10 reasons you need to read Offbeat Bride the book, and not just offbeatbride.com

I've been job hunting for months, in the metro area with the highest unemployment rate in the US. My savings are gone. I'm at the point where I have to choose between healthcare and rent. My personal splurge item is last week I bought a $0.50 bottle of fake lime juice.

Times are tough. My fiance and I can't afford a marriage license, let alone a wedding in the traditional sense. That's how I found this site – I know that our wedding will have to be very different from what the wedding industry leads us to expect, and I wanted to see how other people did that. But yeah, I can't afford the book right now. I hope you understand.

It was actually a pain in the butt for me to get a copy! Apparently it is no where to be found in the UK (and i'm assuming this is a publisher thing…). So i had to order it from amazon, send it to my mom in the states and then have her send it to me (so the shipping wasn't as ridiculous). Now I think of other OBB's that are across the pond that don't have a nice Mom willing to ship for them.

But I adore the book, read it in 2 days, and felt a thousand times better about the decisions we were making for OUR day.

I did find the site tho. I think I googled alternative weddings or something and as soon as I found it I knew I'd found my wedding planning home. So thank you for setting it up x

I walked into the bookstore a while back and just picked this book up. Like many of you who've already posted, I'm not engaged yet, but like Brittany posted, my guy is pretty used to me going wedding planning nuts!

If you do need a reason to buy it, get it so you can pass it on to friends. Works for me.

I just have to say that all the pre-engagement lurkers (and I'll admit, that includes me) crack me up. As much as it pains me to admit it, apparently occasional wedding-lust really is a "woman thing", even if your dream wedding leans more toward Wai Ching and Chucks instead of Monique Lhullier and Louboutins

@KS: Allow me to offer a counterexample! My boyfriend keeps telling people we're engaged even though we're not planning to get married for three or four years, and recently he asked, "Are our colors still army green and lavender?" Then again, he likes trying on my perfume, so his gender identity may be called into question.

I am another one of the countless 'ladies-in-waiting' … as I am not yet engaged, but can't help all th wedding porn, ideas, support, and information the blog gives. As soon as the ring comes – so will the book purchase!

Plus – I can read blogs at work… but I couldn't be caught reading a book in my cube!

@Ashley Gent: how weird – I just checked out amazon.co.uk, because right now they are often cheaper with the pound being so weak to the euro, and they had it on there…

I was actually convinced by this blog post, because I couldn't really imagine what the book is really about – I feel I don't need anyone to tell me how to plan a wedding, but if it's a lot of story telling, I'm ordering it right now!

And I have another reason for ordering it:

funny shots of you reading the book on your wedding day increase your chances to get featured in the blog!

the book was recommended by a friend. I went to 3 bookstores, and finally found one copy, bought it, read it in almost one sitting. It was pretty good. Gave me some good ideas. Quite annectotal. I think it would have been awesome if there had been some more stories about other offbeat weddings too. I guess I just liked it so much I wanted more…which is, I guess, what the site is for…hehehe

If there is a sequel…of someone else's wedding since we all know Ariel and Andreas are 4ever…I would include that offbeat checklist you had on the blog a few months back. It rocked!

I've been so vocal for so long about not believing in marriage that a copy of your book laying around in the house will cause quite a stir. I'm working out how to surprise-propose to him myself while enjoying the beautiful pictures of others' weddings. It's done wonders for my absolute Wedding Fear, just seeing people who survived and had a great time.

I'll buy the book as soon as we're official!

Considering all other bridal magazines/books make me want to barf, I will definitely be hoping for this under the Christmas tree this year

I bought it out of respect for ariels work… your a gem xx

I normally get my books from the library, but I had to purchase this book as soon as I saw it at the bookstore. It was right after I got engaged and was freaking out about all the pressure that came along with engagement. "Have you set the date yet?? Look at this big poofy white dress, isn't it beautiful??"

It was a great read and made me feel better that I was not the only woman who has not dreamed about getting married her whole life. The book gave me confidence that I can have a wedding without a white dress, matching bridesmaids dresses, or tossing a bouquet. The website is great too, but reading the book is a must for all offbeat brides or soon-to-be offbeat brides.

The book is definitely a must-read! It is helpful, funny and eye-opening.

I'm one of those who didn't read the book – I'm a passive reader (never commented up to now) at the blog and the forum (never posted, but had to sign in to read, obviously). The reason why I'm passive is the same reason why I haven't bought the book. I'm one of those girls who said "I'll never marry" (a scepticism I inherited from my mother who married twice, but for the alien's police (don't understand me wrong, the relationship was real)) since I was 12 and now I ended up (ended up sounds fatalistic, actually I'm really young and very happy about it) with a guy who's perfect and I intend to spend my life with him. Now he'd love to marry me (rather sooner than later) and I started to google for reasons for and against marriage and to find out, if wedding/marriage and me can actually work out. And some day someone posted a link in a fashion community to a blog post and I started to read and have come back regularly since then. I'm still not sure if the concept of marrying and me are compatible, but at least I know now that there's a way to make wedding and me compatible

Thanks for the great reminder of how important it is to support the artists we believe in. I know times are financially tough for some of us, but that's exactly WHEN we need to make sure we continue to support the arts and demonstrate their critical value in our personal lives and communities. When all of this economic crisis finally hits rock bottom and businesses are closing down around us, I have to be able to look at myself in the mirror and say that I played even a very minor part in trying to help an artist I believe in to survive. I feel like such a fool for not ordering it sooner – now I'm just waiting for the postman to bring me joy.

I went to Borders to buy it and they didn't carry it! I was so close to the end of my wedding that I just skipped it. But I will buy a copy for future Off-Beat Brides so they don't miss out!

Just ordered my copy on Amazon now! I thought "support the woman who supports you" was the best reason! Being in NZ and getting the cheapo shipping rate I can expect it sometime in Feb hahaha. But still – exciting!!!

Like many others who stalk this blog, I'm nowhere near getting engaged – I just enjoy the voyeuristic pleasure of watching others get married. But the Offbeat Bride book is definitely at the top of my list if/when my boyfriend proposes!

I just stumbled upon this website today, and seeing all the great pictures and advice, I'm definitely going to order the book. I'm so tired of looking through conventional wedding books. Thank you for writing the book and making this site.