How important is it for people to say yours was the BEST WEDDING EVER?

Y’all know I loves me some data, and this little nugget from Splendid Insights is a hot nugget — turns out that generally speaking, almost 70% of us think having the BEST WEDDING EVER matters. Maybe it’s not the top priority, but it still matters.

What does this say about us?

Gen X vs Millennials: How Offbeat Brides of different ages are super different

In my work with Offbeat Bride, I’ve been around people planning their weddings for a decade. It’s to the point where I meet people (…adult people! People of very acceptable marrying age!) who are like “I’ve been reading you since middle school.” People have been reading this website since menarche, my friends!

As the years have marched on, I’ve started noticing this shift in weddings, that I think reflects a larger cultural and generational shift between my peers (which is sorta the tail end of Gen X) and my younger pals (aww, Millennials I love your beards and artisianal pickles). My undergrad degree is in sociology, so people-watching large groups is my favorite favorite in favorite town, and so pull up a chair and let’s muse on larger cultural trends, mmkay?

Real weddings for people who have “zero money” for their wedding budget

I could go on and on about us and how awesome your site is for people like us but here’s the real deal: we really have zero money for this. I just bought a house and we will have the wedding there — venue is covered — but the rest? The sites I can find for “budget” or “diy” wedding don’t share my definition of “budget” or “diy.” The “Broke-ass Bride” had an $8,000 budget. On my scale, that is not “broke-ass.”

Can you point me to an example of something from actually nothing? Please help!

OPEN THREAD: do I need bridesmaids and groomsmen, or can we just have shared attendants?

My partner and I don’t really have separate friends. We have a fabulous, shared group of mates of mixed genders from university — so how do we decide which of us got which friends on “our side”? I’ve seen tons of weddings with mixed gender bridal parties, but what about one shared party? Is that a thing? I want to avoid drama…