Adri & Bobby’s damask riverboat wedding

The offbeat bride: Adriana, Administrative Assistant

Her offbeat partner: Bobby, Plant Technician

Date and location of wedding: Serra Cross Park, Ventura and Oxnard, CA — March 19, 2011

What made our wedding offbeat: We had a completely secular ceremony. Our choices of décor were pretty diverse as well. Our decorations were a mix of black and white damask accents, red and black Dia De los Muertos colors and imagery, and as much vintage-y goodness as we could fit in. My mom also walked me down the aisle. And finally, we hosted our reception on a boat! A bitchin' old-timey paddlewheel riverboat, to be exact.

We also made a few of the more antiquated wedding traditions our own. For example, we had a Polaroid guest book where our friends and family could get their picture taken with a wannabe Polaroid (Fujifilm) instant film camera, place it in an album, and write a cute little message to us.

Also, instead of rice or bubbles thrown/blown at us after our ceremony, I made “yay” flags for people to wave around in the air (which I won't deny that I totally stole from an Offbeat Bride DIY tutorial!)

I made a ceremony greeting sign which was a collection of photo booth pictures that Bobby and I have taken over the years and arranged in a giant, ornate frame. We really tried to stay true to our own beliefs (or lack thereof), style, and personalities while still including some typical wedding traditions.

Tell us about the ceremony: We had our ceremony at Serra Cross Park, which is a historical public park with a massive wooden cross/monument. The park sits on top of a mountain overlooking Downtown Ventura and miles of Ventura coastline.

We chose our ceremony location because it is known throughout Ventura County for being a scenic, romantic, and kick-ass spot to go. It's where Bobby popped the question, it has one of the best views around, and it also has the smallest price tag in our area. All in all, it was the only place we could imagine our wedding taking place. It was also super convenient that my religious mom got to have her Catholic imagery without us regretting that we had a typical church wedding. Two birds with one stone, baby!

Our biggest challenge: Like every other family in the world, we fight. Not only do we fight, but we hold grudges. We avoid one another. We have awkward stare-downs. It's lovely. So, our biggest challenge was definitely keeping track of both of our families' Jerry Springer ways, and seating everyone accordingly. The seating chart was an intricate puzzle that could only work a few different ways, and it drove us insane. It could have turned out horribly, but ended up mending five decades' worth of misunderstanding. It's a Christmas-fucking-miracle.

My favorite moment: Bobby's grandpa must be some kind of wizard, because he has made it to the amazing age of 96 literally without any kind of illnesses besides random outbursts of obscenities and his addiction to bacon. Naturally, when he told us that venturing out of the house for hours and being around dozens of people was too much of an adventure for him, we were beyond bummed, but respected his wishes.

The most meaningful part of our wedding was when we pulled up to our reception venue after the ceremony and saw Grandpa standing on the sidewalk ready to greet us and take a few photos. Although he didn't make it to the reception, we were so surprised and excited that he got to be a part of our big day. He really is the most amazing Grandpa anyone could ever have, and we love him LIKE WHOA. And P.S. He got his first tattoo at the age of 94. That's just how he rolls.

My funniest moment: The funniest moment of the whole day was during our joint speech at our reception. Bobby and I had written a really great co-speech and had printed it on a tiny piece of paper, and naturally, I forgot it at the hotel along with a handful of other things.

We figured we knew what we were supposed to say, and decided to do the best we could without our notes. When it was our turn, we walked up to the front of the room, the DJ gave the microphone to Bobby and Bobby completely blanked. He looked at me and I knew I had to pull this shit together without his help. So I grabbed the mic, spit out our entire speech in about 30 seconds, and ran away. It was really hilarious, and I don't even remember what came out of my mouth. But it must have not been that bad because I think I heard clapping…?

Was there anything you were sure was going to be a total disaster that unexpectedly turned out great? For the entire two weeks leading up to our wedding day, the weather forecast said rain. Heavy rain and thunder. I was pissed, sad, and going insane because our ceremony was completely outdoors, and we couldn't afford to rent a tent. I basically just had to be okay with it because there was nothing we could do but hope. And do a sun dance, if that exists.

To add to my stress level, it poured cats and dogs the entire night before the wedding day and the entire morning while we were getting ready. Magically, at 9:00 a.m., the clouds parted, the sun came out, and I shat my pants with joy. Even though there were a couple of things that slipped through the cracks, I was stoked because we had a dry ceremony!

My advice for offbeat brides: Remember why you're getting married in the first place. Don't let family members, money, or details take over your mind. You're only one person, and you can only do/take/handle so much. Give yourself a break and give yourself a mental high-five for pulling everything off. Its kind of a big deal, and you kind of kicked ass.

What was the most important lesson you learned from your wedding? On the wedding day, it's not an issue of IF there will be a disaster, it's about how many and how bad. There is always some small fiasco that pops up, and you can't prevent it. What you can prevent is how much it affects you.

Care to share a few vendor/shopping links?

• Photography: Anna Joy Photo
• Veil: Etsy seller BirdcageSupply
• Favors for the bridal party: Etsy seller SoapGarden

Enough talk — show me the wedding inspo!

About the Author: Offbeat Weditors

@offbeatbride @offbeatwed

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