Offbeat Bride: Creative Alternatives for Independent Brides [Paperback]

Ariel Meadow Stallings (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 23, 2010

Unenthused by a white wedding gown and bored by the hoopla of the Hollywood-style reception, Ariel Meadow Stallings found herself absolutely exhausted with the nuances of traditional nuptials . . . so she chose to take a walk off the beaten aisle. In this updated edition of Offbeat Bride, Stallings humorously recounts the story of the original offbeat wedding—hers—and shares anecdotes and advice from dozens of other nontraditional couples. She also includes a chapter on budget weddings in today's weak economy, along with sidebars, tips, tricks, and planner encouragement to help you figure out your special day. What results is a combination of hilarious wedding stories and tons of helpful how-tos—a perfect mash-up of memoir and handbook.

At once practical and enjoyable, Offbeat Bride validates choosing the funky, different, and offbeat over the traditional, and leads couples through the planning process—from unique ideas on how to announce their engagement all the way to answering the question, “So, how’s married life?” Stallings is the ultimate guide to the alternative wedding of your dreams, and with Offbeat Bride, she brings you a book that serves both as an encouragement and celebration of aisles less traveled.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Seal Press; Second Edition edition (February 23, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580053157
• ISBN-13: 978-1580053150
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.7 x 8.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (69 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #65,049 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #52 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Weddings > Planning

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

74 of 74 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential reading for non-traditional brides. September 7, 2010

By Zamy

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

This book is fantastic for the bride-to-be who feels that her voice and her vision are being drowned and subverted by family, friends, media, and/or the wedding industrial complex. I started my wedding planning on [...] and found myself thinking that I would never be able to afford a wedding on my budget and that even if I did, I'd probably be so exhausted from the planning and other crap that I didn't want to do that it wouldn't be as much fun as I had imagined. I made the mistake of letting myself be told what my wedding should be. In truth, my wedding can be whatever I (and my fiance!) want it to be and this is what Stallings forcefully reminds us about in her book.

While I do not identify with the specific style of the author, she does wonders in terms of bringing the reader down from the clouds filled with escort cards, aisle runners, and rose-filled bouquets and uses examples from her own, unusual wedding to help the reader choose her own adventure. She encourages and empowers the reader to think critically about what is and is not important to her and to plan her wedding accordingly. Her writing style is conversational and highly amusing- the perfect cocktail for soothing the bridal beast stirring inside. Stallings also offers a myriad of helpful hints about conflict mediation, effective communication, and how to handle the rollercoaster of emotions that accompany getting married. This book is really the comprehensive guide to not losing your sanity over a wedding and promotes an overall mental and emotional approach to getting married that will (hopefully!) maximize your and your fiance's enjoyment of your day (and isn't that really what it's all about?!)....

Having showered the author with praise, I think it is important to note here that this book is absolutely not for the bride-to-be who has it all figured out, the bride-to-be who won't be deviating from the predetermined wedding path, or the bride-to-be who already has an impartial cheerleader in her life shouting encouraging mantras from the periphery of her everyday life (if such a woman exists). Every other bride should read this book before she even begins serious planning.

As a side note, Stallings also operates a website with the same name as the book, which is phenomenal. It complements her book nicely in that it offers real examples of how brides made their weddings their own. It also hosts a web community for support and sharing ideas and inspiration. I hate to plug addition "products," but I was so impressed that I couldn't help myself.

In short, if you're feeling lost in the proverbial sauce, buy this book and read it over a nice, soothing cup of whatever. You'll feel right as rain and ready to plan! Read more ›

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Way better than the first, as far as readability goes February 16, 2010

By Randizzle

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I ordered both this edition and the first edition at the same time because I thought they'd be different. They're not really, at least not too much as far as content goes, but the design on the second edition is a LOT easier to read! It's a great book for any bride who starts to feel like her wedding has started taking over her life in a bad way. Like when I say I want to wear comfortable shoes and my mother has a conniption because I won't wear heels, it's good to read this and realize 1) I'm not alone, 2) I'm not even that far out there, and 3)Even if I were that far out there, it's not that big of a deal!

25 of 30 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Confirm you're not crazy by reading about this insane wedding March 18, 2010

By redhedhs VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

As other reviewers have explained, this is mostly an account of the author's crazy "raver-meets-Burning-Man" wedding in the woods, interspersed with a lot of advice to stop listening to people who want you to have a cookie cutter, poofy event.

Not being the raver-meets-Burning-Man type, I can't say I got much out of her account of her Rene Geneva and green goblin combo gown, or advice for telling guests to camp in the woods. The hippie raver stuff gets a little bit much, though I have a lot of friends for which this would be perfect.

However, I got a LOT out of the author's account of ignoring all the pushy advice of others, and to just do what feels right to us for the wedding. I loved that she admitted to getting all caught up in the wedding planning and crass commercialism of it all during the process, and her candid advice for getting out of that bridal porn head space. It's also nice to see what others have done to have non-religious ceremonies and vows, and to reject things you're "supposed" to do (don't want assigned seating? don't have it!).

In all, this is a nice alternative to all those Knot and Brides Magazine articles that describe waay too many "required" things for your wedding. I can't imagine it has true planning advice for most brides, but it's like having a friend around to have a glass of wine with, who explains, "Oh, you don't need to do any of that crap. We didn't and look at what a great time we had!"

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A counterpoint to all those glossy bridal magazines... April 8, 2010

By Gayle Rambeau

Format:Paperback

This book was extremely helpful to me in the process of planning my wedding! It must be said, it's not a planner- there's plenty of books that will tell you how to properly address your inner envelopes. Rather, this is the story of the author's very unique wedding, as well as anecdotes from other non-traditional brides. This book is full of reassurance and advice for the not-so-average bride- how to handle loving but unwanted advice, incorporating traditions or creating your own, and keeping your head on straight while everyone around you seems to have gone wedding crazy. I found the stories in this book to be tightly focused around having a wedding that reflects who you are, not who everyone else wants you to be! This is a book for every confident, unique, self-assured bride-to-be (or groom, for that matter) who wonders if it's possible to retain their personal identity while planning a wedding. If you're looking for a detail-oriented planner, this is not what you're looking for, but if you're seeking a wedding even a little off the beaten path, this should be required reading.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars I love the Offbeat Bride blog, but the book is different. October 5, 2011

By Emily

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

First of all, I'm an OBB addict. I adore the blog, and I was stoked to read the book. While I've certainly enjoyed reading it, other reviewers are right. It's mostly a testimonial about the author's wedding, and is meant to be empowering to fellow offbeat brides. My only qualm with the book is that it kind of made me feel, well, a little bad about the traditions I did want to keep. While it is empowering in some ways, it can also make you feel like you're not being offbeat enough, and that to me was a little off-putting.