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The offbeat bride: Amanda, Student/Part-Time Sales
Her offbeat partner: Daniel, Student/Worship Intern/Server
Date and location of wedding: Future Construction Site of NSCC's Youth Building, Northside Christian Church, Yorktown, VA — May 28, 2011
What made our wedding offbeat: We did it on a budget so all our decorations came from thrift stores or other weddings. We made what we couldn't find and befriended the best vendors in town (mostly our friends!). We had pig roast reception, a cinnamon roll cake, and danced in the rain. We didn't stop smiling the whole night.
Tell us about the ceremony: The ceremony was short and sweet. The minister was my hubby's college roommate and a HUGE influence in us getting together. This was his first wedding and he couldn't have done better. It was so personal and so simple and so us.
Our biggest challenge: It rained. Thankfully, my mother and mother-in-law had talked me into the tent for our outdoor extravaganza. All the guests hid out under there until it stopped and about ten people rushed the chairs with towels to dry them. It ended up being a great mixer since our families had never met. Plus, storm clouds and umbrellas made for great pictures.
My favorite moment: I loved our communion ceremony. We did it at the reception, after the meal, with a loaf at each table — none of that individualized cracker and juice stuff. It was so important to us that the unity of that moment was felt. We wanted God at the center of our party! And we wanted everyone to focus on being and doing together.
My funniest moment: We had the best time sneaking away to take more pictures with our photographers. We walked around the church property to the stables and took pictures with the cat that followed us. Hubby hates cats, but those are some of his favorite pictures.
Was there anything you were sure was going to be a total disaster that unexpectedly turned out great? The weather was scary. First it was hot and humid, and then the storm clouds started rolling in. But the showers cooled us off, washed the bugs away, and helped everyone relax. Apparently the past two generations of weddings in his family have been rained on so we were just carrying on the tradition. Plus, the instant my dress hit the muddy ground I lost all inhibitions and fears of getting it dirty and was able to truly enjoy myself.
My advice for offbeat brides: Make everything you can, skip everything you can't. Eventually you'll find a way to make it work in your budget. Be realistic and able to shift your money around, but don't give in to a set price.
What was the most important lesson you learned from your wedding? There's a paradox: enjoy every moment and ignore every annoyance — it'll all be over before you know it.
Care to share a few vendor/shopping links?
- Photographer: Like a Dream Photography
- Bakery: Tuckaway Traditions
- Rentals: Grand Rental Station
- Dress: David's Bridal
Enough talk — show me the wedding inspo!
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LOVE your sandals – and it is exactly what I have been looking for. You’d think it would be easy to find – any suggestions?
David’s Bridal! They have them in 21 colors. 🙂 I searched for hours on the internet but they turned out to be just the ticket.
Cinnamon rolls? Brilliant! You two are so stinking cute! The back of that dress is stunning, too! Congratulations!
I have the same converse the groom is wearing! Great pop of color, love it!
I love this, thank you so much for sharing! I have loved the “simple weddings” features because that’s very real for a lot of us, and it particularly means a lot to see a Christian wedding where in spite of lovely and meaningful details, clearly your love for each other and God are the center of everything and the rest IS just details. Some of us need reminders of how beautiful that love is.
What an adorable couple! Can you give more details about how you coped with the rain? We are also planning an outdoor ceremony and reception and the thought of rain is making me anxious! Wet tablecloths…ugh!
The tent totally saved us–it was pricey but worth it in the end. We also had the inside of the church as a backup plan but made the call a few days before to take the risk. Have some sort of backup plan for a torrential downpour, but if it’s not torrential dancing in the rain! It made everyone smile and eased all the formal tension. If you want to chat more, I’d be happy to. 🙂
Ok, first: I’m not usually a big fan of strapless dresses, but yours is probably my favorite I’ve ever seen. So so pretty!
And second: You guys look so cool! You should totally move down to NC so we can hang out and be BFFs (and our husbands could start a church together! mine’s a pastor-ish-type). Just let me know! ;D
Congrats! And blessings to you and your new husband!
I’m so glad you like it! The key to a stunning strapless is the fit in the ribcage. And we’re actually just days away from graduating and job hunting furiously! If you know of anything in NC for a worship minister let us know! We’d could use some BFF’s 🙂
Hey Amanda!! This was the cutest wedding — I loved how you guys didn’t do everything by the book and still had a great time! I am planning a wedding on a fairly tight budget so seeing how well it can turn out really makes me happy. 🙂 I happened to find this through a mutual friend on Facebook — but we went to high school together! Anyway thanks so much for sharing — you two look so happy and God bless both of you!
Simple and beautiful! Well done!
I am also happy to see the “seeming stereotype” broken – or maybe it’s just my impression – of Offbeat weddings meaning no religious involvement… I am fairly Religious Lite but plan to have a wedding that’s a little offbeat but a little bit spiritual, too! 😀
Yeah, I’d say that’s an inaccurate impression. We’ve featured hundreds of religious/spiritual weddings! A few archives:
http://offbeatwed.com/tag/christian
http://offbeatwed.com/tag/buddhist
http://offbeatwed.com/tag/catholic
http://offbeatwed.com/tag/pagan
etc. 🙂
I loved this. Breaking bread with God was a neat idea, and can I say I find your furry little wedding crasher absolutely adorable? <3
I looove the boutonnieres! Did you make them? If so, how?
i actually won a tutorial on fabric flowers on OBB and modified the design to make it my own. This is where you can purchase the tutorial: http://www.jewelboxballerina.com/. I used the cabbage rose pattern but substituted a satin and did individual petals. 🙂