Category Archive

Alternative Wedding Ceremony Ideas & Examples

We’ve got SO much wedding ceremony advice like how to officiate a wedding, tons of wedding ceremony readings, a bazillion wedding ceremony scripts, and even wedding vow examples! We’ve also got info about handfasting and other unity ceremonies. You’ll want to start here: Wedding Ceremony 101.

Queer burlesque handfasting Heather Schofner Photography45 alternative wedding ideas from Offbeat Wed (formerly Offbeat Bride)

A non-possessive and nontraditional handfasting wedding ceremony script

Mx. Pucks found that most wedding ceremony scripts were extremely gendered and swayed towards monogamy and one true love. So they decided to write their own non-possessive and nontraditional handfasting ceremony script.

Nerdy vows & stunning views at this intimate Savannah nature preserve wedding

This Declaration of Support is a great way to encourage wedding guest participation

It can be such a treat to find meaningful ways for your wedding guests to participate in your ceremony. You want your guests laughing? YES. You want your guests crying? YES. Finding ways to encourage wedding guest participation is something we’ve written about before, but here’s one more way to get your guests involved: a declaration of support! Here’s the wording that Offbeat Bride readers Emily & Joel used in their wedding ceremony…

unique unity ceremony balloon fasting photos by JAMILAH PHOTOGRAPHY 2 alternative wedding ideas from Offbeat Wed (formerly Offbeat Bride)

Try a balloon-fasting instead of a handfasting as a unique unity ceremony

Since this was our second wedding ceremony, we wanted to find a way to make our celebration feel new to us, while still incorporating a ritual that would be recognizable and meaningful to attending family and friends. Behold: THE BALLOON-FASTING! 

DSC 4757 alternative wedding ideas from Offbeat Wed (formerly Offbeat Bride)

How to write a wedding poem to make ’em cry

When my nephew Chase asked me to read a poem during their wedding ceremony, I was honored, even more so when they asked if I would write one for the occasion. But I had no idea where to begin figuring out how to write a wedding poem. …Finding the right reading for a wedding is hard enough, but writing one?

humanist wedding ceremony script on offbeat bride 20 alternative wedding ideas from Offbeat Wed (formerly Offbeat Bride)

This humanist wedding ceremony script has a surprise Rick Roll

We knew the minute we saw this humanist wedding ceremony script that Lauren and Sean wrote with their Humanist officiant, Leigh Bradley, that it had to be shared with y’all. If nothing else, the Rick Rolling is solid gold, but this one also includes several lovely readings and a “Three Things” section, where the couple […]

blended family wedding vows family circle promises on offbeat bride alternative wedding ideas from Offbeat Wed (formerly Offbeat Bride)

Borrow this sweet blended family wedding vow idea

When my husband Ryan and I eloped to Audubon Park in NOLA in June of 2019, my daughter is Rebecca was included in our wedding party — and even in our vows! Here’s the blended family vows wording we used in our ceremony