The offbeat bride: Maria Barletti, IT Project Manager (and Offbeat Bride lab rat!)

My offbeat groom: Kenneth Spence, Teacher

Location & date of wedding: Marylebone Registry office in London, and then the Chapel of Love and Loathe at Glastonbury Festival, in June 2004

What made our wedding offbeat: Well, to begin with there was just the two of us plus two witnesses. We started at the London registry office and then went to the Glastonbury Festival, where we spent our wedding night in a tent, surrounded by a sea of tents. We then had another ceremony at the festival, at the famous “chapel of love and loathe,” which included transvestite nuns, Elvis-themed vows, and was filmed for the BBC.

Our biggest challenge: It wasn’t easy explaining to the family that there wasn’t going to be a big, white wedding in the church. The pressure was quite strong for us to conform and do something traditional.

My favorite moment: So many things … The registrar at Marylebone was wonderful and read the ceremony in such a heart-felt way … and while we were kissing at the end of the ceremony he shouted “shine on, you crazy diamonds!” (It was part of our ceremony, but he really go into it!) The whole Glastonbury experience was wonderful, but overall, the fact that we did exactly what we wanted was our favorite thing of all.

My offbeat advice: Stick to your guns! Don’t get pressured to do what other people want or expect you to do, and you will never regret it.

Enough talk — show me the wedding porn: Ever seen shots of a bride and groom smiling from a festival mud puddle? Well, you’re about to: Click here to shine on, you crazy diamonds!

Tell me all about your offbeat wedding!