Jill & Andy's retro chic legal ceremony on Good Friday • Offbeat Wed (was Offbeat Bride)

On day three of elopement week we have Jill & Andy. Although Jill & Andy are planning to get weddinged in August they wanted to get legally married as soon as possible. So they had a small ceremony behind the City Hall in Kingston, Ontario. This allowed them to have an intimate celebration that involved a few loved ones (including their dog!). -Coco

The offbeat bride: Jill Kilgour: photographer, receptionist, pig whisperer

Her offbeat partner: Andy – Lineman

Location & date of wedding: Market Square, Kingston Ontario Canada — April 2, 2010

What made our wedding offbeat: We have a big wedding planned for August (stay tuned) but decided to get legally married on Easter weekend. Our city does not allow marriages at City Hall so we had our ceremony, along with two witnesses, a minister, a singer and one of our dogs, in the Market Square behind city hall.

It was beautiful and intimate. And once the papers were signed we danced in the empty market.

No one was invited but a few unexpected guests showed up to watch, no complaints here! Afterwards we went to the top of a parking garage, one of my favourite Kingston spots, to have our photos taken.

In August we are “getting weddinged.” This wedding will be an eco-conscious, animal-friendly celebration with 160 guests, our three dogs and four pet pigs! And yes, my pig will be walking down the aisle!

Our biggest challenge: The biggest challenge was finding a minister! My dad is a minister and he is performing the ceremony in August so we wanted to keep it special for him and use someone else for the legal ceremony. Wow, ministers are expensive! In the end we found an awesome friend of the family, he could not have been better.

My favorite moment: When my parents showed up! No one was invited in order to keep the fireworks for the big wedding party. But we showed up at the square and my parents showed up. It meant so much to have them there because they weren't happy about this off-beat decision to get married before the wedding. They were thrilled and thought it was lovely.

My advice for offbeat brides: No one thought we should have a legal ceremony but it was what we wanted. We respected the opinions of our friends and family but in the end after careful thought and prayer this was our decision. It was totally right for us and I think the photos show to all the sceptics how happy we are with the decision!

What was the most important lesson you learned from your wedding? Make it your own! I was vintage chic, he was openly tattooed and we brought our dog! It was beautiful because it was exactly who we are and nothing is better than authenticity.

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