Gritty, rock & roll, and HOT (literally) New Orleans wedding

The Offbeat Bride: Jillian, Tech & Startup Marketer

Her offbeat partner: Josh, Solar Consultant

Date and location of wedding: New Orleans, LA — July 3, 2016

Our offbeat wedding at a glance:

We wanted something that felt authentically New Orleans, without resorting to cliches: gritty, sultry, funky, and FUN. We rented a big hangar space on the Mississippi overlooking the city, but it was a quick and dirty ceremony and there were still people hanging out and skating around the park which we thought was awesome.

It was 95+ degrees and super humid (talk about authentic New Orleans) so everyone was super sweaty and glowing. We danced until midnight and got to spend time with friends who flew in from around the world.

Tell us about the ceremony:

We did everything pretty low-key, without a coordinator, and right from the get go we missed a cue for me, my dad, and my sister to walk down the aisle. We were waiting in the car for a text from the best man, meanwhile my husband was sweating bullets in front of 95 guests waiting for everyone. All the pre-ceremony photos of him he looks nauseous because he was worried I'd gotten cold feet.

I walked down the aisle to an acoustic version of "Across the Universe" by The Beatles, played by my husband's childhood neighbor. We had a reading from His Dark Materials, and another from the SCOTUS ruling on same-sex marriage. We read our own vows.

The night before our officiant (my high school best friend who got ordained for the purpose) was drunk and told me that "your vows are good, but Josh's are REALLY good," so I rewrote mine the night before to be funnier and more engaging (and with three sports team references!).

We made cones out of old sheet music and filled them with dried flower petals and lavender which people threw as we walked out. Then my husband and I went to the bar where we had our first date to take some photos and share some champagne and revel in our new marriage.

Tell us about your reception:

The reception was at a cocktail bar/restaurant in the French Quarter. It was a huge party. We had roasted pork, whole roasted salmon, and a bunch of other yummy Caribbean food. We had a dessert table with two giant macaron trees, but it was so hot they melted right off the tree and just sat on plates (the heat did not affect their deliciousness).

We had two bands — a traditional jazz singer did a swing cover of "Love Me Two Times" by The Doors for our first dance. Later we had a Ukrainian folk/punk band that sang traditional Ukrainian music. I met a few members from this band on my very first visit to New Orleans and they convinced me to move there, so it was very special to have them play at my wedding — I never would have met my husband without them!

I was surprised by how much people danced given the heat (and that the dance floor was outdoors). I was also surprised when my husband secretly had the band play Hava Nagila for the hora. I have recently been getting back in touch with my Jewish side and it was so meaningful that he'd planned a little way to incorporate that part of my heritage for me.

What was your most important lesson learned?

Absolutely nobody gives a shit about the ribbon you tie your bouquet with, the types of flowers you choose, or the font on the menu. Spend the most time and energy thinking about what matters to the guest: good food, good drinks, and good music.