The Offbeat Bride: Teukie, radical nanny

Their offbeat partner: Sky, ice cream store manager

Date and location of wedding: Sea Breeze Point, Walt Disney World, Orlando, FL — April 3, 2015

Our offbeat wedding at a glance:

Our wedding wasn't as much about the marriage itself as it was about the celebration. We decided to tack it onto a family vacation last minute with only about two months of planning time! Gay marriage had just gone legal in Florida less than a month earlier. We decided on an Up-themed wedding because it's a very special movie to us, and it seemed appropriate for a Disney wedding.

Disney provided a lot, but we also DIYed some special touches. We wanted to make it as whimsical and fun as possible, and make sure everyone felt like they were involved. I have four nephews, and we gave each of them a special job to do.

Tell us about the ceremony:

We processed in to "He's a Pirate" from Pirates of the Caribbean. My two youngest nephews were our flower boys — they both had really different techniques that were adorable! My older two nephews led us in; "Sky of Honor" and "Best Phoe," as we called them.

My brother officiated with a really funny and touching ceremony. My two oldest nephews also gave readings that they found themselves (with some help from my mom). They took their jobs as our attendants very seriously! Lastly, Sky and I wrote our own vows and did a ring exchange. We kept things short and sweet to make sure we had plenty of time for pictures and cake. Our recessional was "Seize the Day" from Newsies.

Tell us about your reception:

Our Disney wedding planner was brilliant! She directed our staged exit photo (with petal toss) like a pro. Our Disney cake was amazing. In fact, we regret not eating more of it. We had photo booth props and instant cameras for the kiddos, and our photographers made quick work of portraits before everyone dug into the cake. Watching my youngest nephews get progressively more and more covered in cake was a highlight.

We had Up-themed goodies for all of our guests, and our hand-painted alternative wedding ducks were also on display. Disney weddings often attract looky-loos, and we were a little concerned, but in the end we didn't even notice. After the reception, we walked down the boardwalk for more photos and ice cream. Our photographers were amazing and did an incredible job of catching all the excitement, joy, and silliness.

What was your most important lesson learned?

We were really committed to finding clothes that felt true to our genders, so neither of us wore a gown or a suit. We had a really hard time finding our outfits. We wanted to capture all of the colors of the Up movie and wanted no black clothing at our wedding. We didn't have much time, and in early spring the stores had a really limited selection for a colorful Florida wedding.

I ended up ordering a bunch of things off of eBay, but even then I had to alter them. I ordered my long vest off of Etsy because I knew I'd never find anything my size and gender in the stores. When it arrived, it was totally wonky but there was no time to find something else.

Luckily, we found a great tailor who altered and bustled it quickly and without judgment. At one point, I bought a lacy underwire bra because my bra was showing under my top. But the dysphoria was huge, and I almost cried in the shop. When I told my bestie about it, ze was like "Do you really want to feel that way at your wedding?" So I went with the bra I was comfortable in.

My partner and I went to the mall practically every weekend looking for clothes for them. It was really hard, but in the end we both ended up with the perfect outfits and were totally true to ourselves, which felt awesome. Both my mom and sister had a hard time finding dresses in the right colors, too. My sister ended up wearing orange, the same color as me, which was less than ideal, but in the end was fine.

Vendors

Gallery

This slideshow requires JavaScript.