Category Archive

Real Weddings: Midwest US

There are some people who think offbeat weddings don’t happen in the fly-over states. These people will be surprised. Behold a few of our favorite weddings from the Midwest including Chicago weddings, Iowa weddings, Ohio weddings, Michigan weddings, and more. Submit your wedding for consideration via offbeatwed.com/submissions.

casual and rustic outdoor wedding Dutcher Photography16 alternative wedding ideas from Offbeat Wed (formerly Offbeat Bride)

The pizza picnic wedding of our dreams

Next time you walk through your neighborhood park, take a look around… could you imagine saying “I do” to your beloved there? That’s exactly what Olivia and Jim did as they prepared for their big day, and they pulled it off big time — complete with a pizza picnic!

colorful DIY outdoor wedding Dutcher Photography18 alternative wedding ideas from Offbeat Wed (formerly Offbeat Bride)

This colorful DIY outdoor wedding had a kintsugi unity ceremony

We absolutely love the way Sara and Jared broke the mold with their wedding details – from their colorful outfits to the DIY elements. But they didn’t just break tradition at their wedding… just wait until you see how they started off their marriage with a CRASH (in the best way).

pink wedding dress Dutcher Photography2 e1705683783129 alternative wedding ideas from Offbeat Wed (formerly Offbeat Bride)

A pink wedding dress and men’s updos gave this wedding reception some stand-out style

Chloe and Moose know that it’s never too late to celebrate love. They legally tied the knot in 2021 but decided to hold a reception in late 2022 to celebrate their marriage with friends and family. Before the reception, they had gorgeous photos taken (captured by Dutcher Photography) surrounded by wildflowers in a spot already special to them – the same place they took their “Yay, we’re married!” photos earlier that year. We can’t decide what we love more about this wedding… the pink wedding dress or the men’s updos (yes, you read that right).

modern queer wedding Dutcher Photography36 alternative wedding ideas from Offbeat Wed (formerly Offbeat Bride)

The table names and cake at this elegant queer wedding took center stage

Black and white is anything but boring at this modern queer wedding! Luckily for us, Dutcher Photography really captured Matt and Drew’s knack for making black and white pop. And while we’re sure the day took lots of planning, they make it look easy and effortless – just like their joy to be celebrating their love together with their family and friends!

green wedding dress camping wedding Broken Glass Photography21 e1697163240461 alternative wedding ideas from Offbeat Wed (formerly Offbeat Bride)

This bride wore a green wedding dress to her vow renewal after a disastrous camping wedding

We had what ended up being a disaster of a camping wedding. So we resolved to do it again someday. That day was our 10 year anniversary. For round two of the camping wedding, we rented out a campsite and I wore a green wedding dress to fit our fey (fairy) theme.

Kiowa Irish punk handfasting wedding 33 alternative wedding ideas from Offbeat Wed (formerly Offbeat Bride)

The vows from this Native American / Irish handfasting wedding will make you cry

We wanted to celebrate both of our families — Irish/Scottish on my side, Kiowa on his — so our ceremony was a handfasting wedding, held on Mark’s family’s allotment land. One of the things that tie both our families and cultures together is a love of horses, so including “wedding horses” felt perfect to us.