Katia & Andreas’ low-budget, triple tiered German wedding

The offbeat bride: Katia, translator, photographer, dancer

Her offbeat partner: Andreas, WEB 2,0 Master, PR-Officer, music expert

Location & date of wedding: Kettwig-Rathaus, Germany; “3/4 Zehn” Kettwig; “Veranda” Odessa; the Crimea trip — 6th August 2009

What made our wedding offbeat: I am from Ukraine. My husband is German. So all clichees are there at once.

I met him during my studies in Germany. After being friends for several years it came to us, we were no longer friends.

In Prague, he proposed me, to the great happiness of us both and our families who were dying to be on a next wedding, so the new challenge was on. How? Ukrainians, Germans, other far friends…

We found the way: 1st part Essen, 2nd part Odessa, 3rd part Crimea honeymoon wild trip with all who would come with us.

We created our own wedding blog.

I had really limited resources as to where to get a dress. My sister made me a dress according to the tv show How I Met Your Mother (Ted's girlfriend). We bought new Chucks and twittered the wedding right from Andreas' iPhone.

Our friends organized us their old “wedding Volkswagen” full of roses, champagne in the wedding yard, cake party at mom's, pictures at Zoll Verein, puddling at the lake, after-wedding party at friends' home in Essen.

One week later we met in Odessa, at the beach restaurant Veranda, entering the place with the Imperial March, celebrated again, swam drunk in the night Black Sea, then partied at a rented apartment in Odessa.

Three days later we rented a bus and went to the Crimea — backpackers, water-hunting, swimming, night fire, singing. Then coming home to my parents; twenty-one wild dirty people sleeping all around the place and flying back to Germany, UK and the US.

Our biggest challenge: There were too many and at the same time… none.

My favorite moment: Standing at a pier at the nightly Black Sea beach, hugging my husband, smiling, hearing wild shouts and music from the restaurant, knowing we made it and being sure we are so offbeat. 🙂

My offbeat advice: Do what you want! You can do it!

Enough talk — show me the wedding porn:

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@offbeatbride @offbeatwed

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