Goodreads Review: Offbeat Bride
Offbeat Bride: Taffeta-Free Alternatives for Independent Brides by Ariel Meadow Stallings
rating: 3 of 5 stars
I guess my review of this book can double as an announcement: Jordan and I have set the date for a tiny, quirky wedding on October 10th! Man, those are some words I never thought I’d say. Initially, I really wanted to elope, bypassing the whole wedding planning fervor completely. But he, fairly, wanted to include some friends and family into the hullabaloo. So instead of focusing on private, whispered vows, I’m turning to places like indiebride and offbeatbrides to provide some guidance into this daunting task: creating a big ol’ party in less than four months but also to still stay true to ourselves.
If you haven’t looked at it, the Offbeat Bride blog is pretty impressive–lots of resources, an active community, creative ideas, and plenty of “wedding porn” (photos). I was pleased to find blogger Ariel Meadow Stalling’s book at the library. In it, she discusses each stage of the wedding planning process in a brief, warmly written chapter. You get real insight into her own relationship and wedding.
Unfortunately, I think the information on the blog itself is presented in a much better, richer way. There are no photos here; the pages are thin and the font huge. It’s clear from her style of writing that these are lifted right off of a blog. What seems fun and engaging in blog format just feels a bit . . . well, childish, when laid out in very thin (2-3 page) chapters with huge margins. And she goes on a bit too much about her own wedding. You’re ravers. Your mom loves humanure. We get the point! It’s not that it’s not funny. Mostly, it just didn’t feel relevant. I want really want solid pointers, not anecdotes! Do I really have to hire someone to brew coffee for thirty people at the end of the wedding, or do I just buy a bunch of urns?! Or rent them? These questions weigh heavy on my mind right now, unfortunately.
My biggest qualm with her writing style, though, is to name drop other “offbeat brides” (friends?) without providing context. I guess these are connections she made through her blog, but that’s never really made clear.
Despite all of this, reading the book itself was reassuring–you can have a wedding that’s not part of the whole wedding industry behemoth. Though a lot of the stuff that Stallings talks about seems fairly self-evident, when you’re in the thick of it (and fielding questions about why you’re not getting a rabbi!), I suppose you can’t really be reassured enough.
Phoebe
Phoebe is a 20-something writer who lives in New York State with her husband and cat. She is a dork, not a geek or a nerd.
Her debut novel, Starglass, will be released from Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers in Summer 2013.
3 comments
If it's not too late to change your plans, have you thought about holding the ceremony inside a VORTEX?
Yes, give me do's and don't's, def!!!Pat, of course we've considered it, but Jordan gets vortex sick.