Tanya & Gavin's Wet & Windy Ship Wedding!
Posted by Offbeat Elves · Real Weddings: Global

The offbeat bride: Tanya, Nursery Teacher

Her offbeat partner: Gavin, Technical Officer

Location & date of wedding: HMS Warrior – Portsmouth, England on March 24th, 2008

What made our wedding offbeat: We had been together for a while and decided to do the wedding thing our way. We wanted a small ceremony and we weren't tied to any religious buildings, so after a quick search we decided on a ship.

Although I eventually decided on the off-white dress angle, I bought a dress on Ebay and modified it as much as I could! I decided on artificial flowers that we could make a month ahead, and I used the leftover fabric from the dress to make the favors.

I did my own hair and makeup as I like the way I do it! We sent handmade itineraries to guests ahead of time detailing the area, and we managed to squeeze in a visit to the Mary Rose after the ceremony. In the evening we ate in a tiny restaurant, no first dance and homemade cakes!

Our biggest challenge: Family and Friends! Guests were not comfortable with the fact that our day did not have the traditional format and despite being informed, still grumbled.

My favorite moment: Finding out that despite my worrying (I am super organized and despite many relaxation techniques still worried on the day) everybody had a really good time.

My offbeat advice: Don't ask the best man if he wants to do the speeches after the meal, just get them over and done with!

Enough talk — show me the wedding porn: Click the photo below to see the great shots from Tanya & Gavin's Wet & Windy On-board Ship wedding!