The offbeat bride: Jenny, artist/program coordinator
Her offbeat partner: Evan, woodworker
Location & date of wedding: Pergola at Lake Shawnee, Topeka, KS — August 29, 2009
What made our wedding offbeat: It was offbeat because we did what we wanted. When we envisioned our wedding, Evan and I saw all of the people we love sharing in our celebration of love and commitment. Anything traditional that fit into that could stay–anything that didn’t was out. We had a family friend/minister marry us. All of our favorite people stood up there with us. 
I have long loved the wedding crane tradition-and we felt compelled to incorporate that into our wedding. The tradition is for the bride or couple or guest to fold 1000 paper cranes–if accomplished, they are able to wish for a thousand years of happiness together. 
I was nervous about so many people not knowing each other so we tried to invoke a fun and lighthearted atmosphere. So we made mustaches. Seeing my grandparents laugh at each other while holding up theirs, made everything feel right.
In fact, the best thing about our wedding–besides being able to marry my husband–was how much of a family affair it was. My friends all helped with the flower arrangements, my grandmother/aunt and mother made all the table runners, Evan’s mom made all the candies and waterbottle labels, my aunt made hairpieces for all the flower girls, Evan’s dad even brought us his famous iced tea!
Tell us about the ceremony: The ceremony was outside under a pergola at a park. Right in front of a lake. We wrote and read our own vows. It was short and sweet.
Our biggest challenge: Our biggest challenge was planning a wedding in Kansas when we lived in Pennsylvania. We wanted it there, because most of our family lives in Kansas and we wanted everyone to be able to come. Learning to let others help was a sincere struggle for me, but it became a necessity as our wedding inched closer. We learned to rely on others quite a lot through the wedding planning process.
My favorite moment: Reading the vows that we wrote.
Hot air balloons have always been a lucky symbol for Evan and I–when two rose into the air across the lake right as we took our vows–it was a perfect moment.
Celebrating with everyone we love in the same room. 
My funniest moment: The minister said “I would like to present for the first time as a married couple, Jessica and Evan”! But my name is Jenny! It was pretty funny.
My advice for offbeat brides: Plan a wedding that is reasonable for who you are as a couple. 
It does not have to be huge or expensive to be special.
What was the most important lesson you learned from your wedding? From the overall process of planning a wedding, my husband and I have truly learned to communicate well–in a different way than when we were just dating. We learned to communicate even in disputes.
Enough talk — show me the wedding inspo!
