Posted byThe Day of the Doctor is coming in honor of Doctor Who's 50th anniversary. What better way to relish one of our fave fandoms than to have a Doctor Who theme week? Allons-y!
The Offbeat Bride: Michelle, teacher
Her offbeat partner: Lucas, service advisor for a car dealership
Date and location of wedding: Bank Street Annex, Easton, PA — March 16, 2013
Our offbeat wedding at a glance: At first we were thinking of having a comic book theme, but then expanded into our love of all books, not just comic books. So I found the idea to make paper flowers from books, and then the theme just rolled from there. Everything was book-themed. Our save-the-dates were vintage postcards, the card holder was wrapped in newsprint paper, the cake topper included a stack of books, the centerpieces were stacked books with our paper flowers cascading down them, and our invitations were card catalog and library-themed.
Our guests filled out postcards with London, comic book cover, and book cover themes. We hope to put them together in a postcard photo book one day. Instead of table numbers, our tables had author names. The place cards were old card catalog cards and I used a typewriter to give the table name, guest name, and a few of our favorite books from that particular author.
Lucas wore the 10th Doctor's brown and blue suit since we love Doctor Who! We also both carried our Sonic Screwdrivers throughout the day, He had David Tennant's and I carried River Song's screwdriver. We also had a TARDIS ring holder.
My mother was an integral part of my DIY wedding. She is crafty and creative, and I couldn't have pulled off the theme without her! She made paper flowers constantly for over a year. We made the flowers from Harry Potter books, comic books, scrapbooks, and all sorts of different papers. Each one was made with love by someone I love.
Tell us about the ceremony:
Our venue, The Bank Street Annex, is an old bank built in 1927, with art deco style, a gorgeous ceiling, and a big staircase. The wedding party and I walked in to “The Winner Is” by Devotchka.
Our nephew Andrew read a beautiful reading that we found about longtime love from an Offbeat Bride post, “From Beginning to End” by Robert Fulghum.
For our handfasting, the officiant talked about different ways to have a happy marriage while we tied the cords. At the end of the handfasting, we pulled the cords and they actually tied a knot, which was fun that we got to actually “tie the knot.”
My favorite moment:
Luke and I did a first look. I felt so nervous before that moment, but after I saw him I felt so calm and just incredibly happy. Coming down the stairs for the ceremony and seeing everyone we love there to support us was overwhelming and wonderful!
My funniest moment:
By far the funniest moment was when Lucas and his mother took to the dance floor for their mother/son dance. My nephew Eric wandered onto the dance floor and decided that he needed to be involved. At first he just stood there staring at Luke and his mom, and then Luke's mom picked him up and he laid his head on her shoulder. The three of them finished the mother/son dance together. It was so funny and cute!
What was the most important lesson you learned from your wedding?
I learned to make sure the whole day is properly timed out and planned. We ran behind with hair and makeup, and that made us rush through some photos and I missed a few things that I wanted to do. It is hard early on to grasp your timetable, so talk to your reception venue coordinator and photographer. They do this stuff all of the time and are great resources.
Care to share a few vendor/shopping links?
- Photography: American Wedding Group (aka Bella Pictures)
- Bride's dress: Maggie Sottero Embrace from Harleysville Bridal
- Groom's 10th doctor suit: Magnoli Clothiers
- Necklace: BGB Jewelry
- Earrings: Olini Bridal Jewelry
- Birdcage and hair jewels: OWD Jewelry
- Custom toasting flutes: Lgrn22
- Tardis ring box: SciFi MC
- Cake topper: Mudcards
- Invitations: Letter 19 Design
- Shoes: custom Converse
- Sodas: Jones Soda
- Officiant: Mark Pun from Pun Nuptials
- Bride's ring: A. Brant and Son
- Groom's ring: Stonebrook Jewelry
- Venue: Bank Street Annex
- Cake: Granny Schmidts
- Inspiration: Pinterest wedding board
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.
Love it! Beautiful colors & overall aesthetic. It looks like it fit you perfectly.
Absolutely stunning wedding! I’m a total book nerd so I LOVE all the literary touches! Those paper flowers are so beautiful and creative. The First Look was the best decision my husband and I made about our wedding. Yours was super sweet! I encourage everyone to do one!
You both look so happy and excited, congratulations! I loved the Tardis ring box so much I had to order it myself.
Thank you so much everyone! This seriously feels like such an honor to be featured on this site. We relied on offbeat bride so much during planning!!
I am so happy you purchased a tardis ring box! You’ll love it!
You and your husband look like you had a blast. That venue also looks pretty fantastic! The picture of the mother/son/nephew dance was so adorable! Those unplanned moments turn out to be some of the best. Oh, and it must have been so great to have such a crafty and helpful mom to work on all your projects with.
Thanks! My mom is pretty darn amazing. Those unplanned moments are the stuff you remember the most from that day.
Oh my goodness! I came here for the gorgeous book themed paper flowers, but was so surprised by the fact that you’re in Easton. My hometown! I LOVE the Bank Street Annex, it’s a great place. I’m so excited to see some local love around here! 🙂 We’re also thinking about Pun Nuptials for our officiant. Glad to see them represented! I’ve heard really good things about them.
Your wedding looks like it was absolutely wonderful! Congratulations! 🙂
THANKS! I loved Bank St Annex, it is soooo beautiful.
So beautiful! Your flowers look amazing!! Did your mother use any patterns for that, or was she able to make them up on her own? I’d love to learn how to do similar flowers for my wedding!
Hey! My mom and I used about three or four different patterns that I found by searching for paper flowers and paper flower patterns on pinterest. I tried out a lot and found the ones I liked the best. It’s best to keep them as simple as possible if you are making a TON the way we did!
Good luck!