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The offbeat bride: Brianna, Admin Assistant for a roofing company and part-time Marriott front desk agent/payroll processor
Her offbeat partner: Charles, AMG for the same Marriott.
Location & date of the wedding: Rancho Las Lomas, Silverado Canyon, CA — April 3, 2009
What made our wedding offbeat: We got married on a FRIDAY! Oh the horror!
Charles walked down the aisle with his mom to “Ain't That Love,” by Ray Charles. I walked down the aisle to “Maybe I'm Amazed,” by Paul McCartney.
Rancho Las Lomas has tigers, zebras, parrots, chickens, and lamas. I wore fuchsia shoes.
We walked back up the aisle to “Let's Stay Together,” by the Rev. Al Green.
I surprised Charles with a groom's cake that looked like his tattoo of the US Soccer symbol.
My garter had soccer balls on it.
My mom and I did a bunch of DIY. The tables were all named after famous hotels, because we met while working at a Marriott. I wore slippers for the reception. We had a topsy turvy wedding cake that was chocolate with cream cheese filling.
Tell us about your ceremony: We were very fortunate to have my eighty-year-old “adopted” grandfather officiate our Methodist ceremony. He was very funny. He opened by thanking everyone for coming, including the tigers and the zebras.
He did most of the prayers in both English and Spanish, because Charles' mother is from Honduras. Our reading was Pablo Neruda's Sonnet 17, read in both Spanish and English.
We had a Lasso Ceremony which was new for my family, but common in Latin American Catholic weddings. The lasso is a large, double looped rosary, which is placed over the shoulders of the couple after their vows. A prayer is said about how the lasso represents two parts bound together while sharing equally in the responsibilities of the marriage.
My favorite moment: Walking down the aisle with my dad. We're very close and he has major heart issues. I was very aware of how lucky I was to have him beside me at that moment.
Charles and I did not see each other until the ceremony (including the night before). However, we did meet just before the ceremony, for a couple of photos, but were separated by a door. Not only are the photos super cute but I got to hold his hand and tell him I love him. It totally centered me.
I also loved seeing all of the people who came out to celebrate with us. We had people come from all over the world and it was so amazing to have them all there. Our guests came from Nevada, Colorado, Texas, Pennsylvania, New York, Illinois, Tennessee, Minnesota, Honduras and Switzerland.
My funniest moment: My parents paid for the wedding. My dad kept joking with Charles about how much more reasonably priced it would have been to have McDonald's cater. My father surprised us and had Charles' salad delivered in a McDonald's happy meal box. It was hysterical.
Also, Charles' eighty-six year old aunt got up to dance only once during the night… to Sir Mix Alot's “Baby Got Back.”
My advice for offbeat brides: Enjoy the planning process. I loved having little projects to do, even when they were stressing me out. I loved getting to spend time with Charles, my family, my in-laws, my friends while working together to create such an awesome experience.
A Day Of Coordinator is worth each and every penny. Seriously.
If you're doing a first dance, dance lessons are a total blast, even if you screw up every single step at the wedding. Charles and I had so much fun just getting to be with each other and laugh at ourselves for an hour once a week for five weeks. I also took lessons with my dad which was super sweet and will always be a super fond memory for me. He tried so hard, even with a broken ankle.
What was the most important lesson you learned from your wedding? Through Offbeat Bride I learned so much about expressing myself and appreciating others. I learned a lot about who my true friends are and how much they mean to me. I learned when to put my foot down and when to compromise.
Most importantly, I learned that I married an incredibly caring, kind, loving, sexy, funny, genuine man, who I love more than I ever thought possible. We know we are blessed and lucky.
Care to share any vendor/shopping links from your Californian / Honduran wedding?
- Cake Toppers: Naked Peggies
- Garter: Vvn Gift Trendy
- Photographers: Mark Brooke
About the Author: Offbeat Weditors
Working tirelessly to bring you stimulating content day after day, the Offbeat Wed editors will not sleep until you've gotten your offbeat fix.
I LOVE this wedding! I might be kind of biased since the bride is my best friend of over a decade, but the whole occasion was so full of love and beauty. I love how Brianna stayed so true to herself and created a day that was such a sweet reflection of the relationship she has with Charles. SUCH a fun and memorable wedding. Congratulations!