Filmmaker Charles Band Marries Actress Robin Sydney in a ‘Magic Castle’ Themed Wedding Ceremony (Exclusive)

Director Charles Band and actress Robin Sydney are married.

The couple tied the knot at the historic Casa Del Mar Hotel in Santa Monica, California on December 9.

Sydney, 39, tells PEOPLE that she and Band, 71 — who is the founder of Full Moon Features and a producer of classic horror films Re-Animator, Tourist trap and Trancers — have a special connection to the 1920s oceanfront site.

The wedding of director Charles Band and actress Robin Sydney.

Photographed by Dexter Brown

“We used to go to Casa Del Mar around New Year’s to get inspired and create our goals for the year,” she says. “We also had a beach nearby and played games in the arcade on the pier, so it was a very fond memory.”

When the couple thought about their vision for their wedding (planned by Krystal Moreno of Krystal Klear Special Events & Hospitality Consulting), they came up with the idea of ​​combining some of the things they love most, resulting in what Sydney describes as “the magic of the Castle, the atmosphere old Hollywood concert with a touch of circus.”

“[We wanted] a wedding like no other that our guests will remember forever,” she notes.

To achieve the eclectic theme, they filled the hall with lots of chandeliers, sconces, “money-green” and “royal purple” accents, and even dolls from Band’s movie. The puppet master. Instead of a traditional flower arch for their ceremony, the couple had a custom arch made from more than 20 Belvedere vodka bottles filled with twinkling lights and flowers.

The wedding of director Charles Band and actress Robin Sydney.

Photographed by Dexter Brown

“Then we had a 2-foot-tall martini glass filled with flowers in the center,” notes Sydney.

Guests were entertained by two Cirque du Soleil artists – a dancer and a belly dancer – and magicians from the Magic Castle, a private club in Los Angeles owned by the Academy of Magical Arts. The concert took place inside a martini glass in one of the biggest highlights of the wedding.

In another unique touch, Band and Sydney set up a prize table where their 200 guests could collect coins throughout the evening to win Apple watches, Chanel and Gucci accessories and more.

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The couple avoided some of the usual elements of weddings – like bridesmaids and best men – to make the event their own. “We didn’t want our wedding to be a traditional wedding and we didn’t want it to be stressful, so we removed a lot of the elements that we didn’t like about the wedding,” explains Sydney.

The wedding of director Charles Band and actress Robin Sydney.

Photographed by Dexter Brown

During the ceremony, officiated by horror film critic Joe Bob Briggs, the bride walked down the aisle in a “30s-style sparkly puff dress” from LUV Bridal, which she loved at first sight but decided needed a little more pizzazz.

“Even though my dress had sparkle and was beautiful, I wanted more,” she explains. “I got lots of rhinestones and over 100 rhinestone butterflies and worked with Olivia Vaatete from A Stitch in Time to make my dress dreams come true.”

Sydney completed her bridal look with a rhinestone-studded gown – instead of a veil – and a quirky pair of Betsey Johnson heels embellished with lace, flowers and dragonfly embellishments. Her hair was styled by Robert Ramos, whose famous clients include Jessica Alba, Eva Mendes, Stevie Nicks and Kelly Clarkson.

One classic wedding tradition that Sydney did embrace was wearing something old, new, borrowed and blue – including vintage jewelry given to her by Band over the years and a garter her sister wore to her own wedding.

Photographed by Dexter Brown

The band wore a black Armani suit with a navy blue shirt. “[He looked] cool and handsome as can be,” Sydney says of her husband.

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After the ceremony, guests enjoyed a dinner of platters of miso-glazed black cod, grilled beef tenderloin and Japanese eggplant parmigiana. Side dishes included mashed potatoes with horseradish, lotus root chips and vegan mozzarella cheese with San Marzano tomatoes and basil.

The wedding cake was chocolate with strawberry flavor and chocolate ganache. “We loved the cake that Kat Von D had at her wedding, which was created by Joan Spitler of Joanie and Leigh’s Cakes, so we worked with her to create our cake in the shape of Charlie’s Fort in Italy and filled with full moon characters,” she says. Sydney, referring to the catalog of the Band’s production company.

Music was a key element for the couple’s wedding. The entire event is due to the band and musician Jeremy Boswell, giving it a cinematic feel. Additionally, the Band’s 42-year-old son Alex, who is the lead singer of The Calling, performed the rock group’s 2001 hit “Wherever You Will Go.”

The wedding of director Charles Band and actress Robin Sydney.

Photographed by Dexter Brown

Band and Sydney first met in 2004 when he cast her in her first film, The gingerbread man, starring Gary Busey. They started dating six months later, and about two months after that, Band popped the question over dinner at a restaurant.

However, Sydney wasn’t quite ready to set a date — or “be called a wife,” she says. More than 15 years have passed, and the couple still hasn’t made it to the altar. “Charlie didn’t know what to call me, fiancee or girlfriend,” she jokes about their very long engagement.

“I knew how important it was for Charlie to call me his wife,” she explains. “After 17 years, on December 9, 2022, I got down on one knee and proposed to Charlie, and he immediately said yes.”

Now that they’re officially married, Band and Sydney are enjoying the moment. “It means telling the world how much we love each other,” Sydney says of their long-awaited marriage.

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Source: HIS Education