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The offbeat bride: Lee, Massage Therapist
Her offbeat partner: Glen, Mechanic
Location & date of wedding: Peel Manor House, Karnup, Perth, Western Australia — Saturday 2nd Jan 2010
What made our wedding offbeat: The invites were concert tickets and we tried to keep the theme, cars and songs secret until the day.
We arranged (with friends help) for me to arrive in a blown, big block, '34 (nicknamed ‘Dirty Hore') hot rod with no exhaust, to ceremony and the bridesmaids arrived in my late father's car (a white Oldsmobile with red trim).
My mother gave me away and the ceremony was only fifteen minutes long. Our vows were lines from a Red Hot Chili Peppers song. No veil, just a black parasol instead. There were no bouquets — the bridemaids held handbags that read “true love” and wore red sunglasses. We all wore flat shoes and did our own makeup. Bridesmaids each wore a different dress, groomsmen were in jeans and bowling shirts
Friends and family did the video and table decorations. Used cheap, used or found items for the centrepieces, including LP records and poker chips. Bombernies were laminated politically incorrect 1950's Ads. Cake was a slab of mudcake from the cheesecake shop.
We played the music we wanted, whether people liked it or not, but had lots of fans after playing Metallica in the ceremony. Our first dance was to Pink's “Glitter in the Air” and the farewell at the end of the night was to “We Go Together” (the final song at the end of the movie “Grease”).
Ours was half the cost of the average Australian wedding and and all the clothes, including all dresses, shoes and accessories were under $2000.
Our biggest challenge: Finding a photographer who would give us a cd of the photos (no printed albums) and copyrights, but kept looking and found one and a great price.
Ordering the dresses internationally online, but had a lovely aunty to do alterations for us when they arrived.
Dealing with close minded people, but kept our cool and just vented to each other.
People cancelling at last moment and having to find replacements without making them feel like sloppy seconds.
My favorite moment: Groom: Seeing bride for the first time in all her gear arriving in the hot rod.
Bride: Apart from the obvious joy and love of the experience, it would be seeing the whole theme come together as an awesome visual explosion and shakin' my booty on the dance floor all night. My Nanna came up to me while dancing and said, “It's so nice to see you happy and having so much fun”.
My offbeat advice: Start planning early (allow time to change your mind on decisions).
When making purchases if possible don't say it's for a wedding (they increase the price).
Learn how to say no softly and be happy to delegate smaller jobs to other people who offer.
Be prepared for a couple of no-shows (have a few people in mind for backup for a free meal such as neighbour, co-worker etc.).
People may leave early and not say goodbye (and feel it's is ok to do so) but just be glad that the people who want to be there, are still there.
During the process you may notice aspects (positive and negative) of your own and others personality's that you hadn't before, and it's okay. People will not change just because it's your wedding day.
Care to share a few vendor/shopping links?
- Found a lot of good cheap stuff on ebay (parasol, stockings, guys sunnies, etc.)
- Dresses – Daddy-O's and Unique Vintage
- Petticoats – Three Muses Clothing
- Guy's Shirts, Sunglassses,Handbags & Hairflowers – Daddy-O's
- Concert Ticket Invites – U Name It Favors
- Brides Shoes – Club Wear Australia
- Hair – Total Brides
- Photography – Emotion Image
- Pictures of 1950's ads – Duke University online library
- Chair Covers – Creative Elegance
Enough talk — show me the wedding porn:
About the Author: Offbeat Weditors
Working tirelessly to bring you stimulating content day after day, the Offbeat Wed editors will not sleep until you've gotten your offbeat fix.
I LOVE it! ALL of it!
I LOVE IT..PLANNING MY 10 YR ANNIVERSARY 50'S THEME CANT WAIT =0) YOU HAD GREAT IDEAS
LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!
I have one of the bridesmaids dresses that's from Unique Vintage and people stop me all the time when I'm wearing it. I love seeing it in a wedding!
I love the cars and the shoes and the sun glasses!
So much to love. Congrats!
Which dress do you have ? I love them all, so cute 🙂
Congratulations!
Your wedding peps look happy and your theme looks fun!
Your advice about aspects of both personality's changing is very nice.
Thank you, I'm glad that helps. I was trying to make sure that subject came out in a diplomatic way LOL 🙂
Wow…what a great way to showcase your wedding……got lots to be proud of Lee….and as one of your friends who shook her booty along with you….it goes without saying it was one of the best we have ever been too!
Awesome night!
Mel…….you rock ! 🙂
Fantastic!!!! I love it all too!!!! The pictures were great!!! And now I've got "We Go Together" running through my head! LOL Your wedding looked like so much fun! Congrats to the both of you!!
LOL it was a fun song to have
Thank you everyone for your lovely comments. It was indeed a very fun day !
Just wanted to give something back to this site as it helped me with a lot of inspiration for ideas.
Hope I can do the same for someone else 🙂
Absolutely love it!
The parasol is such a cute idea.
You've definately inspired me!
They are very cheap on ebay $30
Yay for Mandurah brides!
Yay indeed 🙂
OMG, how cute are you?! love it!
Oh my GOD I so love the centrepieces! Poker chips! My man would LOVE that!
We got them out of a drinking game we had lying around so they were not very expensive 🙂
Really great wedding Guy's (change from a formal one) actually not knowing what to expect next,
Thanks 🙂
I saw your pics on facebook ages ago as I'm friends with one of the BMs, and they are just fantastic! I also remember her and her bf saying that she had so much fun and that it was a really great wedding. Well done!
Thanks, which bm is that ? 🙂
I was best friends with Petra in lower primary school and went to upper primary school with Lee J 🙂
Loved the pics of Lee in Petra’s dress later in the night lol
I love, love, LOVE the parasol-instead-of-veil idea. Very cool and clever!!!!!
Thanks! Got it off ebay for $30
Your cake topper is just what I’ve been looking for!! If you don’t mind. May I ask where you got it from??
all dresses are lovely and cake top is so cute