Handmade Weddings: Depression-Era Hobo

Brilliant! So charming and beautifully done. Congrats to both of you and your endless creativity!

what a memorable wedding for you two and all that attended I am sure... so very creative and oh so comfortable!! very best wishes for many years of happiness

You do Little Abner proud!

Despite the rain, our October wedding was in a beautiful cottonwood grove. That's what umbrellas are for! If anyone is planning a wedding outdoors and doesn't like those ornate wedding arches (I can't stand them), we suspended sheer chocolate fabric panels between two trees. It was beautiful, simple, and suited our style much better. Wonderful post, thanks for sharing your special day!

What a fun celebration - exactly what a wedding should be! Many congratulations Brian and Sarah!

That is what a wedding is all about! Family,friends and the two of you! When did weddings becaome such a big ordeal? Most "average" people used to get married in simple ceremonies, even in their own backyards! Congratualtions, well done!

THIS IS AWESOME!

tingles! just perfect.

Very creative and just perfect, congrats!

I LOVE this! I recently used the tag "hobo" in my vintage shop for the first time. This wedding theme really "takes the cake"...adorable!

What a beautiful and joyous way to start a life together! Every little detail looks perfect.

Really wonderful. It looked like a great day. What a wonderful way to celebrate. Congratulations!

Love this...simple and true:)

This wedding is so cute and creative! Very inspirational, I love everything about it!

This has got to be one of the most heartfelt & beautiful weddings I have ever seen! How wonderful that you were able to have your day be as unique & creative as you both! Thanks so much for sharing it with us! :)

this was wonderful to read. congratulations :)

So down to earth. It looks like it was a great party. Congratulations! :-)

Sweetest little backyard wedding ever! I love it when folks don't take weddings too seriously!

What a great idea! Looks like it was a fun & beautiful day. I, too, had a nontraditional wedding and found it to be low-to-no-stress and easier to plan. Best wishes to you both!

This looks like it was SOOO much fun!!! Definitely makes me want to get married all over again and do it up right! Hobo style! :)

I'm not into wedding themes, or wedding in general, but this knocked my socks off. So creative!

This looked like so much fun. I love Hobo Style :) Congratulations - love the Golden Coffee Tin! Monica TheIDConnection

"Brown bags of popcorn and burlap sacks of peanuts"...I absolutely love it. Way to take a fun idea and create your special day with it. Looks like everyone had a blast!

that is AWESOME!!!~xx

wonderful. so glad to see how this went. I was so excited to hear your were doing a hobo wedding and you really pulled it off! congrats congrats congrats. and a yee hah too. jana

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so different! looks like it was great fun!

Love it!

Here's wishing you much happiness! LOVE IT! xo

Congratulations on making your day uniquely yours.A true celebration of life.

Oh my goodness I love the "football" sandwich idea! I hate how fussy weddings and receptions are expected to be. Even though everyone tells me I need to I am not going to have a receiving line at mine. I think they are unsatisfying for the guests as well as the wedding party. And yes my husband and I WILL manage to go around to everyone and say hello.

this story put a smile on my face!! it sounds wonderful, i had a real hippy wedding in 1974 ( yes, i'm still with the same guy) i hope you have a wonderful life, somehow i think you will :)

How sweet!

Looks like you had a blast!!! Congrats!!!

So charming!

that looks like so much fun! your guests will for surely remember the day! congrats!

I always found the traditional wedding stuffy this is a great idea! LOVE IT!

Looks like you two are off to a great start! Congratulations and best wishes for loads of happiness! I had no idea that hobo was short for homeward bound. What a lovely sentiment!

This looks prettier than a wedding I just saw on facebook... a friend of a friends $70,000 + wedding. Good for you! Congrats

beautiful!

wow. well done you two!. really impressed with all of that. looks so relaxed for everybody and fun. a real party. just exactly what a wedding should be. perfect.

thats too reckneck for me

What an adorable wedding! Great job!!

I wish I had attended this wedding! What fun! Congrats.

Weddings are about love, fun and family, in whatever shape or form it comes in. You can see in the photos the love and excitement in the air. An excellent wedding, thank you for sharing! I'll be smiling all day!

Absolutely adorable. Yours is one wedding your friends and family will never forget. Congratulations, and great article!

Delightful!

This is simply too rad for words..........

Gorgeous photos! And what *fun* this wedding looks like! Big congratulations to you and Brian, Sarah, and thank you for sharing this. xoxo

This is so amazing. What a wonderful idea...coolest wedding ever!

Brilliant!!! Best wishes:)

inspired to go on and look at the photographer's website, i was moved to tears by the photos left out of this story. The groom in tears as the bride approaches, so much emotion and love. xoxo

Oh my goodness this is such a fantastic wedding story! Your families and friends are so awesome to have participated wholeheartedly with your theme. Thanks for sharing ~ I can't wait to show this article to my husband, as I know he'll be totally jealous : )

How cute! Such an inspiration... :)

I am completely anamored by this story! The pictures themselves are better than 10,000 words. You really did it up good! The pictures look like they came straight out of the 30's! Except the gaunt haggard tired skinny faces are replaced by well fed, laughing loving ones! I love this idea! Thanks for sharing it with all of us.

That is freaking AWESOME!!! Congrats!

Wedding of the century (I know cause I was there!). The amount of togetherness and teamwork was enough to make anyone gush. One of Sarah's college friends decided to go sans-hobo. Funny thing is that she stuck out like a sore thumb because of the authenticity of the scene that Sarah set. My mother's house will never be the same. Can't believe how well Al's wood pile works! Thanks Etsy for taking the time to let my twin sister shine because she deserves it, not only because I tend to hog the spotlight, but because she knew what she wanted and never stopped short of her goal. Her new goal is, this is going to make me cry, to live happily ever after with the coolest dude- The Fabulous Mr. Box Brown.

Very unique and creative! What a happy time! Congrats!

That is AWESOME! Good for you all!

I love everything about this!!! so wonderful and unforgettable for you and your guests!

Really lovely.

Love seeing all these vintage dresses here! There's something so endearing about Depression-era style.... maybe it's the sense of pride amidst struggle..... but it's so lovely, and such a unique idea for a wedding! :)

I love every bit about this wedding - AWESOME! I wish a very abundant future for the happy couple.

We will be doing something similar for our wedding "Australian Style" Lovely! I love your creativity & hope ours turns out as amazing as yours look's! X

Just beautiful!xx

Such a special day. I am so happy for you, Sarah!

Looks like such a fun shindig! What fun vintage style.

Beautiful!

absolutely amazing!

love it !

Gorgeous photography!

Good for you! A wedding is a celebration of the personalities of two people, you are off to a great start. LOVE the pictures.

So wonderful! Thank you for sharing.

So wonderful! i wish you both happy, health, balanced life, congrats!

How fun! Congrats to the couple.

dreamy!

that's fantastic and inspiring! thanks for sharing and congratulations to both of you :)

Extra adorable. Congrats!!!

Love this! Congrats to you both and thank you so much for sharing your beautiful day with us.

Charming and fun! I LOVE the flowers in the handkerchiefs!

Oh! This makes me want to get married all over again! I'd marry the same guy, but allow ourselves to have much more fun. That is the most joyous celebration I have seen in a while.

Cute! Cute! Cute! Thanks so much for sharing!! Best wishes for a happy, healthy life together--

Congratulations to both of you! I had been hearing you on twitter do the count down but I had no idea you had such a cool theme! It's beautiful and you will certainly remember your special day.

This looks like the best wedding! Can't wait to share this with some friends who are planning a no-fuss ceremony

As I read your report, I found myself smiling from ear to ear! You guys have completely charmed me with your sense of fun, style and creativeness! Down the road, what a day it will be to look back on! Thanks for being such a day brightener...and congrats to you two adorable newlyweds! ~♥~

Wonderful idea! Wish I'd thought of it! It's important to embrace eras and histories that aren't as glamourous as others. I love this idea! And congrats to both of you!

There just aren't enough occasions where the phrase "attire is hobo casual" can be used :) Congrats you two and thanks for sharing your fabulous and creative wedding!

Aahh, i wish i was there, so beautiful.

"their shallow pockets" ... gotta love them! What a great idea for a wedding. It looks like a fun time was by all.

Simply wonderful! Congratulations and very best wishes, Sarah & Brian! MouseTrapVintage was a source of huge inspiration when I opened my first Etsy shop four years ago.

Ahhh! I totally love this :o)))) Amazing detail, great photos, and everyone looks beautiful. I'm so glad I got see this.

Cool. My fiance would be so happy to be able to wear his overalls to our wedding!

So creative, original and FUN! Big congratulations to you.

BeAuTiFuL Wedding...I smiled through Every Word read.... thanks for sharing :)

I can hear Tom Waits singing in the background.....

What a creative wedding, that's the way it should be family and friends pulling together for the ones they love....what a blessed event.... Happy Marriage to you both :)

So sweet and soo perfect!

hooray! congrats and what a fun idea. Your theme is darling and I love your outfits and everyone was so into it... great post! loved it!

Great photos and congratulations!

Congrats Sarah & Brian!! This is by far my favorite handmade wedding feature ever!

it's amazing when you throw out what you don't need ...especially a rule book...in return you get friend & family bonds-not-soon-forgotten-or-broken. Bless you both and the wonderful community that support you all.

neat wedding....great ideas!

Love the theme. So perfect for the times!

chic simple i love the back to basics feel and love for family you can see from this wedding...well done

Over the top! What a fun time everyone was having. Love was in the air and what a fantastic way to commemorate your special day! Thanks for sharing and the best to you both.

Great story and lovely pics. So awesome:)

Love it! Very creative! Congrats!

I love these features! What a beautiful, unique and joyful day! Congrats!

This is the most fabulous wedding I've ever seen! Congratulations!

This is ridiculously cute! Congrats to both of you! :o)

Love it! My favorite image is of the two women in front of the quilts. Lovely!

Congratulations!! What a great wedding. It's so much more special and memorable when you have a wedding like this!

What a memorable day! Absolutely charming and original! Congratulations to you both.

Congratulations! Absolutely the coolest wedding ever!

sooooper cool:) i hope you guys danced to some granpa jones best to yas:) ps loved the hobo bouquets!!

Just a fantastic idea.Congratulations on your wedding! I wish you a very happy marriage :) The photos were all just AMAZING. Loved the tent you all set up.

I love your wonderful idea!!! Congratulations on your new life together. I love the invitations :)

So cute!

Such a beautiful, joyful, unpretentious wedding! Congratulations to you both, and thanks for sharing!!

Oh this is so fabulous! The theme is fantastic and in case any readers haven't clicked on the photographers's link, you are missing all those wonderful photos. I especially love the black and white ones...takes you back in time perfectly! Wishing you a wonderful and fun filled life, just like the fun of your wedding day!

What a cute idea! I love it! Congrats to you two!

truly unique wedding. congratulations :)

Such a neat idea! Having a traditional wedding just because it is expected is so...bleh. The couples getting married should do ONLY what THEY want and nothing more and nothing less. Congrats on being yourself. You are inspiration! :)

I am normally not interested in the wedding blog posts-but this one grabbed me hook, line and sinker. I very much enjoyed reading this post, and the photos of the celebration are wonderful!

What a fabulous, creative idea!!! Thank you for sharing the details of your awesome wedding. You had the most important ingredients - laughter, family, friends, fun and love! Best wishes on your new life together!

I would never have imagined this theme being so welcoming and pretty! I love the quilt backdrop.

What fun! I just love personal weddings like this. Enjoy your new life together.

What a novel and unique idea! So tired of the crystal wedding trees and blah.blah,blah! It's you're party,do it the way YOU BOTH love! Way to go!

Everything's Rosey....Everything's Jake ! So sweet...So clever..... What a delight ! this is really the second best wedding ever..... ;-) besides mine to the loveliest guy ever... ;-) Marriage is the best sweet adventure....

Now THAT's beautiful!

So genuine and heartfelt....I love this! Thank you so much for sharing the story and photos :)

beautiful!so sweet!

That has character beautiful

Ugh!! It is amazingly refreshing to read about your wedding!! I deal with TONS of brides, given that I plan weddings and I'm 27 so it seems like everyone I know is getting married. Sometimes I absolutely cannot believe the lack of focus on the purpose of the wedding while couples are planning. To the contrary your wedding stems from a time of limited necessities, if people could even get those! I just love the idea of throwing all the expensive and many times forgetful traditions of the modern wedding out the door and going back to a time when people were thankful for what they had and the weddings were beautiful because of what they symbolized instead of what they cost. This is so inspirational, and although I don't know if I'll have an era themed wedding, one day I hope to have a simple celebration like this. Just get all the family and friends together, decorate myself (with the help of my massive family:)), grow my own flowers and be thankful that so many people love me and want to share in the celebration. I've never met you, but you truly seem to share a beautiful love for one another. Thank you so much for sharing!

that looks like an amazing, fun, beautiful wedding and my kind of party. I plan on having a maque ball themed wedding in which my guests will be encouraged to come in a pre-1950s costume of their choice from any culture. We plan on having tables that represent different eras and have masks that my ladies, mother and I will decorate by hand. The food will be a bbq buffet with steak, chicken, potatoes, garlic bread... I can't wait to really start planning it in earnest but we're over a year away from it!

This was with so much heart!

such a cute idea for a different wedding!

delightful!

The most beautiful wedding I've ever seen!

Sarah & Brian, congrats on your wedding! And what a marvelous fun event you've put together - love the hobo theme, and yes, the homeward bound origin just makes it that much more heartwarming, ah. You've detailed the theme so beautifully across every aspect - enjoyed poring over all your pictures, especially the invitation! Wish you both love and laughter always :) - Suzanne

This was wonderful! I'll bet everyone had a fantastic time! Congrats!

What an awesome idea!!!! All the best to you both:)

amazing!! Love it!! :D

I enjoyed reading about this very unique wedding and I send my congratulations to the happy couple. They have made wonderful memories which shall always be cherished.

What a FABULOUS idea for a theme. Perhaps I'm a bit biased as I'm finishing up and ready to list my Dust Bowl Glimpses paintings soon. The photographs are stunning -- they capture so much of the detail that went into planning your wedding. Congratulations!

Congratulations! This was wonderful!

What a beautiful day! I always love old wedding photos myself, people made do with what they had and it was all about the sentiment rather than the statement.

Well Done Sarah & Brian, most blokes would be damn jealous of Brian looking so calm and comfortable in his overalls on his wedding day! We only spent $3000 on our wedding which was vintage recycled, right down to the ensemble I wore, which was my great aunt's racing outfit from the 40's. We restored an old Hillman Superminx from a paddock that we bought for $50 in a and drove to the reception. Weddings need to be all about heart - and yes, I can hear Tom Waits playing in the background too!

SO AWESOME! We have said many times that we wish we would not have been sooo traditional boring. Now this is a wedding that you would not dread going to! JUST AWESOME!

Congratulations on the wonderful wedding, so creative, down to earth and just fun! That guy in the tuxedo t-shirt is the best!

Congratulations!! Awesome :D

OMG! Amazing. My hubby and I did the Vegas thing to make it easy for everyone. This actually makes me want to get married again just so I can have this great party!

Oh I just loved this wedding idea! So sweet and lots of things to make and do to prepare. Lovely. Best wishes!

What a brilliant idea, so original and I love the clothes.... I was married on my 40th birthday in July this year and all the guests thought they were coming to my birthday party, the wedding was a total surprise to all except closest family! Not a handmade event, but a bit original, in a massive ex Monastery!

I am so inspired by your story and your charming wedding. I love your originality and the sense of fun, after all a wedding is meant to be a celebration! I wish you joy, happiness and peace for the future.

Year hahhh........love the theme....great outfits

How wonderful to see these lovely photos again and read the story behind them. It looks so beautiful Sarah and I wish you and your hubby all the best :)

Beautiful theme. Love it.

Such a great idea! A nice celebration to remember!

I am in the process of planning my own wedding & like you we are on a tight budget... I love what you did here, it is inspiring! We live in Brooklyn NY so everything is expensive.. But I have done my best to hand craft (& buy from Etsy!) every decoration... our entire family is cooking something pot luck and I am making my own wedding cake. I look forward to our party & I am proud of our combined efforts. I think I will enjoy my wedding more - simply because we are not wasting money. Thanks for sharing your story!

I bet that was a fun wedding! Thank you for sharing!

Absolutely fantastic!!! What a memorable occasion you created!

LOVE THIS! It's all about old school and handmade for me too! Getting married in April....and crocheting all the flowers! and constructing vintage fabric patchwork tablecloths! It takes a lot of time to be this cheap! I'm gonna spring for the bouncy castle though! Looks like all the hard work pays off though! Thanks for sharing your story. I really enjoyed it.

Endless talents displayed at a beautiful & meaningful event. Wish I could have been there. Look liked tons of fun. Thank you for sharing.

Absolutely WONDERFUL! You captured the era perfectly. Truely beautiful and unique. I'm sure you and your guests will never forget it! Thank You for sharing this with us:)

So creative! I love this wedding! So personal and so fun. I love the "untraditional" route this couple took - it was a wedding I'm sure all thier guests will remember for years to come. Thanks for sharing!

Wonderful idea!

I love the fact you kept things so original... Looks like you all had a ton of FUN. That's exactly how a wedding should be....

Thank you all for your wonderful comments! It's really moving to hear so many people's reaction to our special day. I only wish you all could have been there! And, yes, our band played my favorite Tom Waits song at my request, " Come on Up to the House"... :D

Hands down one of the best themes - and executions!

good for you for creating your own dream for your special day! Sounds like it was lots of fun!

This is just soo precious and trully what the value of a wedding should be. Congrats on your special day!

Amazing! It looks like your wedding was exactly what you wanted it to be, and a lot of fun! Congrats!

Sarah has always had amazing taste! Congrats to the beautiful bride! Thank you for sharing this.

Wow. That is an awesome wedding. I totally wish I could have come!

Awesome!

that is the coolest, most beautiful theme for a wedding ever!!!

Absolutely charming! congratulations to the newlyweds!

I am not really a fan of attending weddings or actually being in them. Please forgive me. But, their wedding looked like a bunch of fun. Nothing stuffy. And, they both have great hair! Love it!

Love this wedding photographer! I went through your whole blog, awesome photos!

Congrats to you both and I wish you a wonderful life together. Looks like you have had just a fab start. What a creative and wonderful wedding that actually looked like FUN instead of the dreary, boring, overpriced excuses for a celebration nowadays. For that's what a wedding is - a celebration - too many forget this in their quest for the most expensive dress, blah blah blah.

OMG! This is awesome! What creativity and fun!

My favorite wedding to date!!

Pure joy. Love this idea, and the photos are great! Everyone is smiliing - what could be better!

AMAZING!! Wish you both the best!! I love this style!! <3

This is such a fantastic idea! Chelsea did the photos for our wedding, so seeing her name in that lower right corner was almost as much a treat as getting to see this fabulous wedding. What a fun way to celebrate!

This whole article makes me so happy! When my husband and I decided to get married we both kept it as simple and basic as possible....a bbq at a park with friends and family. We spent our reception playing horseshoes!!! Im so happy for you both and wish you a lifetime of happiness. Thank you for sharing!!!!

Amazing I love everything about this!! Beautiful photos as well, thank you so much!

What a wonderful theme! It looks beautiful!!:)

I first saw these pics and read about this story from Sarah, then from Maria's blog, now here....I've cried every time.

LOVE this! So creative!

WOW what a wedding I liked your choice

one word: GORGEOUS! What a legacy you will have with your wedding captured in those pretty photos. Congratulations as well!

just beautiful, congratulations to you both

LOVE this idea. simply beautiful.

Such a fun theme!! Thanks for sharing!!! Congrats!

It seems this wedding was a lot of fun! Lovely pictures!

Congrats and how brilliant!

My kind of wedding. Love love love. I want to throw a Hobo party!

Just PERFECT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

dare to be different. i love it! wishing you a lifetime of happiness.

Very creative. Beautiful pictures.

great idea!

What a fun wedding :)

Love it! Looks like everyone had a blast! Wishing you a lifetime of fun and happiness in your marriage.

What a beautiful concept and great spirit and love behind it all! Much love to you in the years ahead! Just beautiful!!!

Fantastic and PERFECTLY done!

I could feel the love and happiness from this wedding through this article! If I was married to my sweet husband of 33 years again-this would be the wedding for us. Thank you for sharing.

this is the most creative and awesome looking wedding I've seen!

What a fun and creative wedding idea. Thanks for sharing your story I love your images. How are you going to make your wedding album. That would be fun to see.

One look at the green shutters on the house I thought That's Chester County PA ! Cool Wedding !

Thank you for sharing! I see more and more brides w/ this style every day! Thank golly! :) www.sweetcookie.etsy.com

this is so fabulous! i want my wedding to be like this! i'm tearing at how pretty and sweet this was! congratulations guys!

So clever and charming. Love it and congratulations ♥

How beautiful and inspiring, we wish you much love, happiness, moonshine and laughter!

How fun! Congratulations!

This is such a great idea! So refreshing and fun! I think this really reflects what the true meaning of a wedding is all about-loved ones! How great! I'm ever soooooooo tired of the strapless buxom (boring...yawn) wedding gown in the country club setting (NO offense at all to anyone-I was one of those brides!) I wish I was this creative with my wedding-I'm an artist for Pete's sake! Let's all try to be this creative...OR I do think that the Royal Wedding of Kate and Will was ever so Heavenly! One or the other-but never in between!!!!! No more Strapless I say :-) okay, only pretty vintage strapless.

Wow, looks like it was so much fun! What a fun idea and I love "hobo casual." Congrats!

absolute perfection! i love the casual wedding trend. out with tradition and in with fun lovin good times!

You are incredibly creative! What a beautiful wedding you had!

Loved it! I love theme weddings! Too cute. Much happiness to you both. xoxo

you guys are awesome. congratulations :)

amazing! congrats to a hometown couple! (northern Liberties!)

I helps to have such a cool location and great weather to pull off your theme too. Your pictures make me wish I was there! PS. Congrats on the nuptials!

Unforgettable. Much happiness to you both.

That was great! Happiness to you both always...

wow. I just love it. what a fabulous idea and so beautifully done. congratulations. we wish you the very best. thanks so much for sharing.

Very cool!

I love it. You are my newest heroes!

I love this idea!

CRAZY CUTE!!

very cute ! congratulations!

OMG--that may be the best wedding theme I've ever heard of!

Such a fun theme!!

We went for a depression era "farm lunch" theme for our wedding. I used a reproduction feed sack fabric for table runners. I love feed sack so much I made a tie and am selling it in my shop!

Great idea's! Way to go - save all that money, put it into something else OR you don't have to take a loan and be paying your wedding off for years! Lovely photo's as well! Thanks for this very interesting article!

THE cutest! And congrats!

GASP! Love it all... congratulations on your obviously so joyful marriage!

Such a sweet read and beautiful pictures, thanks for sharing and all the best to you two!

How wonderful! A wedding should be a reflection of the couple and their love for eachother and clearly, you nailed it. I'm obsesed with feedsack! Having already been married for 19 years, I'm thinking maybe I'll use your inspiration and redo our vows for 20 with a similar theme. My husband would love it!

Oh my goodness, I love this so much!!

WOW! I am planning my own handmade wedding this september and YOU HAVE INSPIRED ME in so many ways! The pictures of the moment the groom saw his bride melted me! Many many wishes of LOVE AND LUST forever! <3

WOAH. just saw this, I have the pleasure of having befriended Sarah through Etsy & Twitter... and can I just say: SO AWESOME.

cheers to this, wish I could attend.

Amazing!! I love this story! Thanks for sharing. My wedding involved butcher paper lanterns so I can relate :D

omg that is utterly fantastik!!!!!!!!! congratulation..and many happy years:)

AWESOME idea ! Very inspired ! Beautiful story !

Such a creative couple!

This idea is sooo cool! I wish I had been more inventive when I got married! Seems like a match made in hobo heaven!

You do realize that the actual depression was horrific for anyone who lived through it, right? My sig other's grandmother, who is 93, lived through that era and she has no desire to go back, ever. My own Grannie, now deceased, had to live with her husband and their kids (which they had in their 20's) in a literal shack while they were tenant farmers. They carved a living out of the hills for themselves by eating and buying as little as possible, which if you think about it means you eat maybe once a day and never get new things that weren't made by your own hands. And no, it wasn't about crafting. It was about staying alive another day.

Still doesn't beat this themed wedding: http://jezebel.com/5820577/colonial+themed-wedding-included-authentic-all+black-servant-staff

You have got to be kidding me.

Don't everyone fall over themselves with the "great wedding idea" theme. Yeah...let's celebrate poverty and people's suffering! Facepalm.

Wow, I wish my grandparents could live to see this. They LOVED the Great Depression, it was ggggrrrrreeeeeeaaaaattt!

The depression was a time of so much pain, sadness and suffering, this theme seems shameful to me.

Yay! Being poor is awesome.

I'm shocked than anyone would enthuse about pretending to live the way some people still have to, just around the corner.

Do you have any idea how tasteless this is? Clearly you don't. Yes, forgoing the crazy, over the top weddings that seem to be in fashion these days is very welcome. Making light of poverty, not so much.

Wow, poverty. Awesome. Can we see a famine theme next? Have people become so self-absorbed that they have lost all common sense and humanity?My grandfather nearly starved to death as a child of the depression and I grew up hungry in a shotgun house and was a homeless teenager. So, please forgive me if I don't see how adorable this is supposed to be.

Nothing wrong with a cheap wedding, using vintage and recycled stuff or having a wingding on a budget --BUT-- calling it a "hobo" (AKA "homeless") theme is really insensitive to people who lived (then and now) as homeless people. Why couldn't you have asked people to dress down or "come as you are" rather than demanding specifically that they dress like transients? Very insensitive. It would be easy to do this without dragging hobos into the mix.

aren't the homeless quaint? isn't poverty utterly charming?

I don't get this. When "real" poor people put together weddings on a shoe string budget nobody thinks it is quaint/cute, they are just poor people who got married with very little. You spent more on this "hobo" theme than most people do to just get married.

While I congratulate you and hope you have a long, healthy marriage, I find this theme to be disgusting and thoughtless. There was (is) nothing fun or cute about hobo life and this feels like a middle class mockery. Look at how cute the starving destitute were!

::rubbing my eyes:: Is this for real?

So mocking the homeless is trendy now? Boy am I behind the times...Have a vintage wedding if you want. But this whole Depression Era Hobo thing? No. Just no. I am sorry, I don't see what so many of you find so special about this. I am not doubting this couple's love or anything like that, but the fact that they turned homelessness and poverty into a wedding theme is just...wrong.

Regretsy is right. I thought insensitive "Hobo parties" were left behind in the 60's...

Congrats! :D Looks like a fantastic fun day for everyone! Thank you so much for sharing :)

I appreciate the idea of a simple and intimate wedding, but glamorizing the Great Depression and poverty is tacky.

Golly-gee, homelessness is SO in right now!

this is horrific, disgusting and completely offensive. shame on etsy for giving this any sort of praise.

I guess I fail to see the charm in pretending to be dirt-poor and homeless. When did "hobo" become a "style" to imitate? Sounds like Zoolander's "Derelicte" has come to life on Planet Etsy.

i think a definition is in order: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hobo "Life as a hobo was a dangerous one. In addition to the problems of being itinerant, poor, far from home and support, and the hostile attitude of many train crews the railroads employed their own security staff, often nicknamed bulls, who had a reputation for being rough with trespassers" .

Oh yes, the Depression was a wonderful time, the era that inspired my grandparents to do things like eat their children's pet chicken and compulsively hoard canned goods! Why didn't I think of styling my own wedding after a time of 25% unemployment and misery?

You're kidding, right? Making light of poverty is "cute", "sweet", "wonderful", "creative", etc.? You could easily have had a "country" wedding or some such without romanticizing what was an incredibly hard and ugly time in American history. This is NOT cool.

What will hipsters think of next? Let's hope it is the LAST hobo-themed wedding in history.

Please tell me you made a donation to a hunger charity.

What a beautiful and meaningful idea! I am completely enraptured by the concept. And in times such as ours I think that this type of wedding is very meaningful

this is in VERY poor taste, and I am frankly embarrassed for them. how hard is it to make an era-based wedding without making a mockery of human suffering?

My grandfather grew up during the depression.. he and his 2 siblings had to get full time jobs at 5,7 and 8 years old so they could help support their 5 person family and farm... and they lived in a one room log "house". I mean, congrats on getting married, but could you have picked a less insensitive theme?

Poor people everywhere are feeling all warm & fuzzy knowing their misery was a source of inspiration for your most joyous day. You've truly done a great thing for humanity, such magnanimity I've seldom witnessed.

Because being so poor you can't even afford a roof over your head, or know where your next meal is coming from is romantic? Someone needs to read more John Steinbeck. I really hope the bride and groom followed up this wedding by volunteering at a homeless shelter or soup kitchen or the like. Or, failing that, asked the guests to donate to charity rather than give gifts.

it REALLY is a bum out that this couple (along with 300 etsy users) equate being poor and the great depression with some sort of norman rockwell style charm. get a clue.

I just have to say, before everyone starts saying that all who disagree with this and find it in bad taste is only saying so because we want big fancy white weddings, I personally do not. If I don't end up with secret marrying in a courthouse, then I will do it in the park by my house, with clothes I likely already have. Nothing fancy, and certainly nothing offensive. Just a party between close friends and family. Probably a potluck.

hobo, boho, hipster, it's all just a slip of the tongue.

This appears to be a low-stress wedding with all the fun without the "glamorous" hassle!!

I love that you did an era wedding, but this really is pretty offensive. :(

Omigod, I LOVE making fun of homeless, starving people! As long as there aren't actually any at the wedding...that would be a real downer.

Good thing you and your guests could "eat your fill" of bbq and pie, because real hobos sure couldn't.

This is so offensive. If Etsy admins had any sense (which they've already proven in the past they don't) they'd delete this and issue an apology for featuring such a tasteless affair. Shame on everyone involved in this wedding and those praising it!

One of the photographers who documented the depression.... Dorthea Lang March 1936....I saw and approached the hungry and desperate mother, as if drawn by a magnet. I do not remember how I explained my presence or my camera to her, but I do remember she asked me no questions. I made five exposures, working closer and closer from the same direction. I did not ask her name or her history. She told me her age, that she was thirty-two. She said that they had been living on frozen vegetables from the surrounding fields, and birds that the children killed. She had just sold the tires from her car to buy food. As siblings whose parents lived through the depression, we read books with quotes like the one above. Some how celebrating a time of disaster at a wedding is pathetic. Did you ever see the 1991 documentary of a real hobo wedding? The groom died from lack of medical care soon after.

Although I love the photos and the obvious work that went into this, the theme is pretty offensive. I think this could have just as easily been a farm or country wedding, and it would have been cute AND tasteful.

My great grandfather was a dentist during the great depression and the only way most of his patients could pay was with livestock, eggs, milk, veggies, or family heirlooms. It was one of the worst periods in the US to live through and it changed an entire generation. While I fully applaud resourcefulness and penny pinching, glamorizing starvation and poverty seems like a "poor" and appalling choice. When the you-know-what hits the fan and you're reduced to eating beans from a can or mending your own garments, you might understand how your celebration might be offensive to a whole lot of people. Congratulations, and I hope you have some better sense in the future.

Poverty is TOTES ADORBS!

This is totally tasteless and offensive. At a low point in my life, I actually was homeless, and spent a lot of time wandering the streets and sleeping on buses because it was the only nearby source of warmth. Being a young girl, I was constantly harassed by older men. I met women who were pregnant and barely eating. I only managed to buy food because I still had a credit card, but I soon hit the limit and I'm still struggling to pay off that debt, several years later. I only got out of that situation because someone let me crash on their couch until I found a job. There is absolutely nothing glamorous about being homeless. There is nothing trendy or chic about it, and celebrating it is just heartless.

This is so sweet! Way to stay true to your heart! Congratulations!

It just doesn't get any better than this!

too bad my comment will just be deleted soon, but i agree with all the other sane people - this is in terrible taste.

My mother was orphaned during the Depression - and my father-in-law and his brother had to live with (separate) relatives because they would have otherwise had gone hungry. My father's family was relatively well-off - my grandmother walked into her kitchen one morning to find a desperately hungry person stealing food. The Depression was a national tragedy - not something to be made light of or celebrated in any way.

First, congratulations on your wedding and I wish you both a long and happy marriage. Unfortunately I find the "hobo" theme to be rather distasteful. I enjoy themed weddings and you could've had a lovely 1930's themed wedding without the hobo theme.

I think you are facing a lot of criticism here after it's post to regretsy, so I want to say that your aesthetics were really great and the wedding beautiful, It seems you got a bit wrapped up in yourselves ( like all weddings seem to be), and that it had not occurred to you that this could be offensive. Those who have said a farm wedding or country wedding would be fine are right. It looks like you did the wedding on a budget, but there is also a sense that you have no empathy for those who actually are, or have been, homeless. To play homeless, or HOBO, and make light (even fun, if you will) of it, is pretty insensitive. I think you've struck a nerve because of that.

I don't want to live on this planet anymore....

Congratulations on getting married with a themed wedding when so many people in your country can't afford to, or are barred from being married by law.

I read the whole article. Did I really read that she said "hobo chic"? Wow. And that this whole debacle was inspired by her grandmother because she had served sandwiches at her wedding in the 40's? This could have been a lovely wedding if she had stuck to a "Bluegrass Barbecue" theme. It would have been the same wedding without tastelessness.

This kind of reminds me of how Marie Antoinette had a fake farm village built at her palace grounds so that she could dress up and play milkmaids.

Your wedding looks like it was a lot of fun for both you and the guests. The period theme is something that most attendees will remember for years to come. However, I find it hard to believe that "Once the theme was decided, we got to work researching the Depression era and hobo culture." There seems to have been very little authentic research done. This period in time, especially for true hobos, was not a pleasant one. My grandfather had to drop out of middle school and work on a farm, picking beets with his parents and nine siblings. That was the last time he ever went to school. And what happened to his family wasn't even as bad as things got. Some people had it much, much worse. Trying to romanticize this period in history is a bit callous towards those who actually lived it. It would have been a bit classier to simply call it a Depression Era Wedding. Adding the "hobo" theme just pushes it over the edge from 'unique' to 'slightly offensive'...

It amazes me how many comments point out how "cute", or "fun" this is. I find it unbelievably offensive. I'm all for going back to basics, but this is ridiculous. It is possible to save money and have a different kind of wedding without poking fun and making light of such a horrific time.

I googled her blog. In it, she gives a link to Wikipedia's definition of a hobo. The first line: A hobo is a migratory worker or homeless vagabond, often penniless. Great them for a wedding!

It's like the "Derelicte" collection in Zoolander, only that was intentionally insensitive.

Very poor taste.

so jealous

Alright, I'll bite since no one else seems to have asked it... how much did this wedding cost you? Considering the average cost of a wedding is $27k and you did a lot of "vintage" and "hobo" stuff, I'd love to know how much you actually saved with this theme. I'm planning a wedding myself on a very small budget. And I think what everyone is getting up in arms about is the hobo concept. Trying to make such a sad and depressing thing cute is where the offence lies. Had you labelled it something else, I seriously doubt you'd have such a mob of hate right now.

chickpea981 - according to the groom's twitter account it costs about $100,000. http://twitter.com/#!/boxbrown

Look how cute it is to pretend we're poor? As someone who actually grew up POOR (I didn't understand the concept of "bedroom" until I was ten) this is a horrible and incredibly offensive for a "theme". Only someone who has never really wanted for anything would think up, or think it's "cute".

Creepy. I'm sorry, but this really is creepy. A friend of mine did a beautiful on-the-cheap wedding. She rented a tent, some chairs, some tables, a dance flloor. Cooked a bunch of food with some wonderful neighbors. Roped the neighborhood high school kids into donning black and white t-shirts and shorts to serve tne food and drinks. Put the gifts in a canoe surrounded by flowers. Had her sister and brother-in-law play the music for the ceremony. THAT'S a do-it-yourself wedding. This? This is glamorizing bonecrushing, horrible poverty with more money than those hobos could possibly dream of seeing.

i think the wedding looks cute until you scratch below the surface of exotifying poverty and/or homelessness (since let's be real, that's what hobos were). like, hobo-chic and hobo-casual make me want to bash my head into my desk. it sucks because it's obvious a lot of thought went into the aesthetics for this event and a+ for effort and all that, but not a lot of thought was put into the whole concept of what the Depression was and/or how -not- awesome it is to be homeless.

i guess what i'm trying to say is that if it had just been 30's era farm style or something, it would've been adorable. but "homelessness-wheeeeee" bothers me

So, please let me get this straight...you had a wedding theme glamorising poverty and hunger in the guise of 'hobo culture'? While I extend a heartfelt congratulations to the two of you for your wedding, why on earth would you pick such a theme, much less blog about it? Hunger and poverty are no laughing matter and are in fact a stark reality for many Americans. My mother's small town church had so many hungry people and families asking for food that they had to build a food bank and came up with an idea to leave coolers of food around her small little town filled with canned goods that anyone can take. Hunger is real as is poverty.

That's exactly what I was saying earlier. I'm planning a budget, vintage-y wedding in a barn myself, but the word "hobo" won't be entering into it. The homeless are not meant to be trendy.

I thought the same thing. Just like "Derelicte." Real homeless people couldn't afford those designer clothes in the movie, and real hobos couldn't have thrown a shindig like this. But I don't actually believe this couple set out to make fun of the homeless. I think they identified with depression-era people and decided to imitate that thrift and make-do spirit. The problem is that this theme cuts a little too close to the bone for a lot of today's people. My own shoestring wedding was a bare-bones affair with witnesses culled from my coworkers, a friend who owned a digital camera posing as photographer, and a German chocolate cake from Safeway. I wanted to make a pretty wedding dress but ended up being unable to afford the materials, so I used a white summer dress I had on hand. Based on my own experience, it's hard for me to buy into the idea that this wedding is anything other than a lavish party pretending to be poor. That being said, it's nice to know that my wedding was on trend. I had a poverty wedding before it was cool! Take that, hipsters!

i agree with a lot of readers - your wedding truly does look beautiful, and it looks like you and your guests had a fabulous time. however, i also have to agree with many others - what on EARTH were you thinking?! depression era hobo theme? REALLY? why couldn't you have called it "country" or "shabby chic" or just say "we wanted a simple wedding"? i definitely feel like your intention was not to offend, but you've gotten yourselves in a huge mess over your choice of words.

Clearly the theme is offensive. What's more troubling to me is the self-righteousness of the bride and groom. Particularly the groom, who, rather than recognizing how glaringly offensive the theme is, has taken to Twitter to make himself (and his wife) the victims in this situation. Apparently they made their wedding "hobo" themed because they themselves are "poor". Which makes me wonder what his definition of poor is, because I've never seen a legitimately poor person have a themed-wedding, complete with photographer.

Oh, and if anyone wants to see a gorgeous, casual backyard wedding, the folks at younghouselove.com had an amazing wedding.

Wow, maybe some of you should do some research into what the term “hobo” actually meant in the 1930s before you got on here and so ruthlessly and ignorantly flamed the WEDDING of these two well-meaning and creative people!! H. L. Mencken, in his The American Language (4th ed., 1937), wrote: Tramps and hobos are commonly lumped together, but in their own sight they are sharply differentiated. A hobo or bo is simply a migratory laborer; he may take some longish holidays, but soon or late he returns to work." Urban Dictionary: “A hobo, unlike a bum or a tramp, is more than willing to work, but mostly for a short duration, as their main impetus is travel, the love of the journey above the actual destination. A hobo merely travels from town to town, finding work when he can, but only for the sake of financing his next adventure. NEVER call a hobo a bum…they’ll kick your sorry no-bo ass!” Some of the most famous writers in American literature (JACK KEROUACK) CHOSE the hobo itinerant lifestyle and wrote about (and glorified) the “freedom of the road.” I’m willing to bet more than one of you has a cherished dog eared copy of “On the Road” on your bookshelves.

It's hipsterific!

I, too, am wondering if the bride/groom know what the actual meaning of being poor is. Spending $100,000 on a wedding is anything BUT poor, and anything BUT a "small budget." I'd like to get married to my wonderful boyfriend, but guess what? We can't afford it. We're both living with relatives separately because we have no jobs, and he often doesn't get enough to eat. It's just how it is. Maybe after he joins the military we can afford something, but for now it's a no go. This whole affair is nothing short of a slap in the face to people who are ACTUALLY hurting for money, not kidding themselves into thinking that a $100,000 wedding is "simple and low budget."

wow, as other's have pointed out, I find this in extremely bad taste. I just can't believe someone would actually do this and that Etsy would PROMOTE it!

Um...this wedding theme is disturbing and offensive. Exploiting abject poverty should never be used as a wedding theme. I am surprised that through your research you couldn't grasp the difficulty of the lives of those you are mocking. We are talking about making fun of the poorest of the poor. Are you aware that this abject poverty you are making fun of exists today? I grew up in a poor military family and experienced childhood hunger, food stamps, and government commodities while my father gave this country 25 years of his life. Isn't that a hoot!?

@ Adelinesattic Seriously? You think hobos are just rakish adventurers who aren't actually hurting for money? They're just doin their own thing for the fun of it? The droves of people in this world with friends and relatives who lived through the tough times of that era would like to have a word with you, as well as those who are still in their own tough times.

The idea of a simple wedding in these times is brilliant and sweet, especially if your own budget is tight. My son and his wife had their ceremony in an old Quaker meetinghouse. Most of the food was home made and brought by friends and family. Most gifts were hand made or donations to charity. And that was before she lost her job (she the main breadwinner too) after they had their first child. We are living in hard times - most of us - I hope we don't go back to hobo times. Rather than being upset or outraged at the "negative" comments, I urge you to find common ground with what is being said, it won't hurt your marriage. You may actually agree with what is being said here, once you think it through. This is a rough crowd, I know because I used to be accepted by them until I whined too much.

While I agree that the idea of glamorizing poverty and homeless was thoughtless and offensive, the people who are saying the bride and groom paid 100k for their wedding are twisting one of the groom's tweets, where he said something along the lines of "Would it be better if we'd spent 100k on a huge wedding?' So, yes, the theme of their wedding was offensive, but it's entirely possible it was still a low budget wedding. Here's hoping they'll manage to see through their hurt and understand WHY people are upset by this and ultimately learn from it.

Congratulations! Great story, fun photos & looks like a perfect day!

Golgaloth, I'm well aware of poverty, past and present. I was partially raised by grandparents who lived through the Great Depression or the "Hungry 30s," as they called it, and grew up hearing their stories. The point I am making is that, indeed, in the 1930s, the term "hobo" and the lifestyle attached to it, was different from that of the "forgotten man," or the person forced into poverty and homelessness. I didn't make up those definitions for the term "hobo." Do your own historical research.

Referring the photography savings: "She captured the wedding so beautifully in exchange for a meager round-trip plane ticket and a place to stay." --We must have different definitions of "meager". Wouldn't that add up to more than hiring somebody local? Too bad you couldn't book Dorothea Lange!

Tlazolteotl9: good for you! You know how to use google! Not sure why you are referring to yourself in the collective "we" when presenting your own subjective view of what a hipster or hobo might be in your own opinion.

"You'll never live like common people/You'll never do whatever common people do/You'll never fail like common people/You'll never watch your life slide out of view/and then dance and drink and screw/because there's nothing else to do"

@adeline you are in complete denial if you think the hobos were doing it for fun lol. Maybe some people did but, it was definitely a lifestyle, but don't think they weren't forced into it. Most of them left and their homes and families to live a dangerous life on the road. The number of hobos went from 60k to over a million after the great depression. I don't think 940,000 people just woke up one morning and decided they needed a new, fun lifestyle lol. Here's an interview with a real depression era hobo. Romantic? http://www.gpb.org/georgiastories/stories/depression_era_hobo

Kerouac was also a "hobo" in the 50s, when making the choice to live that kind of lifestyle was just that for some people- a choice. That was overwhelmingly not the case for hobos in the 30s, who were motivated by hunger, joblessness, and the fact that the dusty air could kill you in your sleep.

I'm really sorry for the bride and groom, it's sad that people are hitting out and insulting them- but I feel this couple need to understand. They have genuinely hurt the feelings of others, by being so cavalier about the struggles and pains of people to whom these posters are related, and humanity in general. When you grow up constantly hearing about the things your grandparents and parents suffered through, in a horrible time for humanity, it affects you emotionally. And this wedding theme has struck a nerve- it's trivializing the pain of others. And people who feel slighted or trivialized will hit out- it's the nature of emotion. Brian and Sarah, congratulations on your love, but please consider the feelings of others when you read these posts.

Thank you for the link, VUITTONval. The point is that there was a distinction between hobos, tramps, bums, etc. Please don't put words in mouth. I didn't say anything about fun or romance; rather, I am pointing out that it is problematic to be so monolithic and smugly definitive about what "hobo" culture was in the 1930s.

It looks lovely and you both look happy.. but, i agree with most, the theme was pretty tasteless and pretentious.

True, they put their off the beaten path wedding up for everyone to have an opinion about . I think that the bride and groom are coming from a place of profound respect for the hardships and the lessons of the depression. And I concur that there was nothing "great" about it. However many people survived it and went on to a better life. Maybe that is the underlying message here. That love and bonds are the most important part of a marriage . Respect for others as individuals and the ability to have a good time even when things are hard. That's what gets us through the rough stuff.

Really guys? REALLY? Since you're all so terribly offended and outraged, I imagine you'll all be donating to feedingamerica.org or another similar charity, or volunteering in a soup kitchen, etc etc. After all, you wouldn't want to look like self-righteous hypocrites.

Oh yep you caught me, I enjoy myself a designer handbag or two. Some vintage ones at that! But hey it's not like I had a fairytail poverty themed wedding pretending to be poor right? Heck I work hard for my money, my family, and whatever hobbies it is I choose to enjoy.

Errr fairytale lol. Must stop typing fast when worked up...

Chewlip, um....Sorry to break it to you, but I do charity work fairly often. And at my wedding, we have planned to have people be able to sign up to become organ donors, and instead of asking for gifts, we ask that people donate to a couple charities that mean something to us in the names of his late mother, and my late sister, and grandfather. So yeah. I actually do donate and help people out.

<3<3<3 SleepChic

So they had a wedding based on a romanticized ideal of the "hobo" lifestyle. What if it was knights in shining armor and damsels in distress? How hard to you think it was for women or peasants during the dark ages? People starved to death then and lived in pretty terrible conditions. If they pretended to be royalty, would you be screaming "THINK OF THE PEASANT CHILDREN!!" I think it's hilarious how the whole thing so quickly turned because of a regretsy post. To the couple: Congratulations on your nuptuals.

@laundry There are actually a few other blogs and forums that picked this up before Regretsy ever saw it. A couple people posted links further up.

@gwenbozyk - I think that is totally inappropriate. I might not agree with their theme but I am not going to insult them physically. If you are unhappy with their theme express it in an intelligent manner, don't throw mud.

wonderful!

The wedding cost $15,000, FYI. While I think making homeless people a fashion trend is misguided, let's stop repeating that bit of misinformation.

BTW, $15,000 is in no way a "limited budget" for a wedding.

Scratch my last comment. You know what, EFF THAT. I am so sorry for saying what I did. And probably most bums would think a hobo wedding is awesome. I have never seen two people be so happy to get married. Despite the guy's snarky comments on his twitter account, he looks like such a sweet person, no human being can look at those wedding photos and think that this couple was trying to s*** on anyone's hardship with this theme. They probably aren't rich, they had a frugal wedding and spent a lot of time with real friend and family effort to bring it together. Why not attack plastic rich people that have stupidly expensive weddings and don't actually seem like they love each other? These people are genuinely in love and I can't with a healthy conscience not say this because they do not deserve all of this. It's easy to misinterpret at first, especially after seeing the post on Regretsy, but the truth is when I first saw it, I thought nothing of it. Do the right thing and recognize this couple for standing up for actual meaningful marriage and love. She is lucky to have such a wonderful husband, and he is lucky to have her if he's that happy. I've never seen a man that happy to get married. Maybe all you ladies are jealous that YOUR men weren't weeping like that and glowing with such beautiful humility! May everyone find their genuine love, and when you do, I hope you have a beautiful and memorable wedding, and a lasting marriage, if that's your bag. I hope this has only served to bring the two of you closer. It's all stupid. You should go out for an ice cream and make out. Forget about all the bitterness.

I can honestly say I am in no way jealous of this couple right now.

15K is not a "limited budget". You use those words, but they do not mean what you think they mean.

To find happiness in difficult times is indeed a triumph of the will. Congradulations on your marriage. Even though I picked "couch surfing " once over living near my alchoholic landlord who walked in on my 14 yr old in the shower and slept with a loaded 45 under his couch. I'm not offended at all, I think I "get it".

Did you re-upcycle the vintage, handmade quilts that you cut and ripped apart to upcycle into raggedy decorations? My heart about broke when I read that. How can could you destroy vintage. Its the ESSENCE of Etsy. Other than resellers, I mean.

To those of you who think being a hobo is fun or optional - for God's sake read The Jungle. Just do it.

BuddingRose85 says: 15K is not a "limited budget". You use those words, but they do not mean what you think they mean. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Say what?

However , I think I will put a version of the mummy's curse on my quilts so that whoever goes there and cuts them up will experience misfortune of the most horrific nature.

My best friend got married a few years back and they spent $2000 total on the wedding, it was outdoors in a park, I made her dress for the cost of the fabric ($65), her family cooked a ton of food, and we had a wonderful spread for about 80 people. We had a craft day the day before the wedding, all the girls got together and we made all of the decorations by hand, made all the flower arrangements and the bouquet. They had to scrape to get that amount of money together, but everything was perfect. I'm still trying to figure out how they spent that much money?? Glamorizing poverty by spending what would be two year's salary for someone living in poverty.... well that's just wrong.

look, it was a cute wedding, and everyone loves 30s fashion, but they spent more than i earn in a year... so they could pretend to be poor for a day. i wish the happy couple a long and happy life together, one in which they never have to live through actually being poor.

I'd just like to mention that after scholarships, $15,000 would buy about ten semesters of college for me. I couldn't imagine spending that on one day.

To the person defending the wedding with a definition from Urban Dictionary: that is not a valid source. I would laugh you out of my classroom if you handed in a paper with that source. Then I would fail you on the paper and call your parents to explain why you probably wouldn't be promoted to the next grade level. Neither is the period incorrect research that claims "hobo" means "homeward bound." Hobo has not meant homeward bound since the 1860s. The 1930s hobos were day laborers known as "hoe boys," eventually shortened to "hobo." They are not the same.

And while we're at it, the Jack Kerouc "hobo ideal" is late 1940s/1950s, not 1930s. You'd learn more about 1930s era hobos by watching a middle school production of Annie. The Herbert Hoover sequences is indicative of the shantytowns actual hobos were forced to live in. There was no desire to travel. They just had no other choice. This whole defense of "idealistic" or "dreamy" or "chic" is wrong because the research used to define this period with those details is wrong.

Etsy admins you should be ashamed of yourselves for featuring this. Just plain poor taste and the fact that you glorified it enough to feature it in your blog disgusts me.

There's no way $15k is a "limited budget". When my friends got married, they didn't have a lot of money, but they still pulled together a tasteful ceremony at the groom's father's house. The bride made all of the flowers out of shrink plastic, catering was very simple, and the wine was cheap, but everyone was happy, and they even managed to get vegan meal options. Being tight on cash does not mean dressing up like someone even more destitute than yourself and romanticizing it.

@adelinesattic are you for real sticking up for this idea by splitting hairs over the semantic differences between hobos and tramps???

It is very VERY distasteful that your calling it a Depression-era hobo theme. It would have been much more tasteful and you probably wouldn't have gotten all this hate if you would have just called it a 1920-30s theme. The depression was not cutesy, it was about survival. Putting anything up on the internet is subject for critique, not everyone is going to pat you on the back. Everyone has their own opinion and its up to you how you take it.

Hobos were definitely romanticized. How many have I seen over the years in Merry Melody cartoons alone? One one hand, the version of the happy hobo carrying the bag on a stick is part of our cultural history. On the other hand, so is wearing black face. Remember the fire that Ted Danson caught when he wore black face? My point is that there is much from that era that is nothing more than stereotype and propaganda, including chinese people all wearing conical hats, Fu Manchu mustaches and having buck teeth. I'm sorry that the couple is taking so much heat over their wedding day...no one should have to put up with that...but I hope they can at least understand why this could offend people. The happy hobo stereotype was created simply to make their suffering more palatable to the public. However, unlike buck-tooth Chinese and black face, it was never really corrected.

I can't believe I'm typing this, but I find myself kind of wishing HeyMichelle would close this post to comments.

Really! You guys act like they were in blackface! Seriously, get over it. Your ire over this is ridiculous.

@papergeist The reason some people are so upset is that, to them, this IS like the couple being in blackface. For people who have been personally touched by poverty--REAL poverty--the theme of this wedding and its execution are very offensive. It reads, to them, like a trivialization of poverty. It looks like the couple is saying, "Oh, it wasn't that bad for all those hobos! They had plenty of simple food and good, if plain and patched, clothing. Plus, they had each other! What more could you want?" And that, simply isn't ok with many. Plus there is the issue of the (now-publicized) cost of their supposedly "frugal" wedding. Many people in the US are struggling to get by on salaries where 15K is the greater part of their annual take home salary. I don't care that the "average" wedding costs 27K. That average is inflated by the few who can afford extravagant 100K+ weddings. I think you'd find that most people make do with 5K or MUCH less for their own ceremonies. I do hope the couple is happy, but I feel that they've handled this entire situation very poorly. Rather than stepping back for a moment to think about WHY so many people are upset, they've (or at least the groom) has retreated into defensiveness and indignation. They opened themselves up to public critique when they chose to publicize their wedding in an attempt to monetize it or make it a new fad. I do feel bad that they've been insulted and threatened, but I have little sympathy for them in terms of their shock at this reaction.

@arkhetypon: I do see your point. They could have called it something else. But, all the hate for these newlywed kids here is over the top! Where is the outrage when it comes to the top wealthiest 1% hoarding 80% of America's wealth? I think all this hate is misplaced.

You think I don't hate that too? Believe me, I have a long running tab of hate for stupid and unjustifiable things in the world. I just try not to think about it most of the time, because there's not much one person can do. When it's put in front of me, however, I can't really avoid it.

@papergesit - i tend to not use Etsy forums for my political activism

*grabs a bowl of popcorn*

@papergeist a lot of it is coming from their reaction tweets, and the discovery that the groom is quite possibly racist. I mean seriously they can't see how this is in any way offensive? My grandmother was so scarred from the depression that she kept jars and jars of used cooking oil in the pantry, reused tea bags, and stuffed money in the *walls* of her house in case it happened again!

being poor is awesome! I mean I just wish I could go back in time and live through the depression. That would be sweet.

Was everyone just looking for something to be offended by today? You may think this couple's wedding theme was distasteful, but it wasn't overtly classist, racist, or inhumane. This entire thing has degenerated into cyberbullying, which is more disgraceful than having a wedding based on an unpleasant time in American history. And that's all it is: an unpleasant time in our history. Comparing this wedding theme to themes of holocausts and acts of terror is hyperbolic and offensive. Bullying this couple is offensive. The Depression era has often been romanticized (Kerouac?), and all this couple were saying is, "We're some poor people looking for a home." You may not agree that someone who spends $15k on a wedding is poor, but playing class war one-upmanship on how cheap your wedding was doesn't make you credible, it just makes you pathetic. I'm certain our Depression-era grandparents (mine included) would be horrified by this insistence that their lives were nothing but terrible during this time and no future joy or inspiration could be taken from them. I think people found joy in the little things during the Depression, when life was boiled down to its essence, and kudos to this couple for extracting something meaningful out of it and revisiting it. If you see it otherwise, that's fine, but either way, lighten up and stop picking on these people. Your mass vitriol is more hurtful than their wedding ever was.

Backgarage - I disagree vehemently. This IS offensive, distasteful and downright hurtful. And if comparing this farce of a themed wedding to the sad reality I went through for my own nuptials makes me pathetic in your eyes, so be it.

I'm not sure how this is very frugal when the guests had to buy, borrow, or own vintage hobo style or "stick out like a sore thumb." I'm not having a dress code for my wedding, and I think it's sort of rude to do so. The photography was beautiful and you had wonderful vintage touches, but my grandmother lived through the depression and she would have had harsh words for me if I used this as a wedding theme. Other people have named some equally offensive themes, so I'll leave it to them. And this is why I don't post much personal/wedding stuff on the internet. If you put it out there, you can't put a filter on a post or tweet or IM or even a IRL conversation that allows nice comments only.

Backgarage, I don't really see how this isn't overtly classist when it equates to spending $15k to play "dress-up and party as a member of America's lowest class ever" for a day.

@Backgarage, do you really want to fan these flames? It was winding down.

@backgarage as has been pointed out, Kerouac's writings were of his traveling experiences in the late 40's and early 50's. He also had access to funds when needed. I know it wasn't your main point, just an fyi, as his motivations were slightly different than those from 2 decades previous.

I am shocked that Etsy would showcase such a tasteless and offensive thing. The Great Depression was one of the worst tragedies. How is starving and being forced from your home romantic?

Shame on you, etsy, for highlighting this wedding. Poverty and homelessness isn't cute or fun or endearing.

I would like to start with the fact that this is an adorable wedding, and really, a great idea. If you just would have said 1920's-1930's theme, you wouldn't be having this backlash. HOWEVER, saying that your wedding theme was inspired and based on a national TRAGEDY is a horrid thing.

Fantastic post Backgarage!! I love this wedding and this theme! My grandparents were also poor during the depression and my father-in-law would tell you there is nothing fun about poverty. But my grandmother never dwelled so much on the misery. She had a generous spirit, helped who she could, made do and generally chose to share only her happy memories. She would have loved this wedding. This couple is just not rich enough to attack, guys! And the wedding romanticizes the era, yes, but it is sympathetic. They were not making fun of homeless people. Congratulations Sarah and Brian! I love your shops Sarah and your appreciation of the old and simple.

Really? These "hobos" were often young men and entire families totally out of work and without any way of finding their way out. Like others have said, if this was JUST a 1930s wedding, no one would be calling you out. Because it wouldn't be as historically insensitive. No one in the 30s really looked like a retouched movie star, after all, and white men didn't wear zoot suits convincingly. They dressed like you did. But to call this a HOBO/DEPRESSION WEDDING? Those "hobos" died of disease, starvation, exposure, and suicide. Those "hobos" weren't living a romantic life. Those "hobos" were hurting. And you are not sensitively honoring that. You're playing with it. Whatever you may think, you don't understand history at all.

backgarage: you have articulated something so beautifully in a way that I could not. I concede an anachronistic reference to Kerouack and a failure to cite definitions of "hobo" that would hold water in academic circles (or get me a failing grade and a phone call to my parents, apparently :)); my impulse in seeking out "contrary" definitions of the concept behind the wedding was to help round out the discussion even just a touch. Depending on how "truthful" we believe fiction and film to be, I think there's a range of sources we could look at here: Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men," the whole Kit Kitson series, etc etc etc. None of this really gives us the complete picture on the lived reality (a lived reality I think we are all speaking of from a distanced perspective)....still, this is where I say ALTHOUGH I didn't want to lapse into personal anecdote, the fact of the matter is that I too have a deep personal connection to the topics under discussion...my grandfather was an immigrant itinerant worker (aka a hobo) in the 30s...he spoke of the hardships, dangers, and tragedies, AS WELL AS memories of the diversity of experience he had working his way across Canada. I grasped at inadequate definitions in an attempt to express my disagreement with the notion that the concept of the hobo is/was only that of a degraded pathetic person so downtrodden by life and the harshness of the economic climate in the 30s that a wedding centred around such a theme is akin to having a "slavery" wedding or a "holocaust" wedding. It just runs counter to my own feelings and to my own memories of the dignity, strength, pride with which my grandfather conducted himself in his life, own experiences and memories, etc. My grandmother was a poor prairie girl who sewed and wore feedsack dresses. In the 80s, when "sweet sack" shorts were popular, she smiled wryly as she sewed pairs of them for her grandchildren. I suppose she should have been horrified and slapped our faces, but instead, it opened an intergenerational connection--one that has made me appreciate and cherish, as well as enjoy (and even GASP wear) things like feedsack dresses (which were once considered a shameful mark of inadequacy and poverty, but which seem to have been showcased in this wedding as something to be appreciated on some level?). I won't go into the fact that we don't know the condition of the quilts or portions thereof that were used in the creation of the bunting for the decorations: the point I wanted to make is that, when I looked at these "hobo" wedding photos and the wedding theme, I didn't see the malicious satire of my grandparents' experiences and lives, and the aesthetics that surrounded them every day, that others saw.

@blueflowervintage "This couple is just not rich enough to attack, guys!" Seriously? People can be offensive no matter what tax bracket they're in. Just because you aren't personally offended or hurt by this doesn't mean that there aren't many, MANY people who are. Your feelings on this matter don't have the right to invalidate theirs. Also, by putting this post up on the internet, Sarah and Brian opened themselves up to attack. If they didn't want to see their wedding potentially ripped apart by strangers, then they should have kept it private in their wedding album.

I'm not even from the US, I'm Chilean, and still I remember my history classes when they mentioned the depression and the poverty... and just how horrible it was, I just find this very offensive. My parents still remember the moments my country had problems, how they didn't have food, how not even the markets didn't have food, because there wasn't any food anywhere...They were dark times with lots of pain and death.

Considering the direction our economy is heading right now (and the hunger I see daily , the poverty, homelessness) this actually made me cry. I have a fear that my own child will live through the same hell that my grandparents did, and let me tell you that vision isn't romantic nor glamorous.Shame on you, Etsy, you have quiet efficiently disgusted me with your featuring of this drivel.And to the argumentive: ask any elderly person who actually lived through the Great Depression about the connotations of the word "hobo". It won't be good.

Let this be a lesson to all of you.... Never listen to Grandma and her "spectacular" wedding ideas.

This wedding theme isn't offensive so much as it is stupid. I think it''s mostly the whole "Oh poor travelling rail yard bums, how QUAINT" thing that's pissing people off. Perhaps if this couple had been wed during the depression they wouldn't have to style their wedding after Hobos, they could just live it as their reality.

@backgarage - its hardly cyber bullying. The couple have put up their hobo wedding on this site which is open to public comment. While they may be taken aback at the depth of feeling they have elicited, they invited comment by publicising their event. To some readers, it appeared self aggrandizing and very misguided choice of theme. I've also read some of their twitter postings and they don't due themselved any favours there either talking about roast homeless girls for dinner etc.

I would love to share pictures of my real poverty wedding, but we couldn't afford a fancy wedding photographer. we did our wedding at home, not even a fancy wedding cake (we had box cake). Now I sell luxury products :). Personally living on both ends of the economic spectrum, i find making fun of the poor and the homeless is offensive to me. It is not my idea of a good time but everyone is entitled to their own fun,

Wow!!! that's very nice. i would like have a handmade card in my wedding. i'm giving it a try . thanks for sharing:)

Oh I love this! If I ever get married this is how I will do it!

A lifetime ago, all I had to feed my daughters were homemade jelly sandwiches. Have you ever tried to explain to a 3 and 4 year old that they can't play with/waste their food because there wasn't anything else to eat? I'm happy for your wedding day, really I am. I married my soldier in a sunday school classroom (shabby chic??) over a year ago and I will never look back. ... I really have nothing else to say. Everyone else said it for me. God bless.

Oh good, poverty's funny and amusing now! Yay!

don't know which was in poorer taste, the wedding theme or etsy actually posting it to their blog.

I feel bad that this unsuspecting couple has been raked over the coals for what was obviously a very happy day in their lives, but I do understand why people are upset. I think this article has ruffled so many feathers not just because it's about a hobo-themed wedding but because it's about people who seem to have spent a decent sum of money in order to play at being destitute, rather than actually being destitute themselves and finding a way to make their big day special in spite of that. I get that the couple was inspired by the idea of simplicity and thriftiness, and I don't think there would be so much outrage over the theme if they'd fully followed through on those ideas and spent very little money by, for example, only making use of clothing/decorations/antiques they or their family members already owned and/or upcycling items and clothing for the wedding. But in this day and age when so many people are losing their homes, are desperate for work and are hanging on by a thread (things might not be as bad now as they were back when people were tying their belongings in a bindle and traveling far from home in search of work, but times are still very tough for many people), I think the idea of people who can afford to spend $15k on a wedding (no matter where the money came from) throwing around phrases like "hobo chic" or "hobo casual" and mentioning how poor they themselves are, while half of the article is basically a shopping list of everything they bought from etsy for their wedding, hits a pretty deep nerve for many who either have experienced extreme poverty themselves or know someone who has. I'm not saying this couple doesn't struggle to make ends meet—times are hard for so many people right now—but it seems clear from their very lovely photos and their budget that they are many many times more fortunate than both depression-era hobos and their modern-day counterparts (the homeless, the hungry, those who don't know how they'll feed their kids dinner or make it through another week if they can't find a job ... those for whom "shabby" is a necessity, not a style choice). While I appreciate where they were coming from with their idea, the article itself reads as self-involved and unaware even if it's not meant to come across that way, and I think it was really poor judgment on Etsy's part to publish this post without realizing how many people might be hurt by it—the featured couple included.

Government anti-poverty programs that have grown to meet the needs of recession victims now serve a record one in six Americans and are continuing to expand. Adorbs! Source: http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2010-08-30-1Asafetynet30_ST_N.htm

Seriously, people are up in arms because they spent money on their wedding?? When will people stop feeling that it's okay to criticize others for what they do with their money? Some people want a no-fuss courthouse wedding and others want to make a day of it. Isn't that part of the greatness of freedom of choice? I bet a lot of you get Starbucks several times a week, or go somewhere for lunch every workday, or you go to the movies often, or have smartphones, or go on vacations that cost more than a couple hundred dollars. None of that is necessary, but that doesn't mean that there is anything wrong with it. What if someone decides to not do any of those things so that they can have the wedding that they want? Or what if someone does all of those things? Unless all of the haters posting are actually homeless people who are at a public library posting here, I think you can all keep your mouths shut. I also wonder just how many "hobos" would actually be offended by this couple's wedding theme. Most probably wouldn't care.

i admit, i like oohing and aahing over weddings. and i'm in the camp who says, really? did you even think when you chose this as a theme? i certainly understand wantings a vintage aesthetic and being influenced by the fashions of another era and keeping it a bit old school. the issue being is when you tagged on the word "hobo." and i'm not an overly formal person, but i can only imagine the looks on my grandparents faces who lived through the depression if i showed up to my wedding in overalls! while some may literally have not had the resources, even the poorest people tried to do themselves up for their own wedding day, even if it meant borrowing a simple dress. i also don't find anything particularly creative in this theme. i grew up with laid back parties and bonfires in my backyard. just a typical nice summer night...just with less intention and planning to pull off the poor look. the poor look comes pretty naturally. don't spend money...

@crazystars The problem isn't that they spent money on their wedding. At the end of the day, it's their money and they can do whatever the hell they want with it. What has people up in arms are the facts that : 1) They chose a theme that glamorizes poverty and tried to turn it into something cutesy. 2) They, or at least the groom, have loudly and publicly declared that they are 'poor', despite the fact that they spent more on their wedding than some people in these comments make in an entire year. Again, it's their money to do with as they wish, but $15k on a wedding isn't cheap and isn't something that people truly living in poverty can afford. 3) Several people who have responded have been homeless and/or have had homelessness affect them. Obviously they do care if they're so hurt that they're moved to tears by the insensitivity that this theme is showing. 4) The bride and groom appear to have gleefully done things like tear up what, from their descriptions, seem to have been antique quilts to use as table runners with absolutely no regard for the history that they were needlessly destroying. For the record, I can't remember the last time I bought coffee from a store, I only ever eat out on the rare occasions when my parents treat me, my phone doesn't even have texting, and I haven't been on a vacation in ages. And you know what? I STILL don't consider myself to be poor, because I have everything I really need.

Just wanted to second what a lot of other people have already said: this offends me.

And on top of this, though I have no issue with how one chooses to spend their money, I do think it's more than a little ridiculous to go on about how handmade one's wedding is, then go on and buy all the handmade items. It's just as disingenuous as requiring people to dress up to have an authentic day. I know that costumes are fun-- I'm a costume designer by trade--but to say that the way to be "real" is to put on a persona dictated by someone else is just plain nonsense, as is buying things that are handmade by someone else, then patting yourself on the back for your originality. Otherwise, I do agree with what's been said. The aesthetic is cute, but the idea more than a bit offensive. Congratulations on the wedding and such.

wow, just wow. i will add my voice to the 'this is unbelievably pretentious and insensitive and offensive' crowd. my grandfather was a teenager during the depression. they were poor; not cute-poor, or kitschy retro-poor, but can't afford the doctor-poor. if they had a change of clothes they were lucky. if the crops failed they were screwed. i bet they weren't thinking "wow, look how cool we are."

I can see that this article turns some heat on, haven't read all the comments, but I have to be honest, when I read this it made me feel uncomfortable. Something feels wrong with having a depression theme party where people dress like hobos...

I don't think you understand what "back to basics" means. If you were going for something which was about romance rather than excess, and simplicity, you overshot it by a mile and landed squarely in offensive territory. These "hobos" you researched didn't live this way because it was kitschy and minimalistic, they lived this way because they were poor and starving and had no choice. This isn't finding romance despite poverty, it's romanticising and glamorising poverty.

I'm looking into getting married next year and all I can afford is 1-2K at the most (And that's mainly my mothers frugal savings)...Maybe £4-5 more if I raid my copper jar, might get a nice bunch of flowers for that. But we're talking of probably just registrar office-ing it then small party on the night to celebrate. I cannot fathom how a average wedding cost that much! People should come to u' t' north of t' England and we'll show you how t' poor chic i' done!

My grandmother has a picture of herself and her sisters picking cotton as kids. I always thought they did it out of necessity, because their family needed money for food and housing during the depression. I am so stupid. They were such trendsetters. I had no idea. My grandma was SO ahead of her time. I finally "get" it.

My grandparents escaped an oppressive regime to start over in another country. For years, they and (later) their children ate rice with nothing to go with it but water, and wore clothes made of flour sacks. I thought they went through hard times, but I see now they were enjoying the "beauty" and "fun" of poverty!

Isn't poverty cute? Tell me, how much did your "poor people" wedding cost you? Oh, the delicious irony.

I second what someone said. 15k is more than we make a year, our wedding was less than 100$. My dress was 18$ from JC penny, the food was a potluck because we couldn't afford to provide anything, our food stamps don't even cover a month of food for ourselves. Most of my family didn't even show up because they couldn't afford to take a day off work. My wedding sucked, and the very idea of making a wedding theme "poor and homeless" (being historical does not change it) as a cute, fun thing, is so incredibly classist. I really don't understand why you couldn't have just made your theme "the 20s" you could have had fun costumes and so on without making light and fun out of horrible suffering a decade later.

Wow, Im dumfounded. So it's trendy now to be suffering and impoverished? I'll be keeping my eye out for Etsy's first 'WWII' themed wedding. (eyes rolling)

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, this is the definition and historical usage of "hobo." hobo, n. View as: Outline |Full entryQuotations: Show all |Hide all Pronunciation: /ˈhəʊbəʊ/ orig. Western U.S. ‘An idle shiftless wandering workman, ranking scarcely above the tramp’ (Funk). 1889 Ellensburgh (Washington) Capital 28 Nov. 2/2 The tramp has changed his name, or rather had it changed for him, and now he is a ‘Hobo’. 1891 ‘J. Flynt’ in Contemp. Rev. Aug., The tramp's name for himself and his fellows is Hobo, plural Hoboes. 1892 Pall Mall Gaz. 28 Dec. 3/3 They will be vagrants on the streets and hobos of the night. 1896 Pop. Sci. Jrnl. 50 254 The tramp‥can scarcely be distinguished from the dyed-in-the wool hoboe. 1896 Atl. Monthly Jan. 58 By the ‘Ambulanter’ it is called Gypsyland, by the tramp Hoboland. 1918 Let. in F. A. Pottle Stretchers (1929) x. 295 We had been so long separated from our organization that we had pretty thoroughly acquired a hobo frame of mind. 1925 J. Buchan John Macnab vii. 157 The gillies have‥gathered in some wretched hobo they found looking at the river. 1928 Punch 15 Feb. 196/1 Few dramatic critics‥could display so adequate a working knowledge of‥the ways of hobos in the United States. 1959 I. Opie & P. Opie Lore & Lang. Schoolchildren iii. 55 Gipsies, usually known as ‘gyppoes’ or ‘hoboes’. 1963 H. Garner in R. Weaver Canad. Short Stories (1968) 2nd Ser. 40 Harvest hands are like hobos, their friendships as casual as the mating of a pair of flies. Derivatives ˈhobo v. (intr. and quasi-trans.with way), to act the hobo; to journey or travel as a tramp; also with it. 1906 U. Sinclair Jungle xxv. 298 Then he explained how he had spent the last summer, ‘hoboing it’, as the phrase was. 1914 J. London Let. 28 July (1966) 426 You can scarcely find a tramp today‥who has not hoboed with me. 1923 H. L. Foster Beachcomber in Orient ix. 183 Having hoboed my way thus far, I could afford to travel as a passenger the rest of the way. 1928 Daily Mail 9 Aug. 11/4, I sort of hoboed my way out to San Francisco. 1949 Landfall 3 136 Have I‥hoboed through fifteen of these United States only to be jailed like a common criminal? 1972 Village Voice (N.Y.) 1 June 78/3 He and his brother were hoboing it in Missouri. (Hide quotations) Where's the romance and chic of being called no better than a tramp and essentially being a migrant worker with no money?

this is one of the most clever wedding themes i've seen - so well done, too. love.

http://ahobowedding.blogspot.com/

RJGORIGINALS truly, thank you for forcing me to reconsider my sources back there. I've seen the error of my ways re: relying on faulty online sourcing. However, it may be of interest that there is a Hobofest in Chicago every year that, while not romanticising hobo culture, certainly sees value in "celebrating" and preserving its history: http://hobofest.pullmanevents.info/history.html There's a fascinating link to a 1930s document put out by what seems to have been an organized quasi-union of Hoboes mid-way down that page. I love that it includes a clear attempt on the part of people forced into the hobo way of life to self-define and defend their way of life (centred around looking for work) with dignity, etc. Over and out!

it's easy to see this as offensive or it's great to give it a send up. i think that's what they were doing. i had a dinner party a long time ago themed for wwii with the food ration and everything. i switched out a lot of ingredients per the vintage recipes that took into account that they literally could not purchase sugar at that time or ran out of rations ticket for them. the depression was hard on people, but it didn't destroy their spirits. it was simply hard times and people still had fun. i can see how people might be offended by the theme of the wedding, but then, again, it's about seeing the cup half empty or half full. also, you have to look at their intentions. they weren't trying to be malicious. i know of plenty of people who are malicious and put sugar, cream on it and a bow on it.

Here's a direct link to the 1930s document compiled by hobos themselves: http://xroads.virginia.edu/%7EMA01/white/hobo/handcov.html Who knew the hobos had a king? Fascinating history lesson.

So I saw your wedding on Regretsy, and honestly, I think it is fantastic and beautiful. I'm not sure why everyone is making such a big deal out of this. It was your wedding and you made it what you wanted, and in a lovely way too. People need to lighten up and not be so critical.

This wedding was about romanticizing an era where people suffered every single day. "Shared a single bean" - are you kidding me?!?! If you wanted to have a simple, down-home wedding, that's one thing. But this was not it. The bride and groom specifically picked "depression era" as their theme because that's cool, or something? It's ridiculous and I hope that Brian and Sarah have learned to be more tolerant about people and their struggles - past or present. As much as they would like to say otherwise, this is not about "hobo culture." This wedding specifically honed in on the theme of the depression, homelessness and poverty. And that is never cool. P.S. Do you know why the grooms grandmother had to serve sandwiches at her wedding reception? Because no one had any money! Poverty is not whimsical. My grandmother spend more time eating bread and butter sandwiches because she HAD TO!