the wedding.

I am looping the handfasting cord around their joined left hands. The more loops, the stronger the bond. Then they joined their right hands together forming the symbol of infinity blessing their marriage in the eternal ebb and flow of the universe.  They read their sweet and touching vows to each other from my book and exchanged rings. I made the pronouncement of marriage, they kissed and out they went! 

Married, at last!  Hugo is wearing the handfasting cord which he later transferred to Madison. We adjourned to the front entrance of the restaurant for some photos outside. Taner Ergin was our photographer. He is new to wedding photography and was getting some experience and expanding his portfolio. Madison told me a few days after the wedding that they liked his work.

I wanted to show you the bride's bouquet. It is made out of blue felt flowers with button centers made by Madison and her sister. I am sure they made sure this was authentic.

Madison and her sweet mother, Dionne, before the wedding. Dionne was so supportive of her daughter and her non-traditional wedding theme. Together they planned much of this wedding since Hugo was in England and they did a great job.

 

This is the reception room off the tavern in the lower level of the restaurant. Doesn't it look like a great period setting for this wedding theme?

An old Victorian clock, no doubt. There is probably some history behind this clever centerpiece!

 

This is the wedding cake by Simply Cakes. Madison and Dionne were really pleased with it. Part cake and part cupcake topped with the bride and groom and the elements of Sci Fi on the icing. Take a closer look at the topper:

Madison made these Sci Fi figures with the stylized Victorian outfits out of polymer clay. How adorable and how creative!

Here they are....... Our happy Mr. and Mrs.Steampunk!!

 

I was honored and thrilled to be a part of Madison and Hugo's special wedding. They are a fabulous couple and will go far...in fact, all the way to England to live. Madison and Hugo, with your wonderful and individual spirits, you are bound for success! Congratulations!