Jaye & Jeremy's eco-friendly, dessert & cocktail wedding

The offbeat bride: Jaye, musician and event planner

Her offbeat partner: Jeremy, scientist (stem cell research)

Location & date of wedding: Rumball Manor at the Rumball Centre for the Deaf in Toronto, ON Canada — October 5, 2007

What made our wedding offbeat: I had my wedding dress made in green silk and the groom wore a kilt. We had an eco-friendly dessert and cocktail party on a Friday afternoon. There was no bouquet, I had head flowers instead.

My pipe band piped us both into the ceremony area where two officiant/friends performed the ceremony (one male, one female). I played flute as a part of my vows. The guests sat in a semi-circle with my musician friends completing the circle to play for the ceremony.

We made our own colourful invitation at a paper-making studio and were made archivally to last as art pieces. We also made the programs. We used a venue that was too perfect and needed little decor. A friend of the family made a crazy-ass cake. And we kept the budget at around $5,000!!!

Our biggest challenge: Biggest challenge was the photographer specifically booked to do the wedding. He was a friend and messed up completely. (Though this could have been managed if a good friend booked to manage time had not gotten ill.) He kept us doing pictures for most of the party — so we missed the chocolate fountain!

Thankfully an old friend was also a photographer asked if she could shoot as well — hers were the only ones that were useable.

My favorite moment: Me playing for my new husband and trying to make him cry, like he always does when I play. Him trying like mad not to… nice energy.

Second thing that sticks out is looking out to my friends and family and seeing nothing but camera lenses and cell phone cameras. I felt rather like a celebrity fighting off the paparazzi!

My offbeat advice: Dream big. Plan realistically. Accept everything that happens graciously.

Care to share a few vendor/shopping links?:

• Flowers from www.ecoflora.ca
• Venue: Bob Rumball Manor

Enough talk — show me the wedding porn: