Emily & Aaron’s monochromatic DIYed wedding

The Offbeat Bride: Emily, Youth Worker (and Tribesmaid)

Her offbeat partner: Aaron, Mechanic

Date and location of wedding: Inglewood Estate, Kangaroo Ground, Victoria, Australia — July 13, 2013

Our offbeat wedding at a glance: We DIYed most of the decorations or picked them up at opportunity/thrift shops. We also got all the formalities done and dusted in 23 mins flat, and then partied the rest of the night! I didn't want to cover my tattoos as was suggested by a few people, and my hair was my something blue. I didn't want a white wedding dress since I live in black. Plus, it went with my garter, which had a gun holster!

Tell us about the ceremony:
We wrote our own vows. One of my favorites lines was, “I promise to love you, even when I don't like you.” My big sister read this Antoine de Saint-Exupery quote, “Love does not consist in gazing at each other, but in looking outward together in the same direction.” This is basically how we work. We are a team, and we don't leave each other behind.

Our celebrant printed up a pretty book with the ceremony wording inside so we can read over it for years to come. There was, however, a slight hiccup when we had to the sign the registry. The ridiculously long nails I had made my handwriting atrocious! A minor issue, but funny!

Our biggest challenge:
The biggest challenge was planning the whole thing without help since we live 16 hours away from our family and wedding party. We unconsciously countered this by having a five-year engagement, so we had plenty of time to scour through the internet and Pinterest to figure out what we wanted and how we were going to get it. In the end, we figured out what we needed vs. what we wanted, and met it somewhere in the middle.

My funniest moment:
The funniest moment was my mother-in-law's speech. She started bawling as soon as she picked up the microphone! It was really sweet and got a laugh out of everyone. Aaron and I comforted her and she was able to make it through without breaking down again.

My favorite moment:
The most meaningful moment for me was when the chapel doors opened. I was instantly overwhelmed by the people looking at me, but then I saw Aaron and charged down the aisle pulling my 11-year-old brother and father behind me. Aaron started bawling his eyes out about three steps in!

The car ride to the chapel was also pretty memorable. Cruising in a '56 Ford Fairlane 500 with my little brother, father, and boss (who has been a surrogate father for me since moving away from the family) was amazing. My little brother was so cute while waving at people as they drove past, and getting excited by people paying attention!

Aaron's mother also had a bracelet made for me out of his grandmother's pearls, which was super special.

Care to share a few vendor/shopping links?

• Dress: JSSHAN
• Shoes: Amazon
• Hair piece: Peacock and Lotus
• Hairstyling: Mandy's Styles for Hair
• Flower girls and usher outfits: Pink Marie
• Photographer: Lakshal Perera
• Celebrant: Kali Power
• Cake: Ministry of Cakes
• Candy buffet jars: Event Perfection
• Venue: Inglewood Estate

Enough talk — show me the wedding inspo!

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@offbeatbride @offbeatwed

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