The Offbeat Bride: Erika, Facility Coordinator (and Tribesmaid)

Her offbeat partner: Fernando, Options Trader

Date and location of wedding: Sandals Royal Plantation, Ocho Rios, Jamaica - July 31, 2014

Our offbeat wedding at a glance: We are non-traditionalists who were just looking for something beautiful and intimate. We had a beachfront ceremony at Sandals Royal Plantation in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. We used traditional vows, which ended up being one of the most traditional things we incorporated into the wedding.

Our biggest challenge:
My biggest challenge was trying not to cry during the ceremony. I am an ugly crier and there shall be no ugly crying at weddings. [Ed.: or will there?]

My favorite moment:
Right before we saw each other at the ceremony was my favorite moment. All of these moments were amazing: when we exchanged rings, our splendid first kiss as a married couple, the wedding champange and rum cake toast, sharing our meal with our "wedding crasher" last-minute invitees (whom we love, by the way).

My funniest moment:
Taking pictures was a funny experiene. We are not picture-taking people. In fact, those were the most pictures we have taken in our 13 years together. The photographer kept trying to coax us into smiling and posing.

What was the most important lesson you learned from your wedding?
The best thing we could have ever done for us was to elope. We both come from very opinionated families and it would have just been a nightmare had we gone through a full planning process. We loved it this way!

Care to share a few vendor/shopping links?

Enough talk - show me the wedding porn!

This post features Offbeat Vendors! Check out their vendor listing to see how they cater to Offbeat Brides: