The Offbeat Bride: Mandi, Marketing Manager

Her Offbeat Partner: Neil, Tabletop fantasy and futuristic battle-games retail assistant!

Location & date of wedding: Cooling Castle Barn, Kent, UK — 4 December 2008

What made our wedding offbeat: We had a few ideas about what we wanted; normal for us — not so normal for others it seems We had a few setbacks during our year of planning, so we stripped right back to only the things we really, really wanted. We encountered a bit of resistance from people along the way but on the day, we had what looked like a very traditional wedding from the outside but a little bit different once they were all tarpped in the room with us!!

Continue reading "Mandi & Neil's Castle, Cupcakes & Tequila Wedding" →

The Offbeat Bride: Jeannette, belly dancer, violinist, and daytime accountant

Her Offbeat Partner: Cliff, software engineer

Location and date of wedding: Ceremony: Arizona State, Reception: Jeannette's parents' back yard — September 13, 2008

What made our wedding offbeat: We always knew we wanted a very small wedding. We decided to skip a bunch of the usual built-in drama and leave out bridesmaids, groomsmen, ringbearers, piles of doves, etc.

Continue reading "Jeannette & Cliff's small, anti-conventional wedding with a surprise reception" →

The Offbeat Bride: Bandora Fox, White Collar Hippie (and OBT member "Bandora")

Her Offbeat Partner: Michael Fox, Licensed Massage Therapist

Location & date of wedding: Palm Island, Savannas Recreation Area, Ft Pierce, Florida — August 29th, 2009

What made our wedding offbeat: We had a Pagan handfasting during our own weekend camping festival. The groom wore a kilt, we both had foxtails and the groomsmen (aka. torchbearers) wore sarongs and carried symbols of a nature element. The only one that wore a tux was the dog that carried our rings inside a mini Chinese food takeout box hanging from its collar. And I carried a bouquet made out of swarovsky crystals.

Continue reading "Bandora & Michael's Foxtailed Pagan Handfasting" →

The Offbeat Bride: Kell – Customer service (and OBT member Kell)

Her Offbeat Partner: Jason – Warehouse manager

Location & date of wedding: In the grounds of Chandeliers on Abbey in Yallingup, south Western Australia — Friday 31st October 2008 at 5:45pm

What made our wedding offbeat: There was only the two of us, our celebrant and our photographers on the wedding day. Our wedding was so personal and so important to us. To cement the friendship we'd always had and to vow what we already knew, that even when there was nobody else we could relate to, we would always have each other.

Continue reading "Kell & Jason's "The Crow" Inspired Halloween Elopement" →

The Offbeat Bride: Sarah, hairdresser

My Offbeat Partner: Richard, material handler, contractor

Location & date of wedding: Newmarket, Ontario, Canada, on my Parent's farm — July 12, 2008

What made our wedding offbeat: There are a few obvious reasons why my wedding would be considered "offbeat." My dress was purple, my hair was red, he didn't wear a tux, my MOH's title was "zilla", it was outside on a farm, dress code was tropical, etc.

I considered it offbeat because everyone had a job. Anyone with a specific job had creative input. For example, my sister was a photographer and I let her do her own thing. With the florist we just discussed colours and themes and left the rest up to her. I never knew what the bouquet would look like until the day of the wedding. I didn't even know what my dress looked like until the week before.

I just chose people I trusted and left it up to them.

Continue reading "Sarah & Richard's Pirates of the Carribean Wedding" →