Anya Taylor Joy Wedding Photos: Secret Wedding Was Vampire-Inspired

Come for the romance, stay for the anatomically correct human heart-shaped cake!

Florals for spring? Not so groundbreaking. But have you considered anatomically correct human hearts? Anya Taylor-Joy definitely has. On April 1, the Dune: Part Two actor shared photos from her wedding to Malcolm McRae. The pair seemingly tied the knot in Venice, Italy in October 2023, but surprise! That wasn’t their first — or actual — marriage ceremony.

As Taylor-Joy revealed, the couple held a secret ceremony in New Orleans on April 1, 2022, meaning the pair legally wed 18 months ahead of their big shindig in romantic Italia. “Two years ago, on April Fools, I secretly married my best friend in New Orleans,” Taylor-Joy captioned the carousel of photos and videos. “The magic of that day is ingrained in every cell of my being, forever. Happy second ( first ) anniversary my love…you’re the coolest🫀”

While we’re all for a covert wedding — the secrecy! the sexiness! the not having to stress over a guest list! — we’re especially in love with Taylor-Joy’s secret nuptials because one look at the Anya Taylor-Joy wedding photos confirms that it was a gothic, vampire-inspired fever dream. Not only did they tie the knot in New Orleans, one of the spookiest cities in the United States (home to both mythical and IRL vampires), but their choice of venue, where they celebrated with friends like Cara Delevingne, giving Phantom of the Opera realness, all drippy candles and moody floral arrangements.

Taylor-Joy’s wedding dress, the same she wore to her Italian ceremony in October of last year, was custom Dior in a dusty champagne colour. Paired with a cathedral-length veil, the actor struck a hauntingly angelic image. Can you say ethereal? (And a little bit undead? In the best way possible, of course.)

And then, the hearts. Oh yes, there were hearts; anatomically correct cake hearts that deserve a prize-winning spot on Is It Cake? season 4, to be exact. Taylor-Joy made reference to the human hearts — and the locale — further down in her caption, writing:  “Yes, I am the vampire Lestat.” (a vampire character from the Anne Rice novel Interview with the Vampire, set in New Orleans). The flavour has to be red velvet, right?

anya taylor-joy and malcolm mcrae eating anatomically correct heart cakes at their wedding 🫀 pic.twitter.com/ptl6jQtUNF

— hourly anya taylor-joy (@everyhouranya) April 2, 2024

Regardless of whether or not you feel hungry or just a little queasy at the idea of noshing on something that resembles a human heart, we’re here for all of this. Maybe it’s because millennials are *ahem* thirsting for our youth and the days when Twilight and The Vampire Diaries reigned supreme, or perhaps it’s the chill of winter that’s still brutally hanging on in many parts of the country, but there’s something very romantic about exchanging vows under the soft, moody glow of candlelight, surrounded by blood red blooms. It just screams romance, not to mention inexpensive lighting bills.

Plus, just think of all the divine fashion you could lean into — as either a wedding guest or the bride — including rich velvets and dramatic crimson chiffon gowns from The Vampire’s Wife, and statement shoulders from Rodarte. C’est chic!  

We’re officially calling it: Vampire-themed weddings are about to have a big moment — no blood-letting required.