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Thinking outside The Knot
Christin Allen Gause/Fate Couture photo
OffbeatBride.com features unusual wedding ideas from real brides -- like this centerpiece from a Nintendo-themed reception.
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about learning to navigate TheKnot.com, the Internet's all-purpose clearinghouse for general wedding information, ideas and angst. Afterward, I heard from friends and readers -- brides past, present and future -- about their experiences with The Knot, which were as mixed as my own feelings about the site. Some said they couldn't have planned their weddings without The Knot; others found it useless, frustrating or overwhelming. Fortunately, the Internet is a great big town with lots of clubhouses. Here are some of the sites I've bookmarked or added to my Google Reader on recommendations from friends and readers who looked beyond The Knot: My friend Kelly, who's getting married this summer, recommended this blog maintained by wedding planners 100 Layer Cake. I like that the blog makes it easy to find posts in three categories -- real weddings, DIY wedding and events -- so I can get right to what I'm looking for. That said, this is not a stop-by-quick-and-get-what-you-need site. Are you familiar with the phrase "wedding porn"? Well, 100 Layer Cake is hard core wedding porn. Prepare to spend some time scrolling, slackjawed, through page after page of basically the most beautiful wedding photos from the most beautiful weddings ever. And then steal ideas like crazy. You may find 100 Layer Cake particularly helpful if you (a) have a lot of things lying around that you want to incorporate into your wedding but aren't sure how -- like Scrabble tiles, clothespins, or rocks -- and/or (b) you really like Dooce's design aesthetic. We were talking wedding planning at a recent gathering of Alaska Dispatch women -- our publisher's daughter is getting married this month, so I promise it wasn't all me hogging the conversation -- and Salena, our advertising webmaster, mentioned that she really loves Green Wedding Shoes. Someone at the table had an iPad, we picked up a wireless signal, and soon the group was gushing over this photo-heavy blog. Green Wedding Shoes is even better organized than 100 Layer Cake (looking for a backyard wedding? A vintage wedding? A whimsical wedding? They're all there, sorted into their own categories), and includes a broad selection of unique inspiration boards you won't find on The Knot. Like 100 Layer Cake and Green Wedding Shoes, Once Wed has plenty of wedding porn. There's more, though -- Once Wed's "wedding ideas" section is chock full of inspiration (as well as more unique, better laid out and easier to navigate than The Knot's image galleries, in my opinion), and the used wedding dress marketplace is mentioned on site after site as the best place to find once-worn and unworn wedding dresses at a discount -- and sometimes a steal (I just watched a Vera Wang go for $85).
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