Offbeat Bride isn’t usually an especially political site, but when it comes to California’s Proposition 8, I think it’s worth talking about it … even though I live in Seattle, which is definitely NOT in California.

Prop 8 seeks to eliminate the right of same-sex couples to marry, and it fucking pisses me off.

For me, marriage equality is about family values. As any of you who’ve read my book know, Andreas and I both come from gay families. His mom (my “outlaw mother”) has been with her partner since Andreas was 12. My mother and her partner had a non-legal wedding in 2006. My aunt and her partner of 17 years just got legally married (for the second time!) in California last month.

My family’s values are very clear: love is love. Commitment is commitment. It’s been inspiring and beautiful to watch marriage equality’s spread across the United States. It may be an extremely slow progress, but it’s happening. Or rather, trying to happen. Gay marriage became legal in California six months ago … but now some folks want to take the legality away.

The official Offbeat Bride position on this issue is mostly incoherent shouting of expletives and rude gestures,, but if I can pull myself together for a second, I will say this: Californians, please vote no on Proposition 8. Non-Californians, I hope you’ll follow my lead and take action against Prop. 8. Out of staters (like me! and you! and YOU!) can donate to support No On Prop 8. Your donation helps get ads like this on television:

Tinywater Photography recently posted about Jocelyn & George’s Piedmont, California wedding … and it features a few of my favorite offbeat labels … a dress by Wai-Ching, and boots by Fluevog. In fact, I have these same boots in black, and those bitches are HAWT, and even more important for me: super comfortable.

(Budget note: I was able to find the boots for almost half-off a while back on Amazon … but it doesn’t look like they’re available any more.)

But Jocelyn & George’s wedding was about more than just fashion. The bride and groom are both avid birdwatchers, so the whole event was bird-themed including this shot of the bride and groom with their bird-watching binoculars. So cute!

To see more beautiful shots from Jocelyn & George’s beautiful bird wedding, head on over to the Tinywater Blog.

The offbeat bride: Rachael, DJ/Producer
Her offbeat partner: Josh, IT Guy/Producer

Location & date of wedding: Forest (ceremony) and a haunted 1920’s Log Mansion called Gold Mountain Manor (reception) - Big Bear, CA on September 26th, 2008

What made our wedding offbeat: I knew I wanted my wedding to be a little… dark. I didn’t want a full on black and red gothic wedding. I wanted it to look like you were attending a wedding in Victorian times, but not happy bubblegum Main Street at Disneyland Victorian. A little darker, like a haunted mansion!

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Some of you may remember me griping about how wedding photographers love to shoot women sitting at their partners’ feet. Even my beloved Leah Muse has used the “groveling bride/headless groom” pose!

So it’s nice to see that Jessica Lewis Photo is flipping the script a bit with her shot of Brandon and Karen here. Bonus: look at how Brandon’s hair matches Karen’s bouquet!

Brandon is definitely a super stylish rock ‘n’ roll groom. How much do you love his ruffled tux shirt western string tie? Really, you must go check out all the photos, because the bride is gorgeous and the whole wedding party is smokin’ hot.

(PS: thanks to Serena for pointing this wedding out to me, and Jessica Lewis for taking the shots.)

The offbeat bride: Chelsie, Wildlife Biologist

Her offbeat partner: Francesco, Aerospace Engineer

Location & date of wedding: Dancing Horse Ranch in Paso Robles, Ca.
08 August 2008

What made our wedding offbeat: Our wedding theme was Steampunk (with a subtheme of Make New Friends!), our friend Kat officiated our wedding and we wrote our own ceremony. Also all of our “vendors” were friends! My make-up artist, the photographers, the DJ, the caterers — we all knew them and it seemed like there were no strangers at our wedding. It was wonderful to see everyone bringing their skills together to help out and contribute. Our wedding was much more about having fun than having rituals. I think that everyone there had a great time!

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Remember the wedding with cue cards? Here’s the full story!

The offbeat bride: Yolkai, Mama, crafter, delicious food maker

Her offbeat groom: Anthony/Ackshawn, Teacher, K-8 Behavior Specialist

Location & date of wedding: Isis Oasis Sanctuary, a retreat center with an Egyptian theme in Geyserville, CA.

What made our wedding offbeat:We did it our way! After six years and a baby together we wanted the public declaration, the fancy outfits, and the big fun party! We chucked most of the mainstream wedding crap and held on to a few sweet traditions. Pretty much everything, from the invitations to the interpretive dance, was an expression of our style, our silliness, and our values.

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Bride in a top hat, how do I love thee? Could it be the rakish angle? Could it be the twist on top hats typically being the dominion of a tuxedoed groom? Could it be that the black choker makes the little sparkly black hat look a little vaudevillian? Whatever it is, bride in a top hat, I love thee. And, HELLO there, groom in leather pants. Don’t think I didn’t notice you!

You can read more about Katie & Mick’s Sacramento wedding by heading over to Sarah Maren Photography, and if you want non-stop wedding porn from the wedding, check the Katie & Mick slideshow. (Thanks for the tip, Tony!)

Who says you need to stick with combos like white/lilac or chocolate/pink or ivory/mint? I vote for more dramatic wedding color themes, like the sage/orange combo that Tony and Melanie rocked at their amazing 2004 wedding in California.

The entire photoset is pure magic. Colors are just the beginning of the great inspiration you’ll find over here.

(Thanks to skyvillain_events for the photo!)