I adore Jackie’s amazing futuristic wedding dress — and the the fact that she made it herself makes it that much more fabulous.

Further awesomeness points for also making the cocktail hat she wore, and getting married on a pirate ship in Vegas, and doing it all on Leap Day.

Check out all the photos over here, and read more about how Jackie did it all in three months over on LJ’s Anti-Bride Community.

(Thanks to nightwind for the photo!)

If your tastes tend toward the gothy, film noir, and slightly victorian, your head may explode from io’s southern gothic wedding photos. I’m especially pleased with her little wedding hat, the groom’s striking outfit, and the bat cake. (Thanks, Kat!)

I’m seeing a lot more little cocktail top hats on brides — adorable! You can buy them on Etsy, but you can also decorate your own. Here’s a how-to, courtesy of Lily from the Offbeat Bride Tribe!

1. Hit up a craft store and checking out their stuffed animal section for top hats.
You should be able to find something like this (scroll down).

Read the rest of this entry »

One of my favorite things about running this website is exposure to fabulous freaks I might otherwise not encounter. I mean, I know all about my brand of weird (left coast second gen hippie/retired raver/etc) but it’s such a treat to see other delicious flavors of non-traditional.

Case in point: Siouxzi Rodeman and Alan Donnelly’s Steampunk wedding in Chicago. (Some of you may remember Siouxzi — she’s the one who had that nightmare run-in at Macy’s a few months ago.)

I was aware of Steampunk as a literary genre, but only just barely and not as a full-blown lifestyle/fashion thang. Consider me now educated and inspired.

I completely fell in love with neo-victorian aesthetic once I started poking around in Siouxzi’s wedding photos — her wedding hat! The custom ties for the bridesmaids and groomsmen! The cakes! The minister’s monoggle! All the brass and the corsetry and the gears and springs! What an awesome visual treat.

The fact that Souxzi was able to organize this stunning, stylish wedding in three months (while also grieving her mother’s recent passing) is totally mind-boggling and is a sharp ruler on the knuckles of anyone who says you can’t plan a wedding in less than six months. Congratulations, Souxzi!

But oh, there’s more. So much more …

Read the rest of this entry »

Check out the photos from this October wedding — I love the bride’s striped dress, black manicure, and the masquerade theme. (Thanks for the tip, Morgan!)

Bride in a top hat, how do I love thee? Could it be the rakish angle? Could it be the twist on top hats typically being the dominion of a tuxedoed groom? Could it be that the black choker makes the little sparkly black hat look a little vaudevillian? Whatever it is, bride in a top hat, I love thee. And, HELLO there, groom in leather pants. Don’t think I didn’t notice you!

You can read more about Katie & Mick’s Sacramento wedding by heading over to Sarah Maren Photography, and if you want non-stop wedding porn from the wedding, check the Katie & Mick slideshow. (Thanks for the tip, Tony!)

Check out my whole collection of red wedding dress photos!

Obviously I have a thing for red wedding dresses. Photographer Martin Oliver captured a bride named Penaran in a red Ian Stuart dress. I love the rouching of the red train, and the bride’s adorable little cocktail hat.

For more shots, keep reading. And thanks to Martin Oliver Weddings for the photos!

Read the rest of this entry »

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!

Read the rest of this entry »

I mean really …

… It’s hard to beat the drama of a red wedding dress. Then again, all the shots from Suzanne and Kevin’s wedding are pretty dramatic. I especially love this shot of the bride walking in with her father, and this one of the bride & groom kissing. See the whole set. Oh, and even MORE pictures over here.

Oh and PS: best wedding boots evar!!

See more red wedding dresses.

Holy hell — take your time with Pixie Vision Productions‘ pictures from Atom & Athena’s fantastical January 2007 wedding. I love the cutie flower girl, and how mom and dad look so proud, and the total fantasy of the bride’s gown. Gorgeousness!

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.

Read the rest of this entry »

If you’re a Flickr user, I heartily encourage you to join the Offbeat Bride group and either submit your awesome photos or browse through the pool. Photos submitted to the pool are part of the gallery over there in the sidebar to your right, and I’ll be featuring especially awesome ones regularly as offbeat wedding porn. Join now! Get in on the fun! Post your pictures! Overuse exclamation points just like me!

I was browsing around Flickr looking at quirky wedding photos tonight, I think this one is my favorite. I love Aussie Rebecca Mence’s outfit, from the tip of her top hat right down to the boots.

It’s not often that I see something wedding-related on theknot.com that I actually like. For the most part, the site runs too traditional for my tastes — although it does have some useful tools that even the most offbeat of brides can use. That said, I about fell out of my snooty-chair when I came across Kameo Brown’s amazing profile. Her photos are gorgeous and the event looks stunning. I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised — the bride is a photographer and clearly has an amazing eye for the details.

Although the wedding seems like it definitely was not a low-budget affair, there are some inspiring decorative and conceptual elements that are great for brainstormers. And I absolutely loved the Kammeo’s quote: “Entering my thirties, the idea of being a ‘little princess’ didn’t appeal to me as much as being ‘Queen’ for the day.” And omg, did she ever achieve it. Stunning!