This laid-back wedding had a BEETLEJUICE officiant

This laid-back wedding had a wedding party in white and BEETLEJUICE — Photos by Breanne Rochelle Photography

Offbeat partner: Alecia, Invoicing Clerk

Offbeat partner: Ryan, Transportation Specialist

Date and location of wedding: The Iroquois Club, Bloomfield Hills, MI — November 11, 2016

Our offbeat wedding at a glance:

We couldn't settle on an actual theme for our wedding. We mainly just wanted a giant gathering of all of our favorite people in one place having fun, drinking, dancing, laughing, and as an afterthought, we were getting married. We didn't want the whole day to be focused on us.

Tell us about the ceremony:

Our venue coordinator was amazing, and worked with us through everything. We told her our vision, and she got it immediately. The most exciting part about it was that I had no idea what the guys were going to wear (including Ryan). Everything was a surprise from start to finish. The only thing I requested of the bridal party was to wear ivory. I didn't care if it was pants or a skirt.

Our ceremony was all of five minutes. The party walked in, we exchanged rings, and we were married. Growing up, we were neighbors and have known each other for over 22 years. On top of that, we've been together for nine years, so to us, our wedding was just an excuse for everyone to get together and celebrate.

Our officiant was a childhood friend of ours, and was dressed as Beetlejuice because we decided at another friend's wedding that he would one day marry us dressed like that. He was a real trooper. He made everyone laugh and even wore that getup all night.

My favorite moment was the look on Ryan's face when he first saw me during our first look. He went from shocked to tears.

Tell us about your reception:

It was a PARTY! The food was delicious and the waiters/bartenders did a fantastic job of keeping up with everyone's demands. Our DJ kept the music lively (a mix of oldies like Led Zepplin, Hendrix, Pink Floyd, etc. as well as newer songs) and made sure there wasn't ever a lull.

My favorite moment of the reception was during the cake cutting when Ryan smashed the cake into his own face! We forgot that that was part of the whole thing and was totally unplanned.

Our party favors were little jars of cocoa honey labeled “Beetlejuice.”

What was your most important lesson learned?

When it comes down to it, making your wedding planning stressful is virtually 100% avoidable.
Our motto was: if it stressed us out too much, we just weren't going to do it.

For example, we didn't feel comfortable saying how much we loved each other in front of everyone we knew, so we just didn't exchange vows. We know ourselves, and that's all that matters.