Many couples are now opting to replace the traditional unity ceremonies of wedding's past (such as the drinking of wine or joining of roses) for a more visually striking and long-lasting unity ceremony alternative: unity sand.

Posted on January 04, 2013

wedding-collectibles

Preparing the Perfect Christmas Wedding Favors

While we’ll never recommend planning your wedding for Christmas morning, holding a wedding during the Christmas season is a great way to get your family together to celebrate both your marriage and the reason for the season.

Posted on November 30, 2012

wedding-collectibles

Stay Safe with a Wedding Card Holder

While it's never advisable to expect gifts for your wedding, you would be remiss not to include a wedding card holder among your day-of decor.

Posted on November 26, 2012

wedding-collectibles

What to Look for in a Classic Wedding Ring Pillow

A ring pillow is one of those wedding "musts" that you don't really think about until the last minute.

Posted on November 22, 2012

wedding-collectibles

Versatility in Wedding Beer Toasting Mugs

Not all brides drink champagne, so not all brides can be expected to toast to their wedding with regular toasting glasses.

Posted on November 16, 2012

wedding-collectibles

The Practicality and Aesthetic of Wedding Favor Cards

If you’re making your own favors, be it jarring jams or packaging chocolates or crafting miniature birdhouses, you need a way to dress up your gifts for your guests.

Posted on November 08, 2012

wedding-collectibles

Literary Wedding Inspiration

Theme weddings have a habit of borrowing from literature. While finding inspiration in great novels, plays, and poems can be a fun way to personalize your wedding day, it’s easy to go over the top. That’s why, if you don’t want a theme wedding, many people simply don’t bother. Here are some low-key ideas inspired by some of my favorite authors (without stepping into the bounds of “theme-y”: F. Scott Fitzgerald
Fitzgerald was the author of the famous American novel The Great Gatsby, and his career was absolutely saturated with stories of high society in the 1920s. Though his stories were timely critical comments on excess and wealth, his worlds still serve as inspiration for weddings the world over. Keep it Simple with: Mint Juleps, Martinis, and Bubbly
and Feathers, White Dinner Jackets, and Low Waists. J. R. R. Tolkien I’ve never met anyone who wouldn’t drop everything for the chance to live in J.R.R. Tolkien’s pastoral domicile: the humble Hobbit hole. The Shire, the mythical serene landscape within Tolkien’s Middle Earth, is perfect in every way. Weddings in the Shire employ the gratuitous use of flowers and the outdoors, plenty of ale, and a plethora of pastels. Keep it Simple with: Beer and Ale and More Beer
and
Bright Colors, Flowers, and Airy Fabrics. Edgar Allen Poe
Poe was the author of such famous short horror stories as “The Black Cat” and “The Premature Burial” and poems such as “The Raven” and “Annabel Lee.” Chilling and weirdly romantic, his works have haunted our hearts and minds for decades. While few associate his stories with uplifting happy endings, fans of his enchanting language know exactly why he inspires light and dark weddings everywhere. Keep it Simple with: Wed Wine and Cognac, Red Wine
and
Lace, Red Roses, and Buttery Silk.

Posted on November 06, 2012

wedding-collectibles

Building your DIY Bouquet: Tips and Tricks

I recently shared with you my fabric flower DIY adventure. While those flowers are great for centerpieces and combs, most brides will be looking to use those masterful patterns to build a bridal bouquet. So how would a new DIY bride even start? How early should brides start building the bouquet of their dreams? What should brides even start on first? Building your own bouquet can be scary at first, especially if this will be your first experience with Do-It-Yourself, but here are a few tips to make it a little less frustrating:

Know the Shape you Want
Before you start building a bouquet out of your selected medium, know what you want your end result to look like. If you can’t find a suitable image online that features just the right bouquet in just the right shape, find a bouquet made of real flowers in the right silhouette instead. Do you want the bunch of flowers that hangs down on a silk ribbon? A classic mid-80s cascading bouquet with hundreds of blooms? Bunches of wild-looking fabric flowers? Find the shape first – that will decide the sorts of materials you use to build it.
I recommend printing out an image of the shape you want and keeping it near your work station as you craft. Most of us don’t have a stock pile of supplies just sitting around, so when you have a shape in mind, you can prevent the over-buying of supplies you won’t use.

Build an Army of Starter Blooms
Don’t go for the perfect bouquet of expensive materials on your first shot. Make an cornucopia of blooms in your chosen medium that fit the bouquet shape you’re looking for, and experiment with different styles and designs. Make a number of “practice flowers” in less expensive material before you go for broke and build the real thing. This is also a good time to practice assembling boutonnières and corsages if you want to make them out of the same material.
If you’re asking your bridesmaids to assemble their own bouquets out of your chosen medium, think about the time commitment you’re asking them to sacrifice. If you’re really set on each bridesmaid carrying a design of her own creation, try to make the individual blooms yourself and host a “bouquet building” party to cut down on the work for your girls. If you’re staying up every night to build your bouquet, can you really expect your ‘maids to do the same?

Begin Building Early in your Engagement
The earlier you start the process of crafting your own bouquet (out of seashells, buttons, fabric, paper, or pretty much anything else), the less stressed out you’ll be right before the big day. Don’t make more work for yourself by putting it off until you’re up every night the week before your wedding gluing doilies together. Having a consistent DIY project to return to every night will allow you to de-stress after a long day and commit your brain to something other than the stresses of the world.

Posted on September 25, 2012

wedding-collectibles

Keeping your DIY Reception Decorations Professional-Looking

Working Out the Kinks in DIY Reception Decorations

DIY Reception Decorations

When you're planning a DIY wedding, some of the more technical paper goods can be daunting. Menus, place cards, and even table numbers can easily look amateurish and cheap if you aren't careful where and how you print them. When you DIY reception decorations, it's important to find a kit or a guide to keep everything on track and stylish. You don't want your DIY reception decorations to be shadowed by cheap paper goods!

DIY reception decorations can be fun, but when it comes to paper goods, I recommend a kit. DIY reception decorations kits will keep everything uniform and cohesive - the biggest issue for any DIY bride. If you try to hand-write and hand-cut your DIY reception decorations, they might not look very professional. On the other hand, if you ask a print shop to design them for you, it isn't really DIY (and where's the fun in that?). Yes, your best option is a kit that provides you with the software you need to design DIY reception decorations that you can really be proud of. The kits will come with cutouts for your menus, place cards, and table numbers, but the design will be all on you. So have fun designing and printing your own DIY reception decorations!

Posted on September 20, 2012

wedding-collectibles

Blog / Wedding Accessories

Working Out the Kinks in DIY Reception Decorations

DIY Reception Decorations