Alicia’s I Do’s: Breakaway from Tradition

Photography by: Jessamyn Harris

Summary

Recently, Alicia Falango of Alicia K Designs had the opportunity to work with the amazing Jessamyn Harris on an unusual wedding. The theme was breaking away from tradition. I (Alicia) was given the challenge to create a "traditional wedding with nothing traditional,” to which I first responded with "Huh?" After discussing the idea at length, it was obvious that the couple loved the idea of marriage and the usual pomp and circumstance, but as fun, laid-back people, they wanted to put their own personal spin on the event.

Details

In order to put a personal spin on the celebration, we tried to incorporate elements unique to their personalities and relationship. The groom was an avid collector of vintage cars, which provided a great foundation and first step. The bride is a former professional roller skater in a roller derby league in Los Angeles. Retro car guy meets roller derby queen is a one-of-a-kind wedding concept.

This quirky wedding was all about the unique and unusual details we used to make it personal. As the guests arrived, they were ushered to their seats by lovely usherettes - wonderfully shod in a cool pair of vintage roller derby skates. They literally rolled you down aisle. So much fun! To tie in the car collection, we used hub caps for the platters and place card holders. The table numbers were designed as vintage hood ornaments and the candy bar had a great collection of miniature antique cars interspersed among the jars. A great chalk artist made a mural on the brick wall, paying tribute to the theme.

Having addressed their individual personalities, we also incorporated several things that defined them as a couple. The couple owned a great pair of dogs - we went beyond just a clever bow tie and donned them in a complete tuxedo. Neither the bride nor groom have a sweet tooth, but they did both share a love of aged cheeses. So instead of a traditional cake, we displayed three enormous wheels of amazing cheese - tiered to resemble a more traditional cake. Magnificent!

The prize for the most creative wedding element is the bouncy house. The couple did not want to have a first dance so they rented an enormous bounce house and had a first bounce. I have never seen a crowd of wedding guests be more enthusiastic about a new tradition. They loved it! With all the rules and protocol of wedding etiquette, it is easy to forget that it is your day - you can make your own traditions. If you want to have a wedding that is truly reflective of you and your spouse, consider elements that define you, and incorporate them. You can see more great photographs from this wedding on Jessamyn Harris' blog.