Category Archive

secular

Secular wedding ceremonies can be deeply meaningful without being religious. We’ve got tons of secular wedding ceremonies, secular wedding readings, secular wedding scripts, and real wedding inspiration from couples who had powerful, emotional non-religious nontraditional weddings. You may also want to check out our agnostic and atheist weddings.

Dad's religious and I'm not: How can I include him without giving him a platform?

Dad’s religious and I’m not: How can I include him without giving him a platform?

How do I include my religious dad in my wedding day without giving him a platform? I’m afraid if I ask him to read, or allow him to do a speech that he will bring religion into it and I really don’t want that at all. I’m also not sure if I’m going to have a father/daughter dance due to our slowly healing relationship. Help!

We LOVE the dichotomy of this Chinese-cowboy New York and Texas karaoke wedding

We LOVE the dichotomy of this Chinese-cowboy New York and Texas karaoke wedding

Cowboy hats, a Chinese tea ceremony, a gorgeous red qipao, New York, Texas, wild drunken karaoke, and honoring the parents — this Texas karaoke wedding is everything and more to fill your senses with awe. And maybe make you boggle at all that’s going on. Don’t miss the matching bridesmaid tattoos, handmade paper flowers, and all kinds of book lover details including book cookies!

cosmic heart necklace alternative wedding ideas from Offbeat Wed (formerly Offbeat Bride)

Keep it cosmic AND gender-neutral with this space-themed ceremony script (+ READINGS!)

As a queer person, it was important to me to have a ceremony that reflected our values while avoiding language that was cis- or hetero-centric. Our spiritual and philosophical practices and beliefs include both Christianity and Buddhism, and we both feel strongly about the value of secular institutions. On top of this, our wedding was space-themed! With all these things in mind, we decided to write the gender-neutral space-themed ceremony from scratch.

A curious masquerade wedding of oddities and glamour as seen on @offbeatbride

A curious masquerade wedding of oddities and glamour

The theme started out as just “masquerade,” as I’ve always wanted to have or attend a masquerade ball, but as we began to brainstorm ideas, we started working bits of ourselves into the details. My husband and I have a large collection of antiques and oddities, and we ended up incorporating different pieces from our home into each of the centerpieces and the decor. Thus, “The Curious Masquerade” was born. Maps, medical models, scientific instruments, antique candelabras, and other various things all got (carefully!) flora-fied and bedecked.

Is a marriage mission statement the vow alternative for you -- as seen on @offbeatbride

Is a marriage mission statement the vow alternative for you?

While I adore the myriad of heartfelt, cute, humorous, serious, and geeky wedding vows I’ve seen all over Offbeat Bride, promises of specific behavior didn’t quite fit the relationship philosophies held by my partner and I. Eventually we decided to write a mission statement for our marriage and expand that into something more poetic in lieu of vows. We wanted something that allowed room for the dynamic changes that naturally happen with individuals and with relationships, something broad and philosophical. We wanted a marriage mission statement.

sdffdd alternative wedding ideas from Offbeat Wed (formerly Offbeat Bride)

Mass Effect meets Star Trek at this theatrical science wedding

Want to see what you’d get if you combined a love of sci-fi, handmade costumes derived from characters in Star Trek and Mass Effect, and a movie theater venue? You’d have this theatrical science wedding with awesome visuals, amazing sci-fi readings, and a team of “Squadmates.” Though they may have run into some technical issues at the ceremony, it was all worth it for the groom’s grandmother’s comment: “Weddings keep getting weirder.” Hell yes, they do!