Posted by
The Offbeat Bride: Louise, Intelligence Researcher
Her offbeat partner: Adam, website designer
Date and location of wedding: Highbury Hall, Birmingham, UK — October 24, 2011
Our offbeat wedding at a glance: Adam had bought me a birthday card a couple of years prior to the wedding, featuring a gorgeous print of purple and white dragons in flight in the shape of a heart. I loved it so much that it influenced the whole theme of the wedding: on our wedding stationery, Adam's cufflinks, our guestbook, and the wedding cake. We even managed to find toasting flute glasses of dragons that form a heart when they're placed next to each other.
Adam and I consider ourselves to be film buffs and we love film quotes. We worked these into our theme with cupcake flags featuring a quote from our favourite films, and tables named after planets from various films and TV programmes! Our stationery font was from The Nightmare Before Christmas.
Tell us about the ceremony: I walked down the aisle to the theme from the video game Metal Gear Solid. My brother read Shakespeare's Sonnet 116.
My maid of honour played “In Dreams” from The Fellowship of the Ring on a flute for us. It was really emotional.
Our biggest challenge: My biggest challenge through the whole of the wedding planning was finding my dress. I wanted a purple dress but I either couldn't find the right colour or the right style. I eventually stumbled across an independent dress-maker on the internet. We had a consultation, and I explained how I wanted the dress to look and she scouted for fabric samples. She eventually came across the gorgeous purple taffeta in Belgium! Unfortunately, mine was the last dress she made, since she no longer is in the dress business.
My favorite moment: I loved helping my mum into her wedding coat. She had chosen her velvet dress coat many years before I had even met Adam, so it was a really special moment when she got to wear it.
Adam wrote a letter for me to read the morning of the wedding. It was written on personalised writing paper. It was a very emotional moment for me.
Also, while we were outside having photos taken, my maid of honour was really excited when she spotted a ladybird on my dress. She pointed it out to the photographer as she was sure it was a symbol of good luck!
What was the most important lesson you learned from your wedding? For me, it was worth investing in a good photographer. The day flew by, and it meant so much to have such wonderful photographs to relive the day, and also see moments that we were too busy to notice at the time.
Care to share a few vendor/shopping links?
- Photography: Newton Photography
- Chair covers and sashes: Melanie Elizabeth Venues
- Flowers: Pink Corsage
- Cakes: Blue Door Bakery
- Stationery: Purple Fairy
- Hair and makeup: Makeup Artist Midlands
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.
Beautiful wedding!! I also love purple and you paired it with black which is a very nice combo. Your dress is amazing!! I love all the photos and yes it is said that if a lady bug lands on you its a sign of good luck! Love your dragon glass, my daughter has been looking for one for her wedding, hopefully we will find one for her. Congratulations on your marriage!!
Thank you so much for your lovely comments 🙂 I loved our colour scheme!
You can get toasting flutes from the following websites, and they have lots of lovely ones to choose from, including matching cake toppers:
http://www.magicalomaha.com/ChalicesGoblets.htm
http://www.crystalrealm.com/st_main.html?p_catid=25
That dress is the shit! That is exactly what I had wanted if we did a winter wedding. So beautiful! Happiness and love, to you both!
Thank you so much 🙂
I’m drooling over the beading on your corset!
I was so happy with it, everything was exactly how I wanted 🙂
Such a shame that the dressmaker is no longer in business because I was about to ask you who made your gown. It looks so fabulous on you!!!
She has a business selling jewellery now.
I was very lucky to have found her to make my dress. It did take up almost the whole of her conservatory though! 😉
That dress is AWESOME!! Beautiful fabric – well done!!
Thank you 🙂 It was a gorgeous fabric and it felt amazing on. I was very lucky 🙂
Metal Gear Solid ANYTHING at a wedding? I love you.
Thank you 🙂 It was such a fitting piece of music to walk down the aisle to. Very grand! I think we had “Kept you waiting, huh?” as one of our cupcake quotes 🙂
The purple is making me melt into piles of happy goo. Best color in the whole world. This is the wedding I’d have planned if I were to commit to a fantasy/Renaissance theme.
Thank you for the lovely comments. It was really nice to do things a bit differently and our guests responded to our colour scheme really positively.
Ohh! I love purple and dragons so this is perfection! All your little embellishments just add wonderful personal touches to an already cracking theme!
I’m in danger of too many exclamation marks so I’ll shut up now 🙂
Thank you for the lovely comments, I’m glad you liked all our little personal touches 🙂 It was really fun to plan.
I love your table names: Vulcan, Tatooine. What were the others?
We also had Krypton, Thundera, Pandora and Caprica 🙂
Where did you find the cuff links? I’m getting married in October and I’ve been in love with that design since I first fell in love with my fiancé !
Hi!
I had them made here: http://www.giftedindesign.co.uk/acatalog/Photo_Cufflinks.html
I was very happy with their service.
Unexpectedly pretty. I thought gothing weddings are simply dark. this one’s dark yes, but still fab! Where’s you get the cufflinks?
Thank you so much 🙂
I got the cufflinks here: http://www.giftedindesign.co.uk/acatalog/Photo_Cufflinks.html
Absolutely gorgeous!! Your dress is almost exactly what my sister is looking for here in the States, and having no luck finding. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you 🙂
Such a beautiful and stunning wedding.
Thank you so much 🙂
This is beautiful! From the dress to the cupcakes to the tables… I’d love to go to a wedding like this one ?
Thank you so much 🙂