Madame Strange's Pirates & Geishas wedding

The offbeat bride: Madame Strange, educator

Her offbeat groom: Sensei Strange, Magician

Location & date of wedding: A friend's yard, Austin Texas. 10/28/2006

What made our wedding offbeat: I was a geisha, he was a pirate, it was a costume wedding right before Halloween. It all began when we lived together in Japan, and he bought me an antique wedding kimono. It was so gorgeous, when he asked me to marry him I knew I had to wear it. And if I was going to wear it, I had to do it right, so I went all in. I had a friend make me a hair piece, dyed my hair black to go with it. He got to shoot the objector, another scurvy pirate. We had another magician tell our story prior to the pagan ceremony, followed by a hand fasting.

Our biggest challenge: Budget was our big challenge, but I do event planning so I made it all work for less than $3000. DIY is the way to go, and enlist your friends and family. They love to contribute.

My favorite moment: When my husband threw aside our vows and spoke from his heart. I warned him not to make me cry, but I teared up. Walking down the aisle seeing everyone I loved was another lovely moment.

My offbeat advice: Do what you want, it is your moment. Do not listen to what other people want, and don't be afraid to be unique. Weddings are a celebration and should be fun. Everyone said our wedding was the funnest they'd ever been to, and people still mention it a year later.

Enough talk — show me the wedding porn: There are lots of Pirate & Geisha shots linked over here. Personally, this is my favorite set of photos.