Sophie & David’s fantastic romantic Alaskan wedding

You’ve seen this fashionable photo from this wedding before, now get the whole scoop!

The Offbeat Bride: Sophie, University Peer Advisor (aka. OBT “SophieStradley.”

Her Offbeat Partner: David, Economics Intern

Location & date of wedding: Centennial Hall Convention Center in Juneau, Alaska — August 23, 2008

What made our wedding offbeat: We took advantage of the whole ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ bit and made an event that was truly memorable for us and all of our friends and family. We decided that our budget wasn’t going to get in the way, so most of our decorations were hand-made to save money.

We did splurge with food and an open bar, and friends helped us cut costs by volunteering to make cakes, DJ, and take photos. Sophie’s dad officiated the wedding.

Our biggest challenge: Living in Alaska!! The area we live in is virtually devoid of traditional wedding industry vendors, so we had to be flexible. We had to rely on the internet for a lot of our shopping, which posed many challenges in itself!

Sophie’s dress arrived two weeks before the wedding in the wrong style and size. We had to emergency order a new gown that was finished just two hours before the wedding!

My favorite moment: The best thing that happened all day was right after the recessional. We had just left the ballroom, and we were holding each other close, kissing, laughing, and crying. Neither of us realized that all 185 guests had spilled out of the ballroom and were surrounding us just watching and smiling. We were in our own bubble for at least five minutes.

My advice for other offbeat brides: For us, it was really important to include our families in the planning process. A lot of couples go for the ‘Do what you want no matter what anyone else says’, but we found that the support of our friends and family, as well as their ideas, effort, and advice, was what really made the day magical.

And don’t underestimate the value of a trusted friend’s comments about how hideous a particular accessory is. If you’ve chosen your friends well, she’s got your back. LISTEN.

Care to share a few vendor/shopping links?: www.romanticthreads.com — I can’t say enough about how amazing Belinda is! She really pulled through in my hour of need and made it her business to help a perfect stranger. She was totally flexible and helpful, and didn’t take advantage of our situation by charging us an exorbitant amount. Thanks again, Belinda!!