A Halloween-obsessed couple chose to get married on Friday 13th in a spooky celebration where they tied the knot in a CAVE and the bride wore BLACK.
Jasmine, 26, and Jack Robson, 26 – who have been together since they were 15 – got engaged in 2015 but had to postpone the wedding multiple times due to ill health and family emergencies.
When they finally set the date for Friday 13th March 2020, they decided they would buck tradition and use themselves as the main inspiration for the wedding – playing on their love of Halloween for something a little more alternative.
The budget wedding only set the couple back £1,000 – with bridesmaids dresses costing just £15 each, Papa Johns pizzas at the reception, and a three-tier wedding cake made by Jasmine’s dad.
They chose Margate Caves near their home in Ashford, Kent, for their venue, and enjoyed getting some spooky shots in the unique setting – which guests were able to explore before the reception.
Speaking of the special day, Jasmine said: “We’ve been together for a long time and we just wanted to celebrate.
“We love spooky days and aren’t superstitious about Friday 13th being bad luck – so thought it would be fun to buck tradition.
“People expected nothing less from us – they know we’re a bit weird, and they love it.”
Jack and Jasmine first met when they were just eight years old – having attended the same school before Jack moved elsewhere.
Rekindling their friendship over social media site Bebo years later, the self-proclaimed ‘emo-kids’ became firm friends again – before Jasmine proclaimed her love for Jack on Halloween 2009, when they were just 15.
“I always hosted a Halloween party, but couldn’t that year as I had to have surgery on my tooth,” Jasmine said.
“I was on quite high painkillers after the procedure, and called Jack to tell him I loved him and ask him to be my boyfriend – luckily I didn’t scare him off.”
As their relationship continued, the couple began to host eccentric Halloween parties, adorning their home in ‘ghost tinsel’, spooky skeletons and cobwebs hanging from the lights.
The couple got engaged in 2015, and planned to get married fairly quickly – but after a number of family emergencies and ill health, the celebrations kept getting postponed.
“We initially wanted to get married on Halloween itself,” Jasmine said.
“But things kept happening that meant we had to postpone – so when we saw Friday 13th March, we just thought we’d go for it and stick with the Halloween theme seeing as it was still a spooky day.”
The day started with an intimate ceremony for just 15 guests at Margate registry office, Kent, followed by their reception at Margate Caves.
Not only was it really affordable to hire the unusual venue for the afternoon, but it gave them a unique backdrop for their wedding photos.
Guests were able to explore the venue – which dates back to the 1700’s when chalk was mined there – before settling down for the evening ahead.
“People got a wedding and a history lesson all in one,” Jack said.
“There were all these women tottering around the caves in high heels.
“It was quite funny to watch really – and probably quite unsafe but they loved it.”
The couple posed in ancient archways lit with theatrical lighting, and alongside cave paintings that are centuries old – all of which added to the creepy vibe of the occasion.
Jasmine and Jack wanted to spend as little as possible on their special day, and incredibly managed to cover their costs for a minimal £1,000.
Jasmine’s dress cost just £25 – which she accessorised with items she already had to make it her own.
She opted to wear black instead of the more traditional white, but says she ‘followed tradition in her own way’ because before the Victorian era, brides would be expected to wear black.
“It just felt right to be in black,” Jasmine said.
“I don’t have anything against tradition, but it’s nice to make your own traditions and this was definitely more ‘me’ than a huge white marshmallow-type gown.”
Jack found his suit jacket at TK Maxx for just £40 and his shirt and trousers were from Primark.
The bridesmaids – Jasmine’s three siblings, Gina, 24, Saff, 22, and Riley, 19 – wore matching Boohoo dresses which were only £15 each.
To adorn the venue, they made as much as they could themselves, and reused Halloween decorations they’d bought for their home over the years for their parties to add to the spooky theme.
Jasmine’s dad, Alvin, 47, even tried his hand at baking and made the happy couple a three-tiered vegan lemon drizzle wedding cake – which they cut with a nordic sword.
“Dad had a bit of a cake frenzy, he must have practiced it ten times – he loved it,” Jasmine said.
“We keep asking him to make it for us again – it was so good.”
The couple also cut costs by buying flowers from the supermarket and arranging them themselves, and drying flowers in the weeks running up to the special day to use as the centrepieces.
They even cooked most of the food themselves – except the pizzas which they ordered from Papa Johns.
“Why should we not have our favourite food on our wedding day?” Jack said.
“Nobody expected there to be a pristine sit down meal – but you should have seen their faces when the pizza guy arrived.
“There was a free-for-all – I think they lasted about ten minutes, everyone loved it!”
The couple also bought their favourite Sainsbury’s ring donuts, and plenty of sweets for dessert, to keep their 70 evening guests happy throughout the celebrations.
“The looks on the faces of the guests throughout the whole day was just sheer joy,” Jasmine said.
“It was like a kids Halloween party.
“To us it was about having a day we were going to enjoy – so we were laid back and it couldn’t have been more perfect.
“We describe ourselves as a bunch of misfits, and without sounding big headed, people really like us as a couple, so they were just happy to be there to celebrate with us.
“The day screamed ‘us’ – shouldn’t that be what it’s all about?”
