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Author of three editions of the Offbeat Bride book and its sequel (From Shitshow To Afterglow, the ultimate offbeat breakup book) Ariel Meadow Stallings is the publisher of all the Offbeat Empire web properties. She lives in Seattle with her son. To follow her latest work, follow @arielist.
IMG 0583 alternative wedding ideas from Offbeat Wed (formerly Offbeat Bride)

How to officiate a wedding for a friend

For many of us who are tapped to officiate a wedding for a couple of dear friends, it is our first experience designing a ritual, not to mention one so important. We take to the trusty Internet for answers, but find little. We can’t look to previous generations for wisdom, as most of them were either married by a religious figure by choice or obliged by their parents. To help fill in the gap, here are a few of the practices I’ve picked up along the way or created whole cloth.

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Deep diving wedding astrology with half of the Astrotwins

We’re going to gossip about wedding astrology with an astrology pro who’s been in the biz for decades. I sat down with Tali Edut, and we gossiped about using the lunar cycle to pick your wedding day, super couples, and if Pluto could affect how polyamory shows up in popular culture.

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Why Offbeat Bride became Offbeat Wed

Hi, everyone. Ariel here, author of three editions of the Offbeat Bride book and owner of Offbeat Empire LLC. And as of today, I’m the publisher of Offbeat Wed, the new name of this here website.

OBB cover template alternative wedding ideas from Offbeat Wed (formerly Offbeat Bride)

How to ask for cash instead of wedding gifts in 2023

The past couple years have turned a lot of wedding traditions and wedding registry etiquette upside down — and here at Offbeat Wed, we’re here for it! If you’ve got questions about how to do a cash registry in 2023, we’ve got answers. Because while a lot has changed, you still want to be polite and respectful…

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Kick it with these colorful alternative wedding shoes

Here at Offbeat Bride, we have been talking about alternative weddings shoes for nontraditional folks LITERALLY FOR DECADES. I’ve been rounding up super bold unique bridal shoes since 2007, and as I’ve gotten older, my taste has only gotten weirder. Today, I’m going to share some of my favorite nontraditional shoes for 2022.

inclusive marketing for wedding vendors on offbeat wed alternative wedding ideas from Offbeat Wed (formerly Offbeat Bride)

Inclusive marketing for wedding vendors ready to be AWESOME

It’s 2022, and we like to think that wedding vendors know better than to assume that all folks getting married are straight, right? But when it comes to inclusive marketing for wedding vendors, remembering that some folks are LGBTQ is just the beginning…