Local Love: Kyleigh and Connor

October 28, 2022

Halloween is a day devoted to crafting costumes and sharing scares, and for Kyleigh Daiker and Connor Sheward, the day is anything but spooky.

On October 28, 2022, they not only shared scares, but committed to sharing the rest of their lives together.

“Connor and I have been talking about getting married since we were 17 years old, but back then, it kind of felt like a teenage dream,” Kyleigh says. “Saying I do after all that time felt like coming home.”

Kyleigh says Halloween is the couple’s favorite holiday, and when they got engaged, they “just knew” their wedding was going to be centered around it. What makes the holiday even more special: it was a childhood tradition she shared with her father, who passed away when she was 10.

“Before Halloween became more of a mainstream holiday, my dad made sure our house was always the most impressive on the block,” Kyleigh says. “Halloween was a holiday where he could totally be himself and play some pranks and scares on the family.”

She says her wedding theme helped her “connect with him,” and in my cultures, Halloween is a time for people to remember their loved ones.

To capture the magic of the holiday, the couple incorporated spooky details like tarot cards, handmade potion bottles and skulls on the tables. Most of the décor was thrifted or handmade, including the skeleton cake topper, made by Kyleigh’s mother.

Kyleigh says there was even a spooky cocktail, Graveyard Smash, that featured a gummy eyeball in it, and guests could make their own candy bag for the wedding favor.

The couple also walked into their ceremony to the song “Thriller” and followed Kyleigh’s parents tradition of having guests wear masks for their entrance.

“Our family surprised us and began singing ‘Stand by Me’ to us during our ceremony. It was very emotional and meaningful,” Kyleigh says.

She says their ceremony focused on “love, commitment, family and mindfulness,” and as a mental health therapist herself, it was essential for her day to include a “mindfulness exercise” for guests to “close their eyes, breathe and be in the moment.”

Kyleigh and Connor have already spent 11 years together, and she says the rest of their lives together will include traveling to Scotland, working on their fixer-upper they recently purchased and continuing to love each other.

“I’m excited to see these goals come to fruition, but we are both very present in where we are now in our life and enjoy each day we have together,” she says. “Tying the knot felt like a celebration of all of the work we have done over the last decade to create a beautiful partnership.”

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