The Offbeat Bride: Jill, Licensed Massage Therapist
Her offbeat partner: Blair, Artist/LEGO enthusiast
Date and location of wedding: Adrift Hotel and Spa, Long Beach, WA — April 11, 2013
Our offbeat wedding at a glance: We were already trying for a baby when we got engaged and started planning the wedding, knowing I could end up being very pregnant for the wedding day. VERY PREGNANT. Seven and a half months pregnant, to be exact. But, as I’ve found in my life, it’s sometimes better to deal with all the big stresses at one time, instead of spreading them out. So we planned a wedding through my first and second trimesters, for our two-year anniversary of dating. We invited 27 people and 22 showed up. It was great, and only cost about $3,000 (including our hotel room for four nights)!
We were a little worried about the weather, being that it was the Pacific Northwest coast in early April. There was a shitstorm of rain the days before and after our wedding, but the skies were magically clear the day of. Only 51 degrees outside, but NOT raining.
Tell us about the ceremony:
My dad got ordained online to perform our ceremony. We gave him some basic ideas of what we wanted, but he wrote it all himself. As he was going over his notes, he asked me, “You didn’t want this to be serious, right?” I told him that if we’d wanted it to be serious, we wouldn’t have asked him. We also decided not to hear what he was going to say beforehand, which made it even more hilarious.
We decided to write our own vows, but in the rush of everything, we never actually WROTE anything. We decided the day before to just speak from our hearts, on the spot. And it worked! I managed to get through mine with no tears. I don’t remember exactly what either of us said, but I know it was all true.
Our biggest challenge:
I’m a control freak (whew, that felt good to admit!). Blair and I had planned everything ourselves, from the decorations to music to dinner and dessert. So when it came time to actually decorate the place, I was afraid I would wind up doing everything myself because I didn’t think anyone else would do it the way I wanted it. And being so pregnant, it would be too much for me. When the day came, I was told to go visit with my family and/or lie down and rest. To my surprise and delight, I did just that! And with the greatest of ease!
My favorite moment:
Having my grandmother there was really special for me. She’s the only grandparent I’ve really ever known. And even at 85, she’s still sharp as a tack and can crack my shit up! She wasn’t sure she would be able to afford the trip from San Diego, but a generous friend of the family (who wasn’t even coming to the wedding herself) paid for her flight. While everyone else walked out to the ceremony spot on the beach, she hitched a ride in the van, giving us her best “queen’s wave” as she rode by.
My funniest moment:
The funniest moment was actually the next morning. Blair and I realized that we had skipped the “I do” part of the ceremony! And we didn’t actually VOW to do anything in our vows! So I looked at him and asked, “Do you take me to be your awfully pregnant wife?” He said “I do.” Then he asked if I took him to be my super geeky husband, and I said “I do.” Better late than never, right?
What was the most important lesson you learned from your wedding?
Look, you’re going to make yourself bat-shit crazy looking at wedding magazines, Pinterest, and even Offbeat Bride. You’ll end up with 47 DIY things you want to do yourself. Do yourself a favor: pick five, then be okay scrapping two of them at the last minute.
Care to share a few vendor/shopping links?
- Venue: Adrift Hotel and Spa
- Cupcakes and LEGO cake: Pink Poppy Bakery
- Photography:
Enough talk — show me the wedding inspo!
