The Offbeat Bride: Sara, Graduate Student (and Offbeat Bride member)

Her offbeat partner: Taylor, Software Developer

Date and location of wedding: Wisconsin Lion's Camp, Rosholt, WI - August 16, 2014

Our offbeat wedding at a glance:

Even before the engagement we knew we wanted a wedding with a theme that would both represent our interests and provide an unforgettable night for our friends and family. We both consider ourselves geeks in different areas, but one interest we have always had in common was towards the Medieval/Renaissance periods. When living in Minnesota, we were frequent attendees of the Renaissance festival and we were both familiar with plenty of fantasy literature. We had been enamored with the over-the-top aesthetic of the Song of Ice and Fire Series, and decided a Game of Thrones-themed wedding was for us. We wanted the event to be reminiscent of a Renaissance faire, so we had our wedding party in costume and recommended our guests come in costume as well.

Tell us about your reception:

We had the event at a summer camp, and the reception was in their open-air recreational shelter. Our dinner was a hog roast, with turkey legs for guests to feast on as well. All the guests were sat at long communal tables, and the hall was lit with candles and string lights. For the ceremony, we had a harpist welcome everyone in while a bagpiper lead everyone out. During the reception, we had music from a string band that had a hammered dulcimer.

The custom and DIY elements of the wedding were what really put the décor up to our own geeky standards. With the help of my family and friends, I was able to gather more than enough Renaissance festival and Medieval-themed drinkware for all the guests to use during the dinner and take home as favors. My grandmother and I worked together to make all the house banners and table runners. I handmade all the wine bottle candle holders for the reception, and I handmade the handfasting cords for the ceremony.

The mother of one of our kingsguard is a seamstress that made all the doublets and cloaks for the men in our wedding party. We did not expect Taylor's father to have a toast prepared, but he surprised us with a heartfelt speech. I asked our musicians to play something fast for the father/daughter dance, and even though my father and I were totally faking it, the crowd thought we had choreographed the whole thing.

What was the most important lesson you learned from your wedding? Any other advice for Offbeat Bride readers?

We were going through a few major life changes while planning this wedding. I was starting my first year of graduate school, Taylor was starting a new job, and we were both moving halfway across the country to do it. We chose to have the event back in Wisconsin because it was closer to most of the guests we planned to invite. We would be able to invite more people if we were willing to come back to the Midwest rather than ask everyone to travel to Oregon. However, many of the vendors and details that needed our presence either had to be figured out before the move or we had to trust the descriptions and judgments of other people. We had to put a lot of trust in friends. I learned that I should trust in my friends and family more.

Vendors

This post features Offbeat Vendors! Check out their vendor listing to see how they cater to Offbeat Brides: