chucks-2,0The offbeat bride: Katia, translator, photographer, dancer

Her offbeat partner: Andreas, WEB 2,0 Master, PR-Officer, music expert

Location & date of wedding: Kettwig-Rathaus, Germany; “3/4 Zehn” Kettwig; “Veranda” Odessa; the Crimea trip — 6th August 2009

What made our wedding offbeat: I am from Ukraine. My husband is German. So all clichees are there at once.

I met him during my studies in Germany. After being friends for several years it came to us, we were no longer friends.

3909487508 7f896a4eaf alternative wedding ideas from Offbeat Wed (formerly Offbeat Bride)In Prague, he proposed me, to the great happiness of us both and our families who were dying to be on a next wedding, so the new challenge was on. How? Ukrainians, Germans, other far friends…

We found the way: 1st part Essen, 2nd part Odessa, 3rd part Crimea honeymoon wild trip with all who would come with us.

We created our own wedding blog.

I had really limited resources as to where to get a dress. My sister made me a dress according to the tv show How I Met Your Mother (Ted's girlfriend). We bought new Chucks and twittered the wedding right from Andreas' iPhone.

3909486874 6ca96233a5 m alternative wedding ideas from Offbeat Wed (formerly Offbeat Bride)Our friends organized us their old “wedding Volkswagen” full of roses, champagne in the wedding yard, cake party at mom's, pictures at Zoll Verein, puddling at the lake, after-wedding party at friends' home in Essen.

One week later we met in Odessa, at the beach restaurant Veranda, entering the place with the Imperial March, celebrated again, swam drunk in the night Black Sea, then partied at a rented apartment in Odessa.

Three days later we rented a bus and went to the Crimea — backpackers, water-hunting, swimming, night fire, singing. Then coming home to my parents; twenty-one wild dirty people sleeping all around the place and flying back to Germany, UK and the US.3909488532 165666efc9 m alternative wedding ideas from Offbeat Wed (formerly Offbeat Bride)

Our biggest challenge: There were too many and at the same time… none.

My favorite moment: Standing at a pier at the nightly Black Sea beach, hugging my husband, smiling, hearing wild shouts and music from the restaurant, knowing we made it and being sure we are so offbeat. 🙂

My offbeat advice: Do what you want! You can do it!

Enough talk — show me the wedding porn:

Meet our fave wedding vendors

Comments on Katia & Andreas’ low-budget, triple tiered German wedding

  1. Your sister did a wonderful job with your dress and I love the honeymoon idea of backpacking!

  2. Oooh! My grandmother was from Crimea, and I'm planning a trip there next fall. Thank you for the gorgeous pics in the wedding porn; it makes me that much more sure of my travel plans.

  3. I want to get married in Lelm (Königslutter) because that's my fav place in Germany and where my family lives, but our budget doesn't allow. 🙁 We'll just go back and visit. 🙂
    Yay Germany! ♥

  4. Thanks! Danke! Spasibo!
    And again – many many thanks to our friends and family.
    We wouldn't do it without them.

Comments are closed.