Those of you who've read the book know all about Jen Moon, the Seattle bride who's wedding was actually a full-fledged musical performance back in 2002.

Well, finally (FINALLY) Wedding! The Musical is online for your viewing pleasure — and trust me, you'll want to watch it all. From Jen's entrance via trapeze to the moment when they shoot the bouquet out of a canon, the whole wedding's fucking awesome.

So go! Watch!

The offbeat bride: Stacy Streuli, Interior Designer (and Offbeat Bride lab rat!)

My offbeat groom: Oliver, video and commercial editor

Location & date of wedding: Small B&B, White Mountains, NH: 10/17/04

What made our wedding offbeat: The things which made our wedding offbeat were mostly due to my staunch refusal to succumb to my mother's "only daughter" fantasy of a big traditional synagogue wedding with 250 guests. She was actually prepared to take out a loan to finance it. I never wanted the white wedding fantasy, and I wasn't prepared to bankrupt my mother over it.

Continue reading "Stacy Streuli's B&B wedding" →

The offbeat bride: Susan Beal, writer (and Offbeat Bride lab rat!)

My offbeat groom: Andrew Dickson, artist

Location & date of wedding: August 7, 2005, Contemporary Crafts Museum, Portland, Oregon

What made our wedding offbeat: We got married by our good friend Diane in the Church of Craft, at a craft museum, and threw a big party afterwards, so it really reflected the two of us! We DIYed everything we could (with a couple of exceptions) but we also did a lot of trading, and between that and some creative math we were able to pull off wine, beer, champagne, and dinner for 150 people, slightly under budget.

Continue reading "Susan Beal gets her craft on" →

The offbeat bride: Joriel Foltz, writer (and Offbeat Bride lab rat!)

My offbeat groom: Ben Haley, photographer

Location & date of wedding: March 20, 2005, Plant Zero Art Center, Richmond, VA

What made our wedding offbeat: Technically, we didn't have a wedding. For various reasons we decided not to get legally married. But that didn't stop us from having a blow-out celebration of our decision to spend the rest of our lives together.

We designed our entire ceremony from scratch, turned an industrial-chic event space into a magical wonderland, and served a homemade vegan buffet that satisfied all but the most maniacal carnivores.

Continue reading "Joriel equinox commitment ceremony" →

The offbeat bride: Tracy Ducasse, Registered Nurse (and Offbeat Bride lab rat!)

My offbeat groom: Thomas Ducasse, Oil Burner Technician

Location & date of wedding: In my grandparent's backyard in Oakham, MA … in 1987!

What made our wedding offbeat: We got married outside, no religious affiliations. Our ceremony was in front of the huge birch tree, at my grandparents house, and had our pictures taken by friends and family — no photographers, except amateur ones. We paid for the wedding ourselves. My girlfriend made my wedding bouquet, and gave it to me as a gift. This year marks our 20th anniversary, so it seem frugal is the way to go for a lasting marriage.

Continue reading "Tracy Ducasse's bee-friendly backyard nuptials" →

The offbeat bride: Maria Barletti, IT Project Manager (and Offbeat Bride lab rat!)

My offbeat groom: Kenneth Spence, Teacher

Location & date of wedding: Marylebone Registry office in London, and then the Chapel of Love and Loathe at Glastonbury Festival, in June 2004

What made our wedding offbeat: Well, to begin with there was just the two of us plus two witnesses. We started at the London registry office and then went to the Glastonbury Festival, where we spent our wedding night in a tent, surrounded by a sea of tents. We then had another ceremony at the festival, at the famous "chapel of love and loathe," which included transvestite nuns, Elvis-themed vows, and was filmed for the BBC.

Continue reading "Maria Barletti, the Glastonbury bride" →

The offbeat bride: Lisa Marie Grillos, Photographer (and Offbeat Bride lab rat!)

My offbeat groom: Stephen Grillos, poker player

Location & date of wedding: August 6, 2005; Ceremony: Pulgas Water Temple in Woodside, CA; Reception: My in-law's backyard in Atherton, CA

What made our wedding offbeat: Our wedding was a fun backyard bbq with all our closest family and friends there. We didn't think that spending a ridiculous amount of money on a wedding would make us any more married than if we spent less, so we saved a lot by doing DIY projects — invitations, programs, favors.

Continue reading "Lisa Marie Grillos' Bay Area backyard BBQ" →

The offbeat bride: Julie McAlee, Technical Writer (and Offbeat Bride lab rat!)

My offbeat groom: Angelo McAlee, Lifeguard Supervisor and Divemaster

Location & date of wedding: Underwater at Dry Rocks Reef, Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, Florida

What made our wedding offbeat: The most obvious thing that was offbeat about our wedding was that it was underwater. We met in a dive class, and after all of the diving we had done together, it seemed like the thing that expressed something very important to us both.

Continue reading "Julie McAlee's underwater wedding" →