The Offbeat Bride: Katie, Woman of the World

Her Offbeat Partner: Victor (Victy, Victory, Boyfriend), USAF Officer

Location & date of wedding: Qualicrest Farm, Wooster, Ohio, USA, North America, Earth — May 25, 2008

What made our wedding offbeat: We tried to make our wedding guest focused and had a GREAT time! Plus, when planning we tried to buy local, buy green, stay organic/all natural, in the family, home made (the best cake ever!) and fun.

Continue reading "Katie & Victor's funny, simple, eco-friendly Ohio wedding" →

We celebrating Friday the 13th with a wedding that is both a Friday the 13th wedding AND our first Kansas wedding!

The Offbeat Bride: Kristen, Greenhouse Peon

Her Offbeat Partner: Derek, Greenhouse Peon also

Location & date of wedding: Courthouse / Park Building Reception, Kansas — Friday the 13th, February 2009

What made our wedding offbeat: We got married on a Friday the 13th to commemorate our first date, which was also on Friday the 13th. Luckily our families know we're a little off, so the black Chinese cheongsam dress and matching jacket (Ebay) and the skeleton cake topper didn't even cause them to bat an eyelash.

Continue reading "Kristen & Derek's Friday the 13th courthouse wedding" →

The offbeat bride: Amanda, Medical Assistant/hair stylist

Her offbeat partner: Patrick, Softwear Control Libriarian

Location & date of wedding: Swan Garden Lakeside, Las Vegas Nevada — October 13th 2009

What made our wedding offbeat: After dating for 6 years, I asked HIM to marry me. We decided to go down to fabulous Las Vegas and tie the knot with Elvis in the least cheesy way as possible. It actually has always been the wedding I have always wanted. And it worked out for the best since all my family is from either Arizona or California.

Continue reading "Amanda & Patrick's Elvis wedding in Las Vegas & Iowa reception" →

Another week for me to geek out on wedding shoes!

Last week, I heard from several readers who were like, "Yeah sure cute — but what about those of us who want to wear flats?" While I make a point to include flats in every batch of shoes I feature, as someone who can't walk in a heel over 2 inches, I got nothing but love for the ladies who want to rock the flats on their wedding day.

And so, without further ado, here's my collection of lovely low wedding flats that will make you feel 10 feet tall:

Continue reading "Wedding flats for brides who hate heels" →

The Offbeat Bride: Isa, Museum Mistress (and OBT member "Isa")

Her Offbeat Partner: Clinton, student and drummer extraordinaire

Location & date of wedding: Mount Majura bushland, ACT, Australia — April 11, 2009

What made our wedding offbeat: Clinton and I decided to get married over the phone while I was in Tonga working as a volunteer, and I planned the whole thing from overseas. Perhaps the thing that made our wedding most unusual was how EASY everything was! It all just fell into place, with minimal stress and effort.

Continue reading "Isa & Clinton's easy-peasy, eco-friendly bush wedding" →

The Offbeat Bride: Mandi, Marketing Manager

Her Offbeat Partner: Neil, Tabletop fantasy and futuristic battle-games retail assistant!

Location & date of wedding: Cooling Castle Barn, Kent, UK — 4 December 2008

What made our wedding offbeat: We had a few ideas about what we wanted; normal for us — not so normal for others it seems We had a few setbacks during our year of planning, so we stripped right back to only the things we really, really wanted. We encountered a bit of resistance from people along the way but on the day, we had what looked like a very traditional wedding from the outside but a little bit different once they were all tarpped in the room with us!!

Continue reading "Mandi & Neil's Castle, Cupcakes & Tequila Wedding" →

The offbeat bride: Emi, Barbershop Receptionist/Manager (and OBT member)

Her offbeat partner: Trevor, Call Center Supervisor

Location & date of wedding: Aunt Karla's Backyard Garden, Portland, OR — 07/18/2009

What made our wedding offbeat: We really didn't hire anyone for anything. We had a few rentals delivered (tables, chairs, our Honeybucket) from outside vendors, but we did all the food & drinks, cupcakes, table settings and flowers, decor, etc., ourselves (that is, with TONS of help from family and friends).

Continue reading "Emi & Trevor's Beer & Hot Dogs Garden Party Wedding" →

Hey, remember that bit 'o chartreuse wedding porn we teased you with a couple weeks ago? Good! Because Texas photographer Brandi Thompson was kind enough to share some more with us!…

Sarah and Celso got married at White Rock Lake in Dallas, Texas. And Sarah rocked one of the coolest damn dresses I've ever seen. Plus she pulled it together with streaks of that vibrant green in her sexy short hair. And I'm sorry but, sexy doesn't even come close to describing this bride. Just check out this steamy photo…

Continue reading "Behold the chartreuse Dallas wedding" →

Now when I say "green" I mean the color — I'll be focusing on vegan/veggie shoes next week. This week is all about BRIGHT! GREEN! WEDDING! SHOES! The kind that make your guests go, "Wait, did I just see a flash of green glitter under that white — naw. Couldn't be."

Again, my omg shoeth!! posts are a reflection of the fact that I like my fancy-time shoes LOUD (I wore mis-matched Camper twins at my wedding). That said, I tried to go for a range of styles here — everything from heels to all-stars to destination wedding beach wedges to sparkling Ziggy Startdust/Wonder Woman platform boots for your winter glam rock loft nuptials.

Anyway, to learn more about a particular shoe, just click zee photo below…

Continue reading "Imagine these green shoes peeking out from under your wedding gown" →

You might remember OBT member "AuberrySwirl's" wedding from this post highlighting the awesome bridesmaid's peacock inspired fashion. Now get all the beautiful peacock-y wedding goodness…

The Offbeat Bride: Aubrey, Grad Student — Higher Ed. Administration

Her Offbeat Partner: Tom, Chemical Engineer/Environmental Consultant

Location & date of wedding: St. Thomas Lutheran Church and Niswonger Performing Arts Center, Van Wert, OH — 21 Feb 2009

What made our wedding offbeat: I think our attempt to bring back our old ancestral traditions, ironically, is what gave our wedding the most offbeat look and feel to our family and friends. In their own words, they had never seen anyone do a Fir Bough Walk for luck, or Nuremberg Two-sided Bridal Toast; they never would have thought to decorate the reception like the Rhine River Valley Wine Region or play Hide-and-Seek with German gnomes. But we thought it was the thing to do since both of our families predominately hail from Deutschland, and we had already decided to honeymoon there.

Continue reading "Aubrey & Tom's Jazzy, German Custom-Filled, Peacock-themed Wedding" →

The Offbeat Bride: Jeannette, belly dancer, violinist, and daytime accountant

Her Offbeat Partner: Cliff, software engineer

Location and date of wedding: Ceremony: Arizona State, Reception: Jeannette's parents' back yard — September 13, 2008

What made our wedding offbeat: We always knew we wanted a very small wedding. We decided to skip a bunch of the usual built-in drama and leave out bridesmaids, groomsmen, ringbearers, piles of doves, etc.

Continue reading "Jeannette & Cliff's small, anti-conventional wedding with a surprise reception" →

Arizona based Angelina Rose Photography is a total win for offbeat brides…

First, her images are stunning. With her mix of documentary, artistic, and lifestyle photography Angelina Rose Photography has pretty much got your wedding covered on all angles. And she's got a great eye for capturing those unplanned and silly wedding moments. You know… moments like these and these and whatever's happening here. 

Second, she's willing to travel. Angelina is an East Coast girl living on the West Coast, so she's equally comfortable shooting a Connecticut wedding as she is shooting in Arizona.

"I feel that Green weddings are a movement rather than a trend." -Angelina Rose Photography

And third, she's totally eco-conscious! She offers an eco-friendly wedding photography package and, no matter what package you choose, she "gives back" by donating a percentage of your initial deposit towards one of two non-profit organizations.

What more could you ask for in a photographer? How about a special offer to offbeat brides? Well, she's got that covered too! Check it out…

Continue reading "Eco-Friendly Arizona Wedding Photographer, Angelina Rose Photography" →

The Offbeat Bride: Julie, Account Executive

Her Offbeat Partner: Stephanie, Senior Boarding Manager at a Doggy Daycare

Location & date of wedding: San Francisco Zoo – San Francisco, CA — May 30, 2009

What made our wedding offbeat: I guess the obvious answer here would be along the lines of two brides, zero white dresses, etc. — probably not so "offbeat" anymore, and certainly not in the Bay Area.

Outside of our pre-election, City Hall “quickie,” this was the first gay or lesbian wedding that either of us had been to, so we really felt like we had an opportunity here to make this our own versus the cookie-cutter wedding that too many people have. We took a lot that was traditional, and threw in a lot that wasn’t –- in the end, it all worked big time.

Continue reading "Julie & Stephanie's San Francisco Zoo Wedding" →

The Offbeat Bride: Ande, Manager of Education Programs American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame (and OBT member "aNdE pArLoW")

The Offbeat Groom: Parlow, Musician-Part Time Server

Location & date of wedding: American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame in Amarillo, TX — March 28, 2009

What made our wedding offbeat: First off, it snowed over a foot and a half the day before my wedding and we had to change the venue because of the weather. Snow in the Texas Panhandle in late March! It was crazy.

Continue reading "Ande & Parlow's lime green DIY wedding" →

The Offbeat Bride: Tina, Anesthesiologist

Her Offbeat Partner: Alex, Editorial Photographer

Location & date of wedding: Tampa Garden Club, Tampa Florida — 11-01-08

What made our wedding offbeat: Our theme was "T&A Productions' Celebration of Love, Friendship and Family." We wanted the party to be a big "thank you" celebration for our friends and family.

The colors of the wedding were based on limited edition Manolo Blahniks I bought years before and never planned on wearing. The dress was designed by me and made by a local seamstress. All of the fabric was found online. The silk tartan sash was a "surprise" element for Alex.

Continue reading "Tina & Alex in T&A Productions' Celebration of Love, Friendship and Family" →

The Offbeat Bride: Jami, coffeehouse owner

Her Offbeat Partner: Jamie, behavioral assistant

Location & date of wedding: The groom's parents' farm in McMinnville, OR — July 18th, 2009

What made our wedding offbeat: This wedding came in under $2000. I kept it cheap by collecting things that I needed over the span of a year. It was beautiful, inexpensive, and so much fun!

Continue reading "Jami & Jamie's backyard game night wedding" →

The Offbeat Bride: Emily, bodyworker (and OBT member "Emily L")

Her Offbeat Partner: Mark, Case Manager

Location & date of wedding: Yerba Santa Goat Dairy, Lakeport, CA — 5/16/09

What made our wedding offbeat: We wanted everything to be as 'green' as possible. We bought and then donated all our plates, silverware and glasses. We sat on hay-bales which were later fed to the goats. We made as much by ourselves and with friends as possible and kept the food and drinks very local — we served veggies all grown within 100 miles of our home, buffalo raised 20 miles from the farm, a goat and goat cheese raised on the farm. We served Sonoma and Napa County wines, home-brewed beer by a dear friend of ours, and olives picked from Mark's mom's front yard and brined by us.

Continue reading "Emily & Mark's homemade Goat Farm, Native American, Albanian Orthodox, Love Fest" →

The Offbeat Bride: Regina, Pre-Press Technician (and OBT member "Parallax")

Her Offbeat Partner: Alyx, Psychology Student

Location & date of wedding: Beardslee Castle, Little Falls, NY — October 11, 2008

What made our wedding offbeat: Once we finally started to plan our wedding, the biggest question we asked ourselves was "What is our wedding about?"

My husbands main concern was making a binding commitment to one another (his big input: "So we're gonna need a priest…"). I was concerned with making a commitment to one another in front of our friends, family, and our gods and ancestors, followed by a fun party!

Continue reading "Regina & Alyx's Gamer-Geek Druidic-Style Wedding" →

OBT member "iLiveinmyLab" posted this great step-by-step on one of her wedding planning updates.

This is for those brides who want to know how to make one of the kick ass floral head wreaths that they sell at the Renaissance fairs without paying lots of money. I used to make these all the time but this shall be my first in about ten years. They can be customized in many different ways to be made in a larger style or a smaller style. They'd be great for flower girls (and if your flower girl has a favorite doll that wants to walk down the aisle too, you can make it using small rosebuds instead). For this one I'm going to start off with an easier variation of the floral head wreath.

Here is the list of supplies you need:

Continue reading "How to Make a Kick-Ass Floral Head Wreath, by iLiveinmyLab" →

You've seen this wedding before when Ariel raved about the "best woman's" amazing outfit. Now get the entire scoop on my friend Alex's beautiful offbeat redwood forest wedding that I was lucky to attend.

The Offbeat Bride: Alex- Community Manager

Her Offbeat Partner: Mark- Restaurant Manager

Location & date of wedding: Nestldown, Los Gatos CA (aka Paradise) — June 25, 2009

What made our wedding offbeat: Mark and I wanted to make this wedding as much about our personality and love as possible. We had a close friend become ordained in order to marry us. She did an unforgettable job!

Continue reading "Alex & Mark's Mexi-Kitchy-Chic-Forest-Wonderland Wedding" →