The offbeat bride: Claire, Operations Manager at a non-profit

Her offbeat partner: Bobby, Comedian, Puppeteer and Giant

Location & date of wedding: Tower Hill Botanic Garden in Boylston, MA. July 12, 2008

What made our wedding offbeat: Our wedding was subversively quirky. We both went back and forth about certain traditions and our families had some say in that. I was in a big pouffy white dress with a veil for the ceremony and the boys were in tuxes.

But! Our attitudes were not traditional, which made the whole day wonderful. I didn’t care about being a bridey-bride and just wanted everyone to have a blast. We chose to focus on the quirky funny details and on us starting a new partnership together.

To start, we had a 29 year old male flower girl. My wedding party walked down the aisle to Raider’s of the Lost Ark and we walked out to the Ghostbuster’s theme song.

My husband is a puppeteer and made each wedding party member a puppet to match them as our gifts to them. The wedding party entered the reception with their puppets, and our flower girl even slow danced with his at one point.
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So, remember months ago when I did that post on short haired brides? And I included that one bride with the most awesome spikey hair and the Exploding Dog tattoo? Well, her name is Lindsay and someone tipped her off to the fact that she was on offbeat bride, and now we all get to see much much more of her wedding.

Turns out that actually wasn’t a feather fascinator in her hair — it was a little floral headpiece. Oh and also? The infamous Martha pom-poms figured prominently at the wedding.

For way way waaaay more photos from Lindsay’s Roanoke, VA wedding, click the pic below!

Ariel,
I received my copy of Offbeat Bride in the mail yesterday and am already more than halfway through it. I just wanted to say.. THANK YOU.

My partner Georgia and I are far from traditional - we’re gay, which is probably the biggest (and most exciting) challenge in planning a wedding (yes, a real wedding - thank you Canada!!!). She’s the long-haired, broken-shit-fixin’, boy-clothes-wearin’, hairy-legged, likes to be spooned gender enigma, and I’m the equally puzzling short haired, boy’s-name-havin’, makeup-loving girly girl. Needless to say, we’re throwing most tradition right out the window.
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The NYTimes writes up a puppetry wedding where Oscar the grouch was part of the ceremony. (thanks, Stacey!)

Seriously, when you get married in an outdoor location like Idaho’s Snake River Canyon, who needs to worry about floral arrangements, chair covers, aisle runners, pom-poms or anything else?

To see more of Melissa’s wedding (including the bowling alley reception!), head on over to her page on the OBT.

Typically, “wedding porn” is just a figurative term … but I pretty much want to have sex with Meaghan’s ENTIRE WEDDING PARTY. The bridesmaids in their red dresses! The groomsmen in their vests and inked forearms! The groomsgirls in their adorable shirts! Only you Seattleites will get the neighborhood reference, but this may be the most perfectly Georgetown wedding I’ve ever seen.

Lots more hawtness over here.

Last week I introduced you to Dana Jay Bein, the wedding industry’s premier male flower girl. First seen at Bobby & Clare’s puppet wedding, Dana seemed to be such a hit with y’all, that I decided it was time for a gritty 1-on-1 interview with him.

Dana, was this the realization of a long-time dream?
I never thought I’d have flower girl on my resume … but to be honest I’d never ruled it out. That’s just the type of person I am. Anything is possible. I’m open to life’s opportunities!

Tell us about your journey to male flower girl.
Bobby (groom/giant) has been one of my best friends since college. We’re both comedians so laughter and fun is inherently part of whatever we do.

To be honest, until Claire, I never really imagined Bobby as a married man. So when he told me he was engaged, I knew instantly that this wedding would be different. Deep down, I knew Bobby would have a surprise or two in store for the wedding party.

When Bobby approached me about the wedding, I was open minded and definitely prepared for anything he might propose. I’m used to doing outlandish and ridiculous things on a day to day basis so it was likely that he would up the ante for a special occasion.

To be honest, I don’t even think he even asked me. I think he just said, “You’re our flower girl.”
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An entire photo set of Dana the flower girl, courtesy of Gwyneth Collen Photography.