Darren Criss and Mia Swier’s marriage ceremony became a Musical Extravaganza beneath the Spanish Moss in New Orleans

picture: Katie Edwards image

Darren Criss, the Emmy-profitable actor, songwriter, and musician who got his birth playing Blaine on the high college 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, producer, and musician Mia Swier—over the weekend in New Orleans, and the celebration became, as one may expect, one large concert. as opposed to hiring a band, the couple enlisted the support and ability of their marriage ceremony visitors, together with Lea Michele and John Stamos. "You might say we married ourselves, with a bit help from our friends," Darren jokes.

It changed into a nonstop four-day party that began on Valentine's Day with an '80s promenade evening at the burlesque and comedy display hotspot One Eyed Jacks. On Friday, all and sundry took a swamp tour expedition to the bayou the place baby alligators were held and Mia drove an air boat. Later that nighttime, the couple hosted a rehearsal dinner and welcome drinks at Sylvain. Staying on theme, songs were sung at each event. "It simply kept going and nobody wanted it to end," Darren says. "It become less a social gathering of us principally and more a get together of the existence we've built together. The entire component turned into a dream. It turned into precisely what we had hoped it could be. most excellent weekend of our lives."

The day of the marriage begun out with the couple taking photos at the Ace resort. "New Orleans holds a different region in our lives," Darren explains. "It's filled with fond reminiscences from loads of time spent there over the years. It encapsulates our collective personality: a mixture of hedonism and magnificence. It's a unique, colorful town crammed with occasion and music. additionally, it's equidistant from our domestic cities of los angeles and long island, the place most of our visitors have been coming from. Suffice it to say, they don't do issues in New Orleans the manner they do in different parts of the area—and we desired to be certain our marriage ceremony became not like the rest our visitors had skilled earlier than."

Nothing turned into typical—now not even their marriage ceremony looks. yes, the bride turned to dressmaker Vera Wang—who was there the morning of the marriage to assist her get in a position—for her dress, but the soft white strapless crepe costume turned into subversive. traditional garter-belt features accented the full tulle skirt, and the cathedral-length tulle veil had black Chantilly lace detailing. Mia entire off the seem to be with white Dr. Martens besides. Darren, meanwhile, selected an off-white custom Giorgio Armani shawl-collar tuxedo trimmed with silk grosgrain.

as soon as all of the crucial pre-ceremony photographs had been taken, Mia and Darren drove over to the ceremony area in a friend's old red Rolls-Royce convertible. "as a result of I all the time wanted to roll as much as my own marriage ceremony in some sizzling wheels," Mia shared. The festivities kicked off with an out of doors ceremony in the sculpture backyard on the New Orleans Museum of art. The vibe became very Stevie Nicks meets the secret and sultry ambiance of the French Quarter.

wedding clothier and planner Kristin Banta coated the area in antique rugs and illuminated it with a sea of candelabras lining the direction main up to a couple of large okaytimber dripping with Spanish moss and Mardi Gras beads. Darren then seemed, grabbed a guitar, and started singing a song to accompany his and Mia's families down the aisle. When he comprehensive, he went to head retrieve Mia himself , and they both walked up the aisle together.

From there, they gave their own unique spin to standard programming with the aid of hosting and officiating their own wedding. jumbled together with pals and household providing words of affection and knowledge, songs, poems, and reports, the court cases were, as guests put it, "So Darren and Mia." When the newlyweds at last processed down the aisle, they had been joined by using a second line band, and collectively they led visitors to the cocktail reception on the front steps of the museum.

At round 10:00 p.m.—correct for the time being when guests likely concept issues have been about to wind down—there became a dramatic light change, and buckets of glow sticks poured onto the steps of the museum, signaling it became time to flow into the museum. as the doorways flew open, guests have been greeted with reside music and servers passing trays of what they had been told was "dance fuel" (aka pictures of tequila and espresso). The reside concert portion of the night had begun.

"probably the most things we appeared forward to essentially the most changed into whatever we truly hid from just about every person on the marriage ceremony," Darren explains. "The concept turned into to take an historical way of life and turn it into something plenty cooler and positively much more enjoyable for us as bride and groom." When visitors moved inner the museum, the band brought the bride and groom and announced that they would have their first song together. "This turned into our cue to appear at the excellent of contrary aspects of this big marble staircase. the two of us descending into the crowd became such a fine looking moment, and the factor become to have visitors consider we were going to get to the bottom and have our first dance. however instead, as we reached the stage, I immediately placed on a guitar and Mia put on a bass, and we exploded into 'The Ballroom Blitz' by using sweet to get the birthday celebration started. We had a pri mary song together as husband and spouse—it turned into the coolest. The complete intention of our marriage ceremony become to take traditions and turn them on their heads with our own flair . . . and me enjoying a fresh Thinline Telecaster in my white tux with Mia rockin' out on an identical white Duff McKagan P Bass in a marriage gown and combat boots—that entire moment became doubtless the top of that purpose."

The relaxation of the night was a virtually three-hour concert featuring a lineup of the couple's family and chums as performers. via the conclusion of the evening, about 30 diverse songs had been carried out with the aid of well-nigh 30 distinct visitors. "There changed into completely no method i used to be going to have a marriage the place I wasn't placing all the track collectively!" Darren laughs.

on the conclusion of the live performance, visitors have been handed headphones for a silent disco with a customized playlist of even more of the couple's favorite songs, cut up into three distinctive channels. Darren and Mia became their remaining appears of the evening—matching sequin T-shirts—and out of doors, espresso and beignets from a cafe Du Monde food truck were up for grabs. Can't get much extra New Orleans than that!