Offbeat Bride: Taffeta-Free Alternatives for Independent Brides (Paperback)

~ (Author) "Andreas and I had been together for less than a year when the questions started..." (more)
Key Phrases: offbeat brides, wedding planning, one bride, Jen Moon, Amy Ross, Leah Weaver (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

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 and embrace the non-traditional bride within. Through trial and error, Ariel and her fiancée managed to crank out a budget wedding with all-night dancing, guests toasting champagne in mismatched mugs, gorgeous gardens, no monogrammed napkins, no garter, no bridesmaids, and lots of lesbians. Shortly after her 2004 matrimony, Ariel began searching for other brides whose ceremonies defied age-old tradition and reflected who they are. From there, she developed the idea for a guide for the offbeat couple.

Offbeat Bride serves as an inspiration for those who are interested in a vegan buffet, avoiding bouquet tossing, doing away with the elitist guest list and being a control freak without becoming a Bridezilla. Filled with sidebars, tips, tricks and planner encouragement (all taffeta-free) to help you figure out your special day, this book sees couples through the wedding process from ideas on how to announce their engagement to answering the question, “So, how’s married life?” and everything in between.

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Product Details Paperback: 225 pages Publisher: Seal Press; illustrated edition edition (December 22, 2006) Language: English ISBN-10: 1580051804 ISBN-13: 978-1580051804 Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies) Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (59 customer reviews) Amazon.com Sales Rank: #28,864 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books) Popular in this category: (What's this?) #17 in  Books > Home & Garden > Weddings > Planning

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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!

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Inside This Book (learn more)

First Sentence:
Andreas and I had been together for less than a year when the questions started. Read the first page

Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
offbeat brides, wedding planning, one bride

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Jen Moon, Amy Ross, Leah Weaver, Brittany Wager, Burning Man, Jennie Catley, Los Angeles, Susan Beal, Corrin Cramer Pierce, Lower Location Manager Sarah, Maria Grundmann, Phyllis Fletcher, Elisabeth Obie, Sabrina Dent, Upper Location Manager Sarah, Bainbridge Island, Lisa Marie Grillos, Melissa Mansfield, Rebecca Thill, Stacy Streuli, Wedding Industrial Complex

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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!

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Citations (learn more)

This book cites 7 books:

• Mexico, A Love Story: Women Write About the Mexican Experience by Camille Cusumano in Back Matter
• Thank You (Gift Books) by Zondervan Gifts on page 190
• Tied in Knots: Funny Stories from the Wedding Day by Lisa Taggart in Back Matter
• France, A Love Story: Women Write About the French Experience by Camille Cusumano in Back Matter
• Dirty Sugar Cookies: Culinary Observations, Questionable Taste by Ayun Halliday in Back Matter

See all 7 books this book cites

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Books on Related Topics (learn more)

Wedding Goddess by Laurie Sue Brockway

Discusses:

• offbeat brides
• wedding planning
• one bride

Wedding Goddess by Laurie Sue Brockway Discusses: offbeat brides wedding planning one bride Loading...

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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

	76% buy the item featured on this page: Offbeat Bride: Taffeta-Free Alternatives for Independent Brides 4.7 out of 5 stars (59) $10.85
	8% buy Bridal Bargains, 9th Edition: Secrets to Throwing a Fantastic Wedding on a Realistic Budget 4.6 out of 5 stars (360) $10.17
	7% buy Anti-Bride Wedding Planner: Hip Tools and Tips for Getting Hitched 3.6 out of 5 stars (22) $11.53
	4% buy The DIY Bride: 40 Fun Projects for Your Ultimate One-of-a-Kind Wedding 4.1 out of 5 stars (17)

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Customer Reviews

59 Reviews 5 star:  (47) 4 star:  (9) 3 star:    (0) 2 star:  (3) 1 star:    (0)           Average Customer Review 4.7 out of 5 stars (59 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews 22 of 25 people found the following review helpful: 4.0 out of 5 stars Funny story of one bride, January 14, 2007 By  RissaRoo (All over the USA) - See all my reviews If you are even looking at this title, chances are you are planning a non-traditonal event. If you consider yourself an "offbeat" type, want to plan an unusual wedding, and are not offended by pg13 language, then this would be a great pick. (there is some liberal use of the f-word in here ;) ) The one drawback for me is that this book is about 75% focused on the wedding of the author and her personal story. It's hilarious and comforting at the same time. Still, I was hoping for more diversity in terms of weddings described, and more "how-to" suggestions, which are limited to little blue boxes every few pages or so. Still, this is a great antidote to all that stuff that says you need a white dress, etc! (interestingly, the cover photo is a stock photo. The author describes a fabulous outfit (not white) she commissioned from two local desgners; I wish that had been on the cover instead!) 13 of 14 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars I laughed so hard, and then felt better about everything., January 24, 2007 By  Kelly Griffith "Closed Circle Photography" (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)    I picked this book up because Seal Press is known for its amazing, feminist literature and because I work in the wedding industry. While it's true-- as the other reviewer mentioned-- that it focuses on one woman's account of her wedding process, it was so helpful to see one real story through to its completion. There are plenty of helpful and inspiring tips thrown in, but the point of this book is not to be an instructional for planning an offbeat wedding (because that would be antithetical to its spirit) but instead to inspire you to think outside the wedding magazine, reach into your own life and your own experiences, and to craft an event that resonates deeply with you. 15 of 17 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars this book re-inspired me to go for it..., February 12, 2007 By  katie d. (everett, wa) - See all my reviews this hee-larious, poignant, candid, awesome book is an absolute must for anyone needing inspiration and/or permission to go at their wedding the way they want with limited guilt from the usual suspects. when i crossed the line from "ultimate-vision-of-this-really-cool-thing-i-get-to-plan-and-be-the-star-of" to "reality-on-a-budget", it got intense: the guest list was becoming too large for the venue, my mom declared she would not drink out of the jelly jars we were planning to provide for libation receptacles, and one too many emails came from a bridal dress behemoth asking me to on come in and have a look at more poufy white dresses and, while supplies lasted, get a free heart pendant for the trip. (???) we thought the time between our christmas eve engagement and planning a july 2007 garden wedding at my folk's place would be a snap. catering business friends were found with relative ease; books were ordered; magazines were bought, cut up, and taped onto construction paper for inspiration; wedding shows dutifully attended; spreadsheets created; advice freely asked and given... and i found my spirit becoming thoroughly crushed--asking myself, "isn't this supposed to be fun? i've got the man with whom i want to spend the rest of my life, my party dress, and a photo booth rented, so what's with the rest of this? who cares about renting freakin' linens and coordinating table runners? and...is the yard too lumpy with too steep an incline to seat people on those rental chairs we looked at? quick! sequester the elders on the deck so they don't fall off the bluff and/or break a hip!" while too many well-intentioned wedding books sidestep the true purpose of a wedding, ariel brings back the humanity and the, "it takes a village" approach to this too oft commercialized, desensitizing industry. she focuses on the dearly loved communities two people are bringing together to celebrate this really awesome thing--AND have a party, look fabulous and gratefully accept gifts even though it can feel a little awkward for an offbeat couple. she provides her own wonderful chronicle alongside other brides' tales down the aisle, plus scads of great quick tips in each chapter. be prepared for copious amounts of f*-bombs dropped and particularly raw prose in some places--it's absolutely delicious. for me, much of the book's cred is based on her ability to put her cards on the table and demonstrate that she came out all the better for her offbeat efforts. she urges the reader to figure out what they want, budget for what's important (e.g. photographer) and improvise on the not-so-important (matching cups? nooo--muglies!). most importantly, she talks about the (mostly) ups and (some) downs of asking for the help of your peeps (alternately, knowing how/when to graciously put your foot down and say "no"), as this is an amazing way to 1.) get things done 2.) let new and unexpected things pop up in the midst of it all, and 3.) forge new and/or greater bonds with the people you are asking to participate not only in the events/tasks leading up to your wedding day, but hopefully the rest of your lives. ultimately, this book gave me an overall feeling of empowerment and being okay with our coupled nuttiness. yes, planning an offbeat wedding can be much more involved, complex, and emotional than paying someone else to do it for you, but it's also a great opportunity to involve your respective circles of loved ones and make it that much more meaningful. ariel seems to say, "put the energy out there and it will come back to you in the most meaningful, unpredictable ways." once i unleashed the creative, offbeat delegate in me, amazing things started happening... my grandpa, unbeknownst to us, began cruising the grocery store sales for cake mix and is already planning his spring/summer garage sale strategy for whatever we'll still need; people have taken me aside to dish that they are saving jelly jars for our beverage table; we decided to get a personalized, stemless "MOB" [mother of the bride] wine glass for my non-jelly jar mom; my fiancé's dear friends who are carpenters agreed to help us build an arch we could move to our own garden after the ceremony, people have quit bugging me about my decision to keep 'all that is printed' in lowercase, and...we have chosen to have specifically non-dairy food options since the majority of my family is lactose intolerant (for the lactose-riddled dishes, we have selected to put bowls of Lactaid with a spoon and a "milk pills!" sign, much like the look of dinner mints, but not). why? because it's important to us and it's our day to plan the things that matter to us. and, most people will have likely forgotton their dairy supplements, so we're really doing everyone a favor there...		Ad feedback   Most Recent Customer Reviews 5.0 out of 5 stars Great read!!! I really did enjoy this book. At first I only had time to read bits here and there, just randomly bouncing around the book... Read more Published 29 days ago by K. Daniels 5.0 out of 5 stars Great read for bride & non-brides I have been a fan of the OBB website before I bought the book or was even engaged. Once that day came, however, I bought the book. Read more Published 1 month ago by Jennifer M. Hoover 5.0 out of 5 stars Offers great new perspective! When I got engaged I became very wrapped up in tradition and etiquette and a myriad of menial details that weren't "us" and wouldn't have meaning for us on our wedding day... Read more Published 2 months ago by Heather Allen 4.0 out of 5 stars Extremely Helpful! Planning a wedding is a huge undertaking no matter how you look at it. Planning a non-traditional wedding is just plain intimidating. Read more Published 4 months ago by Angela K. Baucom 5.0 out of 5 stars This book actually made me excited about my upcoming wedding Prior to my recent engagement, I had never put any thought into my wedding. I reluctantly entered the planning process, overwhelmed with the daunting task at hand, and feeling... Read more Published 4 months ago by Bethany Dombroski 5.0 out of 5 stars Perfectly Offbeat, With a Side Full of Laughs Just finished reading Offbeat Bride, which is phenomenal! Everyone who wants advice or just a good book to read with hilarious commentary and side stories about planning, dealing... Read more Published 5 months ago by Ashleymarie DeBondt 5.0 out of 5 stars OMG I love it! This book has a lot of great ideas in it! It has a lot of websites for you to get great deals, the author is funny, and it gave me a lot of do-it-yourself ideas. Read more Published 5 months ago by Charla Schuman 4.0 out of 5 stars Offbeat Bride It came on time. The book itself is a little boring and I don't really know how it is going to come in handy. Probably just sit on a shelf. Published 6 months ago by Amber Young 5.0 out of 5 stars for the offbeat bride (or groom) in all of us, and an intriguing memoir for the non-engaged As a bride-to-be, I'm doing the requisite reading (or skimming) of bridal books and magazines. So far, I've found it more sociologically fascinating than actually helpful, and... Read more Published 6 months ago by Carrie LaGree 4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting perspective Although I didn't receive many tips from reading this book, I thoroughly enjoyed Ariel's account of doing her wedding her way. Once you start reading, it's hard to put it down. Published 6 months ago by T. Sanders Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews

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Books for Brides, Grooms, Maids & Moms: A list by P. Picard "scarletts_closet"   The Best Green Weddings Books: A list by Sharon Naylor "Author of over 35 wedding books, including The Bride's Survival Guide"   Plan a simple, beautiful, diy wedding on a small budget: A list by L. "prickly pear" Create a Listmania! list

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Product Details

• Paperback: 225 pages
• Publisher: Seal Press; illustrated edition edition (December 22, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580051804
• ISBN-13: 978-1580051804
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (59 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #28,864 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #17 in

  Books > Home & Garden > Weddings > Planning

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Funny story of one bride, January 14, 2007

By	RissaRoo (All over the USA) - See all my reviews

If you are even looking at this title, chances are you are planning a non-traditonal event. If you consider yourself an "offbeat" type, want to plan an unusual wedding, and are not offended by pg13 language, then this would be a great pick. (there is some liberal use of the f-word in here ;) )
The one drawback for me is that this book is about 75% focused on the wedding of the author and her personal story. It's hilarious and comforting at the same time. Still, I was hoping for more diversity in terms of weddings described, and more "how-to" suggestions, which are limited to little blue boxes every few pages or so.
Still, this is a great antidote to all that stuff that says you need a white dress, etc!
(interestingly, the cover photo is a stock photo. The author describes a fabulous outfit (not white) she commissioned from two local desgners; I wish that had been on the cover instead!)

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I laughed so hard, and then felt better about everything., January 24, 2007

By	Kelly Griffith "Closed Circle Photography" (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I picked this book up because Seal Press is known for its amazing, feminist literature and because I work in the wedding industry. While it's true-- as the other reviewer mentioned-- that it focuses on one woman's account of her wedding process, it was so helpful to see one real story through to its completion. There are plenty of helpful and inspiring tips thrown in, but the point of this book is not to be an instructional for planning an offbeat wedding (because that would be antithetical to its spirit) but instead to inspire you to think outside the wedding magazine, reach into your own life and your own experiences, and to craft an event that resonates deeply with you.

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars this book re-inspired me to go for it..., February 12, 2007

By	katie d. (everett, wa) - See all my reviews

this hee-larious, poignant, candid, awesome book is an absolute must for anyone needing inspiration and/or permission to go at their wedding the way they want with limited guilt from the usual suspects. when i crossed the line from "ultimate-vision-of-this-really-cool-thing-i-get-to-plan-and-be-the-star-of" to "reality-on-a-budget", it got intense: the guest list was becoming too large for the venue, my mom declared she would not drink out of the jelly jars we were planning to provide for libation receptacles, and one too many emails came from a bridal dress behemoth asking me to on come in and have a look at more poufy white dresses and, while supplies lasted, get a free heart pendant for the trip. (???)

we thought the time between our christmas eve engagement and planning a july 2007 garden wedding at my folk's place would be a snap. catering business friends were found with relative ease; books were ordered; magazines were bought, cut up, and taped onto construction paper for inspiration; wedding shows dutifully attended; spreadsheets created; advice freely asked and given... and i found my spirit becoming thoroughly crushed--asking myself, "isn't this supposed to be fun? i've got the man with whom i want to spend the rest of my life, my party dress, and a photo booth rented, so what's with the rest of this? who cares about renting freakin' linens and coordinating table runners? and...is the yard too lumpy with too steep an incline to seat people on those rental chairs we looked at? quick! sequester the elders on the deck so they don't fall off the bluff and/or break a hip!"

while too many well-intentioned wedding books sidestep the true purpose of a wedding, ariel brings back the humanity and the, "it takes a village" approach to this too oft commercialized, desensitizing industry. she focuses on the dearly loved communities two people are bringing together to celebrate this really awesome thing--AND have a party, look fabulous and gratefully accept gifts even though it can feel a little awkward for an offbeat couple. she provides her own wonderful chronicle alongside other brides' tales down the aisle, plus scads of great quick tips in each chapter. be prepared for copious amounts of f*-bombs dropped and particularly raw prose in some places--it's absolutely delicious.

for me, much of the book's cred is based on her ability to put her cards on the table and demonstrate that she came out all the better for her offbeat efforts. she urges the reader to figure out what they want, budget for what's important (e.g. photographer) and improvise on the not-so-important (matching cups? nooo--muglies!). most importantly, she talks about the (mostly) ups and (some) downs of asking for the help of your peeps (alternately, knowing how/when to graciously put your foot down and say "no"), as this is an amazing way to 1.) get things done 2.) let new and unexpected things pop up in the midst of it all, and 3.) forge new and/or greater bonds with the people you are asking to participate not only in the events/tasks leading up to your wedding day, but hopefully the rest of your lives.

ultimately, this book gave me an overall feeling of empowerment and being okay with our coupled nuttiness. yes, planning an offbeat wedding can be much more involved, complex, and emotional than paying someone else to do it for you, but it's also a great opportunity to involve your respective circles of loved ones and make it that much more meaningful. ariel seems to say, "put the energy out there and it will come back to you in the most meaningful, unpredictable ways." once i unleashed the creative, offbeat delegate in me, amazing things started happening...
my grandpa, unbeknownst to us, began cruising the grocery store sales for cake mix and is already planning his spring/summer garage sale strategy for whatever we'll still need; people have taken me aside to dish that they are saving jelly jars for our beverage table; we decided to get a personalized, stemless "MOB" [mother of the bride] wine glass for my non-jelly jar mom; my fiancé's dear friends who are carpenters agreed to help us build an arch we could move to our own garden after the ceremony, people have quit bugging me about my decision to keep 'all that is printed' in lowercase, and...we have chosen to have specifically non-dairy food options since the majority of my family is lactose intolerant (for the lactose-riddled dishes, we have selected to put bowls of Lactaid with a spoon and a "milk pills!" sign, much like the look of dinner mints, but not). why? because it's important to us and it's our day to plan the things that matter to us. and, most people will have likely forgotton their dairy supplements, so we're really doing everyone a favor there...