Jenn & Bill’s laid-back and fun-focused wedding

The Offbeat Bride: Jenn, Paralegal

Her offbeat partner: Bill, Cheese Enthusiast

Date and location of wedding: The Quixotic World, Dallas, TX — May 3, 2014

Our offbeat wedding at a glance: Our main objective (besides ending the night being legally married) was fun. We went as non-traditional as fit our personal style, and friends and family joined right in with love and support.

Tell us about the ceremony:
Ours was a purposefully secular ceremony. The two of us were both raised Catholic, but over the years and in our relationship with each other, we had moved away from those traditions. Our vows, while sincere, were also pretty humorous. For instance, I promised to “always scratch his back when it's turned to me” and to “name him the reigning king of breakfast” as long as I live. He promised to always “put things off to the last minute” and to call me “his girl” for the rest of his life. Of course, we also promised love, faithfulness, and devotion… just in our own way.

Our first reading was taken from “Goodridge Vs. Department of Public Health” by Massachusetts Supreme Court Chief Justice Margaret H. Marshall, and our second reading was an excerpt from The Irrational Season by Madeleine L'Engle.

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Our biggest challenge:
The biggest challenge for us was having all the guests we wanted. We have relocated far from most family and friends, which we know makes it difficult for many people. Some of my dearest family members were not able to attend due to distance, finances, and a myriad of other unavoidable reasons, and we were not able to invite all the cousins and second-cousins we wanted to for monetary reasons. We dealt with this by planning a second reception at a family reunion scheduled for later this year, and by creating our own Facebook page for the wedding, where everyone could check in, see photos and videos, share comments, etc. I hope that it helped my family members feel a part of the celebration. I know it made us happy to have a way to share it with them (albeit from a distance).

My favorite moment:
The most meaningful moment of our wedding was the audience participation. We were married by a friend of ours, and after our vows, he asked the crowd for their affirmation of our union. The resounding yells of “yes” along with whistles and cat-calls almost blew me over. Bill and I waited 12 years before getting engaged, and this was the moment that everyone had been waiting for. It was incredible.

My funniest moment:
We didn't realize until after the fact, but we did have some wedding crashers in attendance. I still love hearing all the stories from my friends and families that they spoke to these two men who wandered in, claiming to have “brought the beer.” It seems these guys spent a good deal of time chatting with our friends and family, and stating how taken they were by our ceremony, our party and the “love in the air.” So in the end, we decided that we were more than happy to share our day with them… it seems they made the most of it!

Making the main objective “fun” rather than “perfection” left us pretty carefree about things.

What was the most important lesson you learned from your wedding?
The most important lesson I learned is to not over-plan anything. My main plan, aside from the venue, food, and booze, was to have a basic framework for how things would go, to let them fall into place as they would. Because we didn't over-plan, over-schedule, or expect things to be “perfect,” we didn't care so much when they didn't go smoothly. For instance, my DJ had to cancel the day before and her replacement started playing the wrong processional song, my mother was sick for a good part of the weekend, and I didn't get my handmade birdcage veil to work with my hairdo. None of that mattered at all. Making the main objective “fun” rather than “perfection” left us pretty carefree about things.

Care to share a few vendor/shopping links?

• Photography: friends of the couple
• Bride's dress: Honey Dress in Red Satin by Trashy Diva.
• Bride's jewelry: a vintage crystal necklace that belonged to my grandmother, and earrings that I made myself from a broken necklace belonging to my great-grandmother
• Bride's bouquet: DarkRose Treasures
• Venue: The Quixotic World, which was already decorated and outfitted with costume hats/wigs, hula-hoops, and a silhouette shadow screen
• Catering: brisket and chicken tacos with all the fixins from Blue Goose Cantina
• The groom's amazing, Elvis-inspired wedding jacket: Lansky Bros. Clothiers

Enough talk — show me the wedding inspo!

About the Author: Offbeat Weditors

@offbeatbride @offbeatwed

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