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Date and location of wedding: Montmorency City Hall and Chateau de Dangu, Dangu, France — May 19, 2012
Our offbeat wedding at a glance: Our wedding wasn't encumbered by tradition, as we were not raised in any religion, and have only been invited to a few weddings before. We didn't have that many ideas about what a wedding should be like.
So little by little we created a wedding day from scratch. First we incorporated everything that we like and that defines us as a couple: the rainbow palette for the colors, LEGOs instead of flowers for centerpieces, and Super Mario references in the ceremony, on the cake, in the decor.
When it came to invitations, we realized that in France the offerings available are even less than in other wedding aspects. So from the beginning, my partner knew that he had to design it by himself. He made this pixel art invitation full of colors, and designed our own little sprites. We then used it for everything we printed: the seating chart, favor labels, menus, information signs, and programs.
We also love social media and motivated our guests to participate from the save-the-date to the release of the professional photos. We used Mailchimp to create a mailing list from which we would send our emails. We had a special Facebook list in which we posted our best response cards to entice others to reply promptly.
On the wedding day, we created a Twitter hashtag that we encouraged our community manager friends to use. This way we could follow and regroup their many contributions on Facebook, Twitter, Instagr.am, Cinemagr.am, Google+, Soundcloud, etc. We also created a Storify out of it. It's a great way to relive our wedding day through our friends' eyes.
Tell us about the ceremony: Our ceremony was mostly the wedding party reading texts from English language children's books we had translated for them including the robot version of “A Lovely Love Story” by Edward Monkton and “I Like You” by Sandol Stoddard Warburg.
They also sang “Kiss Me Like You Mean It” by The Magnetic Fields, our favorite band.
The only text we didn't know about was one my mother wrote. It was really emotional and funny. The most amazing thing was that the way she talked about us was so accurate that she mentioned all the themes that we later had in the ceremony. She knows us well.
We wrote our vows independently, but somehow had some sentences that were exactly the same in mine and in his vows! This was also the part where we let our geek references fly including Back to the Future, Super Mario, Bob Dylan, Star Wars, and Lord of the Rings.
We included a Japanese element in our ceremony by passing a few rolls of red ribbon and scissors which they used to make themselves bracelets, while our officiant tied our hands together with the same ribbon. That way we were all joined together when we exchanged our vows.
Our biggest challenge: Finding offbeat vendors in France. France is not yet very used to offbeat weddings, so even though we have families and friends who understand and support our little quirks, finding vendors was more of a challenge.
We made a lot of the decor ourselves, but looking through wedding photographers' portfolios was a bit disheartening, as was trying to find colorful men's attire. We ended up buying a lot of things through American and English Etsy vendors. Through friends we found a concert photographer who sometimes does weddings and a videographer more used to filming geek conventions.
My favorite moment: The first look was also a really emotional moment. We absolutely didn't know anything about each other's attire, hairdo, and accessories. When we saw each other for the first time on our wedding day, it was pretty intense.
My funniest moment: There were two really funny moments that we absolutely didn't expect. Both were in the ceremony. The first one was during the second speech of the ceremony. My bridesmaid and my partner's best man were to read a translation of “A Lovely Love Story” which we personalized by making it be about robots instead of dinosaurs. The day before, during the rehearsal, they didn't want to read the full text before us because of their surprise “interpretation.” The day of the ceremony, they read the whole text in a dialog both acting and speaking like robots!
The second moment was during my vows. I promised my partner I'd always be by his side, like when we play Mario Galaxy in co-op mode. My partner's eight-year-old nephew got up then exclaimed for all to hear “I've beaten that game!” bringing everyone back from the brink of tears to a huge collective laughter.
Was there anything you were sure was going to be a total disaster that unexpectedly turned out great? We planned everything for an outside ceremony, and even if the weather was a bit uncertain, we tried to do it outside anyway. All our guests waited outside the castle, and watched us make our entrance. Then it started to rain! We all had to run inside, carrying a hundred chairs and a sound system with us, and started the ceremony again in the castle's library. Everyone was a bit cramped, but it actually brought everyone closer together and the ceremony was all the better for it.
My advice for Offbeat Brides: Plan everything. We used the Offbeat Bride checklist tool and Google Docs Wedding planner to share the longest to-do list ever. Because we had these tools, we had almost nothing to do for the last two weeks before the wedding but take care of ourselves.
A great video can really enhance your memory of the day:
Care to share a few vendor/shopping links?
- Photography: Ludovic Etienne
- Videography: Hicham
- Groom's beautiful multi-colored bow tie: Etsy seller VaVaSilkBowTies
- Groom's wedding band: Etsy seller TitaniumKnights
- Groom's LEGO cufflinks: Etsy seller BeadsandblocksUK (closed shop, but similar)
- Place tags: Etsy seller LovelyTreeDesign
- Straws: Hey Yoyo
- Fascinator: Posh Veils
- Shoes: bridal collection from Chie Mihara
- Bridesmaid gift bracelet: Anne Lison
- Hair for the bride, mother of the bride, and bridesmaid: Wafferkess Paris
- Custom Converse: Converse.com (which doesn't deliver outside the U.S., but thankfully another Tribesmaid received and transfered the package for us!)
- Printable paper toys for favors: Cubecraft
- Photo booth software: Sparkbooth
Enough talk — show me the wedding inspo!
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.
Félicitations Lau! You rocked that rainbow crinoline and these awesome purple glasses!
I can’t help but agree with the lack of offbeat vendors in France, though they do exist (only they’re well-hiden gems).
Looks like you are about to do the Dragon Ball fusion in the second pic, right? Love it! 🙂
Merci !
Yes they do exist and I hope that you will also put yours on the tribe 🙂
This was the dragon ball fusion, kind of our signature picture. We wanted to end the ceremony with that but it was a bit complicated to explain.
Absolutely Adorkable!
thank you !
I f***ing LOVE this wedding. Rainbow bustle! Rainbow cufflinks! Rainbow wedding party! These are clearly amazing people… all the best to you both you awesome people you.
Thank you. A rainbow theme is hard to handle whole way through but it is such a pleasure.
The only thing is to find a photographer OK to do most a the shots in colors and not B&W ! 😀
I couldn’t stop OMGing through this whole write-up! Right from the very first picture (with the amazing bubbles and the happiness – I started grinning ear-to-ear when I saw it!) to the very last pictures of the fist in the air out of joy (and with an amazing cufflink, too!), you guys are seriously awesome and made me very happy today. Congratulations!
Thank you !
And yay to bubbles ! We “choose” it because the townhall said no to other things we wanted to throw. But it was a really good idea afterall.
My goodness you are ADORABLE!!! That last photo before the video…..stunning!! The glasses, the hair, the hairpiece, the dress, the husband! The colors, the decor, everything YES!
Thank you Tina, I love being one of your favorite things in our wedding 😉
All your wonderful comments make us feel really happy & proud. Laureline shared her discovery of OBB with me, and even though I’m not registered I’m really thankful for this site and all this wonderful community. Our wedding wouldn’t have been so amazeballs without you all 😀
Félicitations à vous deux pour votre mariage! (Sorry. My French isn’t the best.) I just love all of the colors you used.
I also really adore that dress. I never thought that a rainbow-colored petticoat and a bustle could go so well together.
Merci beaucoup !
Your french is perfect 🙂
We had too many things to tell about the wedding but this dress is a story by it self :
I studied in fashion so when The Dress subject came in I asked one of my friend from school to design the dress, we exchange many ideas and she came up with the drawing for this dress (among many others!) and then she introduce me to one of her friends who designs costumes for the Paris Ballet.
Working with both of them for nearly 6 months was a great experience !
In general, this whole wedding is just perfect and I love *everything* about it. The purple glasses, those rainbow buttons down her back (i die), and his bow tie? Puh-lease. Too amazing. Two specific things, though: 1. THANK YOU for the Cubecraft link! Caketoppers, check 🙂 2. I’m pretty sure I saw a little “Avatar: The Last Airbender” action in the video in the form of the Dancing Dragon! Blew my mind!
Excellent day, wonderful write-up 😀
Thank you !
Ma purple glasses are also an american brand calle L.A. Eyeworks. There is so many beautiful brands in the US !
The choreography from the vidéo is from Dragon ball Z http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2b9vwWxxrJ4 , but i looked at the dancing and it is pretty close 🙂
Ah hah! I see it now. Great geekery either way 🙂
ZOMG! The Mario cake! “Kiss Me Like You Mean It”…I’ve wanted to use this in my wedding since the first time I heard it, oh so many years ago. There are so many things about this that I just love and that had me smiling through the whole post. Congratulations on an amazing wedding and best wishes for a long and happy marriage!
haha.
we wanted to incorporate all of the 69 love songs from The Magnetic fields in the wedding.
We had “Kiss me like you mean it” and in the townhall “forever and a day”, “it’s only time”, “the sun goes out and the world goes dancing”. Plus the 3 your hear on the video ( “forever and a day”, “you you you you you”, “strange powers”)
The cake I forgot the vendros but we worked with an amazing american cake shop in Paris called Sugarplum http://sugarplumcakeshop.com/en/ .
Thank you for your wishes 🙂
Je suis jalouse 🙂
So pretty! This entire wedding is like color porn, haha.
thanks !
color porn is a perfect description 😀
Lovely! The happiness of everyone, not just the bride and groom, leaped off the screen at me. The video is fantastic and yet another reason to put some money aside for a videographer. Such a vibrant, colorful wedding!
The videographer and the day of coordinator were the 2 best decisions we made.
Right after the one when we decided to get married !
Oh my! We must be separated at birth. I am getting married in a couple of months and we ate having so many similar things: multi-color, 8 bit hearts, flags, outdoor ceremony, even that 8 bit tie! Now I’m even more excited since I can see it’s going to be awesome!
I am sure this is going to be awsome !
You’ll have to show your photos !
Are you registered to the tribe?
Such a beautiful and cute wedding!
Rainbow brides ftw!
what a lovely wedding!! love the color palette :X
WHERE OH WHEREEEEEEEEE did you find a yellow brick road isle runner?! I have been looking EVERYWHERE for one. If you made it, how did you do it?
Beautiful wedding! 🙂
Hahathe yellow brick road runner was a big challenge.
It was impossible to find one to buy, so yes we made it.
We bought a yellow carpet, the worst quality you can find (very very slim; like the one you find in convention centers) 2 meters wide and 40 meters long. We bought 2 black posca, the widest you can find, and then we drew bricks for a whole afternoon 🙂
It is just rectangles with round shaped angles, and they are aligned every other row.
Fantastic! Thank you so much for the information! 🙂
looooooooooooooooove LOVE LOVE
the details of this wedding! AB FAB! …..love love so so fun.
Fucking fantastic!!!!
I’m in love with all the colour!!!! And the geek!!! I hope that mine looks half as awesome as yours does!!!