Darren Criss, the Emmy-prevailing actor, songwriter, and musician who got his begin gambling Blaine at the excessive school dramedy Glee and has most currently starred in Ryan Murphy’s The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story on FX, married his longtime love—director, manufacturer, and musician Mia Swier—over the weekend in New Orleans, and the birthday party changed into, as one may assume one big concert. Rather than hiring a band, the couple enlisted the help and skills of their wedding guests, such as Lea Michele and John Stamos. “You ought to say we married ourselves with some assistance from our buddies,” Darren jokes.
It became a nonstop four-day party that started on Valentine’s Day with an ’80s prom nighttime on the burlesque and comedy display hotspot One-Eyed Jack. On Friday, all and Sundry took a swamp tour to the bayou, where baby alligators were held, and Mia drove an airboat. Later that night, the couple hosted a rehearsal dinner and welcome beverages at Sylvain. Staying on the subject, songs had been sung at each unmarried event. “It just stored going, and nobody wanted it to cease,” Darren says. “It turned into less a party people mainly and more a celebration of the lifestyles we’ve built together. The whole aspect became a dream. It turned into precisely what we had been hoping it would be. Best weekend of our lives.”
The wedding day started with the couple taking snapshots at the Ace Hotel. “New Orleans holds a unique region in our lives,” Darren explains. “It’s full of fond reminiscences from some time spent there. It encapsulates our collective character: a combination of hedonism and elegance. It’s a unique, colorful city complete with celebration and track. Also, it’s equidistant from our domestic cities of Los Angeles and New York, where most of our guests have been coming. Suffice it to mention, they don’t do matters in New Orleans the way they do in different parts of the arena—and we desired to make sure our wedding ceremony turned into in contrast to something our guests had skilled earlier than.”
Nothing becomes conventional—no longer even their wedding ceremony. Yes, the bride became to dressmaker Vera Wang—who became there the morning of the marriage to help her get geared up—for her dress, but the tender white strapless crepe gown becomes subversive. Classic garter-belt elements accented the total tulle skirt, and the cathedral-duration tulle veil had black Chantilly lace detailing. Mia finished off the appearance with white Dr. Martens beside her. In the meantime, Darren chose an off-white custom Giorgio Armani scarf-collar tuxedo trimmed with silk grosgrain.
Once all the essential pre-ceremony snapshots were taken, Mia and Darren drove to the ceremony area in a chum’s antique crimson Rolls-Royce convertible. “Because I usually desired to roll up to my wedding ceremony in some warm wheels,” Mia shared. The festivities started with an outside ceremony within the sculpture lawn at the New Orleans Museum of Art. The vibe becomes very Stevie Nicks meets the mystery and sultry ambiance of the French Quarter.
Wedding fashion designer and planner Kristin Banta included the gap in vintage rugs. They illuminated it with a sea of candelabras lining the course main and several large all-right trees dripping with Spanish moss and Mardi Gras beads. Darren then appeared, grabbed a guitar, and commenced making a song to accompany his and Mia’s households down the aisle. When he completed it, he retrieved Mia, and they walked up the aisle together.
From there, they gave their particular spin to regular programming using website hosting and officiating their wedding. Mixed in with friends and family providing words of affection and information, songs, poems, and tales, the proceedings were, as visitors placed it, “So Darren and Mia.” When the newlyweds eventually processed down the aisle, they were joined using a second-line band, and together, they led guests to the cocktail reception on the museum’s front steps.
At around 10:00 p.m.—proper at the moment when visitors possibly idea matters have been about to wind down—there was a dramatic mild exchange, and buckets of glow sticks poured onto the steps of the museum, signaling it became time to move into the museum. As the doorways flew open, visitors were greeted with a stay song, and servers passed trays of what they were told became “dance gas” (aka shots of tequila and coffee). The live performance part of the night had begun.
“One of the things we looked ahead to the most was something we concealed from almost everybody at the marriage,” Darren explains. “The concept turned into taking an old lifestyle and flipping it into something loads cooler and without a doubt loads greater fun for us as bride and groom.” When guests moved into the museum, the band delivered the bride and groom and announced they could have their first song collectively. “This was our cue to seem at the top of opposite sides of this huge marble staircase. The two people descending into the group were this type of stunning moment, and the point turned to have guests assume we had been going to get to the lowest and feature our first dance.
As a substitute, I quickly put on a guitar as we reached the level, and Mia put on a bass. Then, we exploded into ‘The Ballroom Blitz’ with the aid of Sweet to begin the birthday party. We had the first music collectively as husband and spouse—it was the coolest. The entire aim of our wedding changed into taking traditions and flipping them on their heads with our aptitude . . . And me gambling a trendy Thinline Telecaster in my white tux with Mia rockin’ out on a matching white Duff McKagan P Bass in a wedding get-dressed and fight boots—that entire second turned into probably the top of that aim.”
The night’s relaxation turned into a nearly 3-hour live performance offering a lineup of the couple’s family and buddies as performers. By the quiet of the nighttime, approximately 30 exceptional songs had been played by almost 30 special guests. “There turned into actually no way I changed into going to have a wedding wherein I wasn’t putting all the music collectively!” Darren laughs.
At the end of the live performance, guests exceeded headphones for a silent disco with a customized playlist of even more of the couple’s preferred songs, split into three one-of-a-kind channels. Darren and Mia modified into their final appearance of the nighttime—matching sequin T-shirts—and out of doors, espresso and beignets from a Cafe Du Monde food truck have been up for grabs. You can’t get a great deal more New Orleans than that!
