This colorful laid-back wedding had a potluck pickle bar & a flamenco dance #Real Weddings: Midwest US#colored crinoline#floral print#flower crown#minnesota#multi-colored dress#outdoor#print dress#short dress#short hair Updated Oct 4 2017 (Posted Sep 26 2017) Offbeat Editors Photos by: Lauren Baker Photography Photos by Lauren Baker Photography Offbeat partner: Molly, Performer & Therapeutic Recreation Specialist Offbeat partner: Chase, Music Teacher & Performer Date and location of wedding: Snail Lake Regional Park, Shoreview, MN — July 15, 2017 Budget: $6000 Our offbeat wedding at a glance: The theme was family friendly, rainbow-colored, and casual. We wanted everyone to enjoy themselves and be relaxed, including us. We wanted everyone to have something to do, and for families to feel welcome to bring their kids. We had lots of games and things to do and tried to keep the ceremony to a reasonably short amount of time. Tell us about the ceremony: Our ceremony included handwritten vows. It also included two non-traditional readings, one from Phillip Pullman's The Amber Spyglass and the other a writing by Galway Kinnel about finding the right wrong person for you. It also featured our parents giving their wisdom on marriage. Our siblings sang and played the keyboard for music during the ceremony. It was under a half hour because everyone was sitting under the sun. Tell us about your reception: We had beer made by my father and the groom's brother-in-law. We also had boxed wine. Additionally, one of my favorite things was that we had a potluck pickle bar. We invited guests to bring their homemade pickles and put them out to eat at the reception. It was a huge hit, and was the place to meet new people to talk about all of the interesting delicious pickles people brought. There were green tomato, watermelon slices, asparagus, okra, beet, and burdock root pickles, among others! What was your most important lesson learned? Trust that things will be done, and that everyone will come through for you if you ask for help. It was a HUGE RELIEF when I saw how everyone came together on the day of our wedding to decorate and prepare food. I worried and worried about it beforehand, and I'm glad I was prepared, but it couldn't have happened without everyone's help. The amount of trust I had to have in everyone that things would be done was HUGE. It has made me realize that people will rise to the occasion when given a task. Vendors Shoes: Fluevog Photographer: Lauren Baker Photography Floral crown: remixed Bata de Cola (Flamenco Skirt): Fabrica Flamenca Venue: Vadnais, Snail Lake Regional Park Beer: LTS Brewery Gallery This slideshow requires JavaScript. PREVIOUS What is dead may never die: dried flower bouquets are STUNNING NEXT De-stressing wedding planning by changing my wedding party expectations Show/Hide comments [ 0 ] Join the conversation Cancel ReplyYour email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *Comment Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Sign me up for your offbeat awesomeness newsletter! No-drama comment policy Part of what makes the Offbeat Empire different is our commitment to civil, constructive commenting. Make sure you're familiar with our no-drama comment policy. Biz owners & wedding bloggers Please just use your real name in your comment, not your business name or blog title. Our comments are not the place to pimp your website. If you want to promote your stuff on Offbeat Bride, join us as an advertiser instead.