One newlywed couple said “yes” to rejecting almost all wedding traditions when they tied the knot.

Alisha and Arthur Mandisodza, who reside in New Zealand, tied the knot on Oct. 18 at the Duke of Marlborough, the oldest hotel in the town of Russell, a place that has ties to the bride’s family and the couple’s love story (it’s where Arthur proposed, as well as where the two got matching tattoos).

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Months later, Alisha, 23, decided to post aTikTok videodetailing all the special touches on her wedding day — including all the so-called “unconventional” rituals, dress codes and that she and Arthur, 26, decided on for their nuptials.

In an interview with PEOPLE, Alisha says she’s always envisioned herself planning an “unconventional wedding” — but truthfully, she adds, “I never thought about getting married at all!”

“I never pored over Pinterest boards of wedding inspiration or spent time wondering what my wedding would look like as a little girl,” Alisha says, adding that she knew her ceremony would be splashed in color and “a lot of fun.”

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Then, she met Arthur while playing in a local soccer social league in Auckland, New Zealand. The two became “inseparable” when they started dating and, fortunately for Alisha, Arthur, too, is someone “who does things his own way.”

You can say the rule-breaking began before the pair even exchanged their vows.

Rather than a traditional diamond ring, Arthur had selected a custom sparkler designed by a South African jeweler (the location nodding to his birthplace of Zimbabwe) and boasting a tourmaline gemstone surrounded by two diamonds. “I like all my jewelry to be colorful, just like the rest of my wardrobe. And green is my favorite color, so I knew I wanted a green stone,” explains Alisha, who adds that her wedding band was crafted from her mother’s old gold bangles.

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The surprising yet intentional details continued into the lead-up to Alisha and Arthur’s fall ceremony. The night before the wedding, they hosted a “very chill rehearsal barbecue” with a shocking dress code: “comfy” (read: T-shirts, sweatshirts and jeans).

“If you know Kiwis, you know that one day of dressing up is usually too much. Arthur and I also just wanted to be able to be comfy the night before. We had 100 things to think about and figuring out an outfit would’ve been one thing that we didn’t need. It was about getting our families and friends together to really make the most of our time together than about looking nice for a photo op,” explains Alisha.

She and Arthur continued to give their wedding party further liberty in their ceremony outfits by letting them choose looks (Alisha assigned colors to her bridal party).

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“I ended up getting to shop with all six of (the people appointed in her bridal party) individually and see them try on a bunch of options, which was very fun. I felt like I was playing dress to impress in real life.”

Alisha adds that Arthur held the same belief that his friends should have “creative freedom” with their outfits. One of his groomsmen even got to rewear his red wedding suit.

Arthur’s forest green three-piece suit was made by New Zealand company Crane Brothers and accented with an old thrifted brooch.

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“It felt (appropriate) to have an aspect of our everyday wardrobe in his look as we’re big advocates for wearing what you already own,” says Alisha, who also did her own hair and makeup, which meant waking up later and chilling the morning of her wedding day.

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Surprisingly, Alisha didn’t do anything out of the ordinary with her wedding dress. “I was so, so, so close to not wearing white,” admits Alisha. “I had this idea to find a green gown that I could turn into my wedding dress, but decided in the end that I’d keep a bit of tradition by wearing white.”

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Still, she couldn’t help but make a few tweaks, including completely cutting off the gown’s train and using the excess fabric to make pocket squares for Arthur and his groomsmen.

There was also one dress code for guests. “We asked all our guests to go bold on the colors and accessories,” Alisha revealed on her TikTok.

Luckily, the pair didn’t receive any backlash for their free-flowing arrangements since they surround themselves with “very open-minded individuals.” She encourages other newly engaged couples to “always remember that the day is for you, not for anyone else. Make it the wedding that if you were a guest at, you would leave thinking ‘that was the best wedding ever.’ “