It's a bird, it's a plane... it's Offbeat Bride's comic book-clad and caped superhero theme week! Get in the telephone booth and change into your wedding-gawking superhero tights - you're in for crime-fighting fun.

The Offbeat Bride: Alysha, Actor and University Finance Admin Assistant (Optional web site link)

Her offbeat partner: Geb, Actor and Payroll Client Services Specialist

Date and location of wedding: Georgetown Ballroom, Seattle, WA - May 19, 2013

Our offbeat wedding at a glance: Since we're both actors (we met when we were cast in a show together), we wanted our wedding to be the best show we've ever been in, and the coolest party we've ever thrown. Our ring bearers wore superhero capes that my bridesmaid sewed, and our groomsmen wore superhero shirts under their suits and matching cufflinks. We hired a local graphic designer to design our comic book-inspired invitations (complete with a hand-drawn comic book drawing of us!). We're also religious, so we had a Christian ceremony.

Tell us about the ceremony: We had my youth pastor as our officiant, which was really special to me. We had my senior pastor (the officiant's father, actually!) pray over us and serve us communion. During our communion, a close friend did a dance of worship to Phil Wickham's "Divine Romance." We adapted our vows from a poem by local poet, Greg Bee.

Our vows:

(In unison): Marry me.
(Geb): Because I want to kiss you goodnight so even in your dreams you know you are loved.
Because I want to see what our art looks like on the same wall.
Because I want to cook so you can clean.
Because I want to raise children who learn how to make their bed from you.
Because I want to rock out in our living room tomorrow and rock back on the porch while watching our grandkids.

(In unison): Marry me.
(Alysha): Let's choose whose family we'll visit at Thanksgiving and then kiss defiantly because we told them all that we'll be staying home this year.
Let's argue about who went to talk to the teacher last time and then kiss sweetly because that woman doesn't understand how brilliant our kid is anyway.
Let's complain about politics and agree about religion and then just kiss because it's more fun than both of those other things.
Let's go to bed angry sometimes then kiss each other good morning so we always remember that we are loved.

(In unison): Marry me.
(Geb): Let me refuse invitations that don't include you.
Let me kiss you in a department store changing room until we laugh at our audacity.
Let me pull your face into the crook of my neck through the storm of love and anger
your mother calls up in you.
Let me play connect-the-dots with the liver spots on your someday arthritic hands.

(In unison): Marry me.
(Alysha):Because you saw me through the walls I built years ago and threw a line to where I floated in a night ocean.
Because you know me better by what I think I hide from you than from what I show
everyone else.
Because you found me, believing that I had already missed the best that I could have hoped for.

(In unison): Because you love me. Marry me.

Lastly, we took a page from the Offbeat Bride book and did a unity sandwich! We changed the original meanings of the sandwich to better suit us and our faith, but it was really fun.

Our biggest challenge: A friendship with a former bridesmaid ended, my estranged and uninvited bio father wouldn't let my grandmother attend, and we had lots of stress with our budget. The best way to overcome it was by reminding myself that I am marrying the most perfect guy for me, and that is what matters. People who do love us, even if they aren't true blood family, are the ones that matter.

My favorite moment: My maid of honor sang a song that is really meaningful to us, which is "In Whatever Time We Have" from the musical Children of Eden. and I bawled through the whole song. I'm glad she sneaked those Hello Kitty tissues into her bouquet after all!

Also, a tiny moment that I keep remembering fondly is that when my dad walked me down the aisle, he grabbed my hand when we reached the front. It was then that I noticed that even the pastor was crying.

My funniest moment: We had an uneven wedding party, so one of the groomsmen walked with two bridesmaids. We had them skip down the aisle together as they did in The Wizard of Oz (I'm a huge Wizard of Oz fan/collector.)

I really love the band Hanson, and have been a card-carrying fan club member forever. It was really funny for me that our recessional song was a Hanson song ("Waiting For This"), the first dance was a Hanson song ("Be My Own"), followed by the father/daughter dance to another Hanson song, "Teach Your Children." I'm really lucky to have a guy who let me do it!

What was the most important lesson you learned from your wedding? Love the one(s) you're with. I have a tendency to get hung up on the disappointments - a friend who RSVPed no, a family member who criticized our theme, etc. I had to remind myself that those people who ARE helping me and showing love are the ones who matter. Don't pay attention to the ones who aren't, because love always outweighs the negative.

Care to share a few vendor/shopping links?

Enough talk - show me the wedding porn!