Melissa & Erik’s cheap, elegant, drumming & roller skating wedding

Day two of Rock Your Wedding week features a drumming couple who each sat in with the wedding band. Did I mention that their first dance was on roller skates? Awesome! -Becca

The offbeat bride: Melissa Truelove, Teacher

Her offbeat partner: Erik Truelove, Drummer

Location & date of wedding: Rancho Valle Milagro, Tucson, AZ — November 8, 2009

What made our wedding offbeat: Erik and I are both drummers. We decided to get married by our mutual friend who is also a drummer. The vows and ceremony all had that theme tied in, complete with a snare and crash cymbal on the altar to highlight corny jokes. We even had miniature drum sets on the top of our cupcakes as our cake topper. The officiator's band played the reception, and both Erik and I sat in with the band.

We danced down the aisle to Earth, Wind, and Fire‘s Got to Get You into My Life as our processional.

We roller skated for our first dance (in tux and gown) and made the experience truly ours.

We had [the wedding] at a gorgeous mansion in Tucson, and because we knew the owner, and I shopped around a lot for everything, we were able to do the whole wedding for less than $4500.

Tell us about the ceremony: We incorporated themes from music and drumming throughout our ceremony. We all came in to an upbeat song, my Dad spun me as we walked down the aisle and the groomsman and bridesmaids had temptations-esque dance moves choreographed out.

The officiator talked about how marriage was like music, like a song, like a groove and every time he made a corny joke he hit the snare and cymbal on the altar.

Erik and I gave our own vows one of mine was “I promise to make sure we laugh enough.” One of his was that he promised to never charge me for another drum lesson (he was my drum teacher — that's how we met).

And to tie in my Jewish background he stomped on a glass at the end of the ceremony.

Our biggest challenge: Money was the biggest obstacle, so I used the internet to find the best deals on everything. I went to IndianWeddingCard.com and had my invites outsourced to India. I got bids from dozens of people and negotiated prices down. I tried to find little money savers along the way — cupcakes instead of a cake, super limited flowers, and a photographer off craigslist (who was amazing). I also kept the guest list small.

My favorite moment:

• The vows
• Skating our first dance
• Sitting in with the band

My funniest moment: Definitely skating out on our first dance. We kept it a secret from everyone (even the groomsman and bridesmaids).

We stayed after the rehearsal and tried to skate on the patio to see how it would work. We set up the tables and practiced a bit.

When the time came, I just wanted to make sure we wouldn't end up in the pool. Thankfully it all worked out and we had a great time. The guests thought it was great.

Was there anything you were sure was going to be a total disaster that unexpectedly turned out great? I am adopted and my wedding was the first opportunity for my biological family and adopted family to meet. It put me on edge; however, when everyone met, it was great. Everyone got along beautifully.

My advice for offbeat brides: It isn't all about the wedding, it's about the marriage — so make sure your wedding includes aspects of what you as a couple find important in your marriage. If you have things in common — things you both find fun — things that make you laugh, celebrate them. Smile a lot. Chill out. Everyone will appreciate it if you're 100% into it.

What was the most important lesson you learned from your wedding?

• To celebrate my husband and my relationship everyday
• To have fun and keep laughing.

Care to share a few vendor/shopping links?

• Photographer: Chris Noble
• Cupcakes: Ambrosia of Tucson
• Dress: David's Bridal
• Venue: Rancho Valle Milagro

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