Who? What? Why?
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 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 empowers readers to use creativity as currency to rock a bad-ass wedding without breaking the bank. Because it’s not about how much you spend, its how you spend it!
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 Brides, The Bride & Bloom, Southern Weddings, Get Married, Kentucky Bride and Destination Weddings & Honeymoons Magazines and Destination I Do Magazine, as well as on several television networks. Dana regularly speaks about weddings, entrepreneurship and blogging at conferences both in the US and internationally.
She lives in Los Angeles, CA with Hunter and their muppet-dog/furbaby Paco, finds religion in Bob Marley and margaritas, and is in the early stages of Diet Coke rehab.
photo: JoAnna Wilson
Hunter Stiebel: The Fresh Hubby. Hunter 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: our Industry Insider. Liz 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.
Photo: Morrissey Photo
Dana Forman: our Frugal Fashionista. From Philadelphia, Dana F. is proud to represent the East Coast on BAB! She’s been working in search and social media for almost five years, but her true passion is blogging as the editor of budget fashion site What the Frock? and as Miss Sloth on Weddingbee. Dana is currently planning her colorful, eclectic, spring garden wedding on a budget and can’t wait to experience the whole shebang in May 2011. When she’s not glued to her laptop, Dana spends her time obsessing over things like sushi, Harry Potter, the Velvet Underground, her beagle Basil (rhymes with “dazzle”) and, of course, her husband, Aaron.
Christen Moynihan-Hunter: Our Real Weddings Woman. Christen and her husband, Leigh, hang their hats in Jackson Hole, Wyo., with their only-child hound, Hubert. She’s from there, he’s from Australia and landed there. They met when she kicked his ass at pool. He proposed just over a year later, at that bar on karaoke night. From there, they decided that the best way to spend their meager budget would be to make it a baller vacation with a wedding thrown in. And thus their 1950s-karaoke-nerdy-Hawaii beach bash was born. When not Internetting her brains out, drooling over weddingland, or updating her own blog, Christen straps on her snowboard, goes whitewater rafting, conjures up killer headlines for her local newspaper and just generally brings the awesomeness.
Dana Holler: Wedding Inspiration Warrior. Dana grew up in North Carolina and holds a business degree from Appalachian State. She now resides in Virginia with her fiance and works 9-5 as a project manager. When she’s off the clock, it’s time to get inspired, and her creative vehicle is blogging. Her website Cville Fashion is dedicated to fashion finds and style in Charlottesville, VA, where she currently resides. Besides style, her personal interests include vegetable gardening, sewing, cooking, and watching Mad Men. The very thought of Jon Hamm makes her weak in the knees. Dana keeps busy planning her own wedding, which she chronicles on her personal site, The Careful Bride.
Tori Ward: Can’t Afford It / Get Over It Goddess: Tori was born in the glorious state of Maine but relocated to Southern Virginia with her folks when she was just knee high to a grasshopper. She’s saving her dough to get back into the scholastic swing of things and finally earn her BA. Today, Tori works as a civil servant helping the intellectually disabled by day. But by night, she scours the web for ridiculously awesome prices on fab wedding finds! She’s kind of a girly Tom-boy Savings Ninja who admits to loving girly stuff but prefers to bum around in jeans, chucks, & a t-shirt. She loves all animals and is very family oriented.
Tori & her Dad own/tend a small horse farm in Southern Virginia. She met her fiance and his family through the equestrian world about 16 years ago. They’ve been dating for 10 of those 16 years! Her fiance, Trey, finally popped the question in June 2011 and they’re planning a small Broke-ass wedding in Sept. 2012! Savings Ninja skills and the patience of a saint!
Like some gals, Tori loves to shop. But she’s more interested in scoring an awesome deal than actually buying something. So, when it comes to wedding planning, Tori doesn’t want to stray from her penny pinching roots. Which is why BAB called to her through the interwebs! And she responded, “Hell, Yeah!” She’s chomping at the bit to bring you affordable and beautimous wedding things through your favorite column, Can’t Afford It/ Get Over It!
Britt: our Savings Maven. Britt was born at home on her parent’s living room floor in Lake Bluff, IL during the dead of winter. Right now you’re probably guessing that the only possible explanation for a baby having to be born on a floor was because her parents were snowed in. No. That would have been too normal of an explanation for her parents. Britt’s mother actually chose to birth her at home, because she was, as she puts it, “afraid of hospitals”. As for Britt’s opinion? Well, she contends it was due to her mother’s hippie roots, because, let’s get serious; wouldn’t the act of childbirth be made more frightening sans doctors and medical equipment and you know, general sanitation? But maybe that’s just Britt… the baby who was born on the floor. Cut to 28 years later: Britt is still alive and kicking. Well, less so “kicking” and more so writing. Britt works in the writer’s office on the TV show “Psych” and resides in Los Angeles, CA with her Teacher husband Mike and their two rub-whore cats, Moe & Lola. Mike and Britt tied the knot on July 31, 2010 in Los Angeles and documented the entire lovably odd wed-planning journey on Britt’s blog, The Bowie Bride.
Britt holds a BA in English from Arizona State University and a Master’s in Screenwriting from Chapman University. In the past, Britt has contributed to Rock n Roll Bride, Home Minders, and her personal blog The Bowie Bride was recognized as one of the Top 100 Wedding Bloggers in 2010 and 2011. Britt’s wedding was featured prominently on Rock n Roll Bride, in Photo Pro Magazine & her DIY bouquets were featured in Weddings Magazine UK.
Maddie: our Inspiration Queen. Maddie moved out to Los Angeles from Iowa after getting a degree in design. Realizing that she loved weddings, pretty things, and fun people, she applied to be an intern for the Broke Ass Bride. She’s getting her feet wet in the wedding industry, working for various wedding planners and learning about her favorite thing in the world, florals. When she’s not creating wedding inspiration posts, she enjoys playing with her Boston Terrier, Orson, decorating, indulging her obsession with Anthropologie, cupcakes, and mustaches, cooking, and waiting for her long term boyfriend to like it so much he puts a ring on it. She also likes to surround herself with other redheads….which is one of the many reasons she digs the Broke Ass Bride so much.
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