The myth of the “gift grab”
In my many years of publishing a wedding website (and then four years of running a parenting website) one of the things that came up time and time again the concept of a “gift grab.” Maybe this logic used to make a little more sense during a time when most couples A) weren’t paying for their own weddings or B) weren’t living together before getting married. But back here in 2014, round these parts? 43% of us are paying for our own weddings. Why in the world would we spend money on a wedding (or even just a reception) just to get gifts?!
How my wedding planner saved me so much money that she paid for herself, and then some
One day I had plans to meet with a caterer and a photographer and my planner tagged along, and brought with her a second photographer for us to meet with. The moment the amazing, wedding planner-picked husband and wife photography team commented on my TARDIS-blue nail polish, I was sold — SOLD, I tell you — on a photographer that I would never known about if it wasn’t for my planner. Holy cow, did springing for a wedding coordinator just save me $2,550? Yes, yes it did.
Liquor guess-timation: how to creatively calculate your wedding alcohol
We have collected much wisdom from some of our super-savvy Tribesmaids. From how they got their guests to help make the decision, to what an actual wedding order looks like, a simple-to-understand rule, and even some advice as to what to do with the left-overs — we got ’em to dish their cocktail menu details. If you’re looking for answers to this same drinky dilemma, check out these helpful tips…
How much money are you willing to put into your offbeat-ness?
I’ve just started looking around at venue options, and I’m realizing that my dream venue (funky and yes, offbeat) is potentially going to cost us TWICE as much as this more traditional, kinda-boring venue that offers wedding packages. Thinking about this reminded me again that offbeat does NOT necessarily mean less expensive! Then it made me wonder how much other Offbeat Bride readers are willing to spend to pursue their nontraditional visions — versus going lower-budget for a more packaged wedding. Given that many corners of the wedding industry are set up with packages, how do you decide between an easy/low-budget package vs. a more expensive but more authentic offbeat vision?