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The offbeat bride: Claire, Graphic Designer
Her offbeat partner: Glyn, Warehouse Manager
Date and location of wedding: Registrars and local hall in Stoke-on-Trent, UK — 04/02/2011
What made our wedding offbeat: My husband and I have been into punk for years and years, long before we both met — although at the tender age of sixteen, I saw him singing in his band ‘The Nukes' in a local pub. It was two decades before I managed to find him again and not long afterwards he proposed to me in the doorway of the same pub.
We love punk, alternative music and bright colours so we wanted this reflected in our wedding.
The wedding invites were in the style of the Sex Pistols' famous yellow and pink album cover and the invites instructed guests NOT to wear any beige or neutral colors — bumflaps/safety pins were an optional extra.
I walked down the aisle to Stayte, one of my all time favorite bands. A celtic punk band called Roughneck Riot played at the reception and our first dance was to “Dirty Old Town.”
Tell us about the ceremony: It was at the local registrar's office with a picture of the Queen on the wall!
I heard the opening note of “If you were mine” by Stayte and walked too fast into the room with my Dad, beaming like a cheshire cat. Glyn was beaming back at me. It was such a blur. I can't remember what happened for the rest of the song.
After the vows, we kissed and cuddled so much. Outside it was like herding cats trying to get all the guests in one big group for a photo — loads of Saturday shoppers sat down to watch and in one photo there's an old lady in the background with her shopping.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/29530598@N04/5642388389
Our biggest challenge: We wanted a mix of punk-tartan-style with traditional.
I originally looked for purple tartan items, but it was hard to find stuff for Glyn. So Glyn agreed to wear pink tartan and he found pink tartan trousers and ties for him and his son Ben, who was the best man.
I found a pink tartan corset online and matching shoes from ebay. I bought a pink tartan dress that Glyn's mum took apart and used to brighten up black jackets.
I wanted a more traditional skirt and wrap and spent month searching until I eventually found what I wanted on Etsy.
I had some friends come over from the USA to our wedding, one couple packed their cake tins and spent two days making us a pink tartan wedding cake.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/29530598@N04/5643213372/
My favorite moment: Walking down the aisle with my dad while my favorite band was being played and seeing that my stepson had dyed and spiked his hair and all our friends turned out so colorful was amazing .
http://www.flickr.com/photos/29530598@N04/5643217622/
Another favorite song of mine is “Planet Claire” by the B52s — it's also apt as Claire is spelled the same as mine. Glyn had re-written the lyrics of the song to be about me and our Usher, Rob read it out. I knew nothing about this until it happened. You can see the first walk and poem here.
My funniest moment: I was laughing all day — it was non-stop happiness!
Our photographer Laura is awesome and wanted us to pull punk rock poses, so it was hard for all to keep straight faces! My friend Angie shook her fist, which she said she did to her staff at work and that made us cry with laughter!
My friends had hired a bright pink Hummer that had a mini bar inside and disco lights. It was awesome, but it only had wine and Glyn doesn't drink alcohol. So after the ceremony, on the way to the reception, the driver had to stop at the petrol station to get Glyn some pop.
Was there anything you were sure was going to be a total disaster that unexpectedly turned out great? All of it!!
I was worried about the music for the evening. It was like organizing a gig and I had no idea what to do! Fortunately our good friend Lee stepped in and sorted the music. He managed to play many of our favorite songs, old and new, no matter how obscure. Roughneck Riot played two sets as someone else had dropped out last minute. All guests enjoyed them — even those who claimed not to be into that sort of thing and some even bought cds of the band! It was weird, but cool seeing my Mum dancing with punk mates and my Dad photographing the band.
Have you been married before and if so, what did you do differently? I haven't, but Glyn has. His last wedding was traditional and he doesn't remember much about it.
What was the most important lesson you learned from your wedding? Details didn't matter. All that mattered was that the the man I love was smiling at me all night and my best friends were happy to be a part of it.
Care to share a few vendor/shopping links?
- Skirt, wrap and bag: Lunatique Art
- Top: Burleska
About the Author: Offbeat Weditors
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Thanks so much for featuring my wedding! It’s such a buzz and I keep re-reading it! It’s nice to give shout outs to all that helped too. Thanks again.
Favorite wedding. By far. I wish I could’ve gone.
Ain’t that the truth! The details are fun but they don’t really matter.
(Love the flickin’ the bird pose and the fist shaking too!)
😀
It was a grand event indeed! Glad we could be a part of it. Wonderful
This looks like it was such a blast!! Oh, and I learned something! Tartan = plaid (I was very confused at first).
Did you hear that?
Yeah. That was my BRAIN EXPLODING.
I LOVE THIS WEDDING!!! It’s so pink and juicy and match-y and your family is adorable. I totally wish I could have been there in person to see it, but your pictures are amazeballs.
Lovely – best wishes to you both!!
Everything about this is pretty much amazeballs.
Omfg I love this wedding it is soooo beautiful everything about it!!!!
ps I’m so going out and looking for a pink limo now :)!!!!!
It’s like an explosion of joy with all that color. Effin’ awesome.
I’ll be wearing a corset from Burleska under my dress at my wedding. Love their corsets! This wedding is amazing and so much fun!
I HEART that tartan corset with the matching shoes! And the Sid and Nancy-esque photo of you two flipping off the camera in color, while your friends are black and white in the background is genius, in-your-face and beautiful all at the same time. Congratulations you guys, it looks like you did it right. I hope mine next year is half as glorious as yours.
😀 <– jaw on floor…and stuck there!
It's not the colors or awesome hair (even though that makes me giddy) or even the punk and obvious passion for music…..its how amazingly happy and awesome EVERYONE in EVERY photo looks!
This beautiful wedding is truly inspiring to do what you want and not worry, because people are happy for you…not the theme or entertainment.
GAWD I LOVE IT!!!!
Glad you like the look of our wedding…we had a blast!!! The most amazing day ever 🙂
I LOVE the photo with the cake knife! Hilarious!
Thanks for all the wonderful feedback!!
I forgot to mention Mandy who spent a lot of time bleaching, dying and crimping my hair for me! The hair dye was crazy colour orange and pinkissimo.
Stacey and I had had the tartan / plaid conversation a while ago when she was researching ideas for the cake (which was coconut on one layer, normal sponge on another and chocolate on the biggest. Most delicious.)
I was meant to have a bouquets but forgot to take it! It wasn’t until I was on my honeymoon that Glyn asked what had happened to it – it was still at my best friend’s house.
Loved this wedding! Am about to start planning our wedding (after 4 whole months together!) and hope ours is as fantastic as yours…lots of punks in that (soon to be my)part of the world, it’s taking me right back to my roots lol
thanks for the inspiration
Zoinks, my eyeballs are melted! Love love love this whole shebang.
Gosh I love me some punk wedding. I drool.
OMG! I was cranking the Ramones while reading this. I LOVE YOUR WEDDING!!!!!!!!!!
I am loving-love with that picture of you two in front of the green grafitti wall. The pink tartan POPS against that background! It’s perfect! *OI OI OI*
Everything about this makes me so damn happy. Congrats!!
O.m.geeeeee!!! Ur wedding is so fun i cant stop looking at ur awesome photos!!! Please please please do tell where u got the grooms shoes!! I would LovE them for my upcoming wedding!!
Hi, the groom’s shoes were from ebay, a brand called Funtasma. The website is pleaserusa.
For the shoes, if you look on pleaserusa, search for xray02.
I just died. I adored the Sex Pistol references (the gentleman’s shirt, the thank you, the other shirt featured). Seriously this was amazingly awesome!
Well, I now have slightly more confidence in dyeing my hair plum for my upcoming need pics for stds and site shoot, lol! The whole thing looks pretty awesome and is full of stuff that’ll make the punkish FH feel a little better about it all.
Wow! Love everything about this wedding ~ The details are AWESOME!
i wish i could have been there to PHOTOGRAPH it! woooooooooooow what fun.