May's Giveaway - $30 Gift Certificate

Do you want something whimsical and light hearted for your special day?
Perhaps a conversation piece?
Or what about something that signifies your role as bride & groom or Mr & Mrs?
LOOK NO FURTHER!!!
Here it is AND you can win a $30.00 gift certificate to the Etsy shop OurHobbyToYourHome, which creates these personalized signs for your wedding!!

Shelley, at Our Hobby To Your Home, absolutely loves weddings and wants each bride and groom to have a unique and specialized sign they can use for their wedding or hang in their house. Each sign Shelley creates is personalized by font, color and size. She would love to create a sign just for you!!

Shelley says that she loves offbeat wedding as much as traditional. She is decorating for a couple that will be engaged this summer and has included a photo of them. She is honored to be a little part of their special day.

Also, Shelley loves to do custom signs for the home and Typography signs. They make amazing gifts and many couples who use them at their weddings have a special memento for years to come.

Here is Shelley's facebook page:
.www.facebook.com/OurHobbytoYourHomeandWedding#!/OurHobbytoYourHomeandWed

Enter to win this giveaway by leaving a comment below, on our giveaway page or emailing me at vintagefrocksoffancy@gmail.com. The winner will be announced on June 1st here on the blog. Please check back then.
(If I have no other means of getting in touch with you - email address, etsy account, etc... -  the only other place that I can notify you is here on the blog. So be sure to check back to see if you are the winner!!

Drink To Love

Nothing makes a sunny day sunnier than good friends and a toast to true love! Summer is almost here and delish.com has some great ideas to mix up your upcoming bridal shower, bbq, or back yard party.

Simple, fresh ingredients.

Vibrant colors.

Delicious fun.

Drink up!
And don't forget to invite me to the party!  ;)

Dress Up Your Sexy Shoes!...and Hair...and Belts...and...

ManoBello

Back in the 1950's and 60's shoe clips were a popular accessory for spiffing up a regular ol' pair of shoes. Today shoe clips are enjoying a revival of sorts and being enjoyed from weddings to daily wear.

As hemlines become shorter or as the bride daintily, or daringly, lifts up her dress to have her shoes poke coquettishly from beneath, her shoes are on display for all to see.

Sofisticata

Accessories can make or break an outfit and oftentimes are the focal point for what the outfit is built around.

Thrifty brides will love that after the wedding their shoe clips can also be worn as lapel brooches or hair accessories. The creative bride will discover that the clips can pretty much be worn anywhere from boot toppers, to belts, pant tops, etc.

CocoRoseCouture

Check out these wonderful selections from fellow Etsy sellers and remember...just because an item is being sold as one thing, it doesn't mean it can't be worn as something else!

Parisxox

Krissy167

EllieWren

Stephanie Farley
La Coco Rouge, LLC
www.lacocorouge.com
www.facebook.com/lacocorouge

Meet The Edens

Meet Deanna and Jon Eden of Eden Gallery!  This husband and wife team create amazing Steampunk wedding accessories, vintage styled head wear, and Surrealist original artwork.  

Steampunk Gear Boutonniere

If Steampunk is not your thing these sweet and romantic Art Deco/1930s style head pieces surely are.

Beaded Headband

Not in the market for wearable awesomeness?  Buy your wall something to show off.

Surrealistic Oil Painting - The Philosopher

Member Feature: Robot In Bloom

Like any bride, you have an idea how you want your wedding to look- especially the flowers. Today's feature is on Offbeat Etsy Weddings Team Member RobotinBloom, whose specialty (and we mean SPECIALTY) is handmade paper flowers.

Now, paper flowers have a HUGE benefit over flowers from a florist:

1. They don't have to be kept in water (or cooled), and will not wilt
2. You can keep them forever
3. Many look so realistic, nobody would ever know (unless you wanted them to)
4. All the stress of working with a florist is completely gone- you can have full control over how it looks, and availability
5. You're no longer limited to the range of typical flower colors
6. You don't have to worry about your favorite flower being in season, or the prices for them!

I think in situations like this, a picture is worth a thousand words:

This Pink Swan bouquet is lively and bright- just the thing for a summer bride, or your bridesmaids!

And this Peony Daisy bouquet has a gorgeous, bright cascade of flowers down the front- it's hard to believe it's paper!

This Custom Paper Flower bouquet has such a retro feel, it would go well at any offbeat bride's event.

This Bridesmaid Bouquet has just the right colors for a summer or fall wedding.

She does gorgeous custom work, and comes highly recommended by her previous customers! Swing by her shop today, and try not to drool all over the flowers- remember, they're paper!

Prying through the veil

The history of the veil stretches back many years and it is used to symbolise many things.

In the Roman times, the bride would wear a brightly colourful veil to ward off evil spirits whereas nowadays it is used to show modesty especially in religious ceremony.

Whatever are your reasons for wearing one, just make sure it reflects your personality.

For those of you who want a long flowing veil clearly you are after something dramatic. This beautiful veil by delightworthyn is full of theatrical styling.

However maybe you are a bride who is looking for something mysterious? What about this masquerade inspired veil by SEAMS.

And finally, for those of you who just want a hint of veil then this birdcage veil by rtisan will add a touch of glamour effortlessly.

Practical Tips for Offbeat Brides

Wedding Sign by Our Hobby to your Home & Wedding.

Brides are easily daunted by the entire wedding planning process. Long ‘to do’ list for your wedding can be really overwhelming. Although offbeat wedding is lot easier to plan than a traditional one, you still cannot have your dream offbeat wedding without planning. So it’s really important that you know how to organise and proritise. Here are some of the handy tips that can help you in planning your big day.


Plan ahead of time. This is easier said than done.  As mentioned, planning a wedding can be overwhelming so it’s easy to try and put things off until a later date. Do not postpone anything, especially if you have less than a year to prepare. Planning ahead of time can be such a benefit in so many ways. It will enable you to pick the perfect date, have a well-thought-out theme and much less stressful wedding preparations.

Know what you want.  This is very important. You cannot move forward without you knowing how your wedding should be. Discuss with your groom the essential things, theme, number of guests and etc. Make sure that you agree on how your wedding should be. Once you know what you really want, then you can move on with the planning process. You can now start choosing your wedding dress, wedding and reception venue, flower and other important details on your special day.

Stick to your budget.  Your wedding day is as important as the rest of your married life. It’s necessary that you stick to your budget so you can spend on some other important things. Know when to cut back, learn what to let go and keep. You want to start budgeting for ‘important things’ first like your dress, ceremony,  reception venue and decorations. It will help you stick to your budget if you keep a record of what you spend (in a spreadsheet) so you’d know where how much of your budget is left and will pinpoint if you’re overspending.

Have a “to do” list. Having a “to do list” will help you manage your time and money well. It will guide you step-by-step. It will make your planning process faster and easier. Plus it would make you feel good when you see the list of the things you have accomplished.

Delegate.  Don’t be afraid to ask for help from close friends and relatives. People may even volunteer their help. Don’t  be afraid to accept help or ask for it – try asking for help and see what the reaction is. You’ll be able to quickly determine if someone is not so keen, but if it’s a good friend they’ll probably be overjoyed that you asked them to get more involved in your special day.

 

Visit Offbeat Esty Weddings for more unique wedding ideas