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Wedding gets Hollywood makeover as bride and groom star in iconic movie posters

No one is a bigger star on their wedding day than the bride and groom. But one Nashville couple took their nuptials to a whole new level with the help of some Hollywood magic. At David DiCicco and Rachael Batts’ wedding reception last fall, guests were greeted by the sight of the the newlyweds as movie stars. The couple appeared in a series of posters that recreated the iconic movie artwork from
Couple recreates movie posters for wedding
Andres Martinez
Couple recreates movie posters for wedding.
When David DiCicco and Rachael Batts tied the knot, they also took on some famous alter-egos.Andres Martinez / Today

No one is a bigger star on their wedding day than the bride and groom. But one Nashville couple took their nuptials to a whole new level with the help of some Hollywood magic.

At David DiCicco and Rachael Batts’ wedding reception last fall, guests were greeted by the sight of the the newlyweds as movie stars. The couple appeared in a series of posters that recreated the iconic movie artwork from a variety of films, including the sexy action flick “Mr. and Mrs. Smith,” the gritty Western “3:10 to Yuma” and the fantasy blockbuster “Lord of the Rings.”

Couple recreates movie posters for wedding
Andres Martinez / Today

DiCicco told TODAY.com that the idea was born when he and Batts were discussing ideas for their wedding invites, and thought it would be funny to make them in the style of one of the posters from “Casablanca.”

He pitched the idea to their good friend Andres Martinez, a photographer, graphic designer and fellow movie fan. Not only did Martinez agree to make the wedding invitations, but he also wanted to create the movie posters as his wedding gift to them.

Couple recreates iconic movie posters for wedding.
Andres Martinez / Today

When it came to deciding which posters to emulate, DiCicco said the couple “wanted the ones we produced to be easily recognizable,” and that they aimed to represent a variety of genres.

“We didn’t just want a romance feel,” he said. “We wanted our guests to be pleasantly surprised by the different scenarios we were photographed in. When the bride and groom can pose as vampires, hobbits, cowboys, cops and assassins, it just takes the humor level up a notch for the entire event.”

Couple recreates iconic movie posters for wedding
Andres Martinez / Today

The posters took around a month to create, and DiCicco praised his friend’s skills and meticulousness for creating posters that so closely resembled Hollywood’s version.

“Dre has an incredible eye for detail and would make sure everything on set — lighting, props, poses — was lined up exactly as it was seen in the original artwork,” he said.

Couple recreates movie posters for wedding
Andres Martinez / Today

The couple displayed the posters during their wedding reception, and the groom says having them at the venue “set a fun and relaxed tone for the evening.”

“People freaked out, in a good way of course — taking pictures, Instagram, Facebook, you name it,” he said. “My favorite part was Rachael’s father. He was just staring at the “Lord of the Rings” poster in awe of his daughter for a few solid minutes.”

Couple recreates iconic movie posters for wedding.
Andres Martinez / Today

The posters gained a wider audience when Martinez and the newlyweds recently shared the posters on Reddit. DiCicco said they made them public because he wanted people to see his friend’s “amazing talent.”

For his part, while Martinez is appreciative of the positive feedback from the wedding guests and those who have viewed them online, the approval of his friends pleases him the most.

“The whole idea behind the posters was that If I can make Dave and Rach happy, that was the main goal,” Martinez said. “If they’re happy, I’m happy. And they definitely were, which was really cool to see.”