Am I still offbeat if I love white chair covers? (Hint: YES.)
Not long after I joined the Offbeat Bride Tribe, another member posted her feelings about the more traditional elements of her wedding. Ariel posted a reply stating that this issue comes up every year or so and she finds it’s best to let Tribe members figure it out for themselves.
Wise words, Ariel. I didn’t get it at the time, but the last six months have been a journey for me, a journey of discovery about myself, about my future husband and about the US we have created. If I could sum it up in one line, it would be:
I LIKE WHITE CHAIR COVERS AND I CANNOT LIE.
Why do couples borrow cultural elements for their wedding, and how can you do so respectfully?
Many Anglo-Americans have such a mishmash of culture that they have few or no traditions that hold significant meaning for them. Perhaps people are inclined to like culture, symbolism, rituals, and traditions. Maybe they seek these out in other cultures because they don’t have any of their own. Perhaps people seek to set themselves apart from a family or culture that they don’t wish to be a part of or celebrate.
Open expectations: stop wanting the perfect wedding
Since I got engaged, I’ve been saying that I have “open expectations,” a phrase I learned here on Offbeat Bride. (Correct use of the term “open expectations” could be something like, “My expectations are not low, they are open.”) At thirty-three days to go until my wedding, I’ve learned that the best thing about open expectations is this…
“It’s your day” as a myth, in the anthropological sense
As an anthropologist, Shrubby observes patterns of behavior for a living. So, of course she couldn’t help herself from using this finely-honed skill as she explores the wilds of wedding culture. In this guest post, Shrubby breaks down the idea of the “it’s your day” mythology and its implications and uses during wedding planning.