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Offbeat Bride: Create a Wedding That's Authentically YOU
Newly updated for a new audience of independent, out-of-the-bridal-box thinkers, Offbeat Bride is today's go-to source of support for couples who dare to walk off the beaten aisle
Unenthused by a white wedding gown and bored by the hoopla of the Hollywood-style reception, Ariel Meadow Stallings found herself absolutely exhausted by -- and horribly distanced from -- the nuances of traditional nuptials. So, she chose the aisle less-traveled for her own wedding day.
In this newly 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 provides plenty of insider tips for avoiding extra costs and cumbersome obligations, along with a clever planner to help you create your own special day. Both 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 the 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, encouraging every bride and groom to create their own distinctive celebrations of partnership and love.
Unenthused by a white wedding gown and bored by the hoopla of the Hollywood-style reception, Ariel Meadow Stallings found herself absolutely exhausted by -- and horribly distanced from -- the nuances of traditional nuptials. So, she chose the aisle less-traveled for her own wedding day.
In this newly 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 provides plenty of insider tips for avoiding extra costs and cumbersome obligations, along with a clever planner to help you create your own special day. Both 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 the 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, encouraging every bride and groom to create their own distinctive celebrations of partnership and love.
- GenresNonfiction
288 pages, Paperback
Published September 17, 2019
6 people are currently reading
29 people want to read
About the author
Ariel Meadow Stallings
7 books186 followersA writer and editor who got her start editing a rave magazine in the mid-'90s, Ariel Meadow Stallings work has been featured by the New York Times, Today Show, and The Guardian.
Ariel's first book, Offbeat Bride, was first published by Seal Press in 2007 (with a second edition in 2010, and a third in 2019).
Her second book, PROS BEFORE BROS, was self-published in 2019 with an audiobook version in 2021. Her third book, From Shitshow To Afterglow, was published by Seal Press / Hachette Book Group in 2020.
Ariel currently lives in Seattle with her teenage son.
Ariel's first book, Offbeat Bride, was first published by Seal Press in 2007 (with a second edition in 2010, and a third in 2019).
Her second book, PROS BEFORE BROS, was self-published in 2019 with an audiobook version in 2021. Her third book, From Shitshow To Afterglow, was published by Seal Press / Hachette Book Group in 2020.
Ariel currently lives in Seattle with her teenage son.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
September 20, 2020
This book was written in such a fun and helpful way! I feel really empowered to start planning the wedding my fiancé and I want. There was some particularly solid advice on (politely) shutting down unwanted opinions / asks from family and friends that I will no doubt revisit in time.
December 27, 2019
Really helpful and quick read that is notable for three things:
A) its inclusiveness - of LGBTQ+ weddings (including poly ones!), fat brides, disabilities, etc
b) Its budget friendliness
c) its continual, insistent deflating of the wedding industrial complex. If nothing else, this book is worth it for its continual, reassuring mantra of “you don’t have to do that if you don’t want to”
One star reduced because the author talks about her own wedding and how great it was a lot...didn’t feel as helpful (yes, we’d all love to be friend with photographers and makeup artists and DJs, but do you have any tips for people who aren’t?)
A) its inclusiveness - of LGBTQ+ weddings (including poly ones!), fat brides, disabilities, etc
b) Its budget friendliness
c) its continual, insistent deflating of the wedding industrial complex. If nothing else, this book is worth it for its continual, reassuring mantra of “you don’t have to do that if you don’t want to”
One star reduced because the author talks about her own wedding and how great it was a lot...didn’t feel as helpful (yes, we’d all love to be friend with photographers and makeup artists and DJs, but do you have any tips for people who aren’t?)
January 30, 2020
Picked this one up because I've recently become engaged and am feeling the excitement of an eventual ceremony. Came for the wedding info, stayed for the inclusive topics (LGBTQ community [that me and my partner is a part of], disabilities) and the tips to make things easier. It was really refreshing to read someone telling me that weddings are too capitalistic for their own good. There was a healthy dose of realism and it was nice.
September 30, 2020
I enjoyed this book, I was hoping it would be a bit more constructive from an officiant perspective but I appreciated how she encouraged everyone to have their dream wedding no matter what others think
May 12, 2021
It's like have a cuppa and chatting to your big sister. 💜
March 29, 2022
Affirming but outdated.
June 28, 2025
3.5
Bottom line: make your wedding whatever the f you want. But i already knew that.
Bottom line: make your wedding whatever the f you want. But i already knew that.
April 22, 2021
I've been a fan of Offbeat Bride for years, but it felt silly to invest in this book before I was even engaged. Now that I am, and the associated website isn't updated as much, I decided it was finally time to read the book that started it all. I went with the updated edition, and mostly I'm not sure what the difference is, except for a few places where Ariel denotes that information has been updated.
This book is a great place for anyone, even more traditional brides, to start their wedding planning. There are only a few times when it seems like it's trying too hard to be different and edgy, but I'm perhaps more traditional (or just from the rural south) than the author and many of the people who contributed their stories to the book. What I found, though, was that reading this book felt like a breath of fresh air. Ariel was whispering in my ear that, yes, it's okay to do your wedding the way YOU want to! Traditions are made up! Don't make yourself uncomfortable on "the most important day of your life!" I felt incredibly relieved when I finished reading, for perhaps the first and only time so far in the whole wedding planning process.
This book is a great place for anyone, even more traditional brides, to start their wedding planning. There are only a few times when it seems like it's trying too hard to be different and edgy, but I'm perhaps more traditional (or just from the rural south) than the author and many of the people who contributed their stories to the book. What I found, though, was that reading this book felt like a breath of fresh air. Ariel was whispering in my ear that, yes, it's okay to do your wedding the way YOU want to! Traditions are made up! Don't make yourself uncomfortable on "the most important day of your life!" I felt incredibly relieved when I finished reading, for perhaps the first and only time so far in the whole wedding planning process.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews