I've told my bridesmaids that they can wear any black dress of their choosing. Since I'm not requiring them to buy an actual bridesmaid's dress (ick), should I offer to pay a sort of stipend for a new dress that they will probably buy for the wedding anyway? Or are they on their own if they choose to buy a new dress? — Sarah, aka Lady Vengeance of the Garden State Rollergirls

Sarah first off: yay for letting your bridesmaids pick their own dresses. Second off, yay for making it something easy and pragmatic like a black dress, something most of us already own and have plenty of opportunities to wear. Third off: yay for being considerate of your ladies' financial concerns. Three yays for you, bad ass!

Continue reading "Who pays for bridesmaids' dresses?" →

The offbeat bride: Annalise, Makeup Artist

Her offbeat partner: Adam, Carpenter

Location & date of wedding: Minneapolis, MN, November 3, 2007

What made our wedding offbeat: People loved to remark that our wedding was "our big, fat, vintage, native-american, Dia de los Muertos wedding."

We got married in a Native American church, using the traditions such as smudging, a water ceremony, and a quilt ceremony with our elders, and my husband spent some time in the teepee with our elders before the ceremony.

We also managed to fit it in with our favorite holiday, Dia de los Muertos, and my love of all things vintage into it.

Continue reading "Annalise's big, fat, vintage, native-american, Dia de los Muertos wedding" →

Offbeat discount:
Mention you saw JKraftArt.com on Offbeat Bride and get a 10% discount!

While many ketubah* designs can be heavy on the outdated floral elements, JKraftArt.com offers colorful works of art based on nature, architecture and spiritual symbols. JKraftArt.com features ketubot with original designs custom-tailored to your taste, using your images, photos, favorite artists and styles. Check out the gallery.

I especially appreciate that the artist, Jessica Kraft, notes that prices are negotiable depending on the couple's budget. She also does ketubah designs for same-sex couples, which I only recently realized is sorta rare.

*Quick cultural lesson for the gentiles in the house: a ketubah is a Jewish marriage contract.

I'm seeing a lot more little cocktail top hats on brides — adorable! You can buy them on Etsy, but you can also decorate your own. Here's a how-to, courtesy of Lily from the Offbeat Bride Tribe!

1. Hit up a craft store and checking out their stuffed animal section for top hats.
You should be able to find something like this (scroll down).

Continue reading "How to make your own teeny top hat" →