The Offbeat Bride: Rin, Office Monarch

Her offbeat partner: Nico, Coffee Monster

Date and location of wedding: Theodore Wirth Pavillion, Minneapolis, MN - October 8, 2016

Our offbeat wedding at a glance:

Long before we got engaged, at the beginning of our relationship, we were talking the hypothetical wedding desires. Nico wanted to get married in jeans, barefoot in the middle of the woods with no one else there but the officiant. When we got engaged I told him that I was only getting married once, and that I wanted to do this right. He asked about doing a Hobbit-themed wedding and I, being the geek that I am, was all for it.

The Groomsminions were dressed as hobbits and a dwarf, the Bridesminions were elves, and our seven-foot tall officiant was Gandalf. We asked our guests to dress up and they really delivered. A woman who is like my second mom made my gown, and the Offbeat Bride favorite (and friends of ours), KMKDesigns made Nico's outfit.

Our friends and family helped us in so many ways: flowers, cupcakes, homebrew, artwork, day of coordinators, and set up and tear down. It was touching to look around and see an event that was the work of so many important people.

The date was really special to me, not just because it was my wedding but also my grandparent's 67th wedding anniversary, my grandfather passed away a few years ago so we wanted to make sure they were recognized.

Tell us about the ceremony:

We found a venue in the Minneapolis Park service that could host both an outdoor ceremony and indoor reception. It was beautiful and sunny at the time of our ceremony.

We had a variety of instrumental music playing from various soundtracks like The Hobbit, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Lord of the Rings greeting our guests as they arrived. Our processional was "Aeon" by Nick Murray. The wedding party walked down a small hiking path into the clearing.

My father passed away when I was thirteen and I wasn't keen on being "given away", and it didn't feel right to walk with anyone else if it couldn't be him. I did, however, make a day-of decision to walk with our dog Tony down the aisle. Nico and I are those dog parents, and Tony is so important to our family, so it felt right.

Our ceremony was short, no more than ten minutes or so. Since most of our relationship has been marked by travel, and new adventures, it was a common theme throughout. We recognized those who had passed on, and our friend Barrett did a touching reading from Fellowship of the Ring about trust. We both wrote our own vows, which very emotional. Nico teared up while saying his, and I barely kept my cool.

Tell us about your reception:

We had a few minutes to walk up the hill to the reception before the guests followed. I can't recommend that enough. When I stepped into the venue, I saw the wedding photo of my grandparents and just burst into tears. It was super emotional to feel like my grandfather was there with us. I was so lucky to have my friend Jess right there to set my face to rights.

We started our reception with notes of gratitude. We thanked all of those who had helped make our wedding, Nico recognized the teachers, and I ended it by raising a toast to my grandparent's for their anniversary.

Our tables were set with silver dishes that I thrifted, stagecoach lanterns I bought from another bride, lush beds of moss, and fairy lights. I made the bunting that hung around the room. The venue had a wonderful area that worked as a bar, I made up a sign for The Green Dragon (a bar in The Lord of the Rings), and we named beer and wine after references in Tolkien stories. Our cutting cake was a tiny hobbit hole and the cupcakes had white chocolate trees of Gondor.

What was your most important lesson learned?

Assign someone to hydrate you. I was terrible about drinking water all day and woke up the next day feeling hungover despite drinking very little.

That thing where everyone tells you to take a few minutes with just you and your new spouse after the ceremony? Do it. You're going to be emotional and raw and it's wonderful to have those moments to be vulnerable with each other without people interrupting.

If you're worried about spending money on things, join local wedding buy/sell groups on Facebook. Married couples are often wanting to sell their wedding decor/clothing after their event. Those lanterns? I got them for several dollars cheaper than I found online.

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