Amidst all the geeking out over wedding porn of details and decor, I think it's always good to remember the beauty and magic of a simple, heartfelt wedding. Behold:

I know we feature a lot of weddings full of fabulous design and ideas and art and fashion and music and magic. And while the details can be fun for some of us some of the time, I love photos that remind us all that when it comes right down to it, really all you're going for is this moment:

Continue reading "A simple forest wedding reminder" →

The Offbeat Bride: Tanith, Aspiring Romance Novelist (and OBT member "TanithRice")

Her offbeat partner: Darius, Youth Case Manager

Location & date of wedding: The Crofoot Ballroom, Pontiac, MI — Aug. 14, 2009

What made our wedding offbeat: I had never dreamed of being "princess for the day," and good thing too, because our budget simply wouldn't allow it. I knew right away that I wanted an intimate affair with only our closest friends and family and since me and my hubby were the only ones paying for our wedding we did everything OUR way.

Continue reading "Tanith & Darius's laid back, Motor City recession special wedding" →

The offbeat bride: Marie-Gael, disabled (and OBT member "gaelgirl")

Her offbeat partner: Michael, student English Literature Education

Location & date of wedding: Ash Cave, Hocking Hills, OH — 14 November 2009

What made our wedding offbeat: What wasn't offbeat???

• It was in the middle of the forest, in a cave, at sunrise.
• The actual wedding and reception (not counting clothes) was under $100.
• Most of the decorations and what we wore were vintage. So, I really didn't need to spend much because I used lots of inherited depression glass and jewelry.

Continue reading "Marie-Gael & Michael's $100 wedding at sunrise, in a cave, in the middle of nowhere" →

The Offbeat Bride: Dana

Her Offbeat Partner: Timothy

Location & date of wedding: Sonoma, CA. The Ceremony was at St. Andrews Church (outside surrounded by horses) and the Reception at Wolf House Jack London Lodge, Glen Ellen, CA. — October 10, 2008

What made our wedding offbeat: We made the decision to have a wedding ceremony much to my husbands objections. He would have prefferred eloping. But, I needed the ritual of a wedding. So we ventured into the wedding planning craze, and a year later my husband, with tears in his eyes, thanked me for insisting on the tradition of a wedding ceremony.

Continue reading "Dana & Timothy's Americana harvest themed wedding" →

The Offbeat Bride: Katie, Woman of the World

Her Offbeat Partner: Victor (Victy, Victory, Boyfriend), USAF Officer

Location & date of wedding: Qualicrest Farm, Wooster, Ohio, USA, North America, Earth — May 25, 2008

What made our wedding offbeat: We tried to make our wedding guest focused and had a GREAT time! Plus, when planning we tried to buy local, buy green, stay organic/all natural, in the family, home made (the best cake ever!) and fun.

Continue reading "Katie & Victor's funny, simple, eco-friendly Ohio wedding" →

The Offbeat Bride: Isa, Museum Mistress (and OBT member "Isa")

Her Offbeat Partner: Clinton, student and drummer extraordinaire

Location & date of wedding: Mount Majura bushland, ACT, Australia — April 11, 2009

What made our wedding offbeat: Clinton and I decided to get married over the phone while I was in Tonga working as a volunteer, and I planned the whole thing from overseas. Perhaps the thing that made our wedding most unusual was how EASY everything was! It all just fell into place, with minimal stress and effort.

Continue reading "Isa & Clinton's easy-peasy, eco-friendly bush wedding" →

The Offbeat Bride: Sarah, Social Worker and student

Her Offbeat Partner: Paul, Web Developer at Minnesota Public Radio

Location & date of wedding: Minnehaha Falls Park and our back yard in south Minneapolis, MN — September 20, 2008

What made our wedding offbeat: Our wedding was offbeat for several reasons. First, we had a short engagement (four months) and we stuck to a very reasonable budget. Second, we kept everything really simple, we had a small wedding party of my sister and Paul's best friend.

Continue reading "Sarah & Paul's simple and fun outdoor 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" →