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Offbeat partner: Randy Joe & Jeremy
Date and location of wedding: Roots Produce and Flower Farm, Leavenworth, WA, 6/12/2021
Our offbeat wedding at a glance: A simple, romantic, laid-back, but still “wedding”-like elopement…with a nerdy twist. Movies, video games, comic books, etc. are a huge part of who we are, our daily lives, our hobbies, and how we fell in love, so we needed to include an element of that somehow.
We've always felt a connection to Carl and Ellie from Pixar's “Up” and I already had the plan that our gift table at our bigger celebration with friends and family in 2022 would be “Up”-themed, so why not tie the two weddings together? Our awesome officiant even included quotes from one of our favorite movies, “The Princess Bride”, and references to superheroes in our vows!
I kept the slate blank overall so that things could be done last minute. I opted for a white, tan, and brown color palette so that when I bought a random bouquet and random flowers for boutonnieres and centerpieces from Safeway the day before, I wouldn't have to worry about anything matching.
Tell us about the ceremony:
‘SET THE SCENE’:
Mawwiage. Mawwiage is what bwings us togeder today. Mawwiage, that bwessed awwangement, that dweam wifin a dream – Couldn’t resist. I love the Princess Bride too. The day you met in Set Building class at Central was the beginning of everything, though you didn’t exactly know it yet. Over the past 9 1/2 years, you’ve laughed, cried, fought, forgiven each other, lived through a global pandemic and learned more about each other than some folks learn in an entire lifetime. In short, you’ve become lovers and best friends. You fell in love and decided to marry and then you waited for the right time. Finally, the right time for Act I of the marriage ceremony has arrived. We are here today in this lovely place, full of life so that you, Jeremy and Randy Joe, can at last join together in marriage. Thank you for allowing us to be part of your elopement.
VOWS:
Some would say, you met and fell in love by chance, while others may contend that it was Destiny. Whichever it is, you're here today because you're making a choice. You both stopped looking long ago and have chosen each other. You've chosen to be with someone who enhances you, who makes you think, makes you smile, and with a well-timed hug, joke or heart hands makes every day brighter. You're about to make promises to each other that you intend to keep. You're going to vow to take care of each other, to stand up for one another, and find happiness in the other. There's a simple premise to each of these: you're vowing to be there. You're teaming up and saying to the other, “’Falling in love with you is an adventure’ and every experience I am going to have, I want you to be a part of.”
Jeremy and Randy Joe, in the presence of your witnesses, who love you are you ready to share your vows with each other?
Both respond: We are.
Jeremy, will you take Randy Joe as your wife; as your companion and best friend for life? Will you treat her with love and devotion, honor and respect? Will you stand by her in the triumphs and tragedies of life, as a faithful and caring husband and promise to hug her or make her laugh when she feels bad? In essence, will you be her superhero?
Jeremy: “I will.”
Randy Joe, will you take Jeremy as your husband; as your companion and best friend for life? Will you treat him with love and devotion, honor and respect? Will you trust that he has your best interest at heart and allow him to be your superhero? Will you also stand by him in the triumphs and tragedies of life (as all superheroes experience from time to time), as a faithful and caring wife?
Randy Joe responds: “I will.”
RINGS:
The two of you have chosen to symbolize your vows with an exchange of rings. Jeremy, please place this ring on Randy Joe’s finger and then repeat after me:
“I give you this ring as a reminder that I will love and cherish you, in all ways, forever. You and Me, Randy Joe, we’re in a club now.”
Randy Joe, please place this ring on Jeremy’s finger and repeat after me:
“Jeremy, You’re weird. I LOVE you and I give you this ring as a reminder that I will love and cherish you, in all ways, forever.”
May these rings remind you that your love, like the sun, warms all that it touches, like the moon, brightens up the night, like the eye, is a gateway to your innermost soul. And your love, like the arms that embrace you, makes everything right with the world.
LICENSE:
Connor and James, will come forward to witness your signing. As Randy Joe and Jeremy sign their marriage certificate, making everything official and legal, I invite each of you to send your silent wishes for their love, health, and success.
UNITY:
A unity ritual is a visual symbol of your two lives coming together as one. One of your favorite things to do together is watch movies, so when Randy Joe emailed me to share that you both would like to create the handprint mailbox similar to the one from “Up,” which you will use as your card box at Act II of your Wedding Ceremony. I was delighted. It makes perfect sense. You will always be my greatest adventure.
(put on your own apron, have the other person tie it) – this speaks to helping each other with the everyday tasks during your marriage.
- Squirt paint on your hands, smoosh them together. Each put handprints on the mail box… this is fun, embracing the messiness of life!
- Your witnesses will hand you wipes to clean off hands
FINAL WISH:
Thank you for allowing us to share in your day today. I have one final wish for you – another from The Princess Bride and Up. “’And love, true love, will follow you forever’ and may you always be each other’s greatest adventure.”
PRONOUNCEMENT:
Randy Joe and Jeremy, on this 12th day of June, 2021, you’ve expressed your love to one another through the commitment and promises you’ve made here today. Therefore, in accordance with the laws of the State of Washington and the power vested in me, it is my honor to present for the first time as husband and wife, Jeremy and Randy Joe Reed – Finally!
Tell us about the reception:
Since it was just us, our Best Man, and our Man of Honor (bride's brother), our reception ended up being short and sweet. We sat, chowed down on pizza, cut and ate cake and donuts, and had some sparkling wine.
Then, after celebrating and cleaning up, we all walked back up to the on-site AirBnB, changed our clothes, and played video games for the rest of the evening…and indulged in some late night leftovers and mimosas!
We opted to keep the entire event small initially due to safety concerns, but then decided that since we are still going to have our bigger wedding later, having guests wasn't really necessary. It was weird not having any of our parents there, but it definitely made me more relaxed throughout the day. I mean, I wasn't really relaxed at all because wedding day/anxiety, but still…. It was one less thing to contribute to the stress!
What was the most important lesson you learned from your wedding?
The biggest challenge was trying to decide whether or not to elope! We got engaged in August 2019 after nearly 8 years together, so we were so excited for our June 20, 2020 wedding! Then, COVID happened….
After we postponed, many people asked if we were going to elope or downsize, but I was just so hesitant. I didn't want to abandon all my wedding plans and dreams. By the end of 2020, I found myself actually considering an elopement. When I asked Jeremy what he thought of the idea, he told me that all he cared about was marrying me (*heart eyes*) and I felt the same. At the end of the day, that's all we wanted. I had been afraid of sacrificing “the wedding”, but realized that we wouldn't be sacrificing anything! We will still have that bigger wedding we originally planned, it will just be later than we thought. The specialness of the day won't be diminished just because we're already married either.
Readers, be sure to take the time to think about and discuss what's most important to you and your partner(s) no matter your situation. Pandemic or no pandemic. Maybe you didn't want a big event until you couldn't see your friends and family for awhile and now you want to party! Maybe you realized that intimate just suits you better. Whatever the answer, you may end up surprising yourself. Eloping wasn't what I initially wanted, but it turned out to be just what we both needed! The day fit us perfectly and we're both so happy and relieved to finally be married!
Vendors
- Dress: davidsbridal.com
- Bride's necklace & headpiece: made by bride
- Bride's rings: Aquamarise
- Groom vest & pants: jcpenney.com
- Groom ring: ParieJewelry
- Bottlecap pins: MyHoard
- Cake topper: blushwoodco @blushwoodco
- Cake Stands: Walmart.com
- Gluten free cake & gluten-free donuts: Glaze Bakery, East Wenatchee, WA
- Pizza (incl. gluten-free for bride): Leavenworth Pizza Company
- Table runners: Lola and Bea
- Venue & AirBnB: Roots Produce & Flower Farm @rootsberriesflowers
- Photography: Sydney Cave with Everlasting Everly Photography @everlastingeverlyphoto
- Officiant: Chanelle Carlin
Leavenworth Elopement Gallery
You can see immediately how relaxed and happy this couple is. The trend towards smaller more intimate weddings seems to be continuing and long may it continue! It’s better for the couple and from a wedding photographer’s perspective, it’s great to be shooting images of relaxed, unstressed couples enjoying an intimate day with people that matter the most.