A rustic Northern California wedding with Southern flair (and a spectacular gray dress!)

Offbeat partner: Evan, Art History Professor and Arts Journalist

Offbeat partner: Sean, Mechanical Engineer

Date and location of wedding: Old Crocker Inn, Cloverdale, California — September 9, 2017

Our offbeat wedding at a glance:

With two very nontraditional people, we decided to highlight aspects of our specific tastes and lives. All the bridesmaids had floral dresses of their own choosing, and the groomsmen all had floral ties of their choosing (and one female groomsmen picked her own floral dress as well). Vegan, gluten-free Southern cuisine was served along with local Northern California wines and beers.

Instead of a wedding cake, we opted for vegan, gluten-free donuts and danced the night away to a live bluegrass band. We both dressed in gray, no whites, no blacks, and we opted out of the traditional wedding march music and instead had gorgeous Hozier songs playing as the bridesmaids and bride walked down the aisle.

Tell us about the ceremony:

Our ceremony was centered around our vows, which we wrote ourselves. We incorporated the traditional Irish handfasting ritual to emphasize our commitment in tying the knot. I walked down the aisle to Hozier's "Like Real People Do," by myself since I do not like the tradition of being given from one man to another.

Tell us about your reception:

The reception was an amazing party full of love and light. Sitting under the twinkle lights as the sun went down, listening to bluegrass music from Long Beach bluegrass band Big Bad Rooster, we saw two families of deer eating plants around the field we were on. We had some games set up for people to play on the far side of the field, and people loved the opportunity to play cornhole and giant jenga. We also provided a popcorn machine for late night snacks if wedding donuts were not sufficient. As we danced the night away, we witness shooting stars above us and fell in love all over again. It was a magical night.

What was your most important lesson learned?

If I could give some other offbeat couples some advice, it would be to get everything in writing before you pay. We got swindled by three different vendors and had to negotiate way too much. Apart from the familial drama that ensued with my nontraditional aesthetics and desires for this day, the contracts with my vendors were the biggest headache.

Vendors

• Photographer: Matthew William Photography
• Dress: Bride's own creation, with help from Dressilyme.com and even more help from Shirin at Love and Lace Bridal and Tailor
• Veil: Bride's mom Sandy Bradley made it
• Venue: Old Crocker Inn
• Flowers: Dragonfly Floral
• Wedding Donuts: Flour Craft Bakery
• Catering: Gaia's Garden
• Suit: Express for Men
• Rings: the couple made their own rings
• Hairstylist: Amelia Dinmore
• Rental Companies: Encore Events Rentals & Grapevine Party Rentals
• Drinks: Bottle Barn

Gallery

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