I’m trying to get caught up on my backlog of bride profiles — so this week it’s wall-to-wall wedding porn for y’all. Enjoy!

The offbeat bride: Melissa, Student

My offbeat groom: Jon, Student/Retail

Location & date of wedding: Jon’s Parent’s HUGE yard in rural Manitoba, Canada. June 23, 2007

What made our wedding offbeat: Our wedding was unique in that we both wanted to save money (because we both feel the same way about overpriced wedding crap) and wanted to have an outdoor celebration that was not limited by who could join us. So we chose Jon’s parents home as a location that would not limit our needs.

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I love this playful bike ride shot from Rebecca & Jeremy’s vineyard wedding. I don’t have any details on the event other than what you can see in these pictures, but I positively adore the groom’s suit (so cute with the bow-tie!) and the bride’s cocktail-length dress.

Photo courtesy of Red Apple Images.

The offbeat bride: Elly, student

My offbeat groom: Justin, art guy

Location & date of wedding: May 5 2007 at a family ranch in Ellensburg, WA (middle of nowhere, just about)

What made our wedding offbeat: Ways we were odd: wrote our own very naturalistic vows, made and/or altered a lot of the small details, bought the dress (and many other bits) on ebay, did a ‘formal’ ceremony in barefeet. Yes, I think we scared the crap out of some people, including the neighbors. We each had three rings. That was probably the most expensive part beyond the Canadian photographer!

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The offbeat bride: Rei Chee, naturalist

My offbeat groom: Bryan Perez, musician

Location & date of wedding: Backwoods on my friend/reverend’s property in Boston Hills, NY. May 2006.

What made our wedding offbeat: Our wedding was not the ball of the year, but being in the presence of nature & our close friends made it very magical.

My husband & I eloped in my woodman friend’s backyard, which was a huge tract of natural land. He was also our Reverend. We were married between a shagbark hickory (signifying solidity & strength) and a beautiful white pine, the Tree of Peace among the Iroquois Indians. Our invited guests were my parrot, a few special humans, and the Reverend’s pack of border collies in a very whimsical ceremony.

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To get away with the budget we’ve set our for ourselves, private property is a must for our location. This means Honey Buckets for everyone. If we go that route, how do we tactfully let guests know that’s the deal? -Jennifer Ernst

Porta potties have gotten a bad rap at music festivals and campgrounds. Typically, the blue-water nightmares at crowded outdoor events are poorly maintained and abused by drunks, and you’re more likely to find a turd on the toilet seat than you are a roll of toilet paper. But have you ever been in a freshly-delivered porta potty? They’re actually just fine! Clean, unsmelly, and totally inoffensive. If you get porta potties for the property where you’re hosting your wedding, you’ll see that they aren’t as bad as you thought. But porta potties are secretly hilarious to everyone, and your goal is to make the most of that.

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