Wedding Party Gifts July 6, 2009

Now that the wedding is over, I can finally rave about our wedding party gifts! Not surprisingly they were from Etsy - we knew we wanted something personalized and unique so I spent many happy hours shopping through the many vendors. For my girls I was looking for a piece of jewelry that could be customized with colors, initials, or something for each bridesmaid – Cindy V. had both! I got each girl a jewel cluster necklace in a different color with a tiny initial charm…I couldn’t resist getting one for myself too.

Shopping for the guys was a little trickier at first (isn’t it always?). We had played around with the idea of cufflinks but didn’t find any we liked until I happened upon these awesome ones made out of antique typewriter keys at QA Create. Sold! We got each groomsmen and Drew a set of cufflinks with their initials which they wore on the wedding day. I thought they looked pretty cool against the classic black and white tuxes. I’ll have detail shots from the day up in the near future!

Marla J Designs February 25, 2009

Sorry I’ve been MIA lately, I have about a billion and one things going on…not only are we under the three month mark until the wedding, work has been insane, we’ve had house guests every weekend for a straight month, and I’ve started training for a half marathon (more on that later). So needless to say I’ve fallen behind on more than a few areas in my life! But I have Spring Break coming up for teaching and grad school so I should have lots of new posts up soon, including the very first BridalCheek giveaway which I’m totally excited about. Yay free stuff!

In the meantime, let me start with a long overdue post about Marla J Designs, yet another fabulous Etsy resource for the vintage-inspired bride. I found Marla’s page in my quest for vintage jewelry, and she has some fabulous and affordable pieces, not to mention handmade birdbage veils and flower/feather fascinators. Here are some of my favorites:

Marit Hanson Weddings July 20, 2008

Finding vendors in Columbus has been remarkably easy. Too easy I would say, if it wasn’t for the fact that I have a fairly defined idea of what I’m looking for number one, and number two the internet is a girl’s best wedding planning friend these days.

As soon as I saw Marit Hanson’s awesome concert poster save the dates on Junebug weddings, I was smitten. Then I found out that not only does she have a whole range of invitations on Etsy that range from classic to modern to whimsical, but she just happens to live in Columbus. It was meant to be!

We met with Marit to talk about our invitations and gave her a whole range of scattered ideas. We know we want something unusual and bold, with possibly an art spin on the concert poster since our wedding is at a museum. Basically we gave her free rein, because judging from her work she will come up with something fabulous! Here are some samples of her work, and for more you can also check out her Etsy store.

Program Problem Solved June 16, 2008

Just the other day (I think I was on an airplane) I was musing about what type of programs I wanted to have for the wedding. Actually, that’s not true. First I hemmed and hawed about whether I even wanted programs in the first place and whether they are really necessary. The conclusion I came to was while not entirely necessary, programs are not only another keepsake for the scrapbook (if you’re into that kind of thing, which I’m not yet but stranger things have happened) but really helpful for your guests. Personally I always use the program to distract myself from the inevitable 20 minute delay of the wedding, acquainting myself with the order of the ceremony and what readings they will have. So having decided that programs were definitely a go, I then decided to look for something a little unusual.

Not surprisingly, Etsy the e- mecca of quirky wedding supplies had exactly what I never imagined I wanted…a cootie catcher program. On the West Coast we called these recess toys fortune tellers, but regardless of what you call them what a clever way to entertain your guests while they’re waiting and offer them something just a little cheeky and unexpected. Needless to say I’m into that!

I never thought I was a garter kind of girl… March 28, 2008

That is, until I found these sexy yet classy handmade garters at where else, but Etsy. That place is quickly becoming my online mecca for all things quirky and unique in wedding planning. Most garters are enormous frilly lace affairs that look bulky and uncomfortable, but these by Piper Ewan look sleek enough to go incognito even under the slimmest of gowns, not to mention the sophisticated and delicate color palette. She also offers brooches, hairpieces, and even a corset on her site. Am I in love? Yes. Am I buying one of her garters? Yes. Will I toss it at the wedding? Probably not. Its totally worth it anyway.