Posts by Ariel Meadow Stallings

This is Offbeat Bride's archive of posts written by Ariel Meadow Stallings.

Author of Offbeat Bride: Creative Alternatives for Independent Brides, Ariel acts as the publisher of all the Offbeat Empire websites. She lives, loves, and dorks out hard in Seattle, WA.

Most Recent Posts by Ariel Meadow Stallings

Today it's all about the polka dots and the heels. Polka dots always feel a little bit retro, but done the right way, they can feel classy and sophisticated, too. Peeking out from underneath an otherwise more conservative wedding outfit, they can be the perfect exclamation point at the bottom of your gown. I'm tossing in a few larger dots, and one pair of dots AND stripes shoes, but for the most part these heels are all polka-dotty all the time.

"I'm curious to know what the most memorable parts of a wedding are to guests? What have they been in your own personal experiences?"

Obviously every guest's notice-worthy things will be different, but I'll speak for myself based on two things: my opinions as a wedding guest, and my opinions as a wedding blogger….

Remember how a few years ago I dressed up as all my favorite Offbeat Bride trends all at once? This year, I went for something a little different, dressing up in twisted historical couture and photobombing a fashion shoot of my favorite Russian goth model, Pushba.

Every once and a while I like to drill down into one designer's offerings in these shoe posts — I mean sure, lots of times I cluster by color (yellow! red!), style (boots!), or special need (larger sizes! wide!) but today it's all about one designer: Chinese Laundry.

A month ago, I wasn't sure this party was going to happen, but thanks to Kelli from Shindig Events They ♥ OBB; we ♥ them , the Offbeat Empire party was not only saved — it was ROCKED THE FUCK OUT.

Please oh please, come with me as I relive the evening via the amazing photos captured by Jonas Seaman They ♥ OBB; we ♥ them . You're definitely going to want to see what happened to my editors' hairs — and which Seattle wedding photographer ended up on the floor singing "Fame."

So! This weekend was the Offbeat Empire panel at Geek Girl Con. Wondering what we talked about? Wondering who's BFFs with a Stormtrooper? Wondering who had an epic life-lesson metaphor about bunny hats? Curious about who lists "going open source" as the smartest geeky decision they ever made?! CLICKY!

After months of preparation, this is the weekend I have been waiting for! A solid chunk of my Offbeat Empire staffers are flying in from all over the country today (Superman, Caroline, Little Red Lupine, Tribe mods and K-Redd: you'll be missed!) so that we can all dork out hard at Geek Girl Con this weekend.

Then there's that whole little thing with the Offbeat Empire reception that's happening tonight at Urban Light Studios. YOU GUYS. I don't even know what to say about it! Other than book readings (which don't quite count) this is the first Event with a capitol E that I've ever done, and thanks to Kelli from Shindig Events, it's been a freaking blast.