In front of someones backyard at Old World

The offbeat bride: Jennifer, Marketing/Communications (and Tribe member)

Her offbeat partner: Dean, Pest Control Technician/Aspiring Student

Location & date of wedding: Old World Village, Huntington Beach, CA — November 7, 2010

What made our wedding offbeat:
We had our wedding at Old World Village which is essentially a small faux German village where our city holds Oktoberfest. Our ceremony was written by the two of us, and our reception was horror movie-themed. Our reception hall had the feel of an Eastern European bar, with stained glass windows an an iron chandelier.

Cake/Zombie Cake Toppers

Our wedding cake was made to look like chocolate blood was dripping down and our cake toppers were a zombie bride/groom fashioned to look like us. Each of our tables at the reception had a different horror movie assigned to it and hanging from our manzanita centerpieces were photos from that movie. We had Halloween, Horror Movie Icons, Zombie, and Texas Chainsaw Massacre tables. Our first date was watching horror movies together, so it only made sense to carry that into our wedding.

photos

halloween table

Tell us about the ceremony: We wrote our ceremony together, and we both knew we didn't want anything super long where the meaning is lost because no one is listening to what is being said. Our ceremony clocked in at just under six minutes long.

"Dont trip, dont throw up, dont trip…etc"

Our friend, Sam, performed our ceremony and had become ordained just to marry us (thank you Universal Life Church). Another of our friends performed a reading that I found thanks to the folks of the Tribe. Dean and I both have tattoos of a heart with a keyhole that we each got long before we knew each other. When I found this reading it made me cry with how perfect it was.

Man and Wife

“A soulmate is someone who has locks that fit our keys, and keys to fit our locks. When we feel safe enough to open the locks, our truest selves step out and we can be completely and honestly who we are; we can be loved for who we are and not for who we're pretending to be. Each unveils the best part of the other. No matter what else goes wrong around us, with that one person we're safe in our own paradise. Our soulmate is someone who shares our deepest longings, our sense of direction. When we're two balloons, and together our direction is up, chances are we've found the right person. Our soulmate is the one who makes life come to life.”

Man and Wife

Our biggest challenge: Being a mediator for different family conflicts and sometimes the center. Effective communication is what got us through this process. Also, the DIY challenges were difficult to figure out. Our guest list grew by ten people who were invited to the wedding but didn't RSVP. Once we realized that we only had a set up for 60 people in mind, my Mom and I went out and bought a few things last minute and assembled another manzanita centerpiece the week before the wedding.

Great group shot (please note the heels)

Sam, Danny, Graham and Shawn.

My favorite moment: Hearing Dean's vows to me and reading my vows to him. We had kept them a secret until then. It was one of those moments that truly only belonged to the two of us.

Also, the speeches from our friends and family and how many people wanted to speak on our behalf. We also had an amazingly intimate moment after the ceremony where we both cried and just said “We're married.”

This was private, but it was a 'we did it' conversation

My funniest moment: During our wedding, Dean pulled out his iPhone, where he had stored his vows. He finds himself waiting in his work truck a lot so he would write his vows when he thought of something. When he pulled out his iPhone, everyone chuckled, including me!

Also, I had just walked in to the reception after talking to some friends who had to leave early, and I heard Queen's “Bohemian Rhapsody” start from my wedding playlist right as Freddy Mercury sang “Mama.” Everyone in my reception was singing LOUDLY for the whole song.

german 080211 alternative wedding ideas from Offbeat Wed (formerly Offbeat Bride)

Was there anything you were sure was going to be a total disaster that unexpectedly turned out great? I expected there to be a lot more of a clash of personalities. But seeing everyone laughing and enjoying themselves put any fears I had aside. I also had several disaster scenarios in my head that never came to fruition (centerpieces breaking, me tripping and falling, things/me catching fire, etc).

favors

My advice for offbeat brides: Sometimes it's better to keep your ideas to yourself and everyone you already know is on your team. Someone with a different set of ideals can make you feel bad about your decisions, and criticize your wedding which, let's face it, is no fun at all.

My shoes with the girls

Make sure your expectations are clear and heard. Don't assume that your Bridesmaids, Maid of Honor, or Best Man know what is expected of them — if anything.

If you have a team of people you trust, I highly recommend having them set up the reception for you. I laid out a list of instructions/inclusions for my team and had already gone over what needed to be placed on what table and it made me feel so relaxed that it was all set.

One of my favorites

Noggin Dude

Care to share a few vendor/shopping links?

Enough talk — show me the wedding inspo!


dresses: Blue Velvet Vintage

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Comments on Jennifer & Dean’s horror movie macabre wedding

    • Me too! It was really important to me to have each of my bridesmaids wear something that they liked/were comfortable in. 🙂

  1. I’ve thought about doing a similar theme for my wedding but worried how it would go over — glad to see this couple managed to pull it off with such class! Love the bloody cake and the black bridesmaid’s dresses. And the happy couple, of course 🙂

  2. Love the cake and the zombie cake toppers! And the your shoes are adorable!

  3. The feel of this wedding is so perfect to me! it’s classy-scary and very similar to what I would love to do some day. Congrats!

  4. An awesome Etsy Seller called Beeloverly. She was awesome to work with. She has more in her shop now too!

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