The whole wedding planning bonanza is a bit like thrusting your head in a cannon and waiting for it to blow… there is just SO much anticipation and worry. To DIY or not? Should you go all out or pinch pennies? What about decorations and favors?

If your head is swimming with possibilities and your palms start sweating at the mere thought of diving into the planning, take a look at these tutorials. They might just save your wedding — and your sanity!

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Free Labels

I'm a blog-hound and have my Google Reader set up so I can munch on countless design/craft/music/news blogs for countless hours (thus diverting my attention away from work and increasing the possibility of ADD in my future) throughout the day. I stumbled upon this blog, iDiY, while perusing one of my faves, DesignSponge. I'm cursing this useful, amazing site for not presenting itself to me EARLIER (before my durn wedding)! It is such a great resource of freebies, inspirations and ideas for event or wedding planning.

Free Script Font

Need a fancy font for free but don't know where to find it? Enter iDiy! While not everyone wants scripty lettering adorning their offbeat wedding invitations or RSVPs, this is a fantastic FREE (yes, free… a beautiful word) font for anything that needs a little dressin' up. And for those wannabe creatives who are taking the plunge into custom invitation design themselves? Well, iDiY has got some great floral vector graphics and fancy schmancy designs to jazz up your paper.

Are you design-challenged but need a snazzy new look for address labels or stickers? Just add your text and print these puppies out onto adhesive sheets or cardstock. For the Love of Labels Part 1 and Part 2 should do it, and of course they're free (there's that word again!).

Personalized Hand Soap labels

iDiY even has some fab ideas for favors, that you can make yourself, for all you crafty little devils out there. These personalized hand soap labels are classy and formal, perfect for a wedding favor. And this planted banana bread idea has me drooling… would be a great way to let your cooking skills shine through and give your guests something tangible to experience.

There are too many goodies to show you, so just go! Search! Peruse the wonders of iDiY (and no, this is not a paid advertisement.. I just really like what this blog is doing)! Your wedding planning will be a lot rosier with iDiY at your side.

Photo by Amanda Jaffe

I've been thinking a lot lately about the pursuit of authenticity versus the pursuit of attention. The first feels very internal, like you really have to look with-in yourself with a lot of introspection and thought to determine what's important … while the other feels very external, like you're hunting for other people's eyeballs. And why does one seem like so much fun, while the other seems like so much work?

(…I swear this relates to wedding planning!)

Continue reading "The pursuit of authenticity vs. the pursuit of attention" →

That's the question that Jezebel.com asked this weekend, and I figure maybe I should give my answer.

Continue reading "Is having an offbeat wedding any different than having a traditional wedding?" →

Getting lingerie from my future MIL in front of a room full of near strangers wasn

Ah, the "wedding shower" — A wonderful tradition rife with feminist solidarity and celebrations of love, marriage and family bonding?

…Or torture in the form of humiliating games and awkward, voyeuristic present-opening rituals? If I were to answer this from my own experience (see the picture of me to the left, taken during my nightmare wedding shower), I'd have to say a little of the former and whole lot of the latter.

But fear not this same cruel fate! Because OffbeatBride.com is here to tell you that it doesn't have to go down like that!

Future brides, family members, bestest friends and future-in-laws, put down those rolls of toilet paper and read this:

Offbeat Bride's list of (dare we say it?)
FUN & TORTURE FREE WEDDING SHOWER IDEAS…

Continue reading "Torture-Free Wedding Showers" →