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The Offbeat Bride: Nathalia, Tribesmaid
Her offbeat partner: Rafael
Date and location of wedding: Espaço Catavento, Piracicaba, Brazil — July 27, 2013
Our offbeat wedding at a glance: We started planning with a traditional wedding image in mind, and molded it to be our own. We ended up with a movie-themed party that truly reflected the movie geeks that we are. With my sister's help, I got these amazing movie decorations, including clapperboards and film rolls, which we adapted with pictures of us and our favorite films.
We also had a film roll cake, a screen with scenes from our favorite movies during the reception, and small bottles of water with “drink me” tags. We had movie soundtracks for the ceremony, including “You've Got a Friend in Me” from Toy Story. I walked down the aisle to Queen's “Wedding March” from Flash Gordon, which a friend of ours played live from a balcony!
Tell us about the ceremony:
We had a very fast ceremony. The guys from city hall did their part, we said our I Do's, and signed the book. Then one of our greatest friends read a text she wrote herself — a love story including elements from lots of different movies, which was absolutely perfect.
We were supposed to rock-paper-scissors to see who said their vows first. Rafael was so nervous that the first time we played he put one finger only. We laughed and did it again, and he went first (thankfully!).
We then nailed shut a box with three bottles of wine and three letters, one from us and one from each mother, that we are to open on our first, fifth, and tenth anniversaries. Later on we discovered the nails were in the wrong place and the box remained open!
We wrote our own vows and kept them a secret from each other. We only promised that we both had to finish it with “to infinity and beyond.” Then we exchanged rings (his ring says “to infinity…” and mine “…and beyond”).
We didn't have an officiant, so we just passed around the microphone and followed the timeline in our heads. I was nervous that it wasn't going to work, but it was just fine.
Our biggest challenge:
The only small challenge came along less than two months before the wedding. Rafael received a job offer in London, to start right away. He went to London, worked for three weeks, and came back for the wedding. The week before the wedding was crazy, half finishing all the last-minute details, and half packing (we moved the day after the wedding!). We got everything done in time thanks to help from family and friends, especially my friend of honor, who even ran non-wedding related errands for me.
My favorite moment:
Saying our vows. We had had a lot of things to do the week before the wedding, and both ended up forgetting to finish our vows. Rafa tried to remember his and put it on paper minutes before, but I just sat there trying to remember what I wanted to say. In the end, we both just nervously said what we meant to say, and it was perfect.
My funniest moment:
One funny moment was during the reception: we were on the dance floor with my mom, and Harry Belafonte's “Jump in the Line” started playing. We had been playing that song repeatedly at home the whole week, so at the party she just said “No! I can't take this song anymore!” and walked away from the dance floor.
What was the most important lesson you learned from your wedding?
Stick to your guns when it's important to you. The things that matter for both you and your partner are the important things that you should worry about.
Care to share a few vendor/shopping links?
- Bride's dress: Vivien Of Holloway
- Groom's and groomsmen's superhero t-shirts: ThinkGeek and 80s Tees
- Rings: Isabel Jewelry
- Star Wars cufflinks: Sudlow
- Photography: Milton Moraes Jr.
- Caterer: Splendore
- Decoration: Sempre Victória Floricultura
- Invitations, programs, and amazing engagement photos: my lovely friend of honor, Graziela Meneghetti
- Day-of coordinator: Roberta Furlan
- Cake: Lamego Doces
Enough talk — show me the wedding inspo!
jewelry: Isabel Jewelry
About the Author: Offbeat Weditors
Working tirelessly to bring you stimulating content day after day, the Offbeat Wed editors will not sleep until you've gotten your offbeat fix.
I love the bride’s dress! And the cake, I love the simplicity of it and how it tied perfectly into the theme.
Fantastic! I love the movie theme, especially how you stuck to it all the way down to the music!
Yay! I’m so happy to see everything turned out so gorgeous after following you on the Tribe! Congratulations! LOVE LOVE LOVE your matching belt and shoes!