Talk about CRAFTY...

So I was flipping through my blog roll and came across this information (thank you Darcy Miller). I mean, I've heard of some crafty ideas... but this one takes the cake (literally). This bride- to-be is using the blog-o-sphere as a social experiment to petition for donations for her wedding! Not sure how I feel about that... but thought I'd pass the interesting idea along. Don't you wish you were the one to come up with that idea? Genius! Any thoughts?

Putting you in your place...

ACK... I'm researching creative ideas for our place cards. Anyone have any fabulous ideas/suggestions?

Wouldn't these be perfect for a vineyard wedding? (read:: inexpensive and fun!)

It's too bad these don't really match our theme.. i'm LOVING all the little bird details!

Flower Power

... Another thought... how perfectly unique is this FUSS Jewelry. Loving the flowers and unique little details.

Let them eat cake!

So let me begin by saying that to me, the decor of the cake was never really 'critical' - needs to be pretty, MUST taste good, and can't look TOO amateur. BUT, after falling in love with Ann Wood's bird cake toppers... (see below), I decided that I had to step up my plans for our wedding cake. So after visiting WAY too many cake websites a friend forwarded me LovinSullivan's website - and there I found THE cake inspiration. It's classic, but with such a modern flair!

Now comes the tricky part... my venue is providing the cake. And while I'm sure our resort will be able to produce such a cake, I couldn't leave the flowers up to chance. So began my search for these cool looking gardenia flowers. I first found what I was looking for here. Estilo Wedding's gardenia clay flowers are fantastic... but a TAD on the pricy side. (yikes!) The interesting part about the flowers is that they are made out of this material - CLAYCRAFT by Deco. It's super light, but is perfect for crafting flowers you wont' believe how realistic and delicate they look!

And THEN it hit me... HELLO (!?!?!)... why not check out my favorite 'go to' website... ETSY. And that's where vision and reality came together. The vendor I choose was Cherrie of CCbycherrie. Cherrie uses the SAME clay material (Claycraft by Deco) and is definitely an artist (she even teaches classes in Claycraft!). She was a pleasure to work with and made amazing flowers which were exactly what I was looking for, but $40 cheaper! The photo doesn't really do them justice... they are pretty fantastic.

Anyone looking for a fun way to jazz up their cake - you've got to check out these Claycraft flowers. Not only are they realistic looking, but you can KEEP the flowers as a keepsake afterwards!)

Another idea... why not purchase a single flower and use it as a hair piece? LOOKS real, but won't be dead and limp two hours after the wedding!

Have any other cake accessory ideas...??

Map Quest...

Having a destination wedding, or having a wedding where MOST of your guests are from out of town? I love the idea of a wedding map. I originally fell in LOVE with Laura Hooper's maps, but they were a little out of my price range. However, but I loved the animated and romantic look of her maps - they are fun yet helpful!





So, my stationary guru sprinkled a little design dust and produced and AMAZING map for me - that was AFFORDABLE!!! See below, the map turned out so cute, and she's customized to include things I love (read:: Bloomingdale's!)

I plan on having these printed on tote bags as a welcome favor for out of town guests. Looking to save money? No need to go directly to a 'wedding specialist' - have the map created using a GREAT designer, then have a marketing company print them on tote bags. Map graphic = affordable, tote bags =$2.00 - allowing me to provide a fun welcome gift at a GREAT price!

Now, I'm in need of ideas for what to put IN the tote bags. I've collected maps and tour brochures.. but need a few more ideas???

CHEESE!

Picking the 'right' photographer is always such an important decision. Not only do you want to select a photographer that has an interesting eye, but the real trick is to find one that has a style that matches your vision for your wedding. Many apologies for not attributing - but I've found these photos in the last few weeks and LOVE the uniqueness of the shots... playful, yet a great way to capture the spirit of the day. I hate to torture my bridesmaids (-ish :) ), but the ring pop photo is just too to pass up!

Recipe for Success

Another fabulous ETSY find (read:: I'm a serious ETSY addict)... how fantastic are these recipe cards? A big thanks to Bridal Buzz for pointing these out!! What a cute idea to include these at a bridal shower - or even including in an invitation instead of a guest book.

DIY Handmade Soap

I sure do wish I would have found this a few weeks ago. One of my favorite new blogs, 100 layer cake, provides step-by-step directions for how to make your own soaps!

Not crafty? (or short on time?) I purchased these a few weeks ago from Sweet Petula. Not only are they cost effective (read $20 for 12 soaps), but she will customize the soaps using your colors/monogram! These 'mini' bars of soap will be perfect to include in our welcome tote bags. After all, who doesn't love getting fun soaps when they go to a hotel!

It's not JUST a pillow

So, i'm in the home stretch... less than 90 days now till the 'big day' and starting to tie up some loose ends. Next item of business? The ring bearer pillow.

There are so many fun options to choose from. Brooklyn Bride has some really unique playful looking pillows. But i'm also loving Sweet B Paper's romantic pillows and flower girl baskets! In fact, when I saw these I instantly fell in love with them and 'added to cart'! Tina is really easy to work with - and will customize any way imaginable!

Thanks Tina!

Bird crazy

Okay, so admittedly, I'm obsessed with all of these fun love bird themes that are 'flying' around the wedding world. It first started with my obsession with Ann Wood's FANTASTIC bird cake toppers.

Now I've started to notice SO many fantastic 'love bird' details.

Look at Whitney Smith's fantastic bird cake stand - how cute and vintage looking is this!?!

I'm also loving Beehivekitchenware's bird measuring spoons!

Anyone else loving these bird details like I am?

Etsy to the rescue

So i've been running around trying to find a fantastic rehearsal dress that's a bit 'unique' - yet comfortable and fun (not to mention won't break the bank). SOOO I found this fantastic dress on ETSY. (If you haven't explored ETSY, then you're missing out!!) Not only are Amanda Archer's dresses super stylish, but she'll customize them to fit your specfic measurements - AND makes them in a variety of colors. Not that I don't love the bridesmaid dress I choose, but this would have been a great (and affordable) alternative.

One of my other favorite things - these fabulous JCREW shoes I am obsessed with. I know it's a bit 'much' to spend on shoes... but you can never REALLY have enough polka-dotted shoes, right?

Favors for Kids!

So here's one of my favorite finds - these fabulous crayon sets are SO easy to make! With over 11 children attending our wedding, there is NO way i'd have time to make an ENTIRE alphabet for each child. SOOO, instead, I decided to make each child's name in crayons. Then, i'll have a separate tray with "extras" for those children who have shorter names.

Additionally, I made tags with each kid's name on them - they turned out SO cute (I'll post pictures soon!)

Here's a few tips:
-Rather than buy the silicon molds of Amazon ($25), try this website (only $15!)

-Also, you'll need to layer at least two crayons on top of each other in each letter mold (read:: you must break up the crayons and stack them on top of each other.)

-Time saving tip - to remove the paper off the crayons, simply dump the entire box into a bowl of MILDY hot water. The paper immediately slips off. BUT, be sure the water isn't TOO hot - you don't want the crayons melting or getting 'tacky.'

-To make: bake the crayons at 250 degrees for about 12-15 minutes (depending on how hot your oven tends to be). Then, take them out and let them cool for at least an hour before you try and take them out of the mold

-Caution: The "S's" are a PITA to take out. I've only successfully un-molded ONE of the little buggers. SO, if they break - just super glue the pieces together. It's strong and the kids won't ever be able to tell! :)
Happy crayon making!!!

Ohhhh where to start

So here I go... my first blog post. Well, you've got to start somewhere, right? Okay. So let me first explain that I started this blog to join the blog-o-sphere, and to share with other giddy brides (like myself) all of the wonderful things I found online - both myself and through other wed-bloggers. I'm getting married in June (YEAH!!!), but have had SO much fun reading other's blogs - that I thought i'd have a few tips myself that would be useful to other brides. So let's use this as a forum - for brides, and by brides, sharing useful tips, tricks and advice!!

Hold on to your mouse... here we go :)