Creative Alternatives for Independent Brides

Skye and Cody celebrated their wedding in New Orleans with a 1920s-inspired feel and lots of peacock details. There were lots of lovely decor choices including cool branches, peacock bouquets, and hanging lights. Some zombie details (including the groom's cake and the bride's SHOES!), tearful speeches, and a bubbly exit rounded out an awesome soiree.

These two initially didn't know they were planning their wedding on Transgender Day of Remembrance, but they ended up embracing the overlap with a moment of silence and a hymn in honor of the day. They also stuck to their guns when they decided to keep this celebration very small. But there was one member of the wedding party who had to be there: their dog!

When Boston's Kristen Schueler became a photographer, she had one rule: no weddings. But something happened to her that would THANKFULLY change her mind (would you believe soup had to with it?). Keep reading to find out how on Earth two cans of soup made it possible for you to gawk at some of the gorgeous wedding porn AND get your own gorgeous wedding photos with a special offbeat discount.

If you're a bookish bride who loves reading, libraries, language, and literature then the rest of these literary wedding invitations that I found (some DIYd from Offbeat Brides past, some for sale right this second) should cause some of you to do some fluttering yourselves.

A groom from Hong Kong living in Brisbane and a Canadian dame living in Adelaide means an East-meet-West wedding on a few levels. Working with the color red, rockabilly style, a "Double Happiness" theme, and two continents, this double wedding (plus 40-day honeymoon!) was a world traveling wonder.

Remember when we got excited about the movie Bridesmaids? Well, the same people that brought you one of my favorite comedies is now bringing us another wedding-related comedy — The Five-Year Engagement. This is the perfect chance for us to talk about long engagements. Beyond the fear of waiting too long we've never really taken the chance to address this issue. AND we'll also give you the details on The Five-Year Engagement's "Save the Date Sweepstakes" for a $1000 gift card.

I've only attended a few wedding showcases so far (there are a few more on my calendar, if I get to them) but I feel like I've already learned a few valuable lessons — most notably that wedding showcases are like zoos.

Star Wars wedding porn abounded in the Offbeat Flickr Pool and even hit our Pinterest account. There were also some stellar invitations, a cute and casual flash mob wedding in the mud, some Mass Effect earrings, and a big ol' corn dog display! Take a look-see at all the reader submissions in this week's Monday Montage.