Real Weddings: Midwest US

This is Offbeat Bride's archive of Real Weddings: Midwest US posts.

There are some people who think offbeat weddings don't happen in the fly-over states. These people are delusional. Behold a few of our favorite weddings from the midwest…

Most Recent Posts About Real Weddings: Midwest US

We've spied this wedding in our "wedding parties gone wild" Monday Montage! It's no wonder since their whole crew looked fab.

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Photos by Amanda Hess

The offbeat bride: Rachael, Doctoral Student in Clinical Psychology

Her offbeat partner: Chris, Barista

Date and location of wedding: Bar Divani, Grand Rapids, MI — November 5, 2011

Our offbeat wedding at a glance:
We both come from fairly traditional families, but we talked them through what was different about our wedding and how that really didn't change anything.

I decided to get a short, off-the-rack dress, and Chris didn't wear a tux, much to my family's dismay. The ladies of the wedding also wore dresses in different patterns. All the boys wore red Chucks and red ties (except the best man/officiant who wore a silver tie).

Our Bookish theme week brings us this Indiana wedding with a librarian's touch: cupcakes on children's classics, "Just Married" Scrabble tiles, and library card invites. But a highlight of the day was definitely when their dog, Puppers, stood as fourth bridesmaid. Fur babies FTW!

The bride may have worn an awesome dark blue dress that became the color inspiration for everything else, but the most fun to be had in this wedding was the photo booth, hidden gem venue, and the shoe game! They were a little worried about their first dance since they never practiced, but winging it looked like a hell of a good time.

A love of DIY and a love of comic book superheros was just the start of the planning for this party. Deciding on a live band was a compromise that paid off. Plus, they said their vows in the same church Amanda's grandmother attended and in which her great-great-grandparents were married. Aww!

With a love of narrative and a Quaker ceremony, this already isn't your typical shindig. Add in cool centerpieces, geeky speeches, and the bride's amazing headpiece, and it's turning into something really amazing. Don't forget to watch their awesome vintage-style save-the-date too!

When I saw this wedding come through, it was a jumble of amazing words all up in my grill: lesbians, pirates, bowling, my home state! And once I saw the photos, I was LOVING it. A pirate ship cake cut with a sword, a Jenga guest book, and major costume participation all in a bowling alley means only the most fun evar.

This wedding explodes with DIY details: a handmade dress and shrug, self-assembled bouquets and centerpieces, jewelry, hairpieces, flask garters, photo booth props, and barefoot sandals(!). The sandals were the perfect shoe solution for a beach ceremony. The handfasting, adorable "ring bear," and gorgeous setting round out a fabulous wedding day.

This pair met at summer camp and had the wedding at that same camp years later! So cute. Planning from a distance was a challenge, but with the help of their planner, the outdoor, twinkle lighted ceremony couldn't have been sweeter. And the sunny summer camp setting made for some amazing shots!