Category Archive

industry insiders

The Offbeat Wed community includes hundreds of inclusive wedding industry pros who are all working to change the cynical, exploitative nature of the mainstream Wedding Industrial Complex. We invite our awesome offbeat vendor friends to share their industry insider tips with us and our readers — together we can change the wedding industry to be more inclusive, more offbeat, and more awesome! (If you’re an offbeat vendor, let’s get you in here!)

minted free address alternative wedding ideas from Offbeat Wed (formerly Offbeat Bride)

5 common mistakes when addressing & mailing wedding invitations

At one point, I spent about a year working on improvements to the code for postal address recognition (in a couple different countries; it’s customized a lot for each country, but the basic ideas and system are the same).  Based on that experience, here’s my advice to help your letters get where you want them to as quickly as possible…

arm wrestling in front of the officient alternative wedding ideas from Offbeat Wed (formerly Offbeat Bride)

Tales from behind the altar: The many roles of a wedding officiant

I am an officiant in the state of Georgia. Recently a bride asked me, “What do you do when you arrive at the venue?” and I had a time explaining it. So, this piece is about what a minister/officiant does before, during and after a ceremony. I thought perhaps this might help couples understand how it works from my perspective.

photo by deborah huber alternative wedding ideas from Offbeat Wed (formerly Offbeat Bride)

Shy photographers: dispelling the myth that your wedding photographer should be your BFF

As a photographer, I follow wedding blogs and often find advice recommending couples to hire a photographer that “could be your friend.” This is something that I find incredibly odd, and sometimes not very good advice. This is not to say that if you find someone who is amazing and outgoing that you should not hire them (us photographers come in all shapes and personalities). I’d like to offer a few reasons why you should consider not solely hiring “someone who you could be friends with,” and a few secrets that artists might not disclose every day…

photo taking time alternative wedding ideas from Offbeat Wed (formerly Offbeat Bride)

How to have an Unplugged Wedding without you or your guests freaking out

I know everyone wants to have their own photo with the couple, but when you multiply the time it takes by 150 guests, it can quickly eat up your whole wedding day.But I also know that the idea of having an unplugged wedding may freak you out a bit. What if the photographer doesn’t capture every single guest? What if people don’t get it? What if everyone judges your choice? Here are a few tips to assuage your fears of an unplugged wedding…