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Announcements and site news from the publisher and editors of Offbeat Wed.

"Why do you feature non-black couples with dreadlocks?" The answer is complex...

“Why do you feature non-black couples with dreadlocks?” The answer is complex…

“I’m honestly a little surprised to see you feature non-black people sporting dreadlocks for their wedding day. I won’t go into why this is racist, but let there be no question that it’s racist no matter the intent. I just wanted to express how jarring it was to see on such a progressive site.” Here’s our take on dreadlocks and cultural appropriation…

haters gonna hate cross stitch on offbeat bride alternative wedding ideas from Offbeat Wed (formerly Offbeat Bride)

“Just admit you are ‘woman-babies’ who can’t get enough of this childish shit”

Remember how in January, I was all “Meh, offbeat weddings are pretty well accepted as mainstream at this point”? Remember that?

Well, this year has had some tricks up its sleeve for sure, and one of those tricks is that for a whole bunch of reasons, American culture is taking a hard swing right now. The blasé tolerant attitude of “eh, who even cares — you do you” that’s been around the past eight years or so is shifting, and with that shift is coming an interesting wave of hatefulness toward the offbeat…

Ariel Meadow Stallings Red Dress in Atlanta 3 alternative wedding ideas from Offbeat Wed (formerly Offbeat Bride)

Offbeat Bride, Divorced

Oh hi there, it’s me. Ariel. You know, the publisher of offbeatwed.com. The author with three names who wrote that book, Offbeat Bride: Creative Alternatives for Independent Brides, a decade ago? The founder of a publishing business built on the back of her 2004 wedding?

Yeah, that’s me. And as of this week, I’m divorced.

what happens when a wedding blogger gets engaged alternative wedding ideas from Offbeat Wed (formerly Offbeat Bride)

What happens when a wedding blogger gets engaged?

Big fucking news, y’all: I’m fucking engaged! So what happens when a wedding blogger gets engaged? Let’s find out together with Wedding Planning Wednesdays. We thought, however, that y’all might like to get down on the wedding planning with me! So every(-ish) Wednesday I’ll be posting about what I’m thinking about, bumping up against, and searching for this week. That way, those of you on the same path can commiserate and brainstorm with me, and those of you who have been there/done that can drop some knowledge.

IMG 20160110 162251 alternative wedding ideas from Offbeat Wed (formerly Offbeat Bride)

TSA hates sequins: lessons learned at NY & Philadelphia Lovesick Expos

This weekend was the kickoff of the 2016 season of our Lovesick Expo, and it started with a bang (and a gag!) in New York on Saturday, and then Philadelphia on Sunday. I flew out for both shows, and over the course of the two days, met almost 800 people including some faaaabulous Offbeat Bride readers. I also learned a few things that I want to share… like why TSA hates sequins.

How Offbeat Bride helped me be more authentic alternative wedding ideas from Offbeat Wed (formerly Offbeat Bride)

Thinking Bride: How Offbeat Bride helped me be more authentic

I actually found Offbeat Bride through a site (that shall remain nameless but not blameless) where the writer was mocking it. The tone of the mockery was, “Look at these weirdos who think they’re so special and different!” But here’s the thing: I WANTED my wedding to be special and different. Now, over a year later and as my wedding date quickly approaches, I shall literally count the ways in which Offbeat Bride has helped me. If it weren’t for Offbeat Bride, my wedding would have been a lot more…