A Beyoncé-Themed Wedding Weekend With a Sneaker Chic Dress Code, a Sing-Along Ceremony, and a Cowboy Carter After-Party

When Matt Davis and Calvin Gaines first met, they bonded over their shared love of Nike Blazers, a shoe that would one day feature heavily in their wedding. At the time, however, it just seemed like they were kindred spirits—two people who shared a number of overlapping interests, one of which that happened to be a specific style of sneakers. Over time, their relationship grew and became romantic. In August of 2023, Matt proposed to Calvin in a Paris garden, and the two spent the rest of the day shopping for rings. A few months later on November 27, 2023, they were legally married in London, and from that day on, the number 27 felt significant in their relationship. When they chose to have a follow-up celebration attended by all their family and friends, they let their lucky number help them set the date: When the couple toured The Bordone in New York City, a venue they were drawn to due to its modern architecture and city views, they realized there was just one open date available for the fall, and it aligned with their lucky number. Without giving it a second thought, they set the date for September 27, 2024, then got to work planning a wedding weekend no one would forget.

Since their wedding would be a destination event for the majority of their 140 guests, Matt and Calvin wanted to host a weekend of activities to keep everyone busy. Still, they wanted to do things their own way, so the flipped the traditional wedding weekend order of events, starting with a wedding on Friday, September 27, followed by a more intimate post-wedding party at The Little Owl Townhouse on September 28; both events were inspired by Calvin's love of Beyoncé, the grooms' shared interest in sneakers, and their desire emphasize "creative, personal, and non-traditional" details. "From the very beginning, we knew we wanted our wedding to be a true reflection of who we are—our style, our love story, and the things that bring us joy,” Matt says. “Every detail was intentionally designed to feel personal, meaningful, and unapologetically us.”

Matt and Calvin knew they needed a visionary wedding planner to help them pull off all of their ideas, so they hired planner Lauren Gordon of Cherish Events to all the custom details. From a custom MTV-inspired logo and a sing-along style wedding ceremony to their "sneaker chic" dress code and "Act II" after-party, you won’t want to miss any of the details captured in the photos by Larisa Shorina Photography.

Matt and Calvin designed their wedding attire to be in keeping with the day's color scheme, which was emerald green and champagne with pops of rust, gold, pink, and orange. For the ceremony, Matt wore a custom champagne linen three-piece suit from Savile Road in London. When he couldn’t find a tie that matched his look, he had one made from Cad & The Dandy. He accessorized with vintage Gucci cufflinks and leather suspenders.

Calvin wore a custom green suits from Cad & The Dandy, which featured a subtle orange plaid pattern made from 100% bamboo fabric. Calvin also bought matching bracelets for him and Matt to wear on the wedding day.

Matt worked with MattB Customs to create custom Nike Blazer sneakers, which featured his and Calvin's custom logo and color palette. Their wedding party wore matching sneakers as a nod to the shoes Calvin was wearing when the couple first met.

The couple asked their groomsmen to wear rust-colored suits from Indochino. “From the beginning, we wanted our wedding party’s attire to feel cohesive but not overly uniform, reflecting both our carefully curated wedding palette and the personalities of the people standing by our side,” Matt says. The groomsmen paired their suits with white shirts, champagne-colored ties, and their own custom Nike sneakers.

The bridesmaids and other female members of the wedding party wore their choice of dress in metallic or rust colors.

As guests arrived for Matt and Calvin’s wedding, they were served pre-ceremony refreshments and given programs outlining the order of events. The programs also included lyrics to Tina Turner’s “The Best” on the back, which allowed everyone in attendance to join in on a sing-along at the end of the ceremony.

"We are both sneakerheads, and our love story started over a pair of Nike Blazers, so it only made sense that sneakers played a major role in our wedding," the grooms explain. A "sneaker chic" dress code emerged, and guests were encouraged to pair their formalwear with fun, unique shoes. Attendees went all out, helping to make Matt and Calvin's vision a reality in the form of brightly colored footwear with unique accessories.

Instead of traditional bouquets, Matt and Calvin had their wedding party walk down the aisle with champagne flutes and jello shot syringes, which had been finished with custom ribbons matching their color palette. “Since we’re very social and love hosting, we thought this was the perfect way to make the ceremony interactive while keeping the energy fun and celebratory,” Calvin says.

The grooms and their wedding planner chose a semi-circle design for their rooftop ceremony, which helped to create an intimate vow exchange experience in which they were surrounded by their guests as they reaffirmed their commitment to one another. They also chose a circular structure as their altar, which reinforced the day's theme of unity.

Matt and Calvin each walked down the aisle solo, which was important to them. They wrote their own vows and exchanged them in front of their guests before celebrating back up the aisle during a sing-along recessional. “Live musician Najah Moser led all of our guests in an epic sing-along of Tina Turner’s 'The Best,'” Matt says. “This moment was electric—everyone singing, clapping, and celebrating as we exited together, completely surrounded by love and joy.”

In keeping with the party vibe they had started at the beginning of their ceremony, the couple also created a tequila shot wall that doubled as their seating chart display. They also served signature pink lemonade cocktails they called the Pink Pony. “We found 1950s-style Pink Pony Club diner signs on Etsy and incorporated them into the bar design and drink trays,” Calvin says.

Matt and Calvin created a custom logo inspired by the 1980s MTV logo incorporating their special number, 27. The logo itself became a focal point of the wedding day’s décor, seen on everything from the seating chart display to the menus and even the drink and food trays.

At the reception, the couple and their planner incorporated a mix of textures and colors into the evening's designing, including organic floral centerpieces in shades of rust, gold, pink, orange, and green in mixed metallic and tinted glass vessels. Each table was named after a song title as a nod to Beyoncé’s Renaissance album. “The linen selections were just as intentional as every other element, pulling directly from their custom-designed color palette,” Matt says.

They chose gold-rimmed chargers and flatware to add a pop of metallic color to each table. Place settings were marked with a personalized menu that matched their invitation suite and featured the couple’s custom logo, which was also projected onto the dance floor.

Lighting was also important to Matt and Calvin, so they worked with their planner to choose lights that helped enhance the ambience they wanted for the evening. A custom overhead installation of greenery and neon light tubing created a modern and artistic focal point in the space while spotlights and color changing lighting were brought to the dance floor to enhance the party atmosphere.

Matt and Calvin changed into their reception outfits, which also featured a sneaker change. Matt wore a deep orange suit and Calvin changed into a bright pink suit, both from The Edit, London. They shared their first dance to “Lover” by Taylor Swift before dancing with their moms to Beyoncé’s “Protector."

The couple hired Electric Boulevard as their band and DJ, which they acknowledge as the easiest choice of the wedding planning process. The festivities continued into the evening, with an after-party that kept the revelry going. Matt and Calvin changed into fun sequined outfits from ASOS.

Instead of a traditional wedding cake, they chose to serve passed dessert bites and late-night snacks, including mini bacon, egg, and cheese sandwiches (a New York staple) on croissants.

The next evening, Matt and Calvin invited their out-of-town guests to join them for a Cowboy Carter-themed post-wedding party at The Little Owl Townhouse in West Village, New York City. They encouraged everyone to come dressed in their best cowboy-inspired or sequined outfits. The grooms dressed the part, too, wearing western-style hats and footwear that nodded to the evening's theme.

Instead of another sit-down dinner, Matt and Calvin made the evening's meal a bit more interactive: They chosen an 11-course dining experience served from trays to keep the energy flowing. Guests also enjoyed signature cocktails called “Jolene” and “Honey Buckin’ Margarita” as a nod to the night’s playful country-meets-pop theme.

The grooms worked with the venue to create a custom Act II mural to elevate the space and served custom cookies inspired by the theme. Najah Moser returned for another live performance, keeping everyone on the dance floor.

“Guests embraced the themed fashion, making the night feel immersive and unforgettable,” Matt says. “It was the perfect way to wrap up a weekend full of love, creativity, and celebration!”

After their wedding weekend officially wrapped, the couple spent their honeymoon relaxing and reminiscing in Greece. To other pairs current planning a wedding, Matt and Calvin offer this simple but sweet advice: “Double your budget and hire Lauren.”