etsy wedding

where did the time went

2014-05-08T23:50:00.001-07:00

{ first birthday custom cake topper by athenaandeugenia }

what?? it's 2014?

oh right. I had a BABY. in *2012*. and lo, a giant hole opened in the space-time continuum.

I don't know if I'll continue writing here or on another blog-to-be-named, as etsy does a decent job these days of leading you to wedding stuff. plus the search is 100x better than when I started this blog back in 2007. but it just didn't seem right to end on cassette tapes. I owe you a couple of stories.

in the meantime, if you're here for the first time: if you check ONE blog while getting married let it be apracticalwedding.com. public service announcement.

xoj

for more see athenaandeugenia

break the record: upcycled cassette tape wedding centerpiece

2012-03-29T20:25:00.002-07:00

{ music lover red cassette tape LED-lighted centerpiece }

this is just the coolest idea! '80s theme? rock n' roll wedding? it takes me way back.
oh mix tapes. How I crafted you so lovingly. How I listened to you over and over when someone made you for me. I kept every single one of you, even though I no longer have a way to play you.

we are both musicians, and incorporating music into our wedding was so important to us that our wedding invitation was a hand-letterpressed mix-cd for all of our friends and family. (I will one day post step-by-step instructions for how to DIY your own!)

You can get these in all sorts of colors -- plus you're supporting an awesome single-mom crafter and her two girls. Maybe the best store motto I've seen: Music + Recycling + Craftiness = Break the Record.

(plus check out the amazing vinyl record cake stand!!)

more at breaktherecord.etsy.com

my heart's in egypt wedding sampler

2012-03-27T01:07:00.002-07:00

{ cairo vintage map necklace by ivcreations55 }

one of my dearest friends is spending yet another birthday on an amazing trip, this time to Egypt, that I was invited on but couldn't swing. I would like to be in Egypt right NOW. (not working.) RIGHT NOW.

someday I will go to Egypt and see Cairo and the Nile.
For now... thinking of you, Delly -- happy birthday.

{each photo links to its etsy shop}

a practical wedding, on bridesmaids and accessories

2012-03-22T22:26:00.009-07:00

{ letterpressed "will you be my bridesmaid" card by drippyink }

better late than never, celebrating blog-friend Meg's first Huffington Post article, "Your Bridesmaids are not Accessories and other Truths" -- in which she lets you off the hook for any fears you're doing the bridal party thing wrong. THERE IS NO WRONG.* There is only Zuul.

[update! plus her must-read series of posts on etsy's blog:
A Wedding on Your Terms: The Stuff
A Wedding on Your Terms: The Registry ]

If you don't already read A Practical Wedding it is just *great* -- I still do.

Plus check out her new book! A Practical Wedding: Creative Ideas for Planning a Beautiful, Affordable, and Meaningful Celebration -- filled with sane sanity, which is not redundant when you're planning a wedding.

(I'm so pleased to feature it in the first ad I've ever posted on this site. We started our blogs around the same time [don't compare, APW is all grown up!] and it has been a pleasure and inspiration to watch her grow ever since.)

(and of course if you need accessories for your friends-who-are-not-accessories:)

{each photo links to its etsy shop}

*ok, technically there may be a wrong way, which would be to let the wedding-industrial complex make you feel like you have to buy 15 matching sets of everything or to think there's only ONE RIGHT WAY and every other way is TACKY, but we're not here to judge if that's what makes you happy, do your thing.

on cherry blossoms, and a film you need to see

2012-03-20T22:55:00.004-07:00

{ "wrapped in romance" cherry blossom kodak dualflex viewfinder print by seelifeshine }

over the weekend we caught up with A's friend Lucy Walker, a truly gifted, brilliant filmmaker (nominated for two Oscars!) and dear soul, after her Environmental Film Festival retrospective. Lucy and our friend Aaron have made a gorgeous short documentary called "The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom" and you *must* keep your eye out for it where you live -- a profoundly moving film of catastrophe and beautiful redemption. Showing in Durham NC's Full Frame festival next month among others, and eventually on HBO.

then on Sunday we biked down to DC's own cherry blossoms, here early this year -- 100 years and every year a miracle.

there's an enormous variety of cherry-blossom-themed invitations on etsy (click here to see the latest) -- and here's a sampler of other lovely ideas. Bonus points to anyone who recognizes my favorite pink-haired anime ass-kicker. Happy spring!

{each photo links to its shop}

top 10 vintage etsy wedding: march 2012

2012-03-12T09:00:00.000-07:00

{each photo links to its shop}

march etsy weddings

2012-03-10T10:22:00.000-08:00

{ turquoise lion necklace by rotsinacreations }

March: in like a...

{each photo links to its shop}

olive and fern: ring pillows + eco-friendly flower girl dresses

2012-03-05T20:52:00.005-08:00

{ birch wood and metal handmade ring bearer }

Idaho-based Olive and Fern makes beautiful, simple ring pillows and flower-girl dresses, hand-sewn in the good old USA from eco-friendly fabrics.

You can customize the metal saying on your wooden ring bearer or on the clever wedding ring bag (photo below, top left), or there are other lovely vintage and eco-friendly ring pillows... (I love the quilts! Could be gorgeous customized with your own meaningful pieces, like an old baby quilt or fabric from your grandmother's dress...)

and then the little-girl frocks are irresistible, customizable within reason, with lovely organic cottons and the perfect shape for dance-floor twirling.

more at oliveandfern.etsy.com

east side bride on etsy wedding syle

2012-03-04T21:38:00.002-08:00

east side bride–curated pix, via etsy

if you haven't already, check out ESB's sane, sound, great advice in her etsy blog post.
or check out her blog or pinterest. effing love her style.

spring [wedding blog] cleanse

2012-03-01T14:00:00.000-08:00

{ 50 handmade vegan/organic wedding soap favors by prunellasoap }

with the bizarre non-winter we've had, DC flora and fauna (people included) are confused. The trees in front of the Kennedy Center were blooming three weeks ago, and on a run on the 15th I saw dozens (dozens!) of robins. Dudes, you are not supposed to be here yet.

(I AM NOT COMPLAINING, winter gods. PLEASE DO NOT SEND A MAKE-UP WINTER.)

anyway, it's March! Time to clean up and get the old act together: a little face scrub, a little blog tending. And while some might say giving soap as a gift sends the wrong message (to your dirty, dirty friends), I'm in... favor.

oh, it has been a while.

{each photo links to its shop}

hello, hello

2012-02-23T14:18:00.006-08:00

{ hello love handwritten calligraphy notecards by sparrownestscript }

well hello there.

{each photo links to its shop}

a vintage valentine

2012-02-14T14:04:00.000-08:00

{ unused vintage greeting card assortment from bloomdar vintage }

{each photo links to its shop}

beth cote: air mail save the date cards

2011-10-08T10:33:00.000-07:00

{ vintage air mail save the date }

the first of several items i will post from ms. cote -- love this note's classic, clean lines.

blue pearls: rustic handmade wedding banners + ring holders

2011-10-02T22:25:00.000-07:00

{ heartstrings jute twine rustic wedding ring holder and ornament }

by Alisa of Blue Pearls, in Colorado: a sweet shabby chic wedding ring holder with your initials that you can repurpose as an ornament or decoration.

plus charming table numbers, banners, even gussied-up wedding clothespins to hang the same.

more at bluepearls.etsy.com

to the moon and...

2011-10-01T20:51:00.000-07:00

{ short backless wedding dress with pockets by sleighcustomdresses }

hello patient readers -- I'm back. It has been one heck of a year, I'm sorry to have been away so long. And for my new readers, welcome!

xoj

readygo: handmade wedding cake toppers, flags + banners

2011-03-19T17:28:00.000-07:00

{ cake banner plus bride and/or groom set }

am not always a fan of the wedding topper, but these handmade cake banners and flags by Nadia of Ready Go are lovely and celebratory and fun, without being too too twee.

you get to customize your bride (even dress style) and groom (facial hair and kilt available) to reflect your particular pairing, and also your banner color. sweet!

she also makes matchbook calendar favors, gift tags, and all manner of lovely paper things.
plus she's etsy's featured artist this week -- check out the interview!

for more info see readygo.etsy.com

kiss me kiss me kiss me

2011-03-17T21:12:00.000-07:00

{each photo links to its shop}

email save-the-date sampler

2011-03-09T20:51:00.000-08:00

{ email save-the-date by pinklilypress }

thinking of emailing your wedding save-the-dates? a sane, eco-friendly, affordable way to go. (we did!)

here are a few etsy shops that will design one for you, some with entire email wedding invitation suites.

{each photo links to its shop}

saja wedding trunk show 2011, NYC

2011-03-08T21:33:00.000-08:00

i have *so* much more to say about saja (and my dress!) and how amazing it is.

but, since time is of the essence: any fans of simple, gorgeous dressmaking in NYC or environs must check out these wonderful wedding + bridesmaid dresses and get to this RSVP-only trunk show next week. the nolita boutique also has exquisite sashes and adornments.

etsy blog love

2011-03-07T21:31:00.000-08:00

Chris and Katy of simplybeginning.com, a DIY wedding and starting-new-life-together blog, were kind enough to include etsy wedding in their top 10 blogs all young couples should read -- thanks guys!

along with wedding planning and recipes, Chris has a series of posts for those interested in brewing your own beer for your wedding, which is above and beyond. handmade beer.

{each photo links to its shop}

etsy wedding's new look -- your thoughts?

2011-03-07T21:25:00.000-08:00

so. I'm trying out a new layout, what do you think? like it/hate it? does it work on your computer? suggestions?

thanks as always for reading --
xoj

bella puzzles: wedding guest book wooden puzzles

2011-03-06T20:57:00.000-08:00

{ photo wedding puzzle guest book }

cool. Lara makes custom wooden guest book puzzles -- stumbled across this great idea in an etsy blog post on beating creative burnout (erm...) so pls. forgive if you've seen elswhere...

you can get them with a photo, a color, or plain wood. you can get a rectangular puzzle or one shaped like a tree or your state/country. you can get your names carved as pieces. or a heart. or a monkey, or anything you want. people sign the backs of the pieces with the pens (included! so considerate). you could even use them as place cards. plus anyone who takes a scrollsaw class and whose talents are "making mischief and making art" must be supported.

[maybe i like this idea so much because my grandmother's typewriter (i know, so 2010) had a meltdown at our reception and refused to work. may or may not have had to do with toddlers. it works *now* of course, just not then -- we have these random 3-word haiku running down the left side of the paper. anyway. moral of that story: have a pen handy. anyway.]

there's a nice symbolism here -- we assemble our weddings, our marriages, and our lives from our families and friends, and so it's not just a picture of you, it's your community coming together and every piece is critical. sweet.

Lara also cuts puzzles for other occasions (baby shower, birthday, retirement, bat mitzvah) --
to see more of her work check out her other etsy store and her blog as well.

more at bellapuzzlestoo.etsy.com

dinkybird boutique: handmade wedding flower hair pins

2011-03-03T22:39:00.000-08:00

{ turquoise and aqua flower hair pin or brooch }

stephanie of dinkybird boutique crafts sweet one-of-a-kind handmade flowers to adorn yourself or your ladies. she will work with you on custom wedding orders and bridal party multiples, send you a swatch, or possibly include you as a character in her next young adult novel (always be kind to fiction writers!) --

ok, so that last bit i made up, but she *is* publishing a book as well. the flowers come in both sweet accent and Drama size, and she'll even attempt to match a color -- thanks for writing, stephanie!

more at dinkybirdboutique.etsy.com

top ten vintage wedding items on etsy: february 2011

2011-02-27T06:04:00.000-08:00

{each photo links to its shop}

as usual, plus two to grow on.

we are today's wedding of the day on weddingchannel.com

2011-02-17T22:47:00.000-08:00

{ collage via weddingchannel.com }

this crazy world. we had so much fun with our amazing photographers (max + margaret of unusually fine!), and they asked if they could submit our photos out to blogs before i posted them here, and ... of course!

and that's how we ended up as a wedding of the day on weddingchannel.com. wild.

the gallery the editors put together lists just some of our amazing people and resources, which i plan to write about individually over the next few weeks -- it's hard to express just how thankful i am --

our wedding and everything you see in these photos is the combined effort of so many people -- painstaking and herculean labors, performed by joyous, patient, loving-beyond-words friends and family -- every photo from that day has a story, a labor, and love behind it, and i hope to tell you a few of them that do justice to the photos that max + margaret have made, also with love, by hand.

and -- max + margaret, you know how we feel. thank you.
more stories to come.