This rustic goth handfast wedding happened at the Poe Museum!

Poe Museum wedding on offbeat bride 33 alternative wedding ideas from Offbeat Wed (formerly Offbeat Bride) — Photos by Aniko Levai Photography

Offbeat partners: Denise & Lee

Date and location of wedding: The Poe Museum in Richmond, VA. 2/29/2020

Poe Museum wedding on offbeat bride 43 alternative wedding ideas from Offbeat Wed (formerly Offbeat Bride)

Poe Museum wedding on offbeat bride 41 alternative wedding ideas from Offbeat Wed (formerly Offbeat Bride)

Our offbeat wedding at a glance: The theme was a rustic garden with a goth twist in plums and burgundies in an enchanted sea of green. The Museum's Founders were inspired by Poe’s poem “To One in Paradise.”

Thou wast that all to me, love,
For which my soul did pine—
A green isle in the sea, love,
A fountain and a shrine,
All wreathed with fairy fruits and flowers,
And all the flowers were mine.
~Edgar Allan Poe

Poe Museum wedding on offbeat bride 48 alternative wedding ideas from Offbeat Wed (formerly Offbeat Bride)

We chose to do a handfast wedding with a ring exchange. [Editor's note: we'll be sharing the full handfasting ceremony script in a few days!] We felt that it was more of our style and the way we feel about each other.

Poe Museum wedding on offbeat bride 18 alternative wedding ideas from Offbeat Wed (formerly Offbeat Bride) — Photos by Aniko Levai Photography

We walked separately on the brick garden steps across the “sea of green” and met at the fountain. He offered me his arm and I then took it as we walked towards the Poe shrine where we would stand and speak our vows. This was done as a symbol of being apart and joining together as we walked past our friends and family.

Poe Museum wedding on offbeat bride 40 alternative wedding ideas from Offbeat Wed (formerly Offbeat Bride)

Our rings are unique. Mine is a gothic wedding set (with skulls) and Lee's was an ogham ring with the wording of my choice, which was our wedding song “Nothing Else Matters.”

Poe Museum wedding on offbeat bride 9 alternative wedding ideas from Offbeat Wed (formerly Offbeat Bride)

I had a custom necklace engraved with our wedding date from Pyrrha's “We Two Are One” that features two ravens holding a ring in a heart to reflect on our chosen venue. The description: The ravens on this talisman are symbolic of a strong and mysterious force surrounding you. Together they hold a ring, signifying a faithful and loving bond.

Poe Museum wedding on offbeat bride 7 alternative wedding ideas from Offbeat Wed (formerly Offbeat Bride)

We also had custom bowties made in our wedding colors for The Poe Museum's resident cats Edgar and Pluto!

Poe Museum wedding on offbeat bride 37 alternative wedding ideas from Offbeat Wed (formerly Offbeat Bride)

Poe Museum wedding on offbeat bride 22 alternative wedding ideas from Offbeat Wed (formerly Offbeat Bride)

Tell us about the reception:
We treated our guests to a guided museum tour while we were having our photos taken after the ceremony.

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We had our first dance to a cover of “Nothing Else Matters” by Metallica by singer Lissie when the guests returned from their guided tour.

Poe Museum wedding on offbeat bride 39 alternative wedding ideas from Offbeat Wed (formerly Offbeat Bride)

We had a hot chocolate bar, hors d'oeuvres, and then celebrated with a cake ceremony.

Poe Museum wedding on offbeat bride 38 alternative wedding ideas from Offbeat Wed (formerly Offbeat Bride)

What was the most important lesson you learned from your wedding?
The biggest wedding challenge was staying true to our personalities. Establish boundaries from the start. It is your day because when you look back, you get to enjoy the look, feel, and photos. We also felt so loved by our friends and family that traveled a great distance to celebrate with us on our wedding day.

Poe Museum wedding on offbeat bride 29 alternative wedding ideas from Offbeat Wed (formerly Offbeat Bride)

My parents were not able to travel, so my mother made me my “something blue” from a piece of light blue cloth from a quilt my nanny made that I treasure. It is so old, it is falling apart, but that just means how dearly I loved the quilt she made me when I was smaller. It felt like I had my nanny and parents with me that day.