Kerri & Kai's feathers and koi fish DIY wedding! • Offbeat Wed (was Offbeat Bride)

The offbeat bride: Kerri, Hairstylist (and OBT Member)

Her offbeat partner: Kai, Therapist

Location & date of wedding: Edgewater Lodge, Whistler, Canada — June 19, 2010

What made our wedding offbeat: Since it wasn't legal for us to get married in California where we live, we had a destination wedding in Canada.

Our save the dates were postcards of our date written on our feet. We made all the invitations with a block print that our sister carved and we used magazines as envelopes.

I worked all year making the centerpieces and bouquets out of feather boas and flowers that I sewed from fabric. The “feather girls” threw feathers and we had a ring monkey.

We had koi fish printed on all the vests that we found in thrift shops. All the vests wore converse and the dresses wore cowboy boots.

We made gift baskets for all of our guests. We filled them with drinks, snacks and toys. For wedding favors we made family cookbooks: a collection of recipes from both sides of our families.

For our guestbook we had people write on a chalkboard and take pictures in our Photobooth. People took silly pictures in our photobooth that we latermade into post cards to send as thank you cards. Our place cards were written on rocks. After the reception we had people make a wish for us and throw the rocks in the lake.

Half way through our slow wedding dance we busted out the Beyonce “Single Ladies” dance. And we had firedancers!

Tell us about the ceremony: We did a handfasting/knot tying ceremony.

Commissioner: Kerri and Kai have chosen this handfasting ritual to literally symbolize tying the knot. May we have the ribbons please?” ( The Mothers walk up the ribbon and hand one to Kerri and one to Kai.)

Commissioner: “Kerri and Kai, these two distinct ribbons represent your lives before this day: individual, unique and special. They were woven out of the wisdom, strength and love of your family and friends who have helped shape you into the individuals standing before us today. As you each take your ribbon and join it with the other, let it symbolize the joining of your two lives as one. That you may each retain the individuality that makes you unique, but recognize the strength created by joining each one together into an impenetrable knot.

Kerri and Kai: Tie the knot together

Commissioner: “As these two ribbons are infused as one, so are you!”

Then my mother did an native american blessing:
Now you will feel no rain, for you will be shelter to each other.
Now you will feel no cold, for each of you will be warmth to the other.
Now there is no more loneliness, for each of you will be a companion to the other.
Now you are two bodies, but there is only one life before you.
Soon you will go to your resting place, to enter into the days of your togetherness.
May your days be good and long upon the earth.

Our biggest challenge: The wedding was suppose to be outside on the grass next to the lake. However, about twenty minutes before the ceremony started the clouds rolled in and it started to rain. So we moved it inside where the reception was. All the tables were pushed back and the chairs were arranged quickly so that we could stay on track. It was a little haphazard but I remained very calm and just went with the flow. In the end, I think it made it even more intimate and beautiful since we were all closer together.

Was there anything you were sure was going to be a total disaster that unexpectedly turned out great? We found the band on Craigslist Canada. Well, it wasn't actually a band but one girl who had a Myspace. She said she could pull together a band if needed. Since it was the only music we could afford and she sounded good on her own, we went for it.

The band turned out amazing. Everyone danced! They even pulled off an amazing trick for our first dance. We started out dancing to “She's Mine” by Brett Dennen. Then half way through the drummer and base player pretended to get in a fight. Then they turned on “Single Ladies” by Beyonce and started doing the single ladies dance. It was a big hit, but it had the all the guests scared into thinking the band was breaking down.

My favorite moment: The weather was beautiful on the morning of our wedding. A bunch of us got kayaks and canoes and paddled around the lake. It was so much fun to spend time with all of our wedding guests and relax before the big event.

The whole ceremony was so amazing and emotional. While I was waiting to walk down the aisle I had to fight the overwhelming urge to start crying. We had written our whole ceremony, so every part meant so much. Reading our vows was very emotional.

My funniest moment: Of course the little feather girls had not practiced throwing their feathers. So they did not really know what to do. They walked a couple feet down the aisle and dumped their feathers in a clump. Then they dropped their baskets and just wandered off. Great ice breaker.

My advice for offbeat brides: If you want to DIY then start early. My projects took forever but I slowly chipped away at them. Plan ahead and finish everything in a timely manner. Then on the day of you can just relax and enjoy.

Get inspired. Look at magazines, websites and thrift stores. Make a look book for your dream wedding. Then try and figure out how to make those things yourself for cheaper.

What was the most important lesson you learned from your wedding? How amazing it is to have so much love and support from all my friends and family. The majority of my wife's family did not show up to the wedding, which was hurtful for her at first.

Since it was a destination wedding, everyone had to work pretty hard to get there. That made our wedding so amazing because we were surrounded by all the people that we love, who also love us. So even though only a third of the people we invited came, it was all the people who we really wanted there and in return they really wanted to be there.

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