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The offbeat bride: Charlotte, Waldorf Kindergarten Teacher
Her offbeat partner: Jason, Restaurant Manager
Date and location of wedding: Seabreeze Organic Farm, San Diego, California — July 7, 2012
Our offbeat wedding at a glance: Jason and I met at school and fell in love over juggling, Sufi singing, and night walks. Jason would write me poetry and bring me carob-covered almonds and roses to fill my house. I would cook him bouquet meals, tell him stories, and craft him felt gnomes for his altar. It was not long before we knew being together was all we wanted, and after five years of dating, we tied the knot.
We wanted to share with our family and friends our love for each other and our Sufi path, seeing our wedding as a blend of mysticism and crafty farm fun. We chose Seabreeze Organic Farm to host the wedding. The owners were amazingly kind and truly wanted to make our day special.
We wanted our wedding to be simple and surrounded by natural beauty. With the goats, chickens, flowering trees, and vegetables, this working farm was perfect. We planned crafts, made goody bags, and set up the music all with the intention of showing our guests how much we love and appreciate them.
Tell us about the ceremony: We had our Sufi teacher, Sheikha AysheGul Ashki, marry us in our Sufi traditions marriage ceremony. This ceremony involves the couple taking seven steps of initiation together. I walked in with my dad to our friend playing a Turkish reed flute called a ney.
The ceremony began, and Sheikha invited everyone to stand and take the steps with us. We took four physical steps and three internal ones, coming knee-to-knee with each other and Sheikha. Here we shared the two rivers of paradise by drinking milk and honey. This symbolizes that we are walking this path of marriage mingled with the blessings of paradise.
After that we made our vows to each other. We then took the seven steps back to Earth affirming that with the blessings of paradise we return to earth to serve humanity in the best way we can. At the end, our Sheikha said, “embrace and be embraced.” Jason and I hugged each other, and then hugged all of our guests.
My favorite moment: There were so many amazing moments in the wedding. Sharing in the milk and honey during our ceremony and our first kiss as a married couple were at the top for me.
At the reception, we did a big circle dance with our guests to the disco song “Rasputin” by Boney M. It was amazing.
My advice for Offbeat Brides: I would say try to do most of your prep a month or more before the wedding. It is amazing how much there is to do last-minute, and with family and friends in town I found it a lot to balance.
What was the most important lesson you learned from your wedding? There are so many possible ways to express love and gratitude at a wedding. We felt our job was to find the ways that speak most deeply to our heart and share them. The biggest thing we learned through all the planning and preparation was to take care of ourselves and each other through this process.
Care to share a few vendor/shopping links?
- Bride's dress: David's Bridal
- Bride's reception dress: H&M
- Groom's outfit: Kohl's
- Groom's tie: Jerry Garcia
- Paper stars: Starburst kit at Paper Source
- Self-seal tea bags and tea: Starwest Botanicals
Enough talk — show me the wedding inspo!
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Both your dresses are amazing! I adore the bridal gown. Looks like a fun and lovely wedding!
I love her TOMS wedge reception shoes!
wow, your ceremony is so beautiful.