So, Matt and I are engaged. Have been for over a year. I proposed October of last school year. And the wedding planning has taken many turns.
At first, it was a pretty traditional beach wedding, a little too similar to his mother's wedding. Then I discovered offbeatbride.com and everything changed.
They cater to everyone offbeat--steampunk, renaissance, nerdy, eco-friendly, vegan, polyamorous... Name it, and they are accepting. As long as you can respect other people and don't do any bashing--including of yourself--you are welcome on their site. They think everyone and everything is awesome. They focus on people, not trends. They point out how happy a couple looks, and then how amazing her shoes, or dress, or whatever, is.
What's really cool is all the eco-friendly ideas they have. From non-floral bouquets and centerpieces to eco-friendly decor and fashion, to self-catering for vegetarians, they have it all. What's also nice is they cover emotional and philosophy questions as well--help with in-laws, how to get over body image isues and love your wedding, how to love your wedding even if it isn't perfect. Some of my recent favorites have been how to deal with canceling your offbeat wedding and how marriage doesn't equal children. Of course, there is always the name change debate.
They are very LGBT supportive. So you have trans couples, or male-male couples, or female-female couples. There was even recently a polyamorous group--a woman and man were getting married, but their mutual partner was also present and part of the ceremony. It was very interesting--not quite for me, but nice to learn about other people.
The also have a few sister blogs: Offbeat Home and Life (formerly Offbeat Home) and Offbeat Family (formerly Offbeat Mama). They even have a blog called Offbeat Empire that is all about running the blogs and deals with questions about editing, moderation, and what is covered and what isn't. What is awesome is that the whole thing started with a book called Offbeat Bride, and it has sense turned into this whole community online. There's even a private forum for those planning weddings, commitment ceremonies, and vow re-newels.
I am so grateful this exists, and so lucky to have found it.
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