Category Archive

Real Weddings: Midwest US

There are some people who think offbeat weddings don’t happen in the fly-over states. These people will be surprised. Behold a few of our favorite weddings from the Midwest including Chicago weddings, Iowa weddings, Ohio weddings, Michigan weddings, and more. Submit your wedding for consideration via offbeatwed.com/submissions.

A "crafternoon" wedding with painting, melted glass, and a rooftop ceremony

A “crafternoon” wedding with painting, melted glass, and a rooftop ceremony

Our wedding was an all day event for all our family and friends. Our focus was art, making, adventure, and, of course, love. We planned a beautiful rooftop afternoon ceremony in Pilsen, at Lacuna Artists Lofts. This graffiti-filled, mixed use space was amazing and beautiful. It also got our small-town families out of the Loop. After the ceremony, we put all of our 100 guests onto chartered buses and took them to Lillstreet Art Center for four different art classes and snacks for a “crafternoon!”

Get the hankies for this bird-loving, double rainbow-blessed barn wedding

Get the hankies for this bird-loving, double rainbow-blessed barn wedding

Our wedding was rustic and relaxed. We are avid birders (in a really hip, appropriate-for-30-somethings kind of way), so we included small bird-related details wherever we could. We snuck feathers into our boutonnieres and centerpieces, our cake toppers were a sweet pair of lovebirds, our table "numbers" were antique-framed Sibley's bird postcards and each of us referenced our shared love for birding together in our vows.

A happily ever after for Maleficent & the Evil Queen

Villains in love: A happily ever after for Maleficent & the Evil Queen

BilliJo and Chasidie rocked their wedding theme to the fullest: a happily ever after for Maleficent and the Evil Queen, surrounded by other villians of all types, including a Darth Vader officiant!

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

A romantic Ohio forest elopement for two (with purple hair and smoke bombs!)

Kitti and Sean wanted a private and intimate Ohio forest elopement for two. They want it private, but they also wanted it to represent their style. Their photographer met them at the entrance to the forest at Pine Quarry Park in Reynoldsburg, Ohio. There was a private ceremony, a gorgeous cake, and a few stunning portraits (some with colorful smoke bombs — the groom’s idea!).

Let’s get a tiny look at this secluded Ohio forest elopement…