Category Archive

Parties & Showers

Wedding showers for couples, wedding shower games, engagement parties, bridal showers, bachelor and bachelorette party ideas, rehearsal dinners, hangover brunches… we’ve got ’em all! Check out these alternatives to traditional wedding parties.

animal engagement party alternative wedding ideas from Offbeat Wed (formerly Offbeat Bride)

5 ways to throw a kick-ass engagement party

Did you just get engaged? Congrats! Now it’s time to celebrate. If you want to throw an engagement party, but you’re not sure what that entails… Or if your family is begging to throw one for you… Or you think engagement party = stuffy and awkward… Don’t stress! Here are some ways that you can throw a kick-ass engagement party that will make everyone excited to RSVP “yes!”

How to plan an engagement party as seen on @offbeatbride

I want NO BRIDAL SHOWER, but my future mother in law won’t let it go

My future mother-in-law has decided that she is throwing me a bridal shower. My wording there is intentional — she did not ask if I wanted one, she did not ask if my bridespeeps were throwing me one (they’re not, because they know I don’t want one), she Just Decided.

For many reasons, I’ve tried to be polite and just say “no thanks,” but she’s insisting.

I have no interest in this event, although I realize that it is very nice of her to offer to throw me one. How do I get out of this?

engagement party 2696 alternative wedding ideas from Offbeat Wed (formerly Offbeat Bride)

Manga-inspired engagement party: Come for the incredible DIY decor and rainbow cake, stay for the tutorials!

My fiancé Will and I celebrated our engagement with a shoujo manga (Japanese girls’ comics)-themed party, complete with DIY manga decorations, a magical cake, and all of our wonderful friends. Like many brides-to-be, I spent a ridiculous amount of time scouring the internet for ideas on how to decorate our small venue on a non-existing budget, as well as incorporate our nerdy little theme. Here’s a little recap of the decorations…

9777651556 64b4a0769e alternative wedding ideas from Offbeat Wed (formerly Offbeat Bride)

Doctor Who bridal showers are cool

Bridal showers can be awful and awkward. We’ve talked about all the ways to avoid the awfulness. Bridal showers can also be wibbly wobbly and timey wimey if you steal this Doctor Who bridal shower idea from reader Charlieheart.

IMG 7381 alternative wedding ideas from Offbeat Wed (formerly Offbeat Bride)

A girls’ guide to throwing a “surprise musical roast” bachelor party

When you’re a girl and your best friend is a guy, and that guy gets engaged, it just may fall on you to throw the bachelor party. That’s where I found myself a couple months ago. My best friend Erik was getting married and I wanted to throw him a kick-ass bachelor party. One of the groomsman suggested that we throw him surprise musical roast. As Erik, and all his friends, are amazing musicians this was the greatest idea ever. Only… I’ve never been to a bachelor party before, and I’ve certainly never thrown one. I fired off a panicked email to Offbeat Bride sponsor and friend Laura from [vendor-heart link="http://rebelbelleweddings.com/"]Rebel Belle Weddings[/vendor-heart] who helped me pull of the coolest bachelor party/surprise musical roast ever! Here’s how we did it.

7873603030 6fc3aeb860 alternative wedding ideas from Offbeat Wed (formerly Offbeat Bride)

How many activities am I expected to plan for out-of-town guests?

My fiance and I are getting married in Los Angeles, where we live. But almost all of our wedding guests will be traveling from out of town. What am I expected to plan for out-of-town guests? Would a brunch the day after the wedding be enough? Or should I try to plan activities?