The Offbeat Bride: Danielle, Business Owner Missing Piece, LLC

Her Offbeat Partner: Roland, Photographer/Carpenter

Location & date of wedding: Our house in San Francisco, CA — Friday, Oct. 31, 2008

What made our wedding offbeat: I met Roland at Burning Man and we were married exactly two months later, on Halloween. He is from London and I am from San Francisco. I asked him to marry me via text message while he was in New York. We sent out "Corpse Bride" inspired wedding invitations via Facebook, bought some alcohol and snacks, and our motto all week was "Let's Get Fucking Married!!!"

Continue reading "Danielle & Roland's halloween wedding party" →

The Offbeat Bride: Miranda, copy editor

Her Offbeat Partner: Jake, student/IT

Location & date of wedding: San Francisco City Hall — Thursday(!), June 4, 2009

What made our wedding offbeat: As a kid, I never really dreamed of "My Big White Wedding." I knew I wanted to marry Jake and I knew my mom would kill me if I didn't have a big party and ceremony, too. So I threw myself into it and tried to make it ours — no white dress, no hairspray, pizza for dinner, "Star Trek" processional, photos at ruins, pawn shop rings, a bouquet made of flowers guests bought at a liquor store or on the street on the way there.

Continue reading "Miranda & Jake's Themeless, Unrehearsed & Heartfelt Wedding" →

The Offbeat Bride: Rachel, Project Manager

Her Offbeat Partner: Matt, Photo Retoucher

Location & date of wedding: The Regency Grand, San Francisco — 2/22/09

What made our wedding offbeat: We had a theme wedding and asked all our guests to dress in red & black, "festive" attire. Everything about the event was a hybrid of Moulin Rouge with Tim Burton.

We designed the invitations ourselves, created 13 different centerpieces each reflecting Moulin Rouge or a Tim Burton film, and then designed icons to correspond to each centerpiece for the placecards. The cake was a physic-defying, topsy turvy creation that was gorgeous to behold and eat.

Continue reading "Rachel & Matt's Moulin Rouge meets Tim Burton Wedding" →

Meet Lilia & Ray Ahner, a husband a wife San Francisco wedding photography duo who totally understand the needs of offbeat couples because, well, they are one.

Lilia explained to me, "As old school goth & industrial and punk rock & metal kids who grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area music scene, we're PIBs (persons in black) and former Goths … and we still love the dark aesthetic. " Lilia studied fine art photography and photojournalism, has a design degree, and worked as a web designer for over 11 years. Ray is a self-taught photographer who documents the SF Bay Area music scene.

Oh, and they take kick-ass wedding photos:

When I asked Lilia about their typical clients, she told me, "Our offbeat clients are independent and creative with an amazing sense of personal style ranging from indie, goth, punk, alternative, rockabilly, all the way to folks that might look pretty normal on the outside, but are amazingly creative and different on the inside."

…Sound like anyone you know?

To see more amazing photography from these two, keep reading.

Continue reading "San Francisco Wedding Photography by Lilia Photography" →

I'll have the full scoop on Christina & Aaron's wedding for y'all next week, but for now I just wanted to post this picture and say that Aaron has made a statement on behalf of all offbeat grooms, that statement being "WHO SAYS A SUIT HAS TO BE FREAKING BORING!?"

Even if a chartreuse silk suit isn't your thing, you must bow down at Aaron's fabulous nose thumbing at the forces of the wedding world that tell grooms everywhere "Your job is to be an understated accessory at your own wedding. This is her special daaaaaay."

So Aaron, on behalf of Offbeat Brides everywhere … I salute you and your amazing green suit.

(PS: y'all are going to lose your minds when you see the bridesmaids outfits that went with this wedding!)