a halloween wedding
models: alicia & john dwiel-mance
creative directed and shot by maia feruzi
friday october 31st 2025 12pm-6pm
📍harvard, il
shot on canon eos rebel t3i 18-24mm, 70-300mm
getting ready
It’s like the gods answered my prayers. I wanted nothing more than to do a queer wedding on halloween and bam! Here comes Alicia reaching out on Chicago Queer Exchange Facebook group looking for a photographer for her wedding. Set in a quaint and beautiful farmland in western Illinois, two souls bound themselves together for a lifetime. I was lucky enough to be chosen to capture their special day, these are their photos. Starting off slow and with a budding excitement you can feel in every frame, is the getting ready stage. Hidden in two rooms across the hall from each other, Alicia with her mom and John with his brothers, the two began the process of donning their wedding attire. I literally asked Alicia for the link to her dress because it was so beautiful! A gothic queen if I’ve ever seen one. For these photos I focused on detail shots of the outfits and the major moments like putting on a tie or lacing up the corset.
the ceremony
The ceremony itself was very short and consisted of a hand fasting ceremony where the parents of both the bride and groom tied their hands together symbolizing the joining of the two families. It was beautiful and made my inner witch so happy to see. I love non traditional wedding practices. The ceremony was in a large hall with one side being a huge window. It made for beautiful soft light but unfortunately because they were stood directly in front of it, they were back lit for the entire ceremony. Once I realized frontal shots were mostly a lost cause, I darted back and forth from either side to capture the light falling on them, and told their story that way.
the reception
The reception was a very easy going process. I brought the bridal group and family outside the hall to a lovely fairy ring underneath a massive tree whose bent bough framed each shot so perfectly it was like I’d planned it that way. With such a small wedding, only around 30 people max, this section of photos was a quick process. After everyone had eaten, all that was left was cake cutting and the first dance. I encouraged them to be a little silly and get the only tradition I love, putting cake on each others faces. It’s the easiest way to get a real smile out of folks. I then saw the daylight was fading so although there was no music playing, I had them do a first dance in silence in the corner where the setting sun was glowing. They made it look so natural you couldn’t have told the difference if I didn’t tell you.
we’re married!
Alicia’s only real ask was that they wanted to have golden hour in some photos. For the whole ceremony and reception it had been overcast which every photographer knows is ideal lighting. However, just as we walked out some private photos of the two, the clouds parted and the sun shone like it knew it was needed. We were able to capture some lovely photos of them walking and sitting in the field, and everyone left feeling good and satisfied with the shots. The moodboard I was sent showed mostly dark, moody, and gothic romantic lighting and poses. I tried to replicate that in my editing and posing while still staying true to the couples own vibe and my personal creative eye. That’s why although every photo before the end was simple in editing design and leaned heavily on black and white, I had a little fun with the final set and darkened the lighting and colors in my edits. This is the third wedding I’ve done and each time I learn something new about the process and me as a photographer. I no longer fear weddings. I now welcome the challenge, and take supreme pleasure in capturing true love. Something that shines through no matter who’s taking the photo.
