Just try to take in all the carnival details at this colorful state fair wedding

The Offbeat Bride: Liz, Stylist and Antiques Seller

Her offbeat partner: Jared, Karaoke DJ and Wine Clerk

Date and location of wedding: Crown Acres, Jared's family's property — August 20, 2016

Budget: $17,000

Our offbeat wedding at a glance:

We had a state fair wedding with lots of carnival details. Jared proposed to me at Coney Island in Brooklyn, NY underneath the Nathan's hot dog eating contest sign. We have always loved fairs — the food, the music, the rides. I made my own dress and embroidered the train with images of Coney Island!

Tell us about the ceremony:

The entire wedding took place at Jared's family's property in the Catskills of New York. His family has had this land for over 40 years. There are so many memories there, and we wanted this day to be a part of all of that.

Our ceremony was under a big tree on the lawn. All of our guests played kazoos to the tune of "Here Comes the Bride" as I walked down the aisle with both of my parents. Our friend Mary became an ordained minister to officiate.

Our friend Cory read Ray Bradbury's "Why love the woman who is your wife?" We wrote our own vows and incorporated a handfasting. The band did a mash-up of "Somewhere over the Rainbow" and the theme to Rocky as we exited the ceremony.

Tell us about your reception:

At the reception, we started with a cocktail hour. To stick with the state fair theme, we had made our own face cut-out, so when you stuck your head in you looked like us. We had pigs in a blanket, popcorn, cotton candy, and tons of other yummy food.

People loved the Easy Striker, a game where you try to ring the bell with a sledge-hammer. It was so hard, and made people really determined to win. We made our very own carnival punks, and all of our decor was red, blue and yellow. Gingham tablecloths, giant tissue pom=poms, big sunflowers were featured. We wanted this to be as colorful a wedding as possible, as fun a party as possible, and unique to us and what we really love.

We also had delicious BBQ, spicy mac and cheese, and corn bread. Jared's aunt and cousin teamed up to make a great carrot cake. The cake topper was a set of bride and groom salt and pepper shakers that belonged to my grandma.

We danced all night and drank lots of champagne and homemade lemonade cocktails. The last hour of the night we all sang karaoke. The best part was that all of our friends and family got to spend a wonderful evening together and make memories to last forever.

What was your most important lesson learned?

The hardest thing we had to do during this process was learn to be honest about how we felt and what we really needed. When you're planning a wedding and everyone wants to help, its hard to know how to say no without hurting anyone's feelings.

It can also be hard to ask for help. Jared and I are both very independent and that made it tough. We wanted to do it all ourselves, but also didn't want to exclude anyone. Just remember that it's better to be honest up front and that this is supposed to be FUN. We each made a list of our top priorities for the wedding and committed to getting those things done. Other than that, it was all optional.

Vendors

• Photographer: Asa Shutts
• Dress: made by the bride, Liz Peters
• Suit: Century 21 with alterations and embellishments by the bride
• Venue: family property in Ferndale, NY

Gallery

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