An intimate spooky wedding with a bride in a green dress!

The Offbeat couple: Megan and Marshall

Date and location of wedding: Homeport Historic B&B, Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada — October 19, 2013

Our offbeat wedding at a glance: We both have always loved Halloween. We knew when we discussed the idea of getting married it would be in the fall with costumes and a spooky theme. We were together just shy of seven years when Marshall proposed, so we knew exactly what we wanted: to keep it simple and small. We both are from the same small community of Sunny Corner located just outside of Miramichi, New Brunswick. If we got married at “home,” it would be a huge event and be difficult to limit the list. So we decided to get married in Saint John, where we had been living for six years. We felt it would be a nice getaway for both of our families as well.

With living and planning a wedding three hours away from family, it actually gave us free rein for our whole day. We cracked the phone book looking first at funeral homes, then onto clubs, and then found our lovely venue Homeport Bed & Breakfast. We also DIYed most of the decor, and sourced other things ourselves.

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We also got rid of anything we didn't find any meaning in or were straight up against. We wanted stress-free, intimate, and most of all, affordable! We had a small ceremony with immediate family followed by a spooky-themed reception. We also asked that guests leave cell phones and cameras out of our event. From witnessing many weddings and seeing pictures online, we knew we only wanted professional photos. Blurry, red-eyed photos were not what I wanted to see logging onto Facebook the day after the wedding. People thought we were crazy to do that, but in the end everyone focused on our day, not getting their photos, and were surprised by the pictures when we mailed out our thank you cards.

This was the wording for our invitations:

Calling all goblins, ghost, and spooks of the night! Creep, float, or crawl over to join us in anonymity for a masked Hallowe'en heavy metal wedding! Mr. Dave and Peggy Blackmore along with Mr. Ralph and Carla Mullin are thrilled to summon you to the union of their children Megan Geneva and Marshall James when the clock strikes the bewitching time of 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, October 19th 2013.

 

Wear something spooktacular. False identities encouraged. Conjure a disguise that is devilish or angelic. Come on down for a spell. A magical night awaits! We respectfully ask that everyone leave all cameras and cell phones out of our celebration.

We used a throwing knife from a set to cut our cake. We also had an engraved cake server from my parents that we used. We made all paper goods, invitations, tags for favors, programs, even the flags on the drink straws. We used cardboard and papier maché and lace to create a mini coffin which held the programs for our ceremony. We did a massive amount of papier maché on a variety of items, especially our candles with battery-operated tea lights. My mother and sister spent many hours making most of them for us. Our spider nests are made out of tights and stuffed with other material and paper to give it a full look. We ordered all of the spiders and some of the decor from Oriental Trading.

Tell us about the ceremony:
Our officiant, Claire Porter, let us write the entire ceremony with a few legal bits and pieces that needed to stay. We always knew we wanted to write our own vows. Here was our opening statement by Claire:

We are gathered here today to witness and celebrate the love that makes the marriage of Megan and Marshall possible today. But what is marriage? And if we have love, why do we need marriage? Marriage is the promise of companionship, of having someone to share all of life's experiences. It does not promise that there will not be any rough times, just the assurance that there will always be someone who cares and will help you through to better times. Marriage does not promise eternal romance, just eternal love and commitment. Marriage cannot prevent disappointments, disillusionment, or grief, but it can offer hope, acceptance, and comfort. When the world hurts you and makes you feel vulnerable, marriage offers the promise that there will be someone waiting to listen, to console, to inspire. It challenges us to be of one accord, without abandoning the truth of our individuality. It challenges us to recognize ourselves in one another, and to admire and respect each other, while walking side-by-side, heading in the same direction. You are the people with whom they most want to share their joy as they enter into marriage, and hope that in the years ahead, your love will be a continuous source of strength for them.

My sister Mariah who was maid of honour did a reading of a few Dr. Seuss quotes as well:

Why fit in when you were born to stand out? Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind. Today you are you, that is truer then true. Here is no one alive who is youer then you. You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams. We are all a little weird and life's a little weird and when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall in mutual weirdness and call it love. You're off to great places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting so.. get on your way!

We played a variety of our versions of “classical” music like Apocalyptica, songs such as “Heat,” “Refuse/Resist,” and their Metallica covers. Marshall walked in with our mothers to Korn's “Shoots and Ladders,” and I walked in with my father to Rob Zombie's “Sawdust in The Blood.” For after our ceremony, we simply played all of our favorite music: Johnny Cash, Rob Zombie, Danzig, Leftover Crack, Cancer Bats, Slipknot, and Motorhead.

Our biggest challenge:
Our biggest challenge was finding a venue who wanted us. We started planning a year in advance and thought that gave us lots of time, but it really did not. Since we were having a spooky-themed wedding, a few venues refused us flat-out. We also experienced a lot of discrimination due to the fact that Marshall is a tattoo artist and they assumed we'd party really hard. We went to a few venues and the feeling that we were not wanted was overwhelming. We did have a lounge reserved, but after weeks of trying to get in contact, we learned that the manager we were in contact with was fired and the owner changed his mind about our wedding. It really put the crunch on but we were able to find an even better-suited venue to our theme, Homeport Bed and Breakfast. Ralph and his staff went out of their way to make us feel welcomed.

My funniest moment:
Part of my vows to Marshall included, “I love you because we hate the same stuff — which is EVERYTHING!” Our wedding vows got a few laughs from our guests. Another moment was before the ceremony as the guests were getting seated. I peeked out and could not recognize anyone as everyone had a mask or a full costume. IT MADE US SO HAPPY! As soon as the reception started, my father wore his tie on his head. For the serious man that my dad is, he really took the day to celebrate, too.

My favorite moment:
The most meaningful moment of our wedding was, without a doubt, our ceremony. My father walking me down the aisle was a major highlight. I was told by my parents that we could do anything anywhere we wanted, but my father had to walk me to Marshall. I had the tears in check (mostly) until my sister did her reading.

We also did a first look which cut down on our anxiety and gave us a special moment to ourselves. Marshall's jaw dropped when he turned around and saw me in my wedding dress. Also, the guests who traveled down were the people who really cared and wanted to be there. It was great to be surrounded by that support and love.

Care to share a few vendor/shopping links?

• Photography: Lisa Garnett, Playful Moments Photography
• Dress: Jovani, All Dressed Up
• Veil and Hairpiece: Vintage Box 1947
• Shoes: Baggins Shoes
• Ear Jewelery: BMA Modified
• Necklace: Beetle Wing Necklace Overman Jewelery & Art
• Bride's Cuff and Groom's Tie clip: “Hook” Cuff By Arcane Angel Artist Marina Smith
• Hair and Makeup: Marissa Gates and Alicia Scoville, Essential Esthetic Hair Studio
• Groom's Suit: Moores
• Cake Topper: Love Never Dies
• Cake and Candy Buffet Dishes: Alluring Affairs
• Venue and Catering: Homeport Bed & Breakfast

About the Author: Offbeat Weditors

@offbeatbride @offbeatwed

Working tirelessly to bring you stimulating content day after day, the Offbeat Wed editors will not sleep until you've gotten your offbeat fix.