The Offbeat Bride: Sara, Group Fitness and Program Director

Her offbeat partner: Chris

Date and location of wedding: Jekyll & Hyde Club, New York City, NY - October 27, 2013

Our offbeat wedding at a glance: We wanted to get married somewhere that embodies our quirky nature, and what's better than a restaurant where you can have a conversation with John Merrick, watch Frankenstein come to life, and have a Gargoyle sing to you? We wanted a very small wedding because it was going to be about our marriage, the commitment to each other, and not about the party after.

Since the Jekyll & Hyde Club is offered as a 1920-1930 haunted explorer club, we went for the 1920s theme which the family totally embraced. The restaurant included their entertainment as part of our package. They have actors go all around and engage all the guests which made it so fun!

Tell us about the ceremony:
Our officiant, the fabulous Rev D, had us fill our a questionnaire before the ceremony, and we couldn't share what we wrote with each other. She used all the information we gave her to make the ceremony totally personal. It was filled with inside jokes and moments from our relationship that make us who we are as individuals and as a couple. We spent most of the ceremony laughing, which was great for the nerves. And she read from her Wonder Woman ceremony book. We also had a small handfasting ceremony.

Our biggest challenge:
We struggled with having the wedding we wanted. Our mothers and grandmothers had an idea of how they want their our wedding to be. For us, it wasn't about where it was or what we were wearing, it was about that moment when you look in each others' eyes and say the words. It is more difficult to have a non-traditional wedding when most of your family is on the traditional side, but when it was all said and done, it really was a lot of fun.

My funniest moment:
When John Merrick (The Elephant Man) gave us marriage advice. It was awesome!

What was the most important lesson you learned from your wedding?
Make your wedding reflect your personality. And take time to enjoy every moment of it because, when you reflect back on it, you want to be able to remember all those feelings and emotions and all those moments that made your day what it was.

Care to share a few vendor/shopping links?

Enough talk - show me the wedding porn!

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