The Offbeat Bride: Angela, Front Office Coordinator

Her offbeat partner: Chandler, Internet Sales Manager

Date and location of wedding: Ceremony at the Des Chutes Historical Museum in Bend, Oregon and reception at The Basque Center in Boise, Idaho - December 13, 2014

Our offbeat wedding at a glance:

Our theme was about being true to ourselves and not losing ourselves in tradition and family expectations. We somehow came to the mutual decision that eloping was best for us. It was a relief to see our loved ones turn up in Boise, ID at The Basque center and to hear how they supported our decision after we surprised them with the news that we eloped.

Tell us about the ceremony:

We had a delightful Reverend and Life Coach by the name of Mary Ellen who put together a short, sweet, and simple elopement ceremony that honored our decision and reminded us to "slow down and to breathe in the beauty of [our] day". The crisp weather enhanced our closeness and it was great exploring a new place together.
I had worked on my vows for weeks and had submitted them to Rev. ME, who had them printed for me. Chandler had kept his secret from Rev. ME and myself and I nearly cried at his powerfully touching words!

We had chosen Bend, OR, because we had not been there before and we were hoping for snow and because there are a lot of breweries and sports bars who might play NFR (National Finals Rodeo) on their TVs - which they so kindly put on for us!

Rev. ME had shopped around for us in Bend, to find a historical place where we could have the ceremony, based on the photos she snapped and emailed. Chandler and I selected the Reid School/Historical Museum. Two of the museum workers were kind enough to be our witnesses and snap a few photos.

Tell us about your reception:

The reception, or as we referred to it, "our wedding," was a blast. Chandler and I joked that we shouldn't have waited so long to have the "wedding." The day before the wedding, Chandler got a text from the caterer of the Basque Market, asking what we were doing for plates and silverware. I admit my feathers were ruffled - why had they not mentioned it before? I called the rental manager for the Basque Center. He called me back soon after and advised me that since I had rented the Center and the kitchen, I would be able to use the dishes and silverware there, providing they were cleaned and put away at the end of the night. Not wanting to make friends and family clean up, I called Chandler, who called the caterer, who agreed to clean up for an additional fee. Done!

Chandler's brother strung lights up, and our friends put out the linens, the hardcover books tied with ribbon, and the votives with candles. My girlfriends made sun tea and lemonade and got that put out. We were so thankful for all their help!

The meat guy set up next to The Basque Center and the smell was intoxicating (slow-cooked leg of lamb, curry beef, and bone-in-ham). The Basque Market did a great job with the sides. The Basque salad was vibrant, the green beans were tender, and the pesto mashed potatoes were everyone's favorite.

What was your most important lesson learned?

Our biggest challenge was not spilling the news about the elopement. And the most important lesson learned: if your venue is lax or unorganized, then step it up and ask questions and LABEL EVERYTHING with "event and date." Two of our wedding cakes were given away just hours after we put them in the walk-in fridge. The chef told us the fridge was all ours that weekend and no one would be in it. Luckily, after three days and a lot of pestering, we were able to track down the antique crystal platters that the two cakes had been on. Unfortunately, that meant we only had one magnificent Italian cream cake to share with our guests. Luckily we also had three rum cakes and a rhubarb dessert and my mom stepped out to Whole Foods and bought two white cakes with real fruit filling.

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