The "Altar your thinking" shirts are here! They look great, and I'm especially excited about the plus size/men's tees, which are big, but not boxy.

I shipped all the preorders via USPS on Friday. They should be arriving on your doorsteps later this week, except for those of you in Canada … who are at the whim of customs. Ug.

If you missed your chance to get a pre-order, never fear! The shirts are available for order and quick ship right over here.

PS: When y'all get your tees, I want to see pictures! Take a shot of you wearing your shirt and upload it to the Offbeat Bride photo pool. I'd love to feature photos of real offbeat brides in their shirts on the store page.

There's been talk about wedding ring workshops before on offbeatbride.com (remember how Elaina did a workshop to make her wedding ring?) and for those of you who have been intrigued by the idea, keep reading!

Wedding ring workshops happen all over the US and in two UK locations, and here's how it works: you take a day with a master jeweler who gives you one-on-one guidance through the process of designing, fabricating, and finishing your truly unique wedding rings. I've always been a big proponent of custom rings, but actually making the rings your damn self!? It don't get much more DIY than that!

Continue reading "Wedding ring workshop" →

I have stretched earlobes, 2G to be precise. Not as big as they could be, but they're definitely not bridal-jewelry accessible. Even though my ears are larger-than-the-average-bride, I want to play with the wedding bling too! i've seen some beautiful large-gauged fancy filigree, and diamond studded plugs online, but I've yet to find anything that really looks "wedding day" to me. have you run into any other large-gauged brides who've faced this issue and succeeded fabulously? i'm desperate for some inspiration! -Laura Sina

I love it when I get questions that other people have already answered for me. There's a whole discussion happening right now on the OBT about earrings for stretched lobes — and I figured I'd borrow some of my favorite answers from there to share, plus some of my own findings.

Continue reading "Earrings for brides with stretched lobes" →

Remember Layer Cake Films, the awesome Super 8 wedding video company from Los Angeles?

Well, good news for my East Coast brides! Michelle, the adorable cup-cake loving founder of Layer Cake, is moving back East in March. When I asked Michelle why she was moving, she simply said, "I can't take LA anymore." As someone who lasted only a year living in LA, I hear ya, girl.

Anyway, Michelle's relocation means that — while she can travel where-ever you need her — she's extra available to shoot weddings in:

• New York City
• Washington DC
• Philadelphia
• Baltimore
• Asheville & Charlotte, North Carolina

There's still a team of amazing Layer Cake shooters staying in LA, so us Left Coasters can still get in on the action … but if you're on the East Coast (especially New York!) you've got easy, local access to one bad-ass videographer.

Ooh, and remember that Layer Cake Films does a 5% discount for Offbeat Brides. Just mention you saw the ad here, and reap the sweet rewards.

Offbeat Bride t-shirts are back by popular demand — and with a new tagline! A very special thanks to Nicole for coming up with Altar your thinking!

At the suggestion of a clever OBT member, I'm offering the shirts for pre-order so that I can offer TWO colors instead of just one.

So now you can choose between two fabulous colors and sizes for everyone: little girls, big girls, and big boys too! I'm offering pre-orders at a discounted price: $20, which includes shipping. Shirts ordered up until 2/25 will be shipped by 3/7.
Pre-order yours today!