The Offbeat Bride: Katina, Store Manager/Vintage Costumer
Her offbeat partner: Nefi, Operations Manager
Date and location of wedding: Illahee State Park, Bremerton, WA — July 12, 2013
Our offbeat wedding at a glance: When Nefi and I first met, a large part of what we bonded over was books and comics. So, we included a nod to that in things like our directional sign and the paper flowers mixed in with the fresh ones. Everything else, from the marquee letters to the bunting (made by my mom) to the floral arrangements (made by our awesome best man and bridesmaid), was handmade. Leading up to the wedding, we also collected vintage plates, flatware, bottles, serving ware, and tablecloths.
We’re both firm believers that food is love, so it was important to us that it all be homemade. His family is from Mexico and Southern California and mine’s from the South, so we had an interesting combination of the two. It was a ton of work, but we couldn’t be more grateful for all of effort they put into it. We even all worked on the cupcakes together!
Tell us about the ceremony: For the ceremony, everyone was seated on picnic-style blankets with pillows. Beforehand, we had a ring warming ceremony. The actual ceremony was brief, with my dad officiating. He read “Ever Increasing Circles” by Helen Marsh and “The One” (author unknown). Nefi and I planned on writing our own vows. What actually happened was that I wrote vows and then Nefi was so caught up in taking care of everything that he forgot. And he didn’t realize it until it came to exchange them!
Our biggest challenge: Our biggest challenge was getting our families together. Not because they don’t get along (this is the first time they had met), but because they live on opposite sides of the country from each other (and us). Unfortunately, that meant that only roughly 30 of the 70 people we invited actually were able to attend.
Time management was also an issue. Because we gave ourselves so much time, we put a lot of things off until the last minute. We had time, right? Um… nope. If you DIY your wedding (or anything else), don’t just start early. Consistently continue with your projects and collections. You’ll be super grateful when it comes down to crunch time.
My favorite moment: Katina: The ceremony. I was calm all day long, and then got choked up whenever my dad spoke. Or Nefi. Or when I read my vows. So, really, whenever anything happened at all. It was especially touching when Nefi made up his vows on the spot. Fortunately, our families were very rambunctious and cat-called through the whole thing. It helped alleviate the tension dramatically.
Nefi: What really touched me was seeing our two families coming together and blessing the rings. We’re not religious, but it meant a lot to see everyone giving us their blessings and well wishes.
My funniest moment: My favorite was our cake cutting. Nefi and I had spoken about it at length, and I was adamant that he not smash cake in my face. So, as he promised, he very nicely fed me cake with a fork. However, not without explaining to the family why. His family thought it was really sweet, and then brought up the fact that he had never made me promise. So I obliged and shoved cake in to his face, plate and all. The look on his face as he realized what was happening was priceless.
What was the most important lesson you learned from your wedding?
Elope!… just kidding. But really, it’s going to be a lot of hard work and everything may not go according to plan. Things are going to be forgotten or not finished. And that’s okay because nobody but you will notice.
Care to share a few vendor/shopping links?
- Photographer:
- Dress: Homemade by Kate
- Bride’s Ring: Audie Boots
- Bride’s Hair: Nichole Sloan
- Body Jewelry: Deep Roots Tattoo and Piercing
Enough talk — show me the wedding inspo!
