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Summaries and Customer Reviews are supplied by Amazon.com
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.
An inspirational tale for those who are sick of tradition.
| Customer Rating:   | As soon as I discovered Ariel's blog, I knew I had to read her book. I was recently engaged and hadn't put much thought into what I wanted in my wedding, but I knew that I wanted it to be awesome, fun, unique, and as low-budget as possible. I didn't know where to start, and Ariel's book seemed like the best jumping-off point.
It was perfect. Ariel's writing style is fun, accessible, and peppered with moments of humor and insight that kept me reading straight through until I reached the last page.
For those who complain that this book is mostly a personal memoir: yes, it is. If you are looking for an advanced handbook on postmodern weddings, look elsewhere - but good luck finding it. The very definition of "offbeat" makes it difficult to come up with ideas that will work for everyone. It's best to just present a series of stories and ideas and let the reader take from it what they will. This is exactly what Ariel has done. Yes, it's a memoir - but it's a very good one.
Offbeat Bride will probably appeal more to people like me, who are not already steeped in a counter-cultural lifestyle and don't even know where to begin planning a wedding that reflects their personal sense of style. If you already know what you want, and don't need any validation or reassurance, then you can skip it. (But it's still a very fun read.)
Invariably, people like Ariel will fall under criticism for being "too offbeat" or "not offbeat enough." Hair in buns? Outrageous! No suggestion of brides wearing pants? SCANDALOUS! One bride's offbeat is another bride's ho-hum, certainly - but that's just the nature of being offbeat in the first place. Offbeat Bride is the story of one bride, interwoven with many others, and the things that they did to make their weddings special. Their choices shouldn't be seen as the be-all end-all of offbeat - in fact, they're just the beginning. |
Best friend is getting one too
| Customer Rating: | My best friend told me this morning that they're getting married after 20 years, and the first thing I did after congratulating her was run to the computer and order this for her.
I leaned on this book SO heavily while planning our wedding. It's a total sanity-saver, and always managed to make me laugh. I wasn't a first time or young bride, but the pressures from the family to conform to traditional ways were powerful and stressed me out. Ariel's common-sense wisdom and great sense of humor was so reassuring, and she gave great advice about how to deal with certain situations. I love you Ariel!!!!!!!!
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Vibrant Book; Ongoing Community
| Customer Rating: | This is an excellent book that reassures the newly engaged Offbeat Bride that she is NOT alone in her visions. The personal anecdotes are all charming and funny, and the book stresses creating a ceremony and party that is meaningful to the couple, rather than being "shocking" OR "traditional," simply for the sake of either.
The ongoing glory, though, is the Offbeat Bride blog ([...]), full of examples of real Offbeat Brides and their weddings, and the forum/blog community Offbeat Bride Tribe ([...]) where engaged offbeats post requests for advice, inspiration, DIY tips, and, of course, more gorgeous pictures of offbeat weddings. |
Nothing more than a mediocre story
| Customer Rating: | | I was expecting a lot of tips and suggestions for brides who would like to buck tradition. There were a few, but really they were not worth the purchase price of the book. Most of the book was a no-brainer account of one person's wedding. It would have been improved if the author herself was a more engaging writer. Really, if you're looking for a decent bridal story, go ahead, buy it. But, if you want some tangible information for planning your wedding, don't waste your time. |
How to not go completely crazy planning your wedding
| Customer Rating: | Ariel Meadow Stallings, you are a goddess.
My partner and I are planning our wedding and throwing 99% of tradition out the window. For starters, there isn't going to be a groom (thanks, inclusive Canadian laws!!). Planning a same-sex wedding seemed like a daunting task, especially for two girls who don't fit into any lesbian stereotypes of gender. We both love music and spending time with our large families, with people ranging from wee little babies to feisty women in their nineties. How to bring them all together, unite them with our love of music and each other, and minimize the risk of bodily injury to all present?
Ariel's book is part to-do list, part heartwarming memoir, and 100% fun to read. I feel so much more validated in the choices I'm making for the wedding (gourmet sandwich bar instead of fancy catered meal!) and we are so excited to throw the party of our lifetimes. Thanks, Ariel. You're invited to the wedding. |
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