Category Archive

Wedding trends

While editing Offbeat wed, we look at thousands of weddings a year. Sometimes we notice trends — and sometimes we notice things that the mainstream wedding media SAYS are trends, that actually totally aren’t.

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Why the mason jar trend isn’t ruining the wedding industry

In the latest chapter of the on-going online discussion about hating trends and trashing wedding blogs, came this piece entitled, The Mason jar manifesto, wherein a photographer scolds couples, photographers, and wedding planners alike for putting effort into wedding details and trends like Mason jars and twinkly fairy lights. It’s been pretty well received by other photographers as well as wedding industry people, but I wasn’t a fan.

Maybe y’all will hate me and ride me out of the alternative wedding blogging biz on a rail when I say — details are the shit! Details make my day. Give me a great photo of some unexpected detail and I’m “dayum Ariel, did you check this out!? Let’s feature this asap.” You know why?

calculating the carbon cost photo alternative wedding ideas from Offbeat Wed (formerly Offbeat Bride)

Calculating the carbon footprint of a wedding

There are a great many carbon offset calculators out there… but there’s more to a wedding than just energy consumption, flights, cars, and hotels. There’s also all the STUFF, and food, and waste, and, and, and… The tricky part is finding a good tool to calculate the carbon. I’ve found three so far, but only one seems suitable.

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How to have an unplugged wedding: copy ‘n’ paste wording and templates

If you’re considering having an unplugged wedding but aren’t sure how to say it in a way that won’t piss off your guests, we’re here to help with copy ‘n’ paste wording ideas for your officiant, wedding website, program, invitations — and even some pre-designed printable signs you can post at the venue.

gueststakingpics alternative wedding ideas from Offbeat Wed (formerly Offbeat Bride)

The unplugged wedding: couples tell guests to put down their devices

Welcome to the era of the over-documented wedding, where even though you’ve hired someone to take photos, every guest has a camera and is live-tweeting the whole event. They’re there with you, but are they really present?