Mike and Jess are the ultimate creative couple who fell for each other over a shared love of all things horror, design, and film related. On Mike and Jess’s first date they watched the Halloween classic Hocus Pocus (this separately being one of their favorite movies) and this memory ended up sparking inspiration for their “spooky, sexy, Met Gala” Halloween wedding!

They chose to tie the knot at Thornewood Castle - a historic Tudor Gothic home with a history going back over 500 years. Built in 1908 by Chester A. Thorne, this 27,000 square foot manor is of the Gothic Tudor style and is the only one of its kind on the west coast.

And we will let you in on a little secret… Thornewood Castle is rumored to be HAUNTED. It has been featured in several horror films (Stephen King!), and most recently the facade of the building served as the inspiration for The Haunting of Bly Manor. Mike and Jess loved the history of this beautiful venue and were intrigued by the possibility of paranormal activity as an added bonus to their special day. They gathered their family and sprawling community from NYC to Seattle to boogy the night away.

We had so much fun running around Thornewood Castle taking Mike and Jess’s portraits before guests arrived. We shot in a guest room that is rumored to be one of the most haunted rooms of the castle, the library, and one of the gorgeous long hallways - taking advantage of the golden hour light peeking through.

Mike and Jess set the dress code as “spooky, sexy, Met Gala” inspired and their friends and family definitely delivered on the creative direction!

They descended the staircase and welcomed their guests - all were so ecstatic to see them! This officially kicked off the evening of celebrating their love!

One fun element of the night was … POTIONS! A perfect addition to this spooky wedding.

We loved capturing the details of the estate on 120 film and 35mm film.

All of the guests did such a good job putting their own twist on the “spooky, sexy, Met Gala” dress code!

The reception tablescapes had beautiful dried flowers and glowing orbs at every turn. Mike and Jess also included tons of personalized details such as “the lovers” cards pictured below.

Our favorite shot of the lovely couple during dinner.

In lieu of traditional wedding speeches, they opted to have their loved ones prepare “eulogies” which was a Halloween twist on this long time tradition. The eulogies had everyone reaching for their handkerchiefs while crying and simultaneously laughing!

Can we please appreciate how amazing everyone’s outfits were?!

Cheers! (Peep Mike and Jess’s iconic beer cozies)

Dinner was to die for and expertly catered by Pecado Bueno. All enjoyed a taco buffet with plenty of delicious sides.

Mike and Jess shared their first dance as newly weds to Medicine by the 1975, which was interrupted by…

DRAG QUEEN SANDERSON SISTERS!

Mike and Jess’s first dance was interrupted by the Haus of Paradisco dressed as the Sanderson Sisters from Hocus Pocus! This was hands down the biggest surprise of the night and everyone went wild for it. They performed a medley of songs from the original movie and the sequel that came out right before their wedding!

Pure JOY!

Even the littlest of guests enjoyed the performance!

The conclusion of the Haus of Paradisco’s performance kicked off party dancing for the evening, in the main hall of Thornewood Castle.

Mike and Jess’s cake was the pièce de résistance of the food this evening, created by the lovely Cake Life Everyday.

Guests enjoyed tarot readings during the reception by Lettie Jane.

Congratulations to Mike and Jess! We wish you a lifetime of happiness and we are go grateful we were there to capture your day! (A black cat followed us out to our car as we left… such a spooky ending to the evening!)