I have two friends, one is going deaf, the other is about 97% deaf. How should I accommodate them at our wedding? Should I hire an interpreter or have a friend do it? Any ideas? -AprilShowers

To answer this question, I’m bringing in my dear friend Echo Greenlee, a who teaches American Sign Language here in Seattle. Echo was a guest at my wedding, and I accommodated her by providing a printed out copy of our vows beforehand … but now I really wish I’d gotten a Sign Language interpreter. Because ‘terps are rad. Anyway, read on for Echo’s tips for accommodating deaf wedding guests…

All Deaf and hard of hearing people have different needs. If your Deaf guests are fluent in American Sign Language (ASL), most likely they would like to have an ASL Interpreter at the wedding. You’ve invited them, so it would make sense that you want them to participate equally in your awesome day.

The Deaf person will always best know their needs. The single most important thing you can do is ask your Deaf guest what kind of assistance they need in making sure they are equally included. Here are a few ideas of items you may want to discuss or bring up with your Deaf guest:

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I have been going round and round in my head for some idea on sprucing up a park ramada in a state park that we are using for our reception. The picnic tables I am not so worried about - those can be covered! But I am trying to make it look fun and festive with out it looking like a) a carnival b) country bumpkin - no offense on that cause I am one! or c) like a 5 year old’s birthday party! Any suggestions on helping me with keeping the natural element but making it look special? -Rebecca

To answer this question, I brought in the best expert I know — my friend Sarah Kelly, better known to those of you who have read the book as Upper Location Manager Sarah! Sarah is an interior designer specializing in organic decor working out of Los Angeles.

• Fabric is good and can be your friend. Drape it, layer it, cover it, use different colors for depth. For a dramatic effect, use deep or contrasting colors. That said, there is such a thing as too much chiffon and organza.

• I am going to go on the record and say that balloons, if ever used, should be used sparingly and only for an effect that can not be achieved by other means.

• I love flowers I know there can be some controversy about using a lot of fresh cut flowers. I get it — call it my eco-sin. I love flowers!

• I’m a big fan of lighting. Here are a few examples of lighting that, if modified and used right, could easily be applied to a ramada:

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I’m looking for wedding party gifts that don’t suck. All I see for the girls are the same old monogrammed purses and mirrored compacts and for the guys all I see is pocket watches, flasks, and pens. How much use can you possibly get out of this stuff, besides a pen, but why spend $20–$100 on a freaking pen! What would you suggest for gifts for the wedding party? –Katie

I’m bringing in an expert guest blogger to answer this question. So ladies, welcome Jennifer from Etsy Wedding!

We’ve all been on the receiving end of some intriguing gifts — my favorite was an engraved monogrammed sterling-silver toothpick case. Yes, with toothpicks in it. What — are you trying to tell me I have something in my teeth? We’re friends, girl, you can just *tell* me.

For the offbeat bride, you’re looking for something meaningful, not just easy to purchase in a set of 6. The gifts you list don’t ring true because they have nothing to do with the relationships between you and your bridal party. You’ve asked these people to stand with you as your closest community; a great way to dream up authentic gifts is to think with care about how you or your affianced knows each person — a funny joke you’ve shared, an interest that brought you together, a memory only your siblings know — and go from there. (If we learned anything from Lloyd Dobler, you don’t give someone a pen!)

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Part II of my series on dready weddings is a guest blog from none other than Ms. Siouxzi Rodeman, steampunk bride and fake dread aficionado.

First, ask yourself…
What makes you feel amazing or really brings out the sparkle in you?
How far do you want to take your “offbeat” look?
What do you want to think 30 years from now when you see your wedding pictures.

Likely one wouldn’t be thinking about dreads if they didn’t feel spectacular in them to begin with. But your wedhead should be something that really turns the beauty of you up to 11. When I do hair for people, even if it is wild colors, I aim to make it as realistic as possible. When you go see a magician, you don’t want to know the secret of the trick, at least not during it. You want the pleasure of enjoying the show in all your innocence. If you saw the stage hand release the dove a little part of you would be disappointed. For me, fakehair is the same way.

Saying all that, here are my best suggestions.

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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).

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Today’s guestblog comes from Katie, who’s wedding you’ll be hearing more about later this week. In the meantime, she’s got some telling evidence and advice about your wedding programs…

If you’re hemming and hawing over where to put your wedding money, just remember this picture if you’re considering selling the farm for things like wedding programs…

If you’re opting not to make your own invitations, one piece of advice I have is to get one fancy set for a keepsake (if you ask, some invitation folks will do the proof in the fancy stuff), then do the rest in a more cost-effective manner. For example, get one letterpressed or engraved invitation, and then have the rest thermographed or flat printed. The (approximate) 50% savings are staggering and just as nice.

We designed our programs, had them printed up at the local print shop, then gathered a trusty sweatshop to assemble them. i think the total cost of printing and cutting 100 programs in half was around — $8? i checked out a DIY wedding website for ideas on how to do them, and if i remember correctly, they were charging around $2.50 per program — the package included the two pieces of fancy paper with the program info on them and a wood stick to glue in the middle, but you still had to assemble them yourself.

Moral of the story? Pretty much, no matter how gorgeous the majority of paper goods you cash out on may be, they’re going to end up in the recycle bin.

I recently found The Vom, dedicated to “Deconstructing the wedding website we love to hate.” Code name for that awful wedding website? TheVom.com. I might hate TheVom.com, but I love The Vom so I invited the editor to share a guest post here on Offbeat Bride. Enjoy!

Expert Proposals

By Sharon, editor of The Vom

One of the things I hate so much about TheVom.com is the way it creates these unrealistic expectations about what weddings should be like. Case in point is one of their “5 New Proposal Ideas.”

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