Rebellious Couple - Arnold & Jo-Anne's 80s Kids Wed (Part 2)

Read Part One of this 2-Part Feature HERE :)

-----------------

Photos by Randolf Evan

A few days ago, we shared with you an awesome 80s wedding which we proudly featured as one of the dear couples who really found a lot of ideas and comfort in reading our blog. 

As promised, we didn't want to edit out any of Rebellious Couple Jo-Anne and Arnold's retelling of their wedding and their rebellious ways, so here is Part 2 of Arnold & Jo-Anne's 80s Kids Wed!

Rebellious Brides: What is your own definition of a Rebellious Bride?

Jo-Anne writes:

1. A Rebellious Bride and (groom) is someone “unstoppable” - Even if we only had 3 months to prepare for the wedding, we knew that "nothing's gonna stop us"

2. A Rebellious Bride and (groom) is someone who can transform setbacks into opportunities - We didn’t want to burn all our hard earned savings in one day, which turned out to be an even bigger blessing, because it gave us the push to be more creative.

3. A Rebellious Bride and (groom) is one who never stops believing  - A decision to veer away from the norm, would invite comments, that would sometimes shake one's confidence, but it's about taking a stand for what you and your partner believe in. We think that this also applies to a marital relationship and not just the wedding.--- amen to that!

Read on for more!

RB: Since you had a lot of rebellious ideas, what challenges did you go through and how did you overcome it?

Jo-Anne: Planning a “rebellious wedding” is a bit like the road less traveled.

Challenges:

1. The Time-  It would have been easier had we stuck with a “traditional wedding/reception” set-up, but Arnold and I were also adamant about being hands-on with our wedding and sticking to our DIY/Handmade 80s Themed celebration. We definitely had a lot of “disillusionment” (in reference to Discovery Weekend) bumps along the way, but every time we had our small fights, we were able to always hug each other at the end; and give each other that much needed love and reassurance that everything will work out.

2. “Is this a Birthday Party or a Wedding?” We got comments with our invite like, “birthday party ba ito” or “wow, kiddie party”, we were actually quite amused especially with the reaction of the older folks, but we were lucky that aside from the jokes or comments, everyone was quite supportive, and let us be. Of course, kids from the 80s (our 20-30 something friends), and teens from the 80s (like our 40 something relatives) were quite excited.

3. S.O.S (ask for help when needed)- To be rebellious doesn't have to mean doing everything on your own. What made our wedding even more meaningful was that there was a lot of love poured into it. When people found out that we needed help, our closest family and friends really rallied for us to make, our wedding happen

4. “Do you understand our vision?” - To be rebellious means to be totally hands-on. There are suppliers who are open to creative ideas, but it us up to you to communicate it or else it won't happen. Sadly, we also had suppliers who were game with our ideas but did not perform as well as expected during the day itself.

5. Thoughts from the Groom/Husband - Being rebellious meant being out of the norm and this is something usually frowned upon especially for an event steeped in tradition as a wedding. There were comments that were difficult to ignore; we had to hold on to our vision while patiently taking in those sometimes painful side comments. There have been many situations wherein we would ask each other “is what we are doing right?” In the end, probably the biggest challenge was probably trying to stay rebellious.

RB: Any shout-outs to the awesome people who helped you in your wedding?

Family

I am blessed to have a family who understood what we wanted to happen. In fact, I even shared with them your, website, Rebellious Brides. They had their initial reservations, but were quite game with what we wanted to happen. I come from an OFW family so most of our communication were done online.

Special shout-out to my siblings such as my baby girl-MOH, Janelle, who flew in from Germany in the middle of writing the final drafts of her thesis, so that she can help me out, and my brother, Jers, who was there during the gown fitting. My parents had problems with their flight schedule so what was supposed to be a mother-daughter moment became a brother-sister one.

Friends

We really could not have pulled this off without them, and there are a lot of people to thank. Since, Arnold and I were high school classmates, it also became a bit like a high school project of some sorts. We would like to thank our "band barkada" Cho, who whipped up an amazing save-the-date card, and monogram in a day and Best Man Louie (who has been Arnold’s best friend since high school), and his fiancee Magic for all their help. Our high school music teacher, who brought along his 20 piece choir (we had rock and bossa nova songs during our church wedding!) My friends, Jenny, Sylveth, Amie, Jovi, who helped put all the DIYNinang Tessie, and Lou.

Thoughts from the Groom/Husband

My bride said it all! But at least I get to thank the most awesome person in the entire wedding preparation: her. For thanks to my rebellious bride, we have the grooviest, most unforgettable day to remember for the rest our lives.

RB: Any tips on how to plan a wedding from afar and in such a short notice?

Rebellious Bride Jo-Anne says: If there's a will, there's a way. In truth, we would have wanted to have more time, but we had to work with what we have. Faith and trust in each other is also important and having a strong foundation is also key. Honestly, there were times, wherein Arnold and I both cried (because we weren't sure if we could pull it off), or at each others throats (whenever mishaps would arise), but a hug (even a virtual one when I was afar), and holding hands while arguing really helps.

Rebellious Groom Arnold says: Strong commitment plus constant and open communication. What they lack in proximity they should make up with honesty and trust in each other. Also, they should be fully aware that putting together a wedding is tough, and that doing it far apart will increase that challenge a hundred fold.

RB: And tips for people who are intimidated with DIY weddings and how tedious it seems?

Rebellious Bride Jo-Anne says: Yes, it's tedious, but as cheesy as it sounds, there was a lot of love in all the DIYs that were there. We were really surrounded by love the entire time, and the DIYs were a way of symbolizing it. 

Rebellious Groom Arnold says: I think nothing adds more personality and uniqueness to a wedding than your own hand in it. Remember that it is “your” special day. So claim it and make it your own. -- spoken like our true blue rebellious proteges. Sniff. 

Mica and I are soooo proud. Slow clap! Thank you Jo-Anne and Arnold for your wonderful story. And to this awesome couple's family & friends: THANK YOU FOR BEING SO SUPPORTIVE! It is very rare for us to hear or read of families who would immediately take in a rebellious wedding so you guys are just equally awesome! :)

Do you know of other rebellious couples? Email us at: rebellious.bride@gmail.com

XOXO,

Kai 

*Follow us on twitter! @RebelliousBride

1 comment