Life

The Only Wedding Inspo You'll Ever Need

Planning a wedding? Not planning a wedding, but just like to look at wedding-y things? Here’s your treat for the day: The Little Mermaid- inspired wedding to end all Little Mermaid-inspired weddings. Seriously, you guys — if Hipster Ariel and Prince Eric got married in a slightly-twee-yet-absolutely-adorable wedding, this is exactly what it would look like, right down to the golden dinglehopper the bride apparently did her hair with.

Alas, the whole thing is just a photo shoot, not a real wedding — but if you’ve always dreamed of celebrating your nuptials in grand Disney style, it’ll give you all the inspiration you need. The brainchild of online wedding marketplace Your Cloud Parade and singer/songwriter, designer, and real life Disney princess Traci Hines, the shoot imagines the kind of wedding Ariel and Eric might have if they were die-hard fans of the Etsy aesthetic. Lauren Coats of Your Cloud Parade designed the shoot, while 10.11 Makeup handled the hair and makeup, Sweet and Saucy Shop took care of the desserts, and A Blooming Bud and Afloral provided the gorgeous floral arrangements; Hines modeled Ariel (of course), and Leo Camacho took on the role of Eric. Once the whole thing got put together, it was up to Mark Brooke Photography and Mathieu Photo to capture the whole thing on film (well, digital), while Sweet T Studios took care of the videography. The results are nothing short of stunning. As BuzzFeed’s Michelle Harrison put it, “this styled shoot… might just take the (crustacean-themed) cake.” Har, har.

I’ll be honest: I love me some Disney, but I’ve never felt compelled to plan a Disney wedding. Something about it just feels… I don’t know… a little odd. In fiction, weddings are often the ends of stories, especially in the Disney universe; in the real world, though, I think they signal an ongoing adventure. Because I look at marriage as a continuation, rather than an ending, I’d feel a little bizarre theming a wedding after the conclusion of a story. Those are just my own personal views, though, so if a Disney wedding sounds like the perfect celebration to you, then go forth and party.

And you know what? If I were going to have a Disney wedding, this would be how I’d do it. Obviously it’s picture-perfect, which means that it probably wouldn’t go down quite like this in real life — but the details are thematically on point without going too far overboard. The paper goods — invitations, menus, and so on — stick with the classic Ariel color scheme of teal and purple while using a watercolor design to keep it interesting:

The sweets are mermaid-inspired without looking like the cake you had at your birthday party when you were five:

Here’s a closer look at the cupcakes and macarons, with their subtle little nod to Hipster Ariel:

The tables manage to cover both the ocean motif and the flower arrangements we’ve come to expect from wedding décor:

And how gorgeous is this table setting?

And the ceremony! Oh, the ceremony! Conducted right at the water’s edge, it featured all of Ariel’s sisters as the bridesmaids:

Awwww:

Awwwwwww:

And of course, it included a romantic walk on the beach for the bride and groom:

That train? Beautiful. Frothy like sea foam and absolutely gorgeous. Here’s a better look at it:

I wasn’t kidding when I said the bride probably did her hair with her trusty dinglehopper, by the way:

And because it wouldn’t be a hipster wedding without a few pairs of specs:

Don’t forget to cut the cake!

The best part? Both Mathieu Photo and Mark Brooke Photography’s websites provide links to the Your Cloud Parade pages for aaaaaaaaaaall the decorative details, from the bridal gown to the paper goods. If you fell totally in love with a particular element of the imaginary wedding — or, y’know, the whole thing—you’ve got all the info you need to recreate the look right at your fingertips.

Check out the full shoot over at Your Cloud Parade — and take a listen to Traci’s rendition of “Part of Your World” here, because obviously I can’t very well not include it, right?

Images: Mark Brooke Photography and Mathieu Photo/Your Cloud Parade (13); Giphy

Your Cloud Parade Vendors: Bridal Gown/Claire LaFaye; Hair Pieces/Creature Of Habit; Paper Goods/Typologie & Co; Tablescape/Koyal; Bow Tie/Little Byrd Shop; Plaid Skirts/Fleet Collection; Shell Stir Sticks/Laura Hooper Calligraphy; Geometric Planters/Redwood Stoneworks; Air Plants/RobinCharlotte; Wands & Streamers/Kate Kate NYC; Shell Crop Tops/Adorkable Apparel; Shell Rings/Siren’s Grotto; Tulle Skirts/Dark Pony Designs

Models: Charis Lincoln, Brytni Jean, Vanessa Walton, Helena Levin, Joanna Lynn, Amber Arden