We are positively FREAKING OUT at the armored corset dress at this wedding… we'll skip to the chase and tell you that it's a custom design made by Dress Art Mystery
![Squeal at the ARMORED corset dress at this fantasy RPG-themed wedding 1 from Offbeat Wed (formerly Offbeat Bride) Prepare to squeal at the ARMORED corset dress at a medieval wedding](http://offbeatwed.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/first_look-0016_31387315110_o-800x533.jpg)
The Offbeat Bride: Erin
Her offbeat partner: Ross, Applications Developer
Date and location of wedding: The beautiful Pioneer Barn on the grounds of the Fort Menendez Old Florida Musuem in Saint Augustine, Florida — October 30, 2016
Our offbeat wedding at a glance:
We are both semi-gothy nerds who are into the fantasy genre of books/movies/TV shows, as well as comic books, cosplay, and RPGs (role-playing games). As such, our celebration was themed as a fantasy-mythology genre (faeries, wizards, knights, goblins, etc), medieval-esque, RPG-themed wedding.
The entire wedding party was asked to dress in fantasy/medieval attire, but we asked all regular wedding guests to come in any costume they chose, as long as it could be worn in polite company. We had quite the cast of characters, from toddlers in dragon outfits to Mr. Incredible to Gomez and Morticia Addams attending our wedding.
Tell us about the ceremony:
For our ceremony, Ross and I assembled custom costumes to serve as our wedding clothes. I looked at hundreds of dresses until I found and purchased an amazing custom armored-corseted dress from Dress Art Mystery. I also had a silver filigree crown adorned with delicate chains custom-made by an Etsy seller in the UK. Instead of bouquets, my bridesmaids and I carried Moroccan glass star-shaped lanterns when we walked the aisle.
Ross rented medieval tunics for his groomsmen to wear, and Ross also found his own wedding tunic/cloak from Armstreet. Ross then had another Etsy seller create a custom bandolier for him, complete with alchemist vials and bottles, as well as a holster for his hand-made “spellbook” (containing his vows).
Our entire immediate families dressed up in fantasy/medieval costumes to be a part of the procession, including faeries, wizards, elves, sorceresses, knights, and druids. For our ceremony/reception and first dances, we hired a local Renaissance Faire band to wear full medieval garb while they played live Celtic/medieval-inspired music.
Ross and I wrote our own vows. Ross read his from his trusty spellbook attached to his alchemist bandolier. Ross's best man wrote a three-page speech that he delivered in full “town caller” voice complete with an English accent that had guests cracking up during the reception.
Tell us about your reception:
I created signs for each table labeling them with names of made-up fairy tale locations such as “The Valley of Chimes,” “The Wood of Whispers,” etc. Also for each of the tables, I made little glowing faerie lanterns with the help of my bridesmaids (tutorial here).
In lieu of hiring a florist, my artsy stepmom and step-sister helped me to create all the centerpieces for the wedding, using my late grandmother's flower vases with decorative sticks and dried flowers we either found or bought, then arranged and sprinkled with glitter and adorned with hanging crystals.
Our Renaissance faire band, wearing full medieval garb, played Celtic/medieval-inspired music for our procession and recession. The band also played lively Celtic/medieval-inspired music throughout the reception and for our first dances (we did three waltzes: Ross and I as a married couple, Ross' waltz with his mom, and my waltz with my dad). Our entire immediate families dressed up in medieval/fantasy-inspired costumes to be a part of the ceremony, including faeries, wizards, elves, The Mad Hatter, sorceresses. and druids.
For reception food, we wanted medieval-era eats and found a caterer that could do a lovely vegetarian pot pie (since I'm a life-long vegetarian) as well as plenty of salads, a chicken dish, and vegetables. For our desserts, our caterer created delicious medieval-esque tarts and sweet pies with fresh fruit filling.
What was your most important lesson learned?
We learned just how important and vital having a wedding planner was for us. We would have never pulled off the vision we had for that day without our amazing wedding planner/officiant/makeup artist. She and her team were a godsend and took care of just about everything, from huge stuff to minor details. If you want a wedding with 70 or more guests, especially if there's going to be food and dancing, trust me that the expense of hiring a full wedding planner is SOOO worth it. Also, when you are planning your wedding, decide on a firm number of guests before going any further. Our wedding quickly snowballed from 50 to 100 guests, which added to the total price and stress of everything.
Our biggest challenges in the beginning were finding appropriate garb for our ceremony, creating all the decorations, as well as sending out the invitations (I designed and created all the save the dates and invitations, as well as mailing them all out myself). But in the end, our wedding planner helped tremendously.
Vendors
- Photographer: John William
- Venue: Pioneer Barn at the Fort Menendez Old Florida Museum in Saint Augustine, Florida
- Groom's outfit: Armstreet Medieval Clothing
- Groomsmen outfits: Make Believe Costumes in Jacksonville, Florida
- Bridemaids' dresses: Reminisce Shoppe
- Bride's crown: Mystic Magic Masks
- Groom's bandolier: Versalla
- Wedding planner/officiant/makeup artist: Kimber Newton Blair
- Catering: A Step Above Catering and Chefs For A Night
- Dress: custom design by Dress Art Mystery
Ok wait before we dive into the wedding gallery, can we FREAK OUT over a couple of the other dresses that Dress Art Mystery makes!? Click any of the pics for more info…
![Squeal at the ARMORED corset dress at this fantasy RPG-themed wedding 32 from Offbeat Wed (formerly Offbeat Bride) dress art mystery on offbeat bride alternative wedding ideas from Offbeat Wed (formerly Offbeat Bride)](https://offbeatwed.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/dress-art-mystery-on-offbeat-bride.jpg)
![Squeal at the ARMORED corset dress at this fantasy RPG-themed wedding 33 from Offbeat Wed (formerly Offbeat Bride) red wedding dress by dress art mystery as seen on offbeat bride alternative wedding ideas from Offbeat Wed (formerly Offbeat Bride)](https://offbeatwed.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/red-wedding-dress-by-dress-art-mystery-as-seen-on-offbeat-bride-800x1200.jpg)
Ok, now onto the wedding gallery…
Offbeat Wed Vendor
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This is amazing. I love the dress — but can I just mention how great it is to see this kind of outfit with a short hair style? I’ve been feeling the pressure to grow mine out for a big costume event with a similar feel and damn if this isn’t great support for the ‘keep it short’ plan. I’m in love with that headpiece. The whole event look amazing though…
Hi Gloriana!! Thank you so much! I looked for this dress and the crown for aaaaaages before finally finding it. So glad it can inspire others now! Also, I have rocked short hair for most of my life and honestly don’t feel comfortable wearing it long. But I’m glad that I can help encourage you to just do you and rock that short hairstyle if you are feeling it 🙂 Thank you so much again and I hope your big costume event turns out awesome!
I love the outfits, some very good choices. I have a soft spot for Armstreet, they do some fantastic stuff. And that dress is incredible! I love a good crown too. And swords! The whole thing is brilliant.
Hi Jade! This is Erin, the bride featured here. I just wanted to thank you so much for your kind comment! My husband found Armstreet and was just blown away by the amazing creativity in outfits, the quality of the clothing and the great customer communication they have. Haha, also I searched for that dress for almost 8 months before finally finding it and getting a custom-job of combining two of the seller’s dresses together. We borrowed the swords from a friend of Ross’s and they really made the groomsmen outfits shine. Thank you so much again for your kind words and have a wonderful day! 🙂
That dress is amazing!! I wish clothing like that was appropriate for day wear. I love it so much more than modern fashions…
Hi Tribesmaid OnTheBrink! I’m the bride featured here. Thank you so much for your kind words! I hunted for what seemed like forever trying to find this dress 🙂 I totally wwish I could wear it every day, but will settle for just getting to wear it to all the rennaisance fairs LOL! Hope you have a wonderful day! 🙂
Beautiful wedding! My favorite detail is the groom’s bandolier, with scrolls, potions, and wands! I LOVE that! He definitely looks ready to embark on an adventure. Luck and love to both of you.
Thank you so much!
This whole wedding blows my mind! The bride’s gown is absolutely stunning!