10k 46 Comments Aug. 5, 2013 Why does the internet love snarking about weddings so much? The internet loves snarking in general, but there seems to be something particularly digitally delectable about making fun of weddings. Sometimes it feels like nontraditional weddings get snarked on the most, but these days it seems you're just as likely to see people bitching about how all the wedding trends are played out. What I want to explore is WHY? Why does everyone love getting bitchy about weddings? I'm going to put on my sociologist/media studies hat and share a few theories… Read More 22k 69 Comments Mar. 18, 2013 One-lowmanship and luxury shame: one more way you're supposed to feel bad about your stupid wedding I know from the our reader survey exactly how many of you are trying to plan economical weddings with budgets under $10k (or $5k… or $2k). It's a lot of you. But I also know exactly how many of you are planning weddings over $10k — and even over $30k. And I know how many of you are feeling weird about it. Read More 14k 50 Comments Dec. 17, 2012 Othering: the ways offbeat types push ourselves away Over the years, I've seen something come up time and time again from Offbeat Bride readers: people will send an email, post on the Tribe, or leave a comment that basically amounts to, "Do I REALLY count as an Offbeat Bride? Do I really belong here?" I think of it as the Offbeat Bride's version of othering: this way those of us who've defined ourselves as non-normative have of pushing ourselves away from other people. The push makes sense, of course — if you live in a region where your politics aren't aligned with those around you, of course you're going to feel a push, and like you need to clearly define yourself as "not that." There are a lot of social and cultural contexts where it makes perfect sense that people who feel a little bit off the beaten path would push against the people and society around them. What makes less sense to me is when I see us push against each other… Read More 18k 29 Comments Nov. 12, 2012 Everyone else is doing it: A wedding trend perspective I started searching online and found all these great ideas: mercury glass candle holders, stacks of books for centerpieces, stationary with those cool old brackets on it, lanterns, library card escort cards — and ran with it. I was so happy that we were doing things that felt like us and not just the same old cookie-cutter wedding stuff that we had seen throughout our twenties. It felt amazing. Until we realized that everyone else was doing it, too. Read More 11k 23 Comments Sep. 24, 2012 Oh Noes, I Think My Wedding Will Be Normal! You may think I'm crazy since our wedding was actually pretty darn offbeat and unique. But it didn't really feel that offbeat, and I was wondering if I should be concerned. I saw all these seriously amazing weddings on Offbeat Bride and the Tribe and I wanted to be among that crowd. Then I realized that the fact that it felt normal was awesome. It actually meant we were doing it right. Read More 9.5k 51 Comments Jul. 9, 2012 On being a special snowflake in a community full of them Almost every wedding idea I have, someone else here has had before me, and someone else will have it again after me. So how to be a Special Snowflake in a drift of other Special Snowflakes? I'm not entirely sure yet. But here are a few things I AM sure of… Read More 123456 Copyright © 2003 - 2021 Offbeat Empire. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction in part or in whole is prohibited. Contact us Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Monetized by SkimLinks
22k 69 Comments Mar. 18, 2013 One-lowmanship and luxury shame: one more way you're supposed to feel bad about your stupid wedding I know from the our reader survey exactly how many of you are trying to plan economical weddings with budgets under $10k (or $5k… or $2k). It's a lot of you. But I also know exactly how many of you are planning weddings over $10k — and even over $30k. And I know how many of you are feeling weird about it. Read More 14k 50 Comments Dec. 17, 2012 Othering: the ways offbeat types push ourselves away Over the years, I've seen something come up time and time again from Offbeat Bride readers: people will send an email, post on the Tribe, or leave a comment that basically amounts to, "Do I REALLY count as an Offbeat Bride? Do I really belong here?" I think of it as the Offbeat Bride's version of othering: this way those of us who've defined ourselves as non-normative have of pushing ourselves away from other people. The push makes sense, of course — if you live in a region where your politics aren't aligned with those around you, of course you're going to feel a push, and like you need to clearly define yourself as "not that." There are a lot of social and cultural contexts where it makes perfect sense that people who feel a little bit off the beaten path would push against the people and society around them. What makes less sense to me is when I see us push against each other… Read More 18k 29 Comments Nov. 12, 2012 Everyone else is doing it: A wedding trend perspective I started searching online and found all these great ideas: mercury glass candle holders, stacks of books for centerpieces, stationary with those cool old brackets on it, lanterns, library card escort cards — and ran with it. I was so happy that we were doing things that felt like us and not just the same old cookie-cutter wedding stuff that we had seen throughout our twenties. It felt amazing. Until we realized that everyone else was doing it, too. Read More 11k 23 Comments Sep. 24, 2012 Oh Noes, I Think My Wedding Will Be Normal! You may think I'm crazy since our wedding was actually pretty darn offbeat and unique. But it didn't really feel that offbeat, and I was wondering if I should be concerned. I saw all these seriously amazing weddings on Offbeat Bride and the Tribe and I wanted to be among that crowd. Then I realized that the fact that it felt normal was awesome. It actually meant we were doing it right. Read More 9.5k 51 Comments Jul. 9, 2012 On being a special snowflake in a community full of them Almost every wedding idea I have, someone else here has had before me, and someone else will have it again after me. So how to be a Special Snowflake in a drift of other Special Snowflakes? I'm not entirely sure yet. But here are a few things I AM sure of… Read More 123456 Copyright © 2003 - 2021 Offbeat Empire. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction in part or in whole is prohibited. Contact us Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Monetized by SkimLinks
14k 50 Comments Dec. 17, 2012 Othering: the ways offbeat types push ourselves away Over the years, I've seen something come up time and time again from Offbeat Bride readers: people will send an email, post on the Tribe, or leave a comment that basically amounts to, "Do I REALLY count as an Offbeat Bride? Do I really belong here?" I think of it as the Offbeat Bride's version of othering: this way those of us who've defined ourselves as non-normative have of pushing ourselves away from other people. The push makes sense, of course — if you live in a region where your politics aren't aligned with those around you, of course you're going to feel a push, and like you need to clearly define yourself as "not that." There are a lot of social and cultural contexts where it makes perfect sense that people who feel a little bit off the beaten path would push against the people and society around them. What makes less sense to me is when I see us push against each other… Read More 18k 29 Comments Nov. 12, 2012 Everyone else is doing it: A wedding trend perspective I started searching online and found all these great ideas: mercury glass candle holders, stacks of books for centerpieces, stationary with those cool old brackets on it, lanterns, library card escort cards — and ran with it. I was so happy that we were doing things that felt like us and not just the same old cookie-cutter wedding stuff that we had seen throughout our twenties. It felt amazing. Until we realized that everyone else was doing it, too. Read More 11k 23 Comments Sep. 24, 2012 Oh Noes, I Think My Wedding Will Be Normal! You may think I'm crazy since our wedding was actually pretty darn offbeat and unique. But it didn't really feel that offbeat, and I was wondering if I should be concerned. I saw all these seriously amazing weddings on Offbeat Bride and the Tribe and I wanted to be among that crowd. Then I realized that the fact that it felt normal was awesome. It actually meant we were doing it right. Read More 9.5k 51 Comments Jul. 9, 2012 On being a special snowflake in a community full of them Almost every wedding idea I have, someone else here has had before me, and someone else will have it again after me. So how to be a Special Snowflake in a drift of other Special Snowflakes? I'm not entirely sure yet. But here are a few things I AM sure of… Read More 123456 Copyright © 2003 - 2021 Offbeat Empire. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction in part or in whole is prohibited. Contact us Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Monetized by SkimLinks
18k 29 Comments Nov. 12, 2012 Everyone else is doing it: A wedding trend perspective I started searching online and found all these great ideas: mercury glass candle holders, stacks of books for centerpieces, stationary with those cool old brackets on it, lanterns, library card escort cards — and ran with it. I was so happy that we were doing things that felt like us and not just the same old cookie-cutter wedding stuff that we had seen throughout our twenties. It felt amazing. Until we realized that everyone else was doing it, too. Read More 11k 23 Comments Sep. 24, 2012 Oh Noes, I Think My Wedding Will Be Normal! You may think I'm crazy since our wedding was actually pretty darn offbeat and unique. But it didn't really feel that offbeat, and I was wondering if I should be concerned. I saw all these seriously amazing weddings on Offbeat Bride and the Tribe and I wanted to be among that crowd. Then I realized that the fact that it felt normal was awesome. It actually meant we were doing it right. Read More 9.5k 51 Comments Jul. 9, 2012 On being a special snowflake in a community full of them Almost every wedding idea I have, someone else here has had before me, and someone else will have it again after me. So how to be a Special Snowflake in a drift of other Special Snowflakes? I'm not entirely sure yet. But here are a few things I AM sure of… Read More 123456 Copyright © 2003 - 2021 Offbeat Empire. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction in part or in whole is prohibited. Contact us Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Monetized by SkimLinks
11k 23 Comments Sep. 24, 2012 Oh Noes, I Think My Wedding Will Be Normal! You may think I'm crazy since our wedding was actually pretty darn offbeat and unique. But it didn't really feel that offbeat, and I was wondering if I should be concerned. I saw all these seriously amazing weddings on Offbeat Bride and the Tribe and I wanted to be among that crowd. Then I realized that the fact that it felt normal was awesome. It actually meant we were doing it right. Read More 9.5k 51 Comments Jul. 9, 2012 On being a special snowflake in a community full of them Almost every wedding idea I have, someone else here has had before me, and someone else will have it again after me. So how to be a Special Snowflake in a drift of other Special Snowflakes? I'm not entirely sure yet. But here are a few things I AM sure of… Read More 123456
9.5k 51 Comments Jul. 9, 2012 On being a special snowflake in a community full of them Almost every wedding idea I have, someone else here has had before me, and someone else will have it again after me. So how to be a Special Snowflake in a drift of other Special Snowflakes? I'm not entirely sure yet. But here are a few things I AM sure of… Read More 123456