Fantasy Wedding, But It’s Real

I was never exactly the type who dreams about white lace and floral arches.

I’d be lying if I said I haven’t ever daydreamed about it, though. The idea of finding someone whose gravity matches yours, someone to walk through this life with shoulder-to-shoulder, that still gets me. Not in a Pinterest board way, but a real, high-stakes, worth-the-bet kind of way.

 

Twilight’s outdoor wedding scene. Once the ideal wedding. ©theknot.com

  

The first time I read the Korean literary critic Shin Hyeong-cheol’s words about his wife, “The rest of my life will be spent loving her precisely”— I felt something tighten in my chest. What even is precise love? He explains it like this: when someone tells you they love a part of you, and you feel pressured to keep performing that version of yourself? That’s love with blurry lines. Precise love is knowing the core of a person and wanting them to live as nothing less. That idea has stayed with me.

If I ever do get married, that’s what I’d want the whole thing to be about. Just an honest room filled with people I’d never want to do life without.

But until that day shows up, if it does, these couples are feeding the fantasy.

 

Real-life Fantasy Weddings

A Wedding With a Pulse

Anya Taylor-Joy ♡ Malcolm McRae

 

©@anyataylorjoy

  

I always thought that if I ever got married, I’d never do it the typical way. No cookie-cutter ceremonies or formulaic receptions. Just a space where my partner, our friends, and family could celebrate in a way that felt entirely like us. Which is why, when I stumbled across photos of Anya Taylor-Joy and Malcolm McRae’s wedding, I felt a spark I couldn’t ignore.

 

©@anyataylorjoy

  

Taylor-Joy and McRae had a vampire-themed wedding. Let me say that again: a vampire-themed wedding. Set in New Orleans before their official Venice ceremony, the goth fantasy of it all felt like it was plucked from a Tim Burton dream. They cut into a heart-shaped cake like it was a love ritual.

Looking like a high-priestess of couture, her custom Dior dress covered in birds and blooms was something straight out of an old fairy-tail.

 

 

Not everyone can or should try to replicate this, but conceptually, it’s genius. They made their wedding about who they are, not who they’re supposed to be.

  

Undone and In Love

Margaret Qualley ♡ Jack Antonoff

Margaret Qualley married Jack Antonoff and managed to make it look like she was in the middle of a sidewalk musical.

 

©pagesix.com

  

She bounced through the day in a simple Molly Goddard dress and satin CHANEL Mary Janes look The shoes were flat and the vibe was just freeing. She cracked open the cliché of bridal heels and let her feet breathe. It was cool, considered, and charmingly unserious.

   

Qualley’s minimal, halt-neck CHANEL wedding dress ©vogue.com

    

What her wedding said loud and clear: you don’t need to prove anything. If you’re glowing, they’ll get the message.

 

Romance, Custom-Made

Sandy Liang ♡ Dorian Booth

In a perfect example of modern love, Sandy Liang met her now-husband Dorian Booth, then fresh out of Yale with a master’s in architecture, on the dating app Bumble. Eight years after that first message, they got married in May, 2023.

 

©elle.com.br

  
If there’s one advantage to being a fashion designer, it’s this: when it comes to your own wedding, you can make exactly what you want. And that’s what Sandy did by designing her own dress. A delicate ribbon in her hair recalled the romantic touches that have become her brand’s signature. On her feet, a pair of classic CHANEL slingbacks. The look was romantic, yes, but most of all it was unmistakably her.

 

©vogue.com

   

She wore that vintage CHANEL pink tweed to the courthouse like it was no big deal. Seeing it on her, I found myself wanting one even more. (Great. Just what I need, another obsession.)

  

A Hundred Dresses for Guests

Simon Porte Jacquemus ♡ Marco Maestri

Weddings are most captivating when they carry the weight of someone’s story, and Simon Porte Jacquemus gave us exactly that. He and Marco Maestri tied the knot in the village where he used to play as a kid. That alone was enough to make us get a little emotional.

 

©vogue.com

  

The street where their reception took place was the same street where Jacquemus used to run around as a boy, with his Mother’s house still there at the far end. He wore a black suit. Marco wore white. Their friends and chosen family lined the long outdoor table, and laughter was spilling into the air.

 

©thewed.com ©jacquemus

   

And then came the party twist only Jacquemus could deliver: he had over 100 white wedding dresses made so guests could slip into them for the afterparty. Rumor has it he donned one himself. That’s the thing about Jacquemus, he loves nature and nostalgia, but he lives for a good spectacle too.

 

©thewed.com ©jacquemus

  

Everything Homemade

Emily Bode ♡ Aaron Aujla

Emily Bode and Aaron Aujla got married in the yard of the house they bought together. Simple. Symbolic. Wildly beautiful.

 

©vogue.com

  

Emily once said, “We picked our house because we wanted to get married in the yard.” That small detail speaks volumes about the couple’s vision. More than a ceremony, it was the beginning of a new tradition, a place to make memories that would weave into the fabric of their family’s future.

 

@bodepersonal

     

Tattoo tights, vintage CHANEL flats, a beaded hairband, and a flared dress (very likely custom-made). More of this, please.

Anya Taylor-Joy nailed the concept. Margaret Qualley kept it beautifully unbothered. Sandy Liang gave us romance the Sandy way. Jacquemus threw a wedding with over a hundred runway-worthy guest looks. And Emily Bode? She made her own dress, of course.

Weddings aren’t the kind of thing you phone in. And these five couples proved that when you show up as fully yourself, it shows. Whether you’re getting married or nowhere close, consider this your sign to make it personal. See you at the next one.