Shelley & Wayne's handmade colorful 1950s wedding • Offbeat Wed (was Offbeat Bride)

The offbeat bride: Shelley, Designer/Crafter (and Tribe member)

Her offbeat partner: Wayne, Management Accountant

Location & date of wedding: My Back Garden, Kent Countryside, UK — June 26, 2010

What made our wedding offbeat: I tried to make as much by hand as possible, not just to save money, but to make the wedding truly ours. I love color, so I used it everywhere possible. We thought of all the things we love — sweets, doughnuts, bunting, rock ‘n' roll, Morris Minors, polka dots — and combined them all in one day!

We were married in our local registry office, then had a sit down meal in our local country pub, then finished the day off with a big knees up in our back garden.

We collected lots of jam jars and old bottles for decoration and spent only £45 on flowers for the tables, which we bought from our local supermarket.

My dress was made by a friend of mine using Irish linen bought for £20 from eBay! All of the bridesmaids dresses were from eBay too.

I have only ever been to traditional weddings before, but knew I really didn't want to go down that road as I didn't feel comfortable with the idea, and to be honest I dreaded the idea of a wedding until we realized we could do it how we wanted and without breaking the bank!! It was such a pretty, colorful, fun day. I felt totally comfortable and happy, and judging by the smiles, so did everyone else!

My favorite moment:

The brief moments my new hubby and I managed to be alone. Only inviting the people we love and care about.
Making sure I really meant the words in my vows — even if it did mean I started crying (which set everyone else off!).

My funniest moment: When we revealed the doughnut wedding cake, there was such a loud gasp of surprise from everyone. It was VERY well received!

My advice for offbeat brides: Use: eBay, Freecycle, Twitter, Flickr, research, and spreadsheets. Start early and keep a list of everything you buy, borrow, make. Really imagine yourself on the day, and make sure everything will flow together. Draw up detailed maps. Set up a wedding blog or website with information for everyone.