A rustic Northern California wedding with Southern flair (and a spectacular gray dress!)

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 | Photography by Matthew William Photography
A rustic Northern Cali wedding with Southern flair (and a spectacular gray dress!)
Photos by Matthew William Photography

Offbeat partner: Evan, Art History Professor and Arts Journalist

Offbeat partner: Sean, Mechanical Engineer

Date and location of wedding: Old Crocker Inn, Cloverdale, California — September 9, 2017

Our offbeat wedding at a glance:

With two very nontraditional people, we decided to highlight aspects of our specific tastes and lives. All the bridesmaids had floral dresses of their own choosing, and the groomsmen all had floral ties of their choosing (and one female groomsmen picked her own floral dress as well). Vegan, gluten-free Southern cuisine was served along with local Northern California wines and beers.

A rustic Northern California wedding with Southern flair (and a spectacular gray dress!)

A rustic Northern California wedding with Southern flair (and a spectacular gray dress!)

A rustic Northern California wedding with Southern flair (and a spectacular gray dress!)

A rustic Northern California wedding with Southern flair (and a spectacular gray dress!)

A rustic Northern California wedding with Southern flair (and a spectacular gray dress!)

A rustic Northern California wedding with Southern flair (and a spectacular gray dress!)

A rustic Northern California wedding with Southern flair (and a spectacular gray dress!)

A rustic Northern California wedding with Southern flair (and a spectacular gray dress!)

Instead of a wedding cake, we opted for vegan, gluten-free donuts and danced the night away to a live bluegrass band. We both dressed in gray, no whites, no blacks, and we opted out of the traditional wedding march music and instead had gorgeous Hozier songs playing as the bridesmaids and bride walked down the aisle.

A rustic Northern California wedding with Southern flair (and a spectacular gray dress!)

A rustic Northern California wedding with Southern flair (and a spectacular gray dress!)

A rustic Northern California wedding with Southern flair (and a spectacular gray dress!)

A rustic Northern California wedding with Southern flair (and a spectacular gray dress!)

A rustic Northern California wedding with Southern flair (and a spectacular gray dress!)

Tell us about the ceremony:

Our ceremony was centered around our vows, which we wrote ourselves. We incorporated the traditional Irish handfasting ritual to emphasize our commitment in tying the knot. I walked down the aisle to Hozier's “Like Real People Do,” by myself since I do not like the tradition of being given from one man to another.

A rustic Northern California wedding with Southern flair (and a spectacular gray dress!)

A rustic Northern California wedding with Southern flair (and a spectacular gray dress!)

A rustic Northern California wedding with Southern flair (and a spectacular gray dress!)

A rustic Northern California wedding with Southern flair (and a spectacular gray dress!)

A rustic Northern California wedding with Southern flair (and a spectacular gray dress!)

A rustic Northern California wedding with Southern flair (and a spectacular gray dress!)

A rustic Northern Cali wedding with Southern flair (and a spectacular gray dress!)

A rustic Northern Cali wedding with Southern flair (and a stunning gray dress!)

A rustic Northern Cali wedding with Southern flair (and a stunning gray dress!)

A rustic Northern Cali wedding with Southern flair (and a stunning gray dress!)

A rustic Northern Cali wedding with Southern flair (and a stunning gray dress!)

A rustic Northern Cali wedding with Southern flair (and a stunning gray dress!)

Tell us about your reception:

The reception was an amazing party full of love and light. Sitting under the twinkle lights as the sun went down, listening to bluegrass music from Long Beach bluegrass band Big Bad Rooster, we saw two families of deer eating plants around the field we were on. We had some games set up for people to play on the far side of the field, and people loved the opportunity to play cornhole and giant jenga. We also provided a popcorn machine for late night snacks if wedding donuts were not sufficient. As we danced the night away, we witness shooting stars above us and fell in love all over again. It was a magical night.

A rustic Northern Cali wedding with Southern flair (and a stunning gray dress!)

A rustic Northern Cali wedding with Southern flair (and a stunning gray dress!)

A rustic Northern Cali wedding with Southern flair (and a stunning gray dress!)

A rustic Northern Cali wedding with Southern flair (and a stunning gray dress!)

A rustic Northern Cali wedding with Southern flair (and a stunning gray dress!)

What was your most important lesson learned?

If I could give some other offbeat couples some advice, it would be to get everything in writing before you pay. We got swindled by three different vendors and had to negotiate way too much. Apart from the familial drama that ensued with my nontraditional aesthetics and desires for this day, the contracts with my vendors were the biggest headache.

A rustic Northern Cali wedding with Southern flair (and a stunning gray dress!)

A rustic Northern Cali wedding with Southern flair (and a stunning gray dress!)

A rustic Northern Cali wedding with Southern flair (and a stunning gray dress!)ddd 1 alternative wedding ideas from Offbeat Wed (formerly Offbeat Bride)

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Comments on A rustic Northern California wedding with Southern flair (and a spectacular gray dress!)

  1. I’m just going to go ahead and tell everyone that this was my wedding. Yup, that’s me, rocking a gorgeous gray dress and amazing tattoos. What? My hair? Oh, no, it was always long and gorgeous.

  2. That dress! That veil! And the way the plunging neckline perfectly frames the owl tattoo! <3

  3. Stunning dress. Almost wish I could get married again so I could wear it.

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