About

Why hello there, and welcome to offbeatbride.com!

This website launched on January 1st, 2007 to support the release of Seattle author Ariel Meadow Stallings' book, Offbeat Bride: Creative Alternatives for Independent Brides.

What initially began as a book promotional project slowly grew into a completely different beast — a blog updated daily with tons of "wedding porn" (photos from real people's really offbeat weddings), advice, and inspiration for couples who are working their asses off to create authentic weddings full of intention and personality. It's now our pleasure to serve up inspiration for over 480,000 readers every month.

If Offbeat Bride's ethos had to be boiled down, it would be this:

• We aim to provide positive encouragement to couples who are trying to retain their identities through the drama and pressure of wedding planning.
• We believe that no two weddings need to look the same, because no two couples are alike.
• We believe that your wedding isn't a contest — there's nothing to prove except for that you love your partner.
• We love really awesome photography.
• We want to prove that online wedding planning communities don't have to be snarky, bitchy places where women decree each other tacky.
• We support couples all along the nontraditional spectrum — from beautiful hardcore freaks & geeks all the way to what we affectionately call "Offbeat Lite." Your wedding should be a reflection of YOU, not other people's expectations or tastes — that includes us!

Offbeat Bride is an advertiser-supported site — although we're quite picky about who we chose to feature as sponsors and tend towards indie businesses that specifically cater to nontraditional needs. We make a point to ensure that all of our sponsored content is clearly marked as such, both on the site and on our RSS feeds. We believe that, like weddings, advertising can be done with intent and respect — it doesn't have to be about flashing banners and PUNCH THE MONKEY!!! any more than a wedding has to be about flouncy chair covers and $50,000 floral budgets.

If you'd like to know more about Offbeat Bride (the book, the website, and the online community), we encourage you to check out our Frequently Asked Questions, which include kickers like "Why do you call it wedding porn?" "What about offbeat grooms?" and "How can I submit my wedding to be featured?"