Carmela & Luis’s pink monkey in wonderland wedding

The offbeat bride: Carmela, stay at home mommy to three lil' princesses

Her offbeat partner: Luis, computer tech

Location & date of wedding: Paradise Banquet Hall in Woodbridge, Ontario — October 23, 2010

What made our wedding offbeat: Our wedding was planned in less than three months! We did have a few traditional elements but our personalities shined through.

I used antique keys with tags instead of plain seating cards.

Our guest favour was a mini teacup and a big ol' box of purple and turquiose jelly beans with a tag that said “Eat Me.” (The tag had a picture from Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland on it).

We had purple & blue orchids in our centrepieces with white ostrich feathers.

Our first dance was an awesome song by Team Sleep called Ever. The song we came into the hall with for our grand enterance was Renagades of Funk by Rage Against the Machine. The bridal party danced its way into the hall to Apache by Sugarhill Gang!

I had a hot pink corset backing on my wedding gown and a birdcage veil for my ceremony. I made a hot pink headpiece to wear for the reception. My shoes I made myself — well, I bought them at a second hand store for $8 and decorated them myself!

We also did a really fun candy bar! I love candy!

Our biggest challenge: Our biggest challenge was time. With three months to pull off a 100 person wedding, a budget tighter than John Travolta's bell bottoms, and three kids at home, it was a stressful time! But we worked like a well-oiled machine — teamwork was key for us! We made a point to never sweat the small stuff.

My favorite moment: Our first dance was the most intense and romantic part. All of our guests told us they could feel the love we have for each other as we danced.

My funniest moment: My husband! He's hilarious! During our ceremony, the officiant mispronounced his name, so my husband interrupted, grabbed the mic and said “It's pronounced LUIS.” Everyone was in tears of laughter!

My advice for offbeat brides: Make sure your personal style is prominent! And the littlest details make the biggest impression!

What was the most important lesson you learned from your wedding? Organization! If you're not organized disaster is immanent! You can overcome anything if you are just a little patient and if you keep your mind open.

Care to share a few vendor/shopping links?

• Dress: I got my dress from a local outlet store called Your White Dress. I paid $300!

Enough talk — show me the wedding inspo!

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