Posted byRobots and aliens have invaded weddings this week! It's making me want to break it down in a binary solo. Today we've got Old Gods, Han and Leia, and gamers in lurve.
The Offbeat Bride: Abby, technical writer
Her offbeat partner: Kyle, retail assistant manager
Date and location of wedding: The Robert Treat Paine Estate, Waltham, MA (where my parents had their wedding reception!) — May 22, 2011
Our offbeat wedding at a glance: My husband and I are HUGE geeks: we met playing World of Warcraft and bonded over a mutual love for Star Wars and all things nerdtastic. We had to incorporate those elements into our wedding, but at the same time, we wanted to make sure that our guests enjoyed themselves as much as we did.
We decided that Kyle should enter the wedding to the “Imperial March,” and the theme grew from there. We had Princess Leia and Han Solo on top of our cake, and Star Wars music playing throughout the day. We even gave our guests lightsabers to give us a send-off.
To represent World of Warcraft, we included tracks from the score during the dinner hour, named our tables after zones in the game, and decorated the groom's cake to look like one of the villains in the game, the Old God Yogg-Saron.
For my wedding look, I was less concerned with looking like a picture from a magazine and more concerned with being comfortable. I kept my glasses on for the entire day, and eschewed less comfortable wedding footwear in place of a pair of purple Chuck Taylors on which my mother-in-law painted calla lilies. I passed this on to my bridesmaids as well. Rather than giving them strict assignments as to what they should wear, I gave them a color and told them to choose whatever style they wanted.
Our biggest challenge: Our biggest challenge was planning a Massachusetts wedding from Texas. Kyle was born and raised in Texas and I was born and raised in Massachusetts. As a result, most of Kyle's family couldn't attend, and we had quite an adventure in getting the people who could attend up to the Bay State for that weekend.
Somehow, Logan Airport decided that the week leading up to the date was the perfect time to shroud itself in enough fog to make both taking off and landing absolutely impossible. So many people faced delayed or cancelled flights, but eventually, everybody made it.
My favorite moment: Kyle and I decided to have a first look before the ceremony, just a time for the two of us to see each other before the wedding took over. Some old friends of the family brought their four-year-old granddaughter to the wedding and had been building it up for weeks beforehand, showing her the video of the Royal Wedding and explaining to her that princesses married princes and that sort of thing. Because they couldn't stay for the reception, we invited them to our first look. I'll never forget the joy in that little girl's voice when she first saw me and asked, “Gramma, is that the princess?”
My funniest moment: Our pastor from Texas officiated the ceremony, and I had specified to him in the months leading up to the wedding that instead of saying “by the authority vested in me by the state of Massachusetts,” he had to say, “by the authority vested in me by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.” He practiced for weeks. He called me several times to double-check. And on the wedding day, he got it perfectly right… but then he forgot to have us exchange rings.
What was the most important lesson you learned from your wedding? I think it was just to not take on too much. For a little while, I was trying to play peacekeeper with my bridesmaids, sanity-maintainer for my mother, reporter for my mother-in-law, cheerful hostess for all the guests from out-of-town, and eager bride for Kyle. At the end of the day, though, the last one was the only one that mattered.
Care to share a few vendor/shopping links?
- Photographer: Melanie Haney
- Florist: Jack Jones
- Planner: Great Beginnings Events
- Cakes: Sweet Alternatives
- Catering: Two Chefs Are Better Than One
Enough talk — show me the wedding inspo!
About the Author: Offbeat Weditors
Working tirelessly to bring you stimulating content day after day, the Offbeat Wed editors will not sleep until you've gotten your offbeat fix.
That’s just fabulous! I particularly adore that you chose a figurine of Leia that’s not her normal buns & white dress or metal bikini. Kudos!
This looks like such a happy event. I love pics like these. And your decision to focus on being a bride for your groom and let everything else just be, well, that’s really touched me. Much happiness to you and yours.
Looks like a lovely event! Not to mention really fun too. Happy years ahead for you ^^
That. Is. Brilliant. I’ve been trying to think of table names and ohhhh my goodness what a fabulous subtle tribute!