'It's like Halloween every day in my house - even my baby's name has a scary twist'
For Chloe Bryant, she lives each day like its Halloween thanks to her love of all things spooky and monochrome. From her choice of clothing to her passion for scary films - even her wedding had a gothic twist. Here she reveals all about her love for Halloween...
“Walking down the aisle in my long black laced dress and matching veil, I couldn’t have been happier. As a piano version of Radiohead’s Creep filled the registry office, my son Leon whispered, “There’s no need to be nervous, Mum”, and I instantly felt calmer. He was right. From the bouquet of black dried flowers in my hands to the dark dress code, I was having the wedding of my dreams.
Before I met my husband, Lewis, my taste was quite plain. Whether it was my house or my hair, everything was minimal. But that all changed when I slid into his DMs three and a half years ago. We hit it off immediately and were like the same person, but one difference was that he was obsessed with horror films.
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At the time, I never really watched TV. My aerial wasn’t even plugged in. But I thought I’d give them a go and was instantly drawn in. Now it’s like Halloween every day in our house. We have everything from coffin-shaped candles to prints of people who merge into skulls when you look at them from a different angle. I work from home doing hair, so some clients think it’s a bit spooky. My friends’ children have said, “I don’t want to look at that picture”, but no one else bats an eyelid any more.
Lewis and I got engaged at the end of 2021. We were at home and he wrote me a letter and at the end it read, “Will you…” I think his plan was to get down on one knee, but he didn’t. I thought, “Will I what?” We’re both a bit awkward, so I walked off and started cleaning. He followed me and I said, “Yes, if you’re asking me to marry you, I will.” We laugh about it now, but I was over the moon. Later, we picked my engagement ring together – a black coffin ring from Empty Casket.
We got married on 30 October 2023 in Wigan in front of around 10 friends and family members. We wanted to tie the knot on Halloween but that day was sadly taken, so we compromised. Ever since we got engaged, we knew our wedding wasn’t going to be “the norm”. There’s so much pressure on the bride to look a certain way and to buy certain things. We wanted to change that narrative.
Everyone kept asking me if I was going to wear a black dress. I didn’t want to do what people thought I was going to do, so I bought a short white one. The plan was to wear it with platforms, but I found out I was pregnant in August 2023 and I thought it would look ridiculous. I ended up getting a black lace dress instead.
On the day of my wedding, I was 19 weeks pregnant. I’d been suffering from extreme morning sickness, but I was finally feeling better. One of my friends, Lewis’s mum and I spent the morning getting ready in a hotel and I drove us, as well as our photographer Natascha, to the venue. I was met by my two bridesmaids and was given the black flowers created by my friend from The Rose Boutique.
As my nine-year-old son Leon walked me down the aisle, I could see Lewis holding back tears. He’s very stoic, I’ve only seen him cry once or twice, but he pulled it together, although I shed a tear. After the ceremony, we went to the party and around 80 people came. We had a playlist of heavy metal and old-school hip-hop. We had a black wedding cake with the words ‘Til death’ on the top. I knew I’d wanted that cake before I met Lewis. If I could go back, there’s nothing I’d change about our big day.
In March 2024, our daughter Boo was born. We’d come up with the name while we were watching the remake of Halloween when I was pregnant and noticed that one of the characters was called Boo. The next day I texted Lewis saying it was a cool name and he agreed, adding that we should use it for our baby. It shocked me as the other names I’d suggested were a bit whimsical and he didn’t like them. Now she’s here, she wouldn’t suit any other option. She was even born with thick black hair. She is and always will be a Boo.
While we love the name, some people can’t believe what we’ve done. I went to the doctor once and they asked me to confirm it. I said it was Boo, like “I’ve scared you”, and they were taken aback. Someone else said they hoped Boo doesn’t want a conservative job, but I hope in the next 20 years, we don’t judge people based on their name.
People compare us to The Addams Family. The problem is, I love fake tan. I’m the most tanned Morticia you’ll ever meet. Even Boo’s room is Gothic. We’re moving house, but her old room had checkerboard walls, which Lewis painted. She also had a black crib, a coffin play mat and lots of spider teddies.
Some people online don’t like what we do. Every day I get comments from people who say I don’t show Boo colour and that it’s wrong. But I do. We have loads of coloured stuff and she’s got pink clothes – she just gets a leather jacket put over the top. If Boo turns around to me one day and says, “Mummy, I want pink,” the first thing I’ll do is buy a wardrobe full of it. I was the same with Leon, just with monochrome, so everything black and white. As soon as he said he didn’t want to wear something, I stopped. Now he wears football kits and that’s fine with me. How can I advocate that I’ve got their backs if I tell them what to wear?
This Halloween will be a strange one as we’re moving, but I’m sure we’ll make it work. Each year, we go all out and throw a fancy dress party with our friends and their kids. In the past, Lewis has dressed up as the Joker and I’ve been Catwoman. I’ve been a zombie Madonna-type thing, too. We’ll also go pumpkin picking. It’s like every other day, but more!”
Follow Chloe on Instagram @mrschloebryant or visit thebryantbrand.co.uk
