Sci-fi sweethearts Zoe Chapman and Kirby Rule tied the knot in Star Wars costumes complete with lightsabers and a giant droid officiating the ceremony.
Guests were also in costume, with the bride and groom being surrounded by the likes of bounty hunter Boba Fett, Natalie Portman’s Padme, and villain Darth Vader.
Bride Zoe and groom Kirby, both 29, walked back down the aisle under a path of crossed lightsabers from their personal collection, and they even had a ‘lightsaber fight’ with Darth Vader during their first dance.
Zoe and Kirby in costume for their Star Wars themed wedding (Image: Andrew Croft/Solent News)
Veterinary nurse Zoe and B&Q worker Kirby became husband and wife on Monday, as it is May 4 – recognised across the world as International Star Wars Day because of its likeness to the iconic Star Wars phrase ‘may the force be with you’.
The couple, from Swindon, Wiltshire, have ‘always been Star Wars fans’ and wanted to ‘keep that aspect of their relationship’ for the wedding at The Woods in Oakley near Basingstoke.
Zoe and Kirby – who does ‘lightsaber fencing’ out of hours – got engaged at Disneyland two years ago after meeting at college in Swindon 10 years ago.
The pair confessed they find ‘traditional weddings quite sterile and boring’ and wanted to share their ‘passion’ for the movies, which were some of the first they watched together.
Guests in costume create a ‘Saber Salute’ as the newlyweds walk down the aisle (Image: Andrew Croft/Solent News)
Guests at the wedding included the bride’s father as the bounty hunter Boba Fett, her brother as Pedro Pascal’s The Mandalorian, and her sister as Natalie Portman’s Padme.
Actor Danny D’Arcy, who played a stormtrooper and a rebel soldier in The Return Of The Jedi, surprised Kirby as a secret guest.
Zoe wore a wedding dress passed down to her from Kirby’s mother – modified with armour, a helmet and a ‘blaster’ modelled after Sabine Wren from the Star Wars Rebels cartoons.
Guests were armed with 26 lightsabers from the pair’s personal collection, and the couple walked under a path of crossed lightsabers after the ceremony.
The wedding rings have been modelled after a red and blue lightsaber, so the happy couple can have ‘lightsaber clashes’ when they hold hands.
And to top it off, the ceremony was officiated by a giant ‘life-size K-2SO droid’ – the robot companion of Cassian Andor in the titular TV show and Rogue One movie – designed by Zoe’s dad.
Officially, the theme for the wedding was science fiction, and guests were invited to wear anything sci-fi related; however, Star Wars took centre stage.
Zoe recalled loving the ‘weird and wacky characters’ as her entry point into the series.
She said: “We have both always been Star Wars fans. My dad very much got me into the films when I was little.
“I know it’s controversial but I loved Jar Jar Binks growing up, I don’t know why. He was the comic relief character, loads of people found him really annoying.
“But I also loved the wookies and all the other weird and wacky characters in there. They’re my childhood.
“We are both giant nerds. My first memory of being with him is being sat on the stairs at college watching How To Train Your Dragon with him.
“That was our first film together and so we’re dressing as Astrid and Hiccup for the first part of the ceremony.”
Zoe described some details from the wedding: “My dad is dressing up as Boba Fett, my brother is dressed as The Mandalorian and my sister will be dressed as Padme.
“We’re walking back down the aisle under loads of crossed lightsabers after the ceremony.
“And, not that I have any dancing skills, but we’re due to have a lightsaber fight with Darth Vader happening while we dance.
Zoe and Kirby in costume for their Star Wars themed wedding (Image: Andrew Croft/Solent News)
“Everyone absolutely loves it. They’re having so much fun trying to think of outfits. I have lots of guests saying they have three outfits picked out – even more than me!
“But everyone is bringing their own personality to the wedding as well and I love it. If they’re coming as an alien or a Jedi that’s their favourite, that’s great.”
Kirby explained his own love of the franchise: “I was basically brought up on Star Wars. My granddad is massively obsessed with science fiction.
“When I was four or five and The Phantom Menace came out I watched it on repeat.
“My real love for Star Wars comes from being a teenager and Revenge of the Sith being one of the first sci-fi films I saw at the cinema.
“Then in college I got involved in Ludosport which is basically fencing with lightsabers.
“We now own about 26 lightsabers because of that. Each of the guests sitting on the end of the aisle will be given a lightsaber for the ceremony.”
Kirby said that watching The Phantom Menace as a child was when he first experienced the franchise but that it eventually grew so much he joined lightsaber fencing in college.
He continued: “I have always found traditional weddings to be quite sterile and boring.
“And it’s a case of Star Wars being such a high point for our relationship, and sci-fi and fantasy as a whole has always taken precedence for us.
“The first time we hung out together was watching these movies and we wanted to push that passion into the wedding.
“It’s on brand for both of us to not be on brand.
“We got engaged at Disneyland a couple of years ago, then going into Star Wars Land was like stepping into that world.
“Because we got engaged there there was going to be some level of it at the wedding. We wanted to keep that aspect of our relationship.
“We didn’t want people in suits and ties but we’ll allow Jedis in tuxedos.”
Kirby added that the date was a stroke of genius, saying: “The idea of doing it on May 4 – Star Wars Day – was just genius. It was one of those ‘why haven’t I thought of this before’ things.
“It’s a franchise that everyone knows and everyone loves so we knew it wouldn’t be a problem for people to have ideas.
Zoe and Kirby’s wedding rings in the shape of a lightsaber (Image: Andrew Croft/Solent News)
“Our wedding rings are a blue and red lightsaber respectively so when we hold hands we can have a lightsaber clash.
“And Zoe’s dad John loves making things so we have a life-size K-2SO droid as our officiant, which will be the tallest thing there.
“After the ceremony Zoe will be wearing my mum’s wedding dress which has been passed down to her – but she will also have a blaster, armour and helmet from Sabine Wren from the Star Wars Rebels cartoons.
“I’ll be wearing a suit I wore 10 years ago not long after me and Zoe met – but I’ll be wearing some armour of an Orbital Drop Shock Trooper from Halo too.
“It will be awesome.”