The Offbeat Bride: Elizabeth, Global Technical Marketing Coordinator

Her offbeat partner: Steve, Landscape Supply

Date and location of wedding: Cambridge Mill, Cambridge, Ontario and Chicopee Tube Park, Kitchener, Ontario– September 10, 2016

Our offbeat wedding at a glance:

We decided to do a DIY Super Mario wedding. We both grew up with a love of video games, and the world of Super Mario was predominant in both our lives. Since we are both in our thirties, we wanted to keep it more elegant, with aspects of the Super Mario theme thrown in. These aspects were depicted in the bridal party accent colors (yellow, orange, reds, and greens) which complimented the grey main color, through the bouquets, shoes, jewelry, and signage in the venue.

DIY projects from the bride included making her own Saves the Dates, Invitations and Signage, creating the bridal party bouquets, making the bridal jewelry, sewing sashes and table runners.

Tell us about the ceremony:

Our ceremony took place at the Cambridge Mill in Cambridge, Ontario. We kept the decor very minimal, just highlighting the paths with multicolored flower petals in red, yellow, and orange. All music was pulled from YouTube using orchestrated Super Mario Songs, which included the Super Mario World Theme, Dire Dire Docks, and Bomb Bomb Battlefield.

Steve had purchased me a broom as a gift for my 30th birthday since I'm a Wiccan. The broom is meant to represent the threshold of the home, and jumping the broom is symbolic of entering a new home together. It symbolizes entering a new stage of the relationship, and the leaving behind of old thoughts, behaviors, and patterns between the two.

One special moment for us was when we were signing the marriage certificate and our flower girl, Sophia, asked if she could sign it, too. She of course couldn't, but she did hug us both afterwards, saying she was so happy we were married.

Tell us about your reception:

Our reception took place at the Chicopee Tube Park in Kitchener, Ontario. It was very relaxed, with no seating plan and self-serve hors d'oeuvres and dessert bar. We had a live band, Happy Pappy, play, and they primarily focused on older songs from the '60s, '70s and '80s.

Our photo booth by PictureX based in Toronto was one of the highlights of the reception and people had a blast using it. The dessert bar went over really well too, with a wide selection for every person. Luckily, since all the food was made by myself and friends, we knew what was in every dessert, so we could cater to people with gluten allergies, diabetics, and vegans. We wanted to ensure that everyone had a good selection.

Our decor was all DIY, from filling the gumball machine gifts to sewing 25 table runners. We wanted every aspect of the wedding to have a personal touch. In fact, we even showed up to the reception early so we could greet and thank each guest personally for showing up.

We loved seeing the kids at our wedding (15+ of them) having fun with the photo booth, dancing, coloring, and just having a great time. Our favourite moments were our first dance to "Dance Me To The End of Love," by The Civil Wars, and of course, our throwing of the toys. Instead of throwing garters or bouquets, we threw a Thwomp and Chomp Chomp. The kids went crazy over it!

Vendors

* Ceremony Venue: Cambridge Mill

* Reception Venue: Chicopee Tube Park –

* Photographer: Andrew Miller

* Photo booth: PictureX

* Bride & Bridesmaid Dresses: David's Bridal

* Groom & Groomsmen Tuxes: Moores Clothing

* Grooms & Groomsmen Custom Tie clips: KnackWorks

* Groom & Groomsmen Cufflinks: JRocks Jewelry

* Bride's Garter: Scarborough Rose

* Cake & Cupcakes: Prairie Girl Bakery

* Truffles: Haus of Desserts

* Shoe Design: Lake Studio

* Bridal Makeup: Ryver Vande Pol

* Bride Hair: Russel Bally

* Bridesmaid Hair: Romeo Salon & Spa

Gallery

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