Liza & Kyle's rustic Scandinavian-inspired wedding • Offbeat Wed (was Offbeat Bride)

The Offbeat Bride: Liza, Licensed Massage Practitioner

Her offbeat partner: Kyle, Game Developer & Music Producer

Date and location of wedding: Summit Grove Lodge, Ridgefield, WA — May 3, 2014

Our offbeat wedding at a glance: Kyle and I had already gotten married the year before with a very small, private ceremony with just a judge, my parents-in-law, and a friend as witness. While it felt good, I've always been close to all of my family back in Sweden and I knew I wanted to have a wedding where they could all be there with me. Kyle also lured most of his relatives up from California for the big day. No one knew we were already legally married!

Tell us about the ceremony:
The handfasting done by one of our closest friends (and bridesmaid) was amazing. Since I'm a Wiccan and Scandinavian, it felt important for me to incorporate that tradition as it applies to both!

The judge performing the ceremony was the one who wed us the year before, too. That felt special and he was very honored to do it again. It felt like Kyle and I were renewing our vows.

It was also important to me to have both my parents walk me down the aisle, as they are both equally loved and dear to me. It was really not a matter of giving someone away, but more as a way for me to honor and show them how important they have been to me and still are.

Our biggest challenge:
Staying calm and focused was my challenge. I was very stressed for time the day of, and people had to almost push me away from the decorations and up to get my hair and makeup done! I'm not a control-freak, but I was worried to leave everything up to others and just go with the flow. It's not fun to hear that some things are not going so well when you are in the middle of doing pre-wedding photos (with rain starting)!

My favorite moment:
I felt very proud and touched by the beautiful speeches from my family members and close friends. It was amazing to see my family come together with Kyle's and how well they all got along.

My funniest moment:
Guests' reactions when Kyle and I walked/danced out to “We Like to Party” by Vengaboys was funny. We both love '90s dance music so it was the perfect, non-traditional “grand entrance” song for us.

Dancing with my dad was funny as he rocked the air guitar in the middle of our Duran Duran song! It was awesome to see people have fun on the dance floor all night and also enjoying the photo booth full of crazy props.