Tiny, gold, and floral: this "cheez-y" weekday wedding in a diner wins

The Offbeat Bride: Holly Marie, Pastry Chef

Her offbeat partner: Judd, Buyer/Planner for a bike parts company

Date and location of wedding: The Bad Waitress Diner, Minneapolis, Minnesota — November 18, 2015

Our offbeat wedding at a glance:

We had the crazy idea to get married where we had our first date, two years to the day. Our first date was on a Monday, which meant our wedding would fall on a Wednesday, making it a weekday wedding. It also meant that due to the very small capacity of the coffee shop/diner we had to keep our guest list very intimate. While we got some serious side-eye over our wedding date, our family and friends were unbelievably cooperative with taking days off from work and doing whatever they had to do to be present. The people we love who we were not able to invite were also incredibly understanding.

When we approached the owners of the diner, I had prepared myself to be turned down but they responded so enthusiastically I was absolutely floored. We met with them in person a few times before the big day and they made it clear that this meant as much to them as it did to us, that they truly wanted to do everything that they could to make our day as perfect as possible, and they FUCKING NAILED IT!

We met on OKcupid and since pretty much the second we met in person, we've had this recurring dialogue/inside joke that goes, "WHERE did I get you?" "The internets." "OMG squee YAY INTERNETS!" So that was our theme. We really just wanted everything to be as personal and sentimental as possible, because that's who we are.

Tell us about the ceremony:

Our wedding was officiated by a longtime friend of mine, and she and I wrote the script together. By "wrote the script" I mean copied and pasted from an existing script we found on Offbeat Bride, favorite movie quotes (Big Fish & When Harry Met Sally), threw in some Carl Sagan, random lines from relationship articles, and Pinterest.

My/our daughters did a very adapted reading of "A Lovely Love Story" by Edward Monkton. We changed all of the adverbs to words that described us… "But he is so quiet and so awkward and so overly fond of video games!" "She has so many tattoos, and she is also a good mother which is a quality I much admire in a dinosaur."

Judd was raised Jewish but is no longer practicing, but we wanted to incorporate some Jewish traditions. His mom read a beautiful, simplified version of The Seven Blessings. We had intended to stomp a champagne flute, and it was supposed to be sitting under his mom's chair, but when it came time to place the glass we realized it was missing. A friend came to the rescue with a pint glass. Mazel Tov!

Prior to the ceremony there was 20 minutes of a string quartet playing an assortment of modern love/pop songs. We walked down the aisle together to a beautiful string version of "Anyone Else But You" by The Moldy Peaches (when we met on OKcupid, he and I were literally the only people who listed "The Uncluded" (Kimya Dawson's side project) in our profiles and it was how we found each other), and our recessional was "Hey Ya!" By Outkast.

Tell us about your reception:

The most emotional moment was after the ceremony while we were standing in the receiving line, I looked down and saw my youngest daughter clutching her new step-dad, with tears absolutely STREAMING down her cheeks. My favorite photo is not of her, but everyone's reaction to her tears.

Making the venue work for a wedding took an enormous amount of effort from everyone involved — wedding party and the gracious venue hosts. We had limited time between the closing of the restaurant after lunch rush until the ceremony began to decorate, pose for pictures, and rehearse. The owners rented a moving truck to store the tables in so the dining room could be open for the ceremony, and then immediately following had to set the table back up for dinner.

After the ceremony, Judd and I escaped to a cocktail bar across the street to revel in our married-ness privately. While we were away the guests were served cheese and olive plates and CHEEZE-ITS (which are a staple of our commitment to each other — I keep the cupboards stocked). We returned to Matt & Kim's "Hey Now" and had a champagne toast.

We had an amazing build-your-own burger bar that was as Kosher & vegan friendly as we could make it. I am a pastry chef, so I made the wedding cake, cupcakes, and cookies.

What was your most important lesson learned?

I spent five solid months DIYing everything, from the calligraphy on the invitation envelopes to dozens and dozens of hand-lettered signs, 18 mini table centerpieces and faux bouquets/boutonnieres/corsages, machine-stitching hundreds of feet of gold and floral paper-punched garlands, making every detail as GOLD AND FLORAL AND VINTAGE as I possibly could. And while that stuff DID matter and absolutely WAS noticed and really did make it all feel so super personal, the thing that shined more than any of the details was (ah, CHEEZ-IT!) our love. And the amazing, warm, incredibly fuzzy glow of love from our family and friends.

Vendors

• Photographer: Leah Fontaine Photography
• Dress: Chi Chi London
• Alterations: Carole Bruns Couture
• Shoes: Aerosoles
• Groom's Look: Brooks Brothers & Boom Bowtie
• Bridal Party: Lindy Bop
• Junior Bridesmaids Looks: Target
• Officiant's Look: ModCloth & Target
• Venue: The Bad Waitress Diner
• Ceremony Music: The Birchwood String Quartet
• Dessert Table & Favors: Pipeline Cookie Company
• Stationery: Minted

Gallery

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