Announcing the birth of our sister site: Offbeat Mama!

Posts tagged with custom suit

The Offbeat Bride: Christine – Financial Services Analyst/Music Blogger (and OBT member "Christine Marie")

Her Offbeat Partner: Greg – Dept. Manager at a car dealership/Musician

Location & date of wedding: Olde Gahanna Sanctuary, Gahanna, Ohio — July 18, 2009

What made our wedding offbeat: Music is our passion, so there was no other theme for us. Everything revolved around music — concert ticket invites, RSVPs in AC/DC font, a "set list" instead of a wedding program, VIP laminates for the wedding party, custom guitar pick favors, vinyl records as part of the centerpieces. Our officiant was a very good friend/guitarist who happened to be ordained.

Continue reading "Christine & Greg's Rock 'n Roll Wedding" →

The groom was only the tip of the style iceberg at Christine's wedding, but really …
I've got to start SOMEWHERE, right?
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This stunning jacket is from Manuel, the Nashville tailor who's made shit for rock stars for decades.

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Not to be outdone by the stylin' groom, Christine was pretty much rocking it with her amazing backwork:

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And yes, this wedding was in Ohio. FLYOVER STATE, MY ASS!

For a slideshow sneak peek of the wedding profile to come, keep scrolling. And many thanks to Sharon Elaine for the photography!


Continue reading "Smoking hot groom in a Manuel jacket" →

obb6With all the talk yesterday of finding the perfect suit for a lesbian bride, I figured today was the perfect time to share Jennifer & Stephanie's wedding with you, as shot by Leah Muse from Whitney Lee Photography in Austin, TX. Stephanie lucked out with her dapper suit — her bride-to-be made it for her! See, that's what happens when your partner is a seamstress. Let's all be jealous of Stephanie for a brief moment.

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These two got married in March of 09 at The Barr Mansion in Austin, TX, and the details Leah captured from their wedding are just beautiful.

Continue reading "Jennifer & Stephanie's Austin wedding, presented by Whitney Lee Photography" →

Hey, Ariel. While my partner is getting married in a lovely gown, I lean more towards the butch end of the spectrum and would like to get married in a stylin' suit or maybe even a tux. Question is, I just can't find any good suits for women. Help? -Jessica

sbearHey, Jessica! I get variations of your question pretty frequently, and as someone on the femmey end of the gender/fashion spectrum, have been at a completely loss for an answer.

Thankfully, I tracked down an expert, S. Bear Bergman, author of Butch Is a Noun (and recent newlywed), to help me address the issue.

And so, now I present to you …

Snagging the perfect suit for your wedding
By S. Bear Bergman
It turns out that many butches, transmasculine beings, and other festive gender-benders would like to know exactly how a person to whom men’s clothes are not traditionally marketeted should go about purchasing a well-fitted suit or tuxedo. The answer, I am cheerful to tell you, is the same as it is for any person of any gender or sex who wants to buy a suit and have it fit well.

First: buy a suit. A decent–quality suit.

Next: take it to your tailor (or use the tailoring services of the place where you bought it). If you don’t have a tailor, ask your suit-iest pal where he or she goes.

Those are the key points.

The bad news is that you will not be renting anything, and you will not be getting off the hook for less than $300 to $400 if you buy the suit new. The good news is that a good-quality suit will last twenty years if your size remains stable and you care for it well.

A well-fitted suit costs more money – there is no way around it. Unless you are a perfect size off the rack, you will need a tailor. Cheap suits cannot be tailored much because they're not cut for it — they're all of a piece instead of assembled out of contoured parts, which is cheaper to make but cannot be altered much beyond shortening legs or arms. Someone who wants a nice suit that fits well should be prepared to go to, say, Men's Wearhouse at least (and a department store or specialty shop at best). Men’s Wearhouse also guarantees their tailoring for life, and carries a very wide range of sizes for those of us who are short, fat, or (like me) both.

Continue reading "Wedding suits for butches, transmasculine beings, and other festive gender-benders" →

Remember when Ariel's mind got bended? Well here's the deal behind all that colory stripy goodness.

The Offbeat Bride: Abi, Accounts Manager and DJ

Her Offbeat Partner: Travis, Copywriter and DJ

Location & date of wedding: Mount Park, KwaZulu-Natal Midlands, South Africa — 11 April 2009

What made our wedding offbeat: We were married in a meadow, under a 100 year old oak tree, by a tattooed freak! The Pagan handfasting ceremony was blessed by a white Sangoma (witchdoctor) and we included a yichud walk from the Jewish tradition.

I wore my ultimate party frock in purple, red and pink, with polka dot shoes and a bright pink parasol. He wore a tailored suit made out of shweshwe fabric, indigenous to South Africa and typically used in dresses worn by African women in the field.

Continue reading "Abi & Travis' Love Declaration Celebration" →


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