Beautiful Bridal

Wedding Cake Brooches

2012-01-25T10:27:00.004-05:00

In recent years, brides have been cleverly using stunning rhinestone brooches on wedding sashes and belts, bridal bouquets and even as glamorous hair combs. But that's not all! A very popular trend today is to dress up a plain fondant wedding cake with thick satin ribbon and bows and well placed rhinestone brooches and pins. What could be more beautiful?

Wedding Thank You Favor Tags

2011-12-15T17:15:00.008-05:00

I would thank you from the bottom of my heart, but for you my heart has no bottom. --Unknown

Saying "thank you" Not just for the wedding gift, of course. For the generous amount of time guests carved out of their busy comings and goings. For putting on their best clothes, driving 5 miles or 500, giving the Conga line their best effort even though they hadn’t been on the dance floor since 1976. Let them know in small ways and big, just how very grateful you are.

1. Vintage Dictionary Favor Tags

2. Primitive Rustic Thank You Tags

3. Starfish Wedding Favor Tags

4. Fall Wedding Thank You Tags

5. Felt Heart Favor Tags

6. Pink Butterfly Thank You Tags

Corset Cookie Favors

2011-11-23T13:32:00.009-05:00

If sifting flour and baking from scratch is as welcome to you as changing a flat tire in a rain storm, you just have to appreciate anyone who can make a perfect hand-cut sugar cookie. And that’s the easy part. Making a sugar glaze with consistency fine enough to make intricate designs and yet firm enough to hold its shape is pure magic, or mad skills or both. At around $2.00 to $3.00 each, these colorful corset cookies are almost too amazingly beautiful to eat.

1. Bachelorette Cookie Party Favors

2. Sexy Corset Cookies

3. Bachelorette Party Cookies

4. Corset Cookie Pop Favors

5. Corset Sugar Cookies

Love is Sweet!

2011-11-18T19:06:00.011-05:00

Love is sweet and that’s why weddings make you happy and hopeful, not just for the bride and groom, but for the promise of future hugs and kisses, friendly handshakes and tender embraces. Love is what we live for, why we bother, and why the memory of a first fabulous kiss can last a lifetime.

1. Love is Sweet Favor Bags

2. Love is Sweet Wooden Sign

3. Wedding Banner Love is Sweet

4. Love is Sweet Favor Tags

5. Love is Sweet Party Picks

Silk Bridesmaid Clutches

2011-11-16T11:54:00.009-05:00

I know you might think this is crazy talk, but I sometimes feel without bridesmaids there would be no wedding. Yes, I know 114,000 women who plan a quick elopement to Vegas each year would disagree, but overwhelming most brides rely on a tiny army of good friends adept at listening and hand holding, and even a little scolding when they reach for that second slice of key lime pie. No gift is good enough for this band of sweet sisters, but these custom silk clutches make for a thoughtful thank you.

1. Lace Bridesmaid Clutches

2. Pink Damask Bridesmaid Clutches

3. Purple Silk Bridesmaid Clutches

4. Dupioni Silk Clutches

5. Avocado Green Bridesmaid Clutch

Married to the Idea of Mr. and Mrs.

2011-10-29T12:17:00.006-04:00

First comes “I love you,” and then “Let’s get married” and finally those three other magical words, “Mr. and Mrs.”

1. Shabby Chic Wedding Heart Signs

2. Mr. and Mrs. Burlap Pillows

3. Mr. and Mrs. Wedding Chair Signs

4. Muslin Wedding Favor Bags

5. Mr. and Mrs. Frankenstein Mug Set

Must Have Bridal Earrings!

2011-10-24T14:51:00.009-04:00

With so many amazingly beautiful bridal earrings available for purchase on Etsy, why look anywhere else?

1. Cubic Zirconia Teardrop Earrings

2. Crystal Chandelier Bridal Earrings

3. Sterling Silver Bridal Earrings

4. Gold Pearl Bridal Earrings

Origami Flower Bouquets

2011-09-24T15:20:00.007-04:00

Would you pay up to $300 for a wedding bouquet of paper flowers? What if you knew it took hundreds of hours to make compared to a traditional bouquet of fresh flowers or silk? Your bouquet would look as fresh and perky 30 years from now as it did on the day you married the man of your dreams. I say reuse and recycle your charming paper bouquet as a vintage inspired centerpiece at any or all of these events:

Bridal or baby shower
Garden party
Luncheons and potlucks
Girl’s birthday parties
Anniversaries

1. Kusudama Flower Bouquet

2, Pink Paper Origami Bouquet

3. White and Red Paper Bouquet

4. Origami Wedding Flower Package

5 Great Reasons to Shop at Etsy

2011-09-24T13:20:00.003-04:00

Customer Service

Most artisans at Etsy aren’t working out of a 3,000 square foot studio. They don't have shareholders and they don't have PR people and they certainly don't have a lot of spare time. But they do have a return policy and fair shipping rates and fast, courteous service. They can't afford not to.

One of a Kind

How important is it to you to have something that no one else has? It’s true some dealers sell the same items over and over, but there are a few, and I’m thinking for example about a vintage brooch transformed into a hair comb, that is yours and yours alone, a future cherished family heirloom.

Craftmanship

Love to know how things are made? Many artisans are generous enough to take you through the entire process. Want to know how that sweet little ceramic owl was molded, fired and glazed? I do! Especially if I am buying a gift for someone special, I love to know that time and tenderness went into its making.

Made in the USA

Many American craftsman and women sell on Etsy and if that’s a priority for you, you’ll have no trouble finding everything from pearls to pillowcases here.

Selection

Etsy shoppers are in large part young female shoppers (67%). Over 2 million visitors in America alone arrive at Etsy’s doorstep each month. With over 400,000 sellers, Etsy has something for every room in your house and every gift under your tree.

Photo courtesy of vintagebridaljewelry

Classic Candle Color Ideas

2011-08-27T12:43:00.008-04:00

Arranging ordinary Michael’s variety candles into amazing wedding candle centerpieces just got a whole lot easier with these color combination ideas from the candle connoisseurs at Yummi. They caution that these pillars are placed very close together for photo purposes, but the stunning blends of pink and chocolate, chocolate and celery green, and lavender and buttercup yellow will look classy and elegant grouped a little farther apart, arranged in large martini glasses or stylish glass apothecary jars.

Lovely Rhinestone Hair Combs

2011-08-25T15:29:00.007-04:00

Vintage rhinestone brooches make amazingly beautiful hair combs. Where to find these heirloom quality brooches? Flea markets, thrift stores and garage sales? I rarely see them there and if I do, they're usually overpriced (and don't forget the price of gas driving here, there, and everywhere). Bidding on eBay, while time consuming and sometimes frustrating, is the cheapest way to collect these timeless treasures.

1. Pearl Rhinestone Hair Comb

2. Vintage Brooch Hair Comb

3. Something Blue Hair Comb

4. Vintage Style Flower Hair Comb

5. Milk Glass Hair Comb

Crystal Bridal Headbands

2011-08-22T09:46:00.004-04:00

Sometimes it’s fairly easy (and entertaining) to imagine what bits of fabric, felt and feathers went into the making of something divine on Etsy, and other times not so much. Made to order, and made to make you feel like People Magazine’s “Most Beautiful Woman in the World” these pearl and crystal beaded headbands are as one of a kind as you, and every bit as exquisite.

Sweet and Simple

2011-08-21T18:43:00.006-04:00

Like a freshly squeezed glass of lemonade on a hot August day, life’s sweetest pleasures are often refreshingly simple.

1. Polka Dot Blusher Veil

2. Engraved Wedding Stone

3. Burlap Ring Bearer Pillow

4. Love Birds Wedding Cake Topper

5. Vintage Inspired Favor Tags

Stylish Table Number Holders

2011-08-06T18:29:00.006-04:00

Vintage inspired table numbers. I am positively obsessed with them. Maybe you’re clever enough to design your own, plan on purchasing them from Etsy or download Martha Stewart’s free table number template. Kim Vallee is also your source for DIY printable table numbers including photo table numbers and table numbers on wine bottles—great stuff!) How to display them? Lovely twisted wire holders in antique gold, bronze, copper and gunmetal , the perfect partner for your vintage style table décor.

Don't miss! Martha Stewart Weddings

Lace Wedding Garters from Etsy

2011-08-06T13:45:00.004-04:00

If men had their way, women would surely wear garters all the time. And who can blame them? These ultra feminine Venetian lace wedding garters from Etsy were probably designed for a young bride or maybe even a teenaged, prom-going girl with sophisticated taste, but they are too amazingly beautiful and well made to wear just once or twice.

Lace Bouquet Wedding Garter

Ivory Lace Applique Garter

Embroidered Satin Garter

Don't miss! Purple Wedding Garter with Rosettes!

Wedding Chalkboard Ideas

2011-08-03T15:28:00.010-04:00

Something fun at weddings, that’s what we need around here. Something to make guests feel happy, make them forget about that two hour delay at the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel on the way to your day of wedded bliss Make the celebration a little less solemn and just a touch more playful with affordable wedding chalkboards from a place I love to shop, Save On Crafts.

The $25,000 Wedding Myth

2011-07-25T13:39:00.012-04:00

I hate to betray the very bridal industry that piques my interest. But like the guy who empties his car ashtray into the street, some things just don’t make sense. Like the persistent myth of the average cost of an American wedding. If you do have $25,000 or $50,000 or even $300,000 to spend for your day of wedding bliss, I think that’s wonderful, and an army of bored bartenders and forgotten florists say thank you very much, and come back soon! Celebrating your big event with a smaller bag of bucks? You’re wise and you’re wonderful and you're definitely not alone.

Graphic courtesy of All Things Wedding

Peacock Inspired Weddings

2011-07-25T11:28:00.005-04:00

Male peacocks, some of the best looking guys (in a birdy sort of way) on the planet. Evidently their female counterparts were so uninterested in doing the one thing ALL males love doing, divine intervention was called into place. Parading around with iridescent Indian blue-green plumage made the hens more feisty than freshmen college girls in a coed dorm. And I can see why. Here are some of the most charming peacock inspired bridal accessories available right now just for you at Etsy.

1. Fascinator by designbynight

2. Wedding Stationery by InvitingMoments

3. Boutonniere by Rationale

4. Wedding Invitation by AnistaDesigns

5. Garter by plainNfancy

Candy Cane Inspiration

2011-07-24T10:43:00.010-04:00

Candy and Christmas. A combination as spellbinding to kids as Brad and Angelina to the shareholders of The National Enquirer. Turns out grown-ups love candy too, and know a cheap Christmas cake decoration when they see it, those pleasing peppermint confections, readily available (earlier every year, or so it seems) at about $1.99 for a box of twelve.

Photo courtesy of Pink Cake Box

Looking Lovely in a Birdcage Veil

2011-07-23T20:00:00.005-04:00

A simple bird cage veil has it all. It’s affordable (if not, you’re shopping at the wrong place), practical (no lengthy veil to get stepped on, torn and torpedoed by your new high heels), and sophisticated--revealing the glamorous goddess you really are!

Photo courtesy of Delovely Designs

Playful Polka Dot Wedding Cakes

2011-07-23T17:00:00.003-04:00

Your guests showed up to have a good time. Really…they showed up to see you make an honest man out of that boyfriend of seven years, but the baked salmon with horseradish crust and the cheesy au gratin potatoes were never far from their minds. And what’s for dessert? A whimsical wedding cake with playful polka dots is just what’s needed to get this party started.

1. Cake Central

2. Matrimonial Meg

3. cakebee

Heart Favor Tags

2011-07-23T15:04:00.004-04:00

These vintage style heart tags by Anista Designs are so very charming; they’ll be hard to give away. But you must! So much loveliness they’ll add to that lonely little pillow-shaped box of Jordan Almonds or that tiny clear tin of personalized M&Ms.

Purple Wedding Day

2011-07-22T19:59:00.014-04:00

Pink and blue, those were my wedding colors. I know, I know…pink and BLUE? Well the marriage worked out well in spite of weirdly-chosen baby shower colors and that’s the important thing, right? Today I have a passion for purple. Simply put, marry together everyday colors red and blue, and the result is an amazing love child called purple.

1. Invitationstyles

2. w-weddingflowers

3. Jeremiah & Amanda Wedding Planning

4. The Cupcake Blog

5. premiumweddingflowers

6. Weddingbee

7. wrappedoccasions

Personalized Heart Cake Topper

2011-07-18T13:29:00.003-04:00

Ashley and Robert. Whoever they are, they know a good deal when they see it. If Robert remembers to do a few loads now and then, doesn’t pick his nose or scratch his balls in public, he stands a fair chance of being married to Ashley until 2061. And even though he develops a receding hairline that’s okay (unless he tells everyone from the guy at Home Depot to the girl at Kentucky Fried Chicken), he can admire his heart shaped wedding topper every year, for fifty fun-filled anniversaries, sitting on top of his favorite coconut cake with chocolate cream cheese icing.

The Joy of Short Husbands

2011-07-13T13:41:00.005-04:00

With my Dad and brother both six feet two, I naturally grew up thinking all men were tall. When I reached my full height of 5’6” in seventh grade, I suddenly found myself looking down at the greasy and dandruff-ridden hair of boys the same age, one of whom I unhappily assumed would be Mr. Right. During the summer between 7th and 8th something bizarre (even more bizarre than having your first period, if that’s possible) happened. Boys that were five feet tall standing on their tippy toes in June now had to duck their heads going in the cafeteria door in September. So once again, men were tall and women were not.

Having sampled the intellect of the tall local boys, one of whom told me Shakespeare was a brand of fishing reel (which it is), but definitely was not a person. Boys were fun to look up at but easy to look down on. A chance encounter brought my future husband into my life at age 22, and you can guess the rest. A small, but very smart guy, but big on making me laugh, especially at myself.

Tina Fey and husband, Jeff Richmond