Breana & Caleb’s Elvis-officiated vintage-inspired wedding

The offbeat bride: Breana, Hair stylist (and Tribe Member)

Her offbeat partner: Caleb, Student and Cook

Date and location of wedding: Shriner's Hall / Masonic Temple, Paso Robles, CA — June 25, 2011

What made our wedding offbeat: Most of it was DIY, which is a lot more stressful than I planned it to be. I vetoed a white dress, and went with the complete opposite. The black and cream Betsey Johnson dress made me feel more like a movie star on my day, instead of a princess. We had a secular ceremony by a very awesome Elvis Impersonator, which was the husband's wish. Since our wedding was pretty casual, we had a barbecue buffet dinner that my dad's friends did for us. This was a ridiculous money saver!

Tell us about the ceremony: We tried to keep it simple, short, funny, and sweet. First, we had the Elvis Impersonator (Casey McDonald) who had some great jokes. Caleb waited for me at the front and I walked through the side door (instead of up an aisle). And then the tears started going. I was bawling, since that's just how I do, while Caleb looked quite calm and collected.

We wrote our own vows as well, and didn't tell each other what they said until the big moment. We decided against any special songs or readings. We didn't want everyone to get too impatient during the ceremony, including us. We did the rings, kissed, and walked out the side door.

Our biggest challenge: Getting everything done, and done on time. I live out-of-state, so I came down a week before the wedding to get a few details together. I found out when I got there that there were much more than just a few details. I had to pretty much buy everything, and put stuff together the week before my wedding.

The majority of the decorations for the tables and party favors we made. I had a lot of help from friends and family though. My mother-in-law sewed the centerpiece place mats and my sister-in-law and friends folded many flowers for me. My friend's mom made amazing cupcakes and my coworker made me an adorable, geeky slicing cake.

My favorite moment: One of the things that made me really happy was how well everyone got along. There have always been issues with some friends and family. I was pretty stressed that there would be some kind of argument or fight on the big day. Instead, everyone was extremely civil and loving. It was so amazing to see everyone put the past behind them for one day and enjoy it as much as I was enjoying it. We had a good handful of family and friends who made a trip out of our wedding, some having to fly across the country. This meant a lot to us.

Was there anything you were sure was going to be a total disaster that unexpectedly turned out great? I really tried to keep my attitude easygoing about planning, so most things I didn't worry about too much. But we did want to live stream the ceremony online, but had technical difficulties on the day. Instead, we recorded it and posted it online later.

My advice for offbeat brides: Take advantage of help you have around you. Usually friends and family are down to help in anyway they can. Don't doubt the use of classifieds. We used Craigslist.org to find our Elvis Impersonator. Checklists are also an amazing tool! I got one from a wedding magazine, crossed out the things I didn't want involved in my wedding, and used it every step of the way. This took out so much stress and made planning so much easier. And of course, enjoy the day as much as possible.

Care to share a few vendor/shopping links?

• Photographer: Richard Fusillo
• Dress and belt: Betsey Johnson
• Rings: Etsy seller ZoeAndDoyle
• Photobooth Program: Sparkbooth

Enough talk — show me the wedding inspo!

About the Author: Offbeat Weditors

@offbeatbride @offbeatwed

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