Choreographers Krystal and Chris’s wedding was a stunning theatrical production. The couple, who met a decade ago at a hip hop dance festival and currently own their own dance crew, married at Meritage Resort and Spa in Napa Valley in front of 200 guests.
Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, a good friend of the couple, officiated the wedding, which took place in a cave at the resort. “We kept it a surprise so everyone was in complete awe when she made her entrance,” says Krystal, who worked on the vows with Elvira. “She made it fun and exciting. Not a dull moment. Definitely out of the ordinary.”
Guests entering the ceremony heard the Haunted Mansion theme song and some guests, who are members of the couple’s dance company, wore signature face paint. “Our company is known for theatrics so we thought it would be fun to go all out and have them usher our guests in,” says Krystal, noting the wedding’s black and champagne color scheme was “dark and classy.”
When he first saw his bride, Chris felt “like life finally made sense, it finally mattered,” he says.
“I noticed how happy he was and then and there, I knew that there was no fear, we already knew this was it,” says Krystal. “We complement each other in more ways than one. Not your average couple. Our love is rare, passionate, real, not always pretty, but unconditional.”
The reception followed in the resort’s Carneros Ballroom. The Beauty and the Beast theme was complete with candelabra centerpieces; yellow and red uplighting and a single rose in a bell jar. The DJ played “Be Our Guest” as guests entered the ballroom and “Beauty and the Beast” for the newlywed’s first dance.
Dancing with her father and her first dance with Chris—“two of the most important people in my life,” the bride says—were Krystal’s favorite wedding moments.
Chris was surprised by “how energetic” the wedding was, explaining his favorite moments were Elvira, hanging with the couple’s friends and, of course, the performances.
Krystal planned the wedding with her wedding planner-best friend in just two months. “Nothing went according to plan,” she says with a laugh, “but it still turned out amazing!
“My husband and I are complete opposites. I plan, he doesn’t. Our entire wedding felt like a concert. Crazy and fun!”
— Kristen Castillo
