Our wedding featured a life-sized unicorn that sneezed glitter, peed lemonade, and shot pink fire. If that sounds more like the twisted fantasy of a six-year-old girl than a standard wedding item… well, that's just how we roll.
Erin & Shayne's mustachioed, octopus, and “beericorn” Irish/Texan wedding
This wedding is a pretty easy sell: they had a BEER UNICORN! And vodka slushies! And ocotopus and mustache dresses! And tentacle fingers! And animal... Read more
My husband and I met through our local Burning Man community and are friends with some seriously talented fire geeks. We knew we wanted a piece of original fire art for our wedding, so one of our first moves after getting engaged was to ask our friends if they'd create something. We didn't give any specifications (besides “awesome”), but since I'm obsessed with unicorns and things that shoot fire, it was a bit of a no-brainer.
Katy Perry the Wedding Unicorn began her life as a black carousel horse with feathers in her hair. Upon her arrival in Brooklyn, Master Unicorn Builders Kat and Jesse Green repainted her from black to white, cut holes in her forehead, nostrils, and crotchal region and custom-built a base that would both give her height (aka “majesty”) and house the fuel tanks and keg.
She was named during a routine visit to Jesse's doctor. They were describing the unicorn to her and she laughingly asked, “what're you naming it — Katy Perry?” The only answer to that is, of course, “we are now.”
Since I tend to go to parties encrusted in glitter and always have extra on hand for the under-sparkled, it made sense for our unicorn to have a glitter effect. Kat and Jesse built in a small air compressor to activate the “glitter sneeze.” It runs through a gravity-fed glitter containment unit, and is controlled from an arduino switch that is activated by a button on the base of the sculpture.
Beverages are run by a CO2 pressurized corny keg, also in the base, with a beverage tap at the crotch. She was originally supposed to pee champagne, but Vermont liquor laws prohibit anyone who is not a licensed bartender from serving alcohol on public land, and we weren't able to get the unicorn licensed in time. Plus, we figured that with lemonade, the kids could also partake — and have something to talk about with their therapists later.
Katy Perry's horn is hammered copper with a flame-cut finial. The fire effect is an aerosolized methanol spray (which creates the pink color and liquid-looking flare), with a propane pilot.
Under supervision, wedding guests could activate the flare via a button on the back of the base. When timed correctly, she shot fire and sneezed glitter at the same time.
Katy Perry was built in Brooklyn and transported to Vermont in high style by rental minivan. Overall, she took about four months to build and cost approximately $3,000 in materials. The labor was Kat and Jesse's wedding gift to us. They were tinkering with her up until the wedding began, even in their bridesmaid and groomsmen get-up (PS: how badass is Kat in her welding gloves and gingham?).
And frankly, it's the best gift a unicorn-loving bride and her pyromaniac groom could ever ask for.
That is… astounding. Ahahaha. Amazing.
Holy fucking awesome.
Hahaha
The only conceivable way this could have been any more awesome is if it shat cupcakes.
…and possibly menstruated soft-serve ice cream?
i need this to be a thing.
WANT. So much.
This is. The best.
You will LOVE this, Ariel! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJGgJmnKS_k
That cracked me up thank u for that hahahhah!!
If they rented it out, they could make back that money in no time!
Yes! Me me me me me me me!!!! Nevermind I live in Ohio and I’m not even getting married – I’ve gotta have that for SOMETHING! (My kid turns 10 next April…hmmmm….She IS a big fan of Katy Perry…)
Amen. I’m doing an Offbeat Bride booth at a wedding industry thing in Vegas this fall, and I would kill to have Katy Perry in the booth with me.
This is bar none the absolute coolest thing I’ve ever seen on OBE, and I’ve been here a long time (in internet years.) It may be among the coolest things I have EVER seen at all, anywhere. Thanks for sharing Katy with us!!
Words. There are none.
OK, one – FUCKINGAMAZEFUCK.
This is all kinds of awesome! And SO creative!
This is literally the best thing I’ve ever seen, or will see for the rest of my life.
Brings new meaning to “brides love unicorns”! Awesome!
THEY DO!
Getcher Unicorn tshirt here!
every wedding without a katy perry unicorn will now be lacking from here until the end of time. amazing.
This is like…you know how in Snow Crash, there’s that guy permanently attached to a nuclear bomb, and after meeting him Hiro accepts that he’s never going to be the biggest badass in the world because that spot is already taken, and that’s kind of relaxing? The best wedding ever has clearly already happened, so the rest of us can just relax and do whatever we feel like.
HA! Amen. I also feel like this can be a reference point with family members. “Oh, you think it’s weird that I’m wearing a blue wedding dress? Well, at least we’re not having a lemonade-peeing unicorn! …OH AND BTW: THAT BRIDE WORE WHITE!”
You know, I was going to threaten my mother with a Star Wars themed wedding instead of our Renaissance themed wedding if she got persnickety….but this….oh this is just bloody perfect to shut her up with!!!
Today is my partner and my first mensiversary (“month”iversary), and this is the icing on the cake!
I still love all things on Offbeat Bride, but this is an especially awesome thing to be to see shortly after a wedding. We love it! We want to be there drinking that lemonade pee right now! But it’s not like we can realistically worry, “oh no! We forgot to make a glitter-sneezing, lemonade peeing, fire-shooting unicorn!” I’m going to use this as my rock for enjoying the awesomeness of others while knowing I can’t do everything. Totally perfect!
OMG HOW WAS MY LIFE EVER COMPLETE WITHOUT THIS???
seriously. the most amazing thing i’ve EVAR seen!
just showed my lil girl the lemonade tap she went screaming eww to get her sister bringing her back to look at the big horsey peeing
Dear god, this is awesome!!! My brain keeps saying “Awesome!!!!” and “What?!?!” at the same time. Very cool 🙂
HOLY SHIT! AWESOME!!!!!!
fucking fantastic!!!
and then this song came into my head
http://www.weebls-stuff.com/songs/Amazing+Horse/
over and over again
Lemonade, sweet lemonade…
I mean, how could this song NOT come into your head?!?!? Sweet lemonade mmm sweet lemonade!! 😀
Pants-pissingly amazing is what that is.
Wow, thanks everyone! I guess I’ll hold off on talking about the blinky tennis court and homemade hot tub for now…
This is one of the most amazing things I have ever seen.
I saw the title and was like “Oh, this is a metaphor for something” and then read the post going ” wait, this actually HAPPENED?!?!?!” There are no sufficient words for the amazingness.
Holy crapperony… I’ve been pondering about what to call this in my reply, but there are simply NO words to describe the awesomeness of this thing!!
Your friends are the BEST EVAH to make this all by themselves!
Minor detail… “she” pees like a boy 😉
WICKED amazing!!!!!!!!! I would die to have this, especially if our “reception” turns out to be the meat-smoking-pool-party-gun-range-rocking-party!!!
re, minor detail: She may not be a cisgender unicorn — please allow the unicorns to identify for themselves their pronouns & identities! 😉
This is AMAZING. Did she stay in VT or move back to NYC?
She’s back in Brooklyn now. There is talk of her attending the next NYC Maker Faire.
it’s just as well that words are inadequate for my response because I would have to pick my jaw up from the floor! truly an AMAZING gift from obviously awesome friends and now I can’t wait to read about the rest of the wedding!
and congratulations on your marriage!
GO Katy Perry!
I met Katy in Kat and Jesse’s basement when I was shooting a webisode in amongst all of their other awesome stuff. They’ve built go-go cages, crazy couches, funky bars. (Kat is also a film editor.) I got to see the fire test in their backyard at the wrap party.
I’m so glad to see photo’s of Katy in all her glory!!! Nice work Kat and Jesse!
This is glorious.
Can I just say that it there were ever a more perfect post for OBB, there is no longer. THIS. THIS. THIS all day long.
This thing needs to tour the country. I know I’d pay admission.
I was lucky enough to attend this amazing wedding with the out of control and bad-ass Katy Perry. It was so amazing that my fiancée and I can not, now, invite any of our mutual friends to our wedding next summer because NO WAY could you ever top this event! Katy Perry was just one aspect of this wedding. It was amazing fun! (bridal party with cotton candy bouquets was just amazing)
cotton candy bouquets!!!!??? yes!
This might just be the most awesome I’ve ever seen in one post.
AMAZING to the power of four billion trillion.
YES YES YES YES!!!!
This is the coolest thing ever!!!!! I sent this link to all my friends, especially the one who said that her ex-beast husband was proudly going to Burning Man as a girls sparkle pony, douche thought it was complimentary, knob! She totally needed to see this. Dang this is the hottest thing on OBB ever! Love it, please promise me you’ll post some more if Katy Perry goes to other weddings or goes on tour. Kat is so hot! Not saying that the lovely bride and groom weren’t, but love the picture of her in her pin up dress and sunglasses with wielding gloves!!!! Lol, that must have been quite the wedding!
Congrats looks like your wedding is off to a good start. Thanks so much for sharing and I want some of that sweet, sweet lemonade!! That horse is amazing 🙂
Can I rent this for my friend’s wedding?
TAKE MY MONEY!!!
Hey guys, thanks for all the awesome feedback. Just wanted to let you all know that Katy Perry will be making an appearance, with backup dancers, at World Maker Faire in NY, September 29 and 30th. Come say hi!
Also, we started a facebook page.
https://www.facebook.com/KatyPerryUnicorn
Dear Burners: I love you. Thank-you for awesoming it! While we likely won’t have a fire-horned unicorn, something that dispense sparkles is now in the cards.
(the first thing my partner noticed was the bouncy castle. it is not a party without one)
Holy fuckballs this is probably the most amazing thing I think I’ve ever seen.
I keep coming back to this post. Seriously. Cannot. Get. Enough. Of Katy Perry.
You need to offer to rent this out for parties and make a ton of money off it. Seriously, cash uni-pony! Lol….. I really want one for my future wedding (sadly my BF would probably think I need to be put in an asylum. The problems of dating a non-geek.)
I feel like I need to get married again and beg you to rent this to me, because it’s awesome. Since I still love my spouse, perhaps we could do a vow renewal …
This is the coolest thing I have ever seen ever!
Is she for rent?! lol I love her!
Neat! Also – Kat – RRrraaAWWRRR!!! Want!
Y’all are my heros! Brilliant!!!
This would be awesome for any party! I’m totally jealous!