The Offbeat Bride: Meaghan, CNA

Her offbeat partner: John, Chef

Date and location of wedding: Cape Cod Maritime Museum, Hyannis, MA - May 22, 2014

Our offbeat wedding at a glance:

John and I had an out-of-the-box dinner wedding. We had almost nothing to work with, so what we did, we did ourselves. I made all the decor with help from a few friends, particularly my maid of honor Erin and friend Christine. John's nana Penny did all of our flowers, as she had done quite a bit as a florist in the past. My must-haves were stargazer lilies (a shout out to my mother Jane) and bells of Ireland (a bit of our heritage thrown in for good measure).

We also did an Irish handfasting ceremony. My friend Leanne baked our caked (a peach Bellini cake) and her mother baked the groomsmen's cake (a rum cake). We had planned for an outdoor wedding by the Ocean St. docks in Hyannis, but ended up having our wedding at the Cape Cod Maritime Museum, with only HALF AN HOUR NOTICE! They let us use their site, free of charge, after hours (they closed at four, our wedding was at 4:30!).

We then moved on to our reception site, The Beech Tree Cantina, under their gorgeous beech tree, where they had let us set up however we wished. Our guests paid for their own dinners, and we eschewed any wedding gifts. We had about 55 people there, and all but two showed up for our wedding.

Our guests were AMAZING. They waited for us while we did a rather extended after-wedding photo session, as our photographer had flown in from Alberta, Canada. She gave us an amazing deal to shoot our wedding, costing us only travel expenses, and we have all the photos we could never have imagined we would have with our wedding budget. We also shot on Martha's Vineyard the next day, as we all wanted the full Cape Cod, feel in our photos.

Tell us about the ceremony:

This was our reading, as we were doing the handfasting:

These are the hands of your best friend, young and strong and full of love for you, that are holding yours on your wedding day, as you promise to love each other today, tomorrow, and forever. These are the hands that will work alongside yours, as together you build your future. These are the hands that will passionately love you and cherish you through the years, and with the slightest touch, will comfort you like no other. These are the hands that will hold you when fear or grief fills your mind. These are the hands that will countless times wipe the tears from your eyes; tears of sorrow, and tears of joy. These are the hands that will tenderly hold your children. These are the hands that will help you to hold your family as one. These are the hands that will give you strength when you need it. And lastly, these are the hands that even when wrinkled and aged, will still be reaching for yours, still giving you the same unspoken tenderness with just a touch.

Our biggest challenge:

Money. Hands down. We had almost none and were living paycheck to paycheck. We had issues with one of my former best friends, and it became such an issue I cut her out of my life. Losing that friend was awful, but we knew it needed to be done.

Our wedding was so much more than I ever thought I would be able to have thanks to family and friends who were ready and willing to help however they were able, and who were so understanding.

My favorite moment:

I loved walking down the aisle with my father, saying "I do" to my husband, seeing my mother in tears, and being surrounded by family and friends who truly wished to be there for us on our day. It was also amazing being able to walk down the aisle to "Moon River," was just my absolute favorite!

Vendors

• Dress: Chantilly Bridal, who were amazing and had a phenomenal selection
• Photography: Justine Milton, Milton Photography, one of the best photographers to put a camera in front of her face
• Additional photography: Manuel Rego, a guest at our wedding and also a photographer
• Hair: Angles, Corian did my hair and I would trust him implicitly
• Makeup: my friend Andrea Louise