My offbeat (and cheap!) wedding

I said earlier I would provide a little more info about the offbeat and cheap wedding that Ryan and I have put together in a mere two months. Even before we were officially engaged, we kicked around a few ideas for our wedding, including getting married outdoors in Colorado, doing a wedding and adventure honeymoon combo in Costa Rico (rock climbing! horseback riding! yoga!), and just getting married at the courthouse. We knew we didn’t want a big expensive conventional wedding; we didn’t think it made sense to spend all that money when we could put it into something else like a house, and I have never been the type to fantasize about wearing a big bridal gown and walking down an aisle anyway. I have always pictured myself getting married barefoot on the beach or some other outdoor setting.

Since we couldn’t afford Costa Rico, and Colorado (or anywhere else out of state) presented some logistical challenges, the courthouse idea started becoming more and more appealing. However, we knew we still wanted to have some kind of party where we could celebrate with our family and friends. So we decided to take the simplicity of the courthouse idea and move it into a different setting where everyone could be present. I remembered that an ex-coworker’s daughter had gotten married at a rustic barn in a state park near Weston, a nearby quaint historical town. When I found out the barn was just $100 to rent for the entire day and there was a Saturday available in October, I jumped at it. The colors and atmosphere of a fall wedding appealed to me much more than spring or summer, and we didn’t want to wait an entire year.

With such a short time frame to work with, we knew we’d have to keep things as simple as possible. Every element would have to be weighed for cost and necessity. We decided to forgo having attendants in favor of doing our wedding in the round: we are going to have our families and friends circle around us, so that everyone is a participant rather than a spectator. With the focus more on celebration than ceremony, our wedding is essentially going to be a party with some vows thrown in. We’re having a friend officiate, my cousin and some of his bandmates are providing the music, and — weather permitting — the actual ceremony will take place on the lawn next to the barn, at sunset. We wanted our wedding to be a fun day that everyone would enjoy, and we also wanted it to reflect our personalities.

To save money on the gown, I ordered a bridesmaid dress in a beautiful champagne color. I had my first fitting a few days ago, and the dress is gorgeous, flattering, comfortable, and feels like “me.” I wouldn’t trade it for any bridal gown in the world. Yesterday we went up to Weston’s annual fall celebration, “AppleFest,” and bought locally grown gourds and bittersweet to use for decorations. (I’d never bought bittersweet before; but $10 a bunch seemed awfully pricey to me. Ryan and I decided we should start growing and selling our own once we get a house!)

I’ve encountered only a few voices of opposition who’ve said, “oh, but you’ll want to have bridesmaids,” or “you’ll want to be a real bride.” (As if wearing anything other than a white princess gown changes the significance of the event.) But for the most part, our friends and family are excited that we are doing something non-traditional and keeping things simple. And the truth is, even if I did take a year to prepare, I would plan exactly the same wedding. I think our wedding is going to be beautiful and fun and memorable, but most of all, it will be authentic, and I don’t think we could ask for a better way to start our new lives together.