Stacie & Nate know how to throw a stress-free wedding (including a unity sandwich!)

You already saw their tips for pulling off The Easy Wedding, now see what that wedding looked like in action…

The Offbeat Bride: Stacie, project manager (and Offbeat Bride Tribe member)

Her offbeat partner: Nate, filmmaker

Date and location of wedding: O'Shea's Irish Pub in Louisville, KY — January 3, 2015

Our offbeat wedding at a glance:

We decided from the beginning that we wanted the wedding to be stress free and pure fun. We heavily cut anything we didn't care about such as an aisle or bouquets. We also chose a venue that was already interesting on its own so we didn't need to add much decor. It's an Irish pub with great lighting, exposed brick, and an all-around good feel. I didn't want to have a big reveal/procession down the aisle, so we opted for a cocktail hour before the ceremony. Nate and I greeted everyone at the door, they warmed our rings, and then grabbed a drink. I love that we did this, because it double as a receiving line (allowing us to fully enjoy our reception) and it took off a lot of pressure.

Tell us about your ceremony:

In lieu of an aisle, we walked out behind some old whiskey barrels, which served as our backdrop. We just threw up some candles around the barrels and rented a podium for us to stand on. We had a standing ceremony in the same room as the cocktails, with chairs in front for immediate family and guests who needed chairs.

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The best part of the entire wedding was the raucous shouting and applause when we walked out for the ceremony. It was completely spontaneous, but so much fun! I had never been to a wedding where the crowd cheered like they were at a sporting event during the processional. It really helped put me at ease, though, and I had fun through the whole ceremony. We also had a unity sandwich and it was a huge hit. People are still talking about it. We also wanted a ring-warming ceremony, but we just had too many guests for that to work. Instead, I made a little bird nest and we kept it at the door so people could warm them on their way in.

Tell us about your reception:

Our reception was very casual. We wanted it to be a mingling cocktail party more than anything. with finger foods, drinks, and pie. I spent a year collecting cute little matching salt and pepper shaker couples so that each pie had a topper on it.

The favors were the photo strips from the photo booth as well as some sparkling ginger mead that we brewed and bottled. Pro-tip: you can print labels on regular paper, cut them out, and then adhere them to the bottle with milk. The only decor we added was the centerpieces, which were mismatched vases from Goodwill filled with dried hydrangeas from my grandma's garden that I then spray painted. I also stuck in some white-painted branches to add more height.

Once the dance floor got going, it didn't stop! Nate's favorite moment was seeing my grandmother jump around to Blur's “Song 2.”

What was the most important lesson you learned from your wedding? Any other advice for Offbeat Bride readers?

The most important lesson I learned from wedding planning was that if you don't care about it, don't worry about including it. Before we even started planning, we made a list of priorities. Everything about our wedding was centered around those top three things. I was very relaxed throughout the entire day, because I didn't sweat the small stuff. Heck, I didn't even really sweat the big stuff.

Another helpful thing was having only two major vendors. The venue took care of the space, food, drinks, and even provided tons of free votives. We hired Complete for the DJ, photo booth, and photographer. This made it to where all of our key wedding services were handled by about two people. I appointed a day-of coordinator and then just let the rest fall into place.

Vendors

• Photographer: John Seyal, Complete Weddings and Events
• Dress: Allure Bridal
• Venue: O'Shea's Irish Pub
• Pies: Homemade Ice Cream and Pie Kitchen

About the Author: Offbeat Weditors

@offbeatbride @offbeatwed

Working tirelessly to bring you stimulating content day after day, the Offbeat Wed editors will not sleep until you've gotten your offbeat fix.