What’s an Indie Wedding?

Indie Weddings, they’re the latest buzz – Esther and Davey’s backyard Indie wedding, Matt and Dana’s heartwarming, laidback rooftop wedding, Kara and Jay’s Indie Rocker Loft wedding – wedding blogs and mags are full of such descriptions.

But just what are they, and will they suit you?

Indie weddings are, in a nutshell, ‘rustic festive’.

They’re vintage, low-key, girls wear white sundresses with colourful shoes, and guys where button shirts, there are visible tattoos, you’re married by a good friend, food is subtle but wonderful because you all love food, music is merely an iPod with speakers (Morissey gets a look-in here), there are low-key and DIY decorations. Oh, and somewhere in there are mason jars (the type of glass jar used for canning or preserving food).

Which does not go a long way to describe an Indie Wedding, but you get the picture.

So, centrepieces become daisies in glass jars, wrapped with a light blue ribbon, beer is of the home brewed kind, the ceremony is usually unitarian, there aren’t bachelor or bachelorette parties – you’ll settle for something retro like a girls vs guys putt-putt match, or a pool party – friends of yours (who just happen to be professional photographers) take the photos, although you might also get hold of a photo booth where any guests can take pics of themselves, and add them to your photo spread.

Or you could try a backyard wedding with home-made sangria, freshly squeezed lemonade and a keg of beer, chips, salsa and guacamole. Decorate with balloons and flowers (in glass jars!). And a non-traditional cake. Or get a local deli or sandwich place to do the catering – they may even do it at a lower cost for the publicity. The gist of it is that it shouldn’t cost much.

It’s the non-wedding wedding style that has anti-brides in ecstasy. Indie is non-traditional wedding ideas with a twist, the idea being to break with tradition and send any idea of a pre-packaged banquet out with the virginal white dress and schmaltzy speeches. Instead it’s a revelrous party that is a whole lot of fun.

PS: your wedding invites are ‘save the date’ cards that you’ve made yourselves.