Alternative Groom’s Shoe Inspiration

Click on the pictures to be taken to the website!

A Warm Natural Glow

SwankUnderpinnings

Want to have a warm natural glow on your wedding day but don't want to expose yourself to the harmful rays of the sun/tanning bed or get that fake sprayed look..... Then here is your Eco/Green Tip of the Day, Eat your YELLOWS, ORANGEs, and REDS.

It is a best to get a rainbow of colors in your diet but foods that NATURALLY have yellow, orange, and red (no M&Ms don't count) will add a great warm color to your skin. You will not only look healthy for your special day, but also, these veggies have beta-carotene which is a type of pigment found in plants, especially carrots and colorful vegetables.

KRISSY167

Here are some more great benefits you will get from beta carotene:

~ Beta-carotene is converted to vitamin A which  is needed for good vision and eye health, for a strong immune system, and for healthy skin and mucus membranes. 

~ Beta-carotene is an antioxidant, It protects the body from damaging molecules called free radicals. Free radicals cause damage to cells through a process known as oxidation. 

~ Studies suggest that people who eat 4 or more daily servings of fruits and vegetables rich in beta-carotene may reduce their risk of developing heart disease or cancer.

~ Studies suggest that high doses of beta-carotene may decrease sensitivity to the sun.

 Post by Beccijo of TheEnchantedCupboard ~ Enchanting Wooden Toy and Cake Toppers

DIY wedding favour boxes

Wedding favours are a nice way to say thank you to your guests but what sort of wedding favours do you give them?

A lot of attention is normally paid to what to put into the boxes but we must not forget that the box itself could be personalised as well. One easy way is make them!

The advantage of making them is that you can make them to the size you want and using the paper you have chosen. Yes it will take time and effort but your guest will appreciate your effort as you shall see.

Step one, this is the template you will need to understand to make these boxes.

A = length of box

B = height of box

C = 2 cm length which is needed in construction.

The dashed lines will be your fold lines.

From a standard A4 sheet of paper the largest box you can make is a 5cm(side) x 5cm(side) x 7cm(height) which is more then enough to fit a good size chocolate (or what small treat you may give them).

Step two, rather then folding the paper straight away, I would recommend scoring the dotted lines because these will become the folds. Why are you scoring the paper rather then folding it straight away? Well, this will give a more accurate fold and give a cleaner finish.

Step three, crease each of the scored lines you made so it looks like this.

Step four, fold as following and then insert the two ends into each other.

Step five, this is the tricky bit, pushing the base down. You will need to follow the folds you have made and gently manoeuvre each side on top of each other. This manipulation will open up the side where you have inserted the ends together. To prevent the ends from coming apart you can use a clip to hold them together.

This will require a bit of patient and practice but it will fold down if you gently push it down gradually.

Finished, you have the base for your box.

To make the lid for the box is very simply! All you need to do is

1. Add 1-2mm on A - side of the box
2. Decrease B - height of the box to 2-3cm

then you follows the same folding method as above. Here is my lid to the above box.

As mentioned above, you can use almost any paper you like to make these boxes but I would recommend you use paper that is around 80-100 gsm because it will make step 5 a little bit easier.

Now grab a load of your friends and family and fold to your hearts content!

NOTES :

If you require larger pictures then just click on the picture and it will take you to a larger version.

There is another way of folding the lid to make it more decorative. If you want to learn more then let me know in the comments and I'll sort out a tutorial for those.

Eco Love - Think Vintage

So, you’re engaged. Congrats. You and your partner have decided to have an eco friendly wedding without sacrificing your offbeat style. Think vintage, the ultimate recycling. I know you’re thinking that you don’t want to look old fashioned but modern hip and dripping with stylish originality. And why not!

If you are lucky enough to find a garment that fits and is not damaged then you have scored. Most likely it will need something. Maybe something needs to be removed or added or maybe it is damaged. Perhaps it just doesn’t fit. My advice is to re fashion.

In the hands of a skilled artisan magic can happen. When looking for a seamstress be sure and leave yourself some time to interview prospects. You will be working closely with this person and the chemistry needs to be right. On your first meeting bring all the pictures and pieces of things that you have collected. My favorite clients are the ones who show up with truckloads of stuff. They know what they want and my job is to help them get there. Don’t worry that there seems to be no unifying concept, bring it all.

AllThingsPretty

You are probably wondering how to find this person. Word of mouth is usually your best bet. Ask at local vintage shops since they often have access to people who do repair work for them.

There are many wonderful designer/makers online that may have a style that meshes with your own.Often they are available for custom work or just tweaking a design they are already offering.

SWANclothing

Make sure you ask or read about their policies. You will probably be required to make a non-refundable down payment to start work. I know this can feel a little scary. Do your research. There are many sites with good resource info. Here is a good starting place

Eco Vintage Weddings

Man-cessorize Your Wedding!

Accessorizing for the men in your wedding can be a challenge, but there are a lot of options out there, if you know where to look!

Cravats are available in almost any fabric, in any color. They take the place of the traditional bow tie, or neck tie, and look fantastic with a white shirt! These silk cravats by ElegantAscot are an excellent alternative to a tie, and are easily customizable to your colors!

Cufflinks add a flair of the formal to your event, and men's shirts with french cuffs are not difficult to find. Cufflinks of nearly every style can be found on Etsy, and most artists are willing to make matching sets for the groomsmen, like these from NorthwykeCreations.

And how about avoiding the traditional flower boutonniere, and try something new? Many options are available to allow you to spread your wedding theme a little further.

What better choice than the summery pinwheels made by Rule42?

We at Offbeat Etsy Weddings are here to help you make your day everything you hoped it would be. Let us know if you're looking for something, and we will be thrilled to help you find it!

Get Organized!

Black Bird DayPlanner by doublehappiness

It's the start of a new year, and this offbeat bride's resolution:  
 

 Get Organized!!

Planning a wedding is an incredibly exciting and sometimes completely overwhelming undertaking. No matter how large or small, formal or informal, offbeat or traditional, your wedding, there will be more than a handful of decisions to make along the way - not mention numbers to keep track of, appointments to keep, and people to coordinate.

If other offbeat (read "creative and inspired") brides out there are anything like me, they are masters of scheming, and dreaming, and bookmarking, and "to-do"ing, and sketching and scribbling, and "favoriting" all over the place!

So....

Resolution for the new year: get all those names, and numbers, and ideas in one place!

Bonus: With a little help from other creative people, like the shop owners at Etsy.com, organization doesn't have to be boring. In fact, your wedding planner, should be the first thing you purchase or create for your wedding that radiates the oh-so-in-love personality you hope to capture on the big day.

~ * ~

PickMePaperDesigns

Custom Wedding Planner Binder by Pick Me Paper Designs

By far the most comprehensive planner out there - custom-designed to match your wedding colors and motifs; chock-full of check-lists, logs, and organizers; includes pockets for vendor materials and weekly and monthly calendars as well as available customized add-ins.

Custom Weekly Planner and Notebook Set, Handwoven with Satin Ribbons

by PriaVanda 

Great for a bride who wants one place for dates and "to-do" lists and another carry-everywhere notebook for jotting down ideas. Available in all colors!!

Oilcloth 3-ring binders by rbtbags on Etsy

Or for the true DIY-er, there are loads of wedding planning printables available on the web to help you get organized in any beautiful book or binder that you choose!

Working With Custom Vendors

Bridal Season is heating up and now is the time to start contacting vendors for your custom pieces! I have put together a few tips to help you get exactly what you have envisioned for your big day.

When you contact a vendor about making a custom piece or set make sure you mention the important stuff up front.

• Your wedding date is of course important but also letting the vendor know about any hair trials or other "need by" dates.
• Let the designer know if you are considering a bigger set and not just one item. Some vendors, like myself, will give a discount for bigger sets!
• Your budget. I know, I know - you feel like giving someone a budget is like letting someone rip you off (what if they were going to say way less!?) I felt the same way when I was planning my wedding. But here is the thing, if you let me know how much you want to spend I can find materials and sources to make the best piece possible for that amount of money. I may even throw in something extra because i know it will make your wallet happy!
• Pictures, Ideas & Inspiration. Nothing will help a vendor give you a quote faster than pictures of what you are looking for. Your idea of medium may be way different than mine - but a picture of what you think is medium will help me to know exactly what you expect. Pictures are the key to success. Send pictures of your dress, your shoes, something you like, your hair, whatever. Every picture helps.
  

Other things to consider:

Color Obsessed: Go to Home Depot and grab some free paint color swatches that match your theme - ask your designer for their mailing address and send them off!

Pressed for Time: Let the designer know up front if you are super stressed out. Even if your wedding is 8 months away - if you mentally need something done soon, please let us know!

Not happy with the final product?
Talk to your vendor! If a comb, a fit, a size, a whatever, is not working for you, just let the designer know. They will most likely be happy to try and fix it for you. Even if your wedding is 3 days from now - your designer can talk you through a simple fix that you or a loved one can do at home. If you don't let us know, we cant fix it.

Good Luck and Congratulations!

Thrilled to be a new member....

I found this team on Etsy.com, when one of your kind members added my shoes to a treasury and I was blown away and absolutely charmed.Not a minute after I wanted to be part of this wonderful group of designers, artists and people like me who understand the "Offbeat Bride".

http://www.etsy.com/listing/63415118/midnight-venus-peacock-feather

I look forward to meeting Glenda (from Midnight Boudoir ) in person, as she will be coming down in January to Florida to visit family.  I admire her store and I can't wait to wear one of her exotic hair pieces...I guess we both love Peacocks!

Absolutely amazing head pieces

I cannot say much about Kat Swank's Liaison shop that could even come close to doing her work justice. She is an offbeat designer of the highest couture level.


Beautiful, stunning, artistic and phenomenal are just a few of the words that come to mind when looking through her shop.


If i could do it all over again I might base my entire bridal outfit on one of her head pieces...

http://www.etsy.com/shop/liaison

EJPcreations - A Truly Unique Shop

I was so inspired the first time I saw EJPcreations Etsy shop. I had never seen anything like her creations before and I found myself reading every word of her descriptions and dreaming of a collaboration between her shop and mine.

EJPcreations' pieces are the perfect way to add a hint of steampunk to an otherwise "mother approved" wedding. The Artist calls her work "distressed imperial elegance" and "apocalyptic chic" but it could also be described as feminine yet industrial...or just beautiful.

"EJPcreations specializes in tiaras, chokers, earrings, necklaces, fascinators, and hair combs with a noir, and gothic flair." - EJPcreations Profile