Offbeat Bride- Taffeta free alternatives and so much more

It's my opinion that a wedding is supposed to be a celebration of the love between two people and the celebration of this love should be as traditional or as offbeat as the couple wants it to be. Ariel Meadow Stallings, author of the book Offbeat Bride: Taffeta-Free Alternatives for Independent Brides., expands upon this in her entertaining and endearing blog, Offbeat Bride. Scattered with photos of brides donning colorful wedding dresses and intricate tattoos, Offbeat bride is a great resource for brides (and grooms!) who want to insert their personalities into the pomp and circumstance of their ceremony and reception. I relate to Offbeat bride because I did not want to toss the garter or the bouquet at my wedding. I wasn't sure I understood that tradition, and I really couldn't visualize all of my girlfriends tackling each other to grab a bunch of flowers. Also, I didn't want to interrupt the dancing and eating for everyone to focus on my spin in the bridal bullpen. BUT, tradition won out because it was too difficult to explain to my mom, my friends, the photographer, and the DJ why I personally didn't want to toss my blooms. If I had read Offbeat Bride prior to my wedding, I may have thought of a fun alternative to this tradition and had the guts to forgo it.

 

At Invitation Consultants, we pride ourselves on having a selection of invitations to suit the personality of any event. I visualize nontraditional colors like black or red, and less traditional designs or themes like a casino night or masquerade reception for offbeat wedding stationery. For offbeat brides looking for unique invitations, I would say follow your instincts. If a design pops out at you, and you feel like it is a great representation of the type of event you are trying to create, then there should be no reason to second guess yourself.   

Image from Allebach Photography on offbeatbride.com.