This colorful laid-back wedding had a potluck pickle bar

Offbeat partner: Molly, Performer & Therapeutic Recreation Specialist

Offbeat partner: Chase, Music Teacher & Performer

Date and location of wedding: Snail Lake Regional Park, Shoreview, MN — July 15, 2017

Budget: $6000

Our offbeat wedding at a glance:

The theme was family friendly, rainbow-colored, and casual. We wanted everyone to enjoy themselves and be relaxed, including us. We wanted everyone to have something to do, and for families to feel welcome to bring their kids. We had lots of games and things to do and tried to keep the ceremony to a reasonably short amount of time.

Tell us about the ceremony:

Our ceremony included handwritten vows. It also included two non-traditional readings, one from Phillip Pullman's The Amber Spyglass and the other a writing by Galway Kinnel about finding the right wrong person for you.

It also featured our parents giving their wisdom on marriage. Our siblings sang and played the keyboard for music during the ceremony. It was under a half hour because everyone was sitting under the sun.

Tell us about your reception:

We had beer made by my father and the groom's brother-in-law. We also had boxed wine. Additionally, one of my favorite things was that we had a potluck pickle bar. We invited guests to bring their homemade pickles and put them out to eat at the reception. It was a huge hit, and was the place to meet new people to talk about all of the interesting delicious pickles people brought. There were green tomato, watermelon slices, asparagus, okra, beet, and burdock root pickles, among others!

What was your most important lesson learned?

Trust that things will be done, and that everyone will come through for you if you ask for help. It was a HUGE RELIEF when I saw how everyone came together on the day of our wedding to decorate and prepare food. I worried and worried about it beforehand, and I'm glad I was prepared, but it couldn't have happened without everyone's help. The amount of trust I had to have in everyone that things would be done was HUGE. It has made me realize that people will rise to the occasion when given a task.