A fantastical Lord of the Rings meets Midsummer Night’s Dream wedding

The Offbeat Bride: Jamie Lee, English Teacher

Her offbeat partner: Kyle, History Teacher

Date and location of wedding: The Pettit Preserve in Cartersville, GA — June 4, 2016

Our offbeat wedding at a glance:

I wanted this wedding to be a combination of my favorite fantasy stories, most especially Lord of the Rings. All of our ceremony music was from the movie soundtracks — I came out to “Evenstar” from behind two silk LoTR banners that I created.

All guests sat a reception tables inspired by different locations in LoTR. Elements from A Midsummer Night's Dream came in during the ceremony because I wanted my bridesmaids and I to look like fairies from the story and I wanted the forest we were married in to look like a magical woodland fairy kingdom. I had small nods to Harry Potter at the reception including two bars (The Leaky Cauldron and The Three Broomsticks) and the specialty drink being butterbeer.

We wanted a fantastical Lord of the Rings wedding that celebrated all the fantasy we love.

Tell us about the ceremony:

Our ceremony was in the woods at The Pettit Preserve, my grandmother's nature preserve.

We lined the trees with multiple silk banners, which I created, inspired by Lord of the Rings. We had ribbon wands for each guest as well as program fans. During the ceremony, we had two poetry readings. One reading was done by my mother who read a poem that my grandmother wrote. The second reading was done by my father-in-law who read a piece by Stephen King.

My processional was my favorite because I made two green silk banners with trees on them inspired by the one Arwen is behind in The Return of the King. Our flower girls and ring bearers were dressed like hobbits and my and my bridesmaids' attire was inspired by both fairies and elves.

Tell us about your reception:

We were going for a magical vibe at the ceremony. I was born during a terrible storm in April of 1991, and during every major event of my life, it has rained. Likewise, it was a beautiful day the entire day of our wedding until about an hour into our reception. We were all outside underneath a clear tent with a huge storm going on. All of the guests took off their shoes and danced in the mud all night long and it was awesome.

Our favors were homemade strawberry preserves made by my father-in-law. We had a Southern menu because we wanted it to be hearty food that we thought would be fit for hobbits. My husband is a football coach, so he tossed the garter with a football, and I shot my bouquet with a bow and arrow into the crowd.

What was your most important lesson learned?

My biggest wedding planning challenge was probably feeling quite alone in my vision for a fantasy wedding. I live in a small town in the south where weddings are normally very traditional. The best advice I can give for that is to not worry too much about the disconnect. Do what makes you and your partner happy. Don't let anyone define what is right for you.

Vendors

• Photographer: Cindy Harter Photography
• Videographer: JB Videography
• Dress: Atelieria
• Venue: The Pettit Preserve
• Flowers: Lindsay Coletta
• Tuxedo: The Black Tux
• Catering: Stonewall Manor Weddings

Gallery

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