Who? What? Why?
The Broke-Ass Bride
The Broke-Ass Bride inspires and empowers you savvy, unique readers to make the most of what you have by using creative, outside-the-box ideas rooted in practical advice, to save your money and your sanity. From weddings to lifestyle and everything in between… we’re sharing the love and the know-how, kicking ass in every direction!
We’re all about bold and original approaches to weddings and budgets. Your wedding is a reflection of you and your partner; it should say something about what makes your love unique. And it is just one moment of your life, which should equally be a celebration of your spirit! I see so many people bury their heads in the sand and compromise their dreams… whether because its “easier” or “less expensive” or “its traditional” or “expected”. Ninja please! It’s YOUR day; you should do it YOUR way. And you can, yo!
The Broke-Ass Bride was born when I got engaged and realized how broke and befuddled I was! I started this blog to chronicle my journey from broke-ass to bad-ass, and it quickly blossomed into a true passion for me. But, don’t get it twisted – this site isn’t just about having little to no dough… it’s about being smart, sassy and confident enough to make the most of what you’ve got. The core concepts that helped me save on my wedding easily translate to the rest of life as well…. Because it’s not about how much you spend, its how you spend it!
Dana LaRue
Dana LaRue is the creator of The Broke-Ass Bride, a sassy and creative source for bad-ass inspiration on a broke-ass budget; and founder of Bride$hare, a social media network designed to help brides save green and be green through the sharing, swapping, and reuse of all things wedding related. Her savvy approach to weddings and money delivers entertaining and informative outside-the-box planning inspiration, and teaches readers of any budget that its not how much you spend, its how you spend it. LaRue is a founding board member and PR/Media Chair for the Southern California chapter of Wish Upon A Wedding, a new non-profit granting wedding wishes to people facing life threatening and terminal health conditions.
In addition to The Broke-Ass Bride, LaRue’s writing has appeared elsewhere in the form of guest blogs and regular contributions to websites such as Weddingbee, Elizabeth Anne Designs, and Eco-Beautiful Weddings (where she and husband Hunter Stiebel co-author a regular column, The Green-Ass Bride & Groom: Eco-chic on the Cheap), among others. She has also been featured in The Bride & Bloom, Southern Weddings, Get Married, Kentucky Bride and Destination Weddings & Honeymoons Magazines; and is a contributing writer for the Spring/Summer 2010 issue of Destination I Do Magazine.
She lives in Los Angeles, CA with Hunter and their muppet-dog/furbaby Paco, finds religion in melty cheese and margaritas, and is in the early stages of Diet Coke rehab.
Hunter Stiebel
Hunter Stiebel wrote a rap for his wedding about how he and his lovely Broke-Ass Bride fell in love, a few cats saw it on the interwebs, and next thing you know folks were calling him The Fresh Hubby. Hunter makes regular appearances on this here site, co-writes a column with Dana for Eco Beautiful Weddings e-zine, and has been featured in many super duper cool national E-zines and Magazines.
Outside of the wedding world Hunter rocks a bunch of fun and creative caps. As a classically trained actor, he has performed with several of the countries best theaters, including Chicago’s Steppenwolf, Milwaukee Repertory, Chicago Shakespeare and National Playwrights Conference. Now based in Hollywood, Hunter has appeared on several television shows, commercials, and independent films, in addition to writing and producing with the ridiculously awesome Bad Kid Productions.Being a New Yorker married to a Chicagoan, Hunter would like it publicly known that he misses good pizza (thus the famous urban legend: If you hear the wind in the trees crying for a slice and a 40oz…. Aye, it be The Fresh Hubby.) For a taste of something different check out www.HunterStiebel.com.
Liz Coopersmith - photo via B&G Photography
Liz Coopersmith has been a wedding planner and the owner of Silver Charm Events since 2004, and an event planner since the early days of the Clinton administration, which was a bit longer ago then she cares to think about. Liz lives in Los Angeles with her husband and dog, and is happy, content, and ready to serve. Just let her know what you need.
Brittany Hilgers - photo courtesy of Cakes & Kisses
Britt Hilgers works in television by day, and writes a blog called The Bowie Bride. By night she moonlights as Ziggy Stardust at a dive bar in Orange County. In short, she’s 3 parts writer, 2 parts tiger, and 1 part solid awesome. Britt is set to marry the love of her life on July 31st 2010… a day she and Future Husband Mike are affectionately calling, “Hitchfest 2010.” She doesn’t consider herself to be traditional, nor anti-traditional; she’s just a gal planning a wedding on her own terms. From the centerpieces on down to the favors, she and Mike are doing their very best to create an offbeat lovefest that is a complete expression of their personality as a couple. But Britt and Mike share a little thing in common with the Divine Miss BAB… they too play for “Team Broke-Ass.” Therefore, they’ve had to get a little creative with the execution of their unique vision. They soon learned that throwing an urban DIY wedding in downtown Los Angeles for 150 people ain’t cheap… and it certainly ain’t easy. So Britt’s here to share a few titillating tales of her peculiar journey towards the altar, hoping to inspire others to let their personalities shine on their wedding day… without blowing the bank in the process.
Broke-Ass Britt reporting for duty!
