When it comes to picking wedding themes, most couples typically choose one that they feel best reflects their personalities. If they’re a bit more country-loving, they might have a rustic celebration; perhaps they’re elegant and enjoy the finer things in life, so their wedding decor is equally glamorous.
I’ve been to many a wedding in my day and have seen plenty of interesting themes (“Halloween Horror” wedding, anyone?) but I can safely say this is the first time I’ve seen someone incorporate their political leanings into their big day.
This Michigan couple gathered their friends and family together to vow their love for one another, as well as their love for America and for President Trump.
According to CBS News , Audra and Jeff Johnson decided to tie the knot with a wedding that doubled as a tribute to the POTUS with a “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) theme. Because nothing says “true love” like Donald Trump.
And, quite fittingly, the ceremony took place on the Fourth of July.
The bride donned a traditional white wedding dress for the ceremony, but changed into a “MAGA” statement gown for pictures and the after-party.
Designed by well-known staunch Trump supporter Andre Soriano, the fishtail gown featured red sparkly lettering down the front which spelled out Trump’s famous 2016 campaign slogan: Make America Great Again.
But it wasn’t just the front of the dress that made a pro-Trump statement to all the wedding goers.
The skirt of the dress was also adorned in red lettering and featured the name “Trump,” just in case anyone in attendance happened to forget who this big day was really about.
As Audra explained, the wedding was originally going to be simply patriotic-themed — hold the Trump.
But after traveling to Washington D.C. to meet with Soriano, the bride-to-be had a change of heart.
“It took four days of him doing measurements and putting the dress together,” she said. “But it was amazing. Him and his husband are fabulous.”
Soriano has made headlines in the past for using his fashion designs to pay tribute to Trump.
The designer’s Instagram is filled with photos of him dressed head-to-toe in patriotic pro-Trump garb, as well as numerous examples of his Trump-themed collections.
Just this year, two artists wore his designs to attend the Grammy Awards and stunned everyone on the red carpet.
In regards to the bold statements made by the blue “Make America Great Again” gown in particular, the 47-year-old designer told NBC News , “It’s promoting peace, love and unity in our country.”
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The MAGA-theme didn’t just start and stop with Audra’s dress, though.
While the groom, who is a Marine veteran, donned his dress uniform for the ceremony, the wedding party all wore Trump’s classic red “MAGA” hats.
However, in a surprising twist, the maid of honor refused to wear the cap because she is actually a Democrat.
“She said, ‘You know I love you, but I don’t feel comfortable wearing a MAGA hat,'” Audra explained. “I said, ‘That’s fine, we can find you a plain red one to wear.’ We were able to compromise on that. We can believe differently but still very much love each other.”
While the bridesmaids were dressed in blue, the groomsmen wore red to complete the “red, white, and blue” look.
Even the tiniest aspects of this celebration stayed true to the theme, with the groomsmen and the groom himself wearing “don’t tread on me” cufflinks as part of their wedding garb. The bride’s fingernails were also painted to look like tiny American flags.
In one photo from the celebration, Audra can be seen holding a gun while she poses in her “MAGA” dress.
In other group photos of the entire wedding party, it’s the groom who’s holding a rifle.
Guests were encouraged to adopt the “MAGA” theme with their own wedding outfits.
Many arrived in patriotic gear with some sporting the same “MAGA” hats while others opted for American flag-patterned outfits. Overall, there was a sea of red, white, and blue-covered people who had gathered together to celebrate love, Trump, and the great U.S. of A.
“It looked like America threw up all over my wedding, and I’m not sorry,” Audra told Fox News .
Perhaps a bit more controversial than the outfits was the couple’s inclusion of petitions on each reception table.
Guests were encouraged to sign the petitions which advocated for the anti-abortion “heartbeat bill,” a measure which aims to ban abortions six weeks after conception, typically around the time a heartbeat can be detected.
However, there was one person who wasn’t quite so willing to set aside his political beliefs to celebrate with the couple.
Absent from the wedding ceremony was the groom’s father, who refused to attend.
“He sent us a text message,” Audra said. “It said, ‘As long as you support that racist in the White House, I won’t be attending your wedding.’ Which is sad but we did have a lot of people that loved us and showed up.”
Since the photos from the July 4 ceremony were posted online, Audra said the feedback from people has been “crazy.”
“Amazing patriots said they love the dress and support us,” she said. “But then there’s the other side, where we’ve gotten threats, and there’s been really nasty comments.”
She said most of the comments they’ve received have accused the pair of throwing a “racist wedding.”
In response to these allegations, Audra pointed out that she’s the daughter of a Filipino immigrant and her husband is black.
“I think what I want people to take from this is there’s a stereotype of Trump supporters flying around out there and maybe some of them are like that, but most of us aren’t like that.”
h/t: CBS
