Venezuelan-American rustic rave wedding with a Hora Loca

Venezuelan American Rustic Rave Photos by The Tillmans47 alternative wedding ideas from Offbeat Wed (formerly Offbeat Bride) — Photography by The Tillmans

Offbeat partner: Stephania & Jon

Date and location of wedding: The Addison in Boca Raton, 10/08/2017

Our offbeat Venezuelan-American rustic rave wedding at a glance: We wanted to fuse the traditional American wedding with a little Latin spice from Venezuela. We had people from all over the world attend the wedding and we wanted everyone to have a good time whether they were from the US or not.

Venezuelan American Rustic Rave Photos by The Tillmans6 alternative wedding ideas from Offbeat Wed (formerly Offbeat Bride)

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Tell us about the ceremony:
Jon has no idea where his vows went, but I have mine to Jon:

Jonathon Norato,
As we stand here today, I wanted to reflect on the past three years – We have been through so much together, good and bad, but look at us, we made it! As you know, when I’m faced with life decisions, big or small, I often come from a place of uncertainty. Anxiety has almost always prevailed over other emotions in my life, yet over the past three years of knowing you, you have taught me how to live in love rather than in fear. When I overthink, you simplify. You rationalize the irrational. You remind me of my strength. You make me want to be the best version of myself that I can be. This is why we are here today. Looking at you on our wedding day, I am reminded of why I love you. You always find a way to turn my darkest day around, even if it is by cooking a delicious meal or kissing me over and over until I get annoyed and laugh. You support and encourage my passion for music. You believe that guava does not belong in a tequeño, which I completely agree. And I love you because you have never, ever once tried to change who I am. You have wholeheartedly accepted me and my flaws and I thank you for that. I vow to stay in the present moment as much as possible for our life together. To be grateful for every day by your side, because we both know that tomorrow is never promised. I vow to work and laugh even through the messy moments. To cherish the hard days, knowing there will always be light if we conquer the dark together. It’s you and me against the world, forever.
Shut up – I love you,
Steph

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We wanted something short and simple so the ceremony itself only took about 20 minutes. Jon and I met while working at the Apple Store in Aventura and we both befriended Bill Evans, who was the oldest team member at the store and one we all looked up to. Being that Bill was there to watch us fall in love, we asked him to officiate our ceremony.

Venezuelan American Rustic Rave Photos by The Tillmans22 alternative wedding ideas from Offbeat Wed (formerly Offbeat Bride)

Venezuelan American Rustic Rave Photos by The Tillmans23 alternative wedding ideas from Offbeat Wed (formerly Offbeat Bride)

Venezuelan American Rustic Rave Photos by The Tillmans14 alternative wedding ideas from Offbeat Wed (formerly Offbeat Bride)

Jon and I are both musicians as well so music played a huge part in our wedding – we had live musicians playing before, during, and after the ceremony and instead of throwing rice or blowing bubbles when we walked down the altar as Mr & Mrs, we had our guests make noise with tambourines and egg shakers my mom made by hand.

Venezuelan American Rustic Rave Photos by The Tillmans3 alternative wedding ideas from Offbeat Wed (formerly Offbeat Bride)

Venezuelan American Rustic Rave Photos by The Tillmans4 alternative wedding ideas from Offbeat Wed (formerly Offbeat Bride)

Tell us about the Venezuelan-American rustic rave reception:
For the reception, we decided to go with an overall rustic American theme, but including Venezuelan traditions and elements. We served tequeños as part of our hors d'oeuvres, we had a live band, that I worked with as a live sound engineer, that played anything from Top 40s American charts to top Latin American hits.

Venezuelan American Rustic Rave Photos by The Tillmans19 alternative wedding ideas from Offbeat Wed (formerly Offbeat Bride)

Venezuelan American Rustic Rave Photos by The Tillmans18 alternative wedding ideas from Offbeat Wed (formerly Offbeat Bride)

We also included my favorite Venezuelan wedding tradition called La Hora Loca (The Crazy Hour), which is done on the last hour of the reception and turns the whole dance floor into a rave-like party full of lights and props.

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Venezuelan American Rustic Rave Photos by The Tillmans7 alternative wedding ideas from Offbeat Wed (formerly Offbeat Bride)

My mom made geometric animal masks that Jon and I wore, while the rest of the guests wore masquerade masks, boas, beads, lights, and inflatable props – their choice. This is also when the band would play all the most danceable songs to end the party on the right note.

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What was the most important lesson you learned from your wedding?
Everything is overpriced! If you have time and support from family and friends, make a lot of your decor and visual elements yourself. My mom and I spent a lot of time making things by hand – the center pieces, signs, Photo booth props, thank you gifts, and ceremony noise makers and programs.

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We were also lucky that we have a lot of musicians friends who were happy to play music for the wedding and even join the band with their instruments for a total jam session during Hora Loca.