Getting lingerie from my future MIL in front of a room full of near strangers wasn

Ah, the "wedding shower" — A wonderful tradition rife with feminist solidarity and celebrations of love, marriage and family bonding?

…Or torture in the form of humiliating games and awkward, voyeuristic present-opening rituals? If I were to answer this from my own experience (see the picture of me to the left, taken during my nightmare wedding shower), I'd have to say a little of the former and whole lot of the latter.

But fear not this same cruel fate! Because OffbeatBride.com is here to tell you that it doesn't have to go down like that!

Future brides, family members, bestest friends and future-in-laws, put down those rolls of toilet paper and read this:

Offbeat Bride's list of (dare we say it?)
FUN & TORTURE FREE WEDDING SHOWER IDEAS…

Continue reading "Torture-Free Wedding Showers" →

The Offbeat Bride: Stephanie, sustainability nerd

Her Offbeat Partner: Davyd, engineer

Location & date of wedding: BFF's parents' backyard, Caversham, Western Australia — April 5th, 2008

What made our wedding offbeat: I'm a mostly-Chinese Australian, and Davyd's a somewhat-English Australian, and we're both vegans. We wanted our wedding to reflect who we are and where we came from (to be a fusion wedding, if you will), but also to be fun and memorable. We played cricket and croquet straight after-wards, and banned black and white colours from our guests whilst trying to get them to wear hats and fascinators. In the weeks before, all planning was referred to as prep for the 'really big party,' and that's what it was!

Continue reading "Stephanie & Davyd's Really Big Vegan Party" →

The offbeat bride: Natalie, Graphic Artist

Her offbeat partner: Nick, Finance Officer

Location & date of wedding: Newstead Park Rotunda, Brisbane, Australia on April 19th, 2008

What made our wedding offbeat: I wore a red gown that I designed myself that was inspired in part by the Red Queen from Alice in Wonderland, Victorian fashions and Cyndi Lauper's "She's so Unusual" album cover.

Continue reading "Natalie & Nick's Red Queen Garden Party Wedding" →