Jennifer & Michael's sexy earthy wedding
Posted by Ariel · Real Weddings: Northeast US

The offbeat bride: Jennifer, Mental Health Counselor/professional photographer/Fire Performance Artist

Her offbeat partner: Michael Canton, Professional Photographer/Tech Guru

Location & date of wedding: Beardslee Castle, Little Falls, New York. May 2, 2009.

What made our wedding offbeat: Our wedding was OURS. It was US. I wanted to wear red and have the most gorgeous flowing dreadlocks. Mike totally dug his brown suit and when I asked if he wanted to wear a boutonniere he said "…do I have to?", to which I replied, "there are no rules, nothing we have to do…wear one if you want to, don't if you don't."

…He didn't.

When we got engaged (in Woodstock, NY) we were at a flea market and they were selling all varieties of Tilisandra, also known as Air Plants. We loved them so much that we wanted to incorporate them into our wedding. Instead of flowers we gave these little air plants as favors. (in fact, the only flowers at the wedding at all was my bouquet…which I made myself for $25)

We had our friend Rev. Faust marry us. It meant the world to us. He is probably the most positive human being we know and that came through in our ceremony.

We also had our friends' Synewave play in the castle's dungeon after hours. It was like a rave! Their techno-jam-electronic music made for a really cool evening. Glowsticks helped to encourage the mood…

Our biggest challenge: Our biggest challenge was the guest list. We know and love so many people, and staying within the 120 guest list was difficult. That's the thing that bothered us the most…not being able to invite EVERYBODY.

My favorite moment: Jen's favorite moment: Mike's vows. He literally wrote them in front of me the night before. I just shook my head at this lovely procrastinator-husband-to-be. But when he looked me in the eyes and said his vows that day, I was overflowing with emotion.

Mike's favorite moment: When I saw Jen start to walk up the lawn … the look on her face …. and the impact she had with that dress and her whole look…. She totally owned it. And that's one of the reasons I knew I would marry her the moment I met her.

My offbeat advice: You can have a FABULOUS wedding on a budget. My gown cost $187. I made my bouquet instead of having a florist do it. We used color to make a statement. We purchased centerpieces someone had used from a previous wedding, therefore we saved A LOT. My shoes were on sale for $8!!!! No one would ever know….

We spent the money where we felt it was most important. Since Mike and I are photographers, we wanted only the best. Our venue was beautiful and the food was amazing. To us, this was more important than spending a fortune on flowers, centerpieces, ect.

Vendor links 'n' stuff?

• Our photographers: Chris and Jennifer Sawicki
• Venue: Beardslee Castle
• Music: Synewave

Enough talk — show me the wedding porn: