Wedding Blog

I’m a busy girl. I wish I had tons of time each day to sit down and click through all of the new stuff I’ve got in RSS, but I don’t. That said, there are some I rarely skip. I want to take a minute to share with you some of the sites that I do make a point to visit on an almost daily basis (aside from Weddingbee, of course).

These sites all focus on individuality, frugality, and/or non-traditional wedding elements. They’re not listed here in any particular order.

Offbeat Bride
Offbeat Bride is not just a blog, it’s also a book! I haven’t read it, but I would if I had time. Admittedly, a lot of the weddings featured on Offbeat Bride are a little too offbeat for my taste, but it really helps to see that so many couples turned their wedding days in to exactly what they wanted. The author, Ariel, says that “To me, offbeat isn’t about rebelling or showing the world how weird you are. Rather, it’s about questioning all the wedding visions you’ve been fed and to striving to create an event that’s an authentic reflection of you and your partner.” I can definitely agree with that!! There’s also the Offbeat Bride Tribe. Don’t be thinking you have to have visible tattoos and purple hair to be a member of the tribe. It’s a members-only forum with hundreds of supportive groups. (Examples: Quaker Brides, The Heavy Metal Bride, Ebay Addicts, Non-Legal Weddings, and my personal fave: Tiny, Small & Intimate Weddings). Join up! (And if you’re a member, PM me your username so we can be friends!)

Intimate Weddings
This is a really great starting point for couples planning a small wedding. Of course, small means different things to different people: I am having 7 guests at my small wedding, whereas you may be having 75 guests at your small wedding. But either way, this site offers some great resources (and inspirational photos) for brides planning weddings on the small side. Be sure to check out the “real weddings” section! Like Offbeat Bride, there is an Intimate Weddings book too. I haven’t read it, but if I had time for non-school-related reading I totally would!!

A Practical Wedding
I love this blog. It gives a much deeper look at wedding planning: it’s less about favors, budgets and eye candy and more about reflection, musings and experiences. In a sea of DIY and vendor-booking madness, sometimes that’s exactly what I need.

Rock ’n’ Roll Bride
This site is mostly pictures. Are you going to complain about that? Didn’t think so. Kat finds some of the best wedding- and engagement- p0rn out there and posts it on her blog. Weddingbee bloggers have been featured there before, including Mrs. Meatball and Miss Mouse.

A Backyard Wedding ($10,000),
2000 Dollar Wedding, and
A $10,000 Wedding
These blogs are each written by women who planned wonderful weddings with a serious (and some would say tiny) budget in mind. Even if you don’t do exactly what they did, you can gain inspiration from their beautiful and frugal weddings and find ways to make your big day fit in to a small budget.

The Simple Dollar
Okay, this isn’t a wedding blog. It’s a finance blog. But you can use this resource in three ways! First, read his posts (e.g. this and this and this) about wedding frugality. Second, consider the other money-saving tips and tricks Trent posts, remembering that saving money in one area of your life (e.g. at the grocery store) can free up money for another area of your life (e.g.your wedding or honeymoon)! Third, remember that after your wedding (yes, there is Life After Wedding!): You’ll be MARRIED! You’re probably aware that one of the number one things couples fight about is money. When it comes to the sometimes-difficult task of dealing with debts and combining budgets, it’s a good idea for both of you to bone up on personal finance, dontcha think?

What are your favorite blogs and wedding websites, and why?

(Keep in mind that if you post a bunch of links in your comment, it might be temporarily moderated. But be patient! I’ll show up once the Powers That Be determine that it isn’t spam!)