The offbeat bride: Melissa Mansfield, researcher and knitter (and Offbeat Bride lab rat!)

My offbeat groom: Joseph, librarian and banjo-player

Location & date of wedding: Harvest Cafe patio overlooking Mohonk Mountain, New Paltz, N.Y. August 27, 2005.

What made our wedding offbeat: We chose New Paltz Mayor Jason West as our officiant once he was elected, because we met in New Paltz, and knew him from town. Then he solemnized same-sex couples and made national news. We did ask a friend to get certified just in case there was an injunction, but luckily Mayor West was able to perform the ceremony.

Read the rest of this entry »

happy couple, originally uploaded by Halfmad.

… He’s my husband! Love this shot from the Offbeat Bride photo group.

The offbeat bride: Greta Christina, Writer (and Offbeat Bride lab rat!)

The other offbeat bride: Ingrid, nurse practitioner

Location & date of wedding: November 12, 2005 in San Francisco’s Swedish American Hall in the Castro district

What made our wedding offbeat: 1. We encouraged all our guests to dress in festive/glamorous attire, including historical costumes. Boy howdy, did they take us up on it.

Read the rest of this entry »

The offbeat bride: Corrin Cramer Pierce, Pilates Instructor/Massage Therapist/Actor/Improviser (and Offbeat Bride lab rat!)

My offbeat groom: Chris, Actor and All Around Good Guy

Location & date of wedding: The terraced gardens of a lovely B&B in Watkinsville, GA, just outside of Athens. October 30th, 2004.

What made our wedding offbeat: On the outside, our wedding probably looked pretty traditional. It’s more how we got there that made it different than friends’ experiences…our planning process was mostly laid back, and all about FUN. We thought of it as a big party for everyone we loved, and that took the “wedding-y” pressure off of it. We knew that we wanted lots of good dancing, lots of good food, and the people we loved, and everything else was gravy.

Read the rest of this entry »

How do aerialists get married? If they’re Marina and James, members of the Los Angeles performance troupe The Clan Destino, they get married on a trapeze. Check out the gorgeous photos from this very offbeat wedding.

After all this talk of tattooed brides, I couldn’t resist posting this awesome wedding cake. Apparently this delicacy was inspired by Sailor Jerry tattoo flash. Pretty much the most perfect cake ever for a rockabilly couple.

Perhaps I’m biased because I had visible tattoos at my wedding, but I just can’t get enough of the inked wedding shots. I love the ways that offbeat brides not only don’t feel the need to hide their tats — they find the most gorgeous ways of showcasing their body adornments.

Read on to see a few of my favorite tattooed brides from the Offbeat Bride photo group and elsewhere on Flickr. And if you’re inspired, leave a comment with your photos of beautiful wedding tattoos!

Read the rest of this entry »

The offbeat bride: Amy Ross, Writer (and Offbeat Bride lab rat!)

My offbeat groom: Mike Ross, Academic

Location & date of wedding: June 3rd, 2001 in the garden of our college’s anthropology museum, by the sea.

What made our wedding offbeat: My wedding probably felt pretty traditional to most of the guests — there was champagne and oysters, I wore a white dress, a bouquet was tossed … My biggest rebellion was something most people probably didn’t even notice: NO DANCING.

Read the rest of this entry »