Etsy Wedding Bliss

It's official. Etsy has a wedding-specific section. Nothing could have made my Monday more exciting after a weekend of spending next to no time on the World Wide Web.

I already loved Etsy. Something about a website that enables you to purchase virtually anything hand-made just puts me in awe. I love the creative ideas and unique designs. It's a great site to purchase both personalized items and gifts. It was even a great site to purchase wedding items. But now, it's extra fabulous.

From wedding invitations and menu cards to favors and signs, Etsy has all of your wedding needs. You can even find helpful stories from past couples. There is such a diverse array of selections, it's hard to choose. If you are having a theme wedding, they have you covered. A DIY wedding? Etsy's the perfect site. It's even a great resource for your bridesmaids' gifts.

The best part- If you love Etsy as much as I do and have an ongoing wish list, they now have a wedding registry. That's right, you can have your wedding registry right on Etsy, complete with all of the handmade items you have been dreaming of for your new home!

Some of my favorites:

Gorgeous Detailed Gown

Rustic Vintage. You can't go wrong.

Love these photo booth props!

P.F. Changs & Wedding Cake Shooters

Ideas always come to me in the most random places. In the shower, walking down the street, on the metro, at P.F. Changs. That's right, P.F.Changs. You know, the China bistro with the huge horses out front. One of my bucket list items is to sit on one of those horses, but that's besides the point.

Anyways, after eating my dinner last night I ordered one of the dessert shooters, triple chocolate mousse to be exact, and it was fantastic. I have never had a dessert shooter let me down. It's the perfect amount of dessert if you've just eaten dinner and they taste phenomenal. This got me thinking- some brides are already opting to do cupcakes instead of a wedding cake, but what about wedding cake shooters?! I prefer them over cupcakes, you could have a bunch of different flavors, they could be made too go along with the colors or theme of your wedding and you can put them on a cute stand just like you would the cupcakes!

Much to my surprise, someone has come up with this before me. I discovered this on Pinterest (yup, still addicted). Check them out!

Image Source

Image Source

Original Wedding: Kadira & Chin

In the midst of the rainy April weekend, Kadira & Chin tied the knot at the Grand Atrium in Vienna, VA. Their ceremony and reception were unlike any other I've ever worked at or attended and I was honored that they chose NoLo Weddings & Events to be a part of their special day.

It was very important to them from the start to tie numerous multi-cultural elements, including a Kola Nut ceremony and an African ceremony, into their reception. Among these cultural traditions were the simple details they used to really make the wedding their own. The place cards and tables were named after the numerous fish the couple has caught together. They even used fish in their centerpieces and guest book, which was an underwater scene that guests places fingerprints on.

One of my favorite elements was Kadira & Chin's "receiving reception". As opposed to a receiving line after the ceremony, the couple opted to use their church's multi-purpose room for a mini reception. It was there that the couple greeted and thanked their guests. The mini reception was complete with a photo booth, caricature artist and cake for those that would not be attending the reception later in the evening. The receiving reception worked out perfectly not only as a receiving line alternative, but also because it started pouring rain right after the ceremony.

But hey, rain on your wedding day is good luck right?! Best wishes to the happy couple!

Room Blocking for Out of Town Guests

After calling hotel upon hotel about group rates for one of my brides, I just wanted to do a quick post on hotel room blocking for out of town guests.

In my opinion, it's an absolute must if you are expecting a good number of out of town guests. After all, they are spending the money to come see you get married, the least you can do is provide a block at a local hotel so they get a bit of a discount! This won't cost you any money if you do it right.

So, here's my advice- If you plan on blocking a large number of rooms, you typically have to sign an agreement and provide a credit card. You are then responsible for paying a certain percentage of the rooms if they don't get booked. Now, if you go in telling the hotel right away how many rooms you need (and it's a large number), they may not tell you about their courtesy block. Ask about this! Typically, a hotel will courtesy block (you won't need to sign anything) a certain amount of rooms. It's a good idea to start with this amount. Then, if all of the rooms get booked, talk to them about adding on some additional ones. Since your guests are showing a great response, they may add more rooms to your block without asking you to sign a thing.

Bottom line- If you can block rooms without signing a contract, do it. You never know what your guests will end up doing. Some may have hotel points, some might stay with family. You don't want to be locked in to paying for 20 hotel rooms!

Combine Favors and Place Cards

The last few weeks I've noticed that some brides are combining the favors and place cards into one item. What a great idea for the budget savvy bride! If you are looking to save money, you could definitely work with this idea. Instead of purchasing both favor boxes and place cards, for example, you could write the guests' names directly on to the favor boxes.

Now, of course it won't always save you money. If you do something elaborate, the cost might end up being the same, but it's still a unique way to do your place cards. If you are doing frames for favors, you could place their names in the frame. Or in some type of photo holder that could double as the favor. Using shot glasses as favors? Have them engraved with the person's name and already set on the table where they are to be seated. 

Aside from saving money or being creative, this is also a wonderful idea simply because many guests forget to pick up a favor before they leave. Hopefully your guests will remember to take their favors home since they have already had to pick them up for their place card (just make sure they know it's for them to take)!

Alley Will You Marry Me?

There's just something about little discoveries like this one. They make my day.

While in Mississippi last weekend, I stumbled upon this message on an overpass right on the beach. Who knows how long it's been there or who Alley is or if it's even from an actual proposal (those of you who listen to country should know these are also lyrics to a Jason Aldean song). But something about it, maybe the mystery, maybe the public display of love, just puts a smile on my face and I wanted to share it with you :)

I wonder if she said yes!

Matt & Barb's Southern Wedding- Biloxi Style

This past weekend I had the honor of attending, and helping out with, a friend's wedding in Biloxi, Mississippi. It was absolutely gorgeous! From the classic venue to the Southern themed food, it couldn't have been more exquisite.

I have to say, I adored the venue. The wedding took place at The Redding House in downtown Biloxi. The Redding House is the only surviving mansion in downtown Biloxi and has a place on the national Registry of Historic Places. Both inside and out, the house looks astonishing with it's bold features, unique style and winding staircases. 

Now, that said - One thing I really love about attending weddings (other than seeing the look on he groom's face and showing my support for the happy couple) is that they open my eyes to new ideas. I will admit, I'm usually not a fan of venues that cannot seat everyone in one room. But, The Redding House really makes it work. The house has an openness to it that still makes you feel like part of the party, but smaller spaces that keep it very romantic. Best of all, the house takes care of most of the decor (you really don't need to add much, as it's already magnificent) and is perfect for the low-key bride. Barb (the beautiful bride) simply choose to add some small vases of flowers here and there and that's all it took! I really can't say enough about how beautiful the wedding was.

So, thank you Matt & Barb (for the invite) and Redding House (for changing my perspective)!

Matt's face as Barb turned the corner to walk down the isle.

(If you have read my profile, you know this is my favorite part!)

One of the rooms upstairs. It looks gorgeous with the simple addition of flowers!

The Redding House