Sign Me Up

Wedding signs don’t need to be typical.  I love the idea of using the couples personality to make a wedding unique.  Here are some sign ideas that can be customized to a couple.

The Something Blue You’ve Never Heard About

The day after…

I can’t remember now if it was one or two days after my reception celebration, but I went mildly off the edge of sanity. It was a combination of a few things that set me off.

I found myself very hurt by the large number of “no-shows”. One of these people was someone that I considered a very best friend and though I had become accustom to her bailing on me, this time it hurt. I wanted to share this party with her. I wanted to treat her to a wonderful dinner.
Then the finances of the whole thing hit me. My husband and I had carried the majority of the expenses for our celebration. The cost of this party hit me the day after and I realized we were never going to recoup it. (He had to sell his motorcycle to help pay for it. I still regret that very much.)
I think that more than anything though, it is so easy to fall into “The Blues” because you have been preparing for the event of your lifetime at a frenzied pace for a year or more and all of a sudden the sleepless nights come to a crashing halt, your days are no longer spent on the phone confirming details, there are no decisions to make about colors, flowers, no more shopping trips, no more bridal shows spent with friends.

I thought I was alone in how I reacted after my reception and felt very off balance until I saw it happen to a close friend of mine. It clicked – I was not alone and this was not uncommon. For her it happened during the latter part of the ceremony. She started balling her eyes out. She was so sad about not having our fun wedding preparation parties to bond over and was worried that we wouldn’t be getting together anymore. I am remorsed to say that she was right, we don’t find reasons to get together as often, but only because we have needed to make room for some of the other joys that our new adventure through life has brought us. I can honestly say that my affection for her has not changed. For this, I am glad.

Prepare yourself and give yourself some breaks and a landing cushion. If I could go back and do it again the first thing I would do is read this and educate myself about how you may feel the day after. Then I would plan a couple of days after the reception with some fun and pampering to extend the end, thus slowing things down before it comes to a crashing halt. Finally, don’t do anything without thinking it through. I deleted all of my gift registries and made it impossible to receive the completion discount that many stores offer if you register with them. Ouch! That hurt.

This post courtesy of Dionne Simone

of My Smitten Boutique

Ring Shots Out Of The Box

A collection of out of the box ring shots for your

unique and personalized wedding day.

Collection courtesy of Krissy – Make Believe’N

One Day In December – The Charity Wedding

The TWIPS (Twitter Wedding Industry Pals) are a group of wedding bloggers dedicated to supporting each other.  This month…all month different wedding bloggers will be taking a little break from the wedding pretties and focusing on things they are grateful for or highlights from 2011.  A series named One Day In December.

Yesterday you got to read all about the highlight for Wed Eclectic, but today I want you to go check out Alicia of The Charity Wedding.  Alicia is a foodie that has a HUGE passion for the philanthropic.  You’ll get a dose of feel good every time you read her blog.

One Day in December – Wed Eclectic

One Day in December is the courtesy of Orly Lyndon of Intimate Wedding Photography UK for the TWIPS.  Each TWIPS member involved is asked to tell us about this year’s highlight or accomplishment one day at a time.  See yesterday’s post from Jessica of Two Wedding Bells and make sure to go check out tomorrow’s post by Alicia of The Charity Wedding.

Wed Eclectic highlights of 2011

A little background: Wed Eclectic is a collective/team of wedding vendors dedicated to hand making amazing designs and art for eclectic wedding lovers.  My wonderful team supports and encourages in ways that so many need, but never get.  It is a warm environment that allows any question.  We are blessed to have quirky and different personalities to field ideas off of.  The creative juices really flow when curious topics and projects come up.

2011 has been an inspiring year.  Trying to choose one highlight for our little blog was a tough challenge for me.  I decided that ‘our’ highlight was the photo shoots that created outstanding collaboration between team members.

You may not know this but, Etsy vendors are made or broken with their pictures.  Poor pictures mean far less business.  Unfortunately, most Etsy artists are not photographers or stylists and struggle with providing an ideal first impression.  So, this year the team has collaborated on two different photo shoots with member products.  Both shoots were shot by a very very good professional photographer Jannelle Mimms-Brockaway of Darling Studios and on the second shoot a talented amateur, Morgan Cunningham Photography joined in.  The pictures that came of these shoots are outstanding!!!!

Our summer shoot was styled by Jenny Greenway of Something Old Something New a fellow member of TWIPS.  We were going for soft pastels with vintage charm.  Jenny set up a romantic dessert table and our models ate actual cake from Miss Mamie’s.  Only a handful of the team had pieces that fit into the ‘theme’ but they really shined.  Stephanie of La Coco Rouge provided amazing headpieces.  Ann of Swank Underpinnings provided satin edged crinolines to make our dresses (provided by Bel Fiore Bridal) perfect.  Dionne of  My Smitten Boutique sent out the gorgeous jewelry.  Make Believe’N (me) provided dress sashes and other accessories.

Our winter shoot wasn’t styled but rather a feel was attempted.  Grungy and vintage with a splash of Anthropology was the goal.  Again Jannelle of Darling Studios rocked the photos with that perfect urban feel.  It was a very cold day in January and holy smokes we were freezing.  You know what though?  You wouldn’t know it by that attitude of the people present.  Great cheerful smiles, tons of cooperation and good old fashioned camaraderie were abundant.

La Coco Rouge brought headpieces that made our models excited to participate.  Vintage Frocks of Fancy sent authentic vintage dresses.  Clay Bouquet Shop lent several glittering rhinestone and pearl sash/head piece combos and some nice wedding dresses too.  Make Believe’N provided fabric wedding bouquets and hair accessories.

One Day In December – Two Wedding Belles

The TWIPS (Twitter Wedding Industry Pals) are a group of wedding bloggers dedicated to supporting each other.  This month…all month different wedding bloggers will be taking a little break from the wedding pretties and focusing on things they are grateful for or highlights from 2011.  A series named One Day In December.

Today I want you to swing over to a fellow TWIPS member’s blog.  Jessica and Erin of Two Wedding Belles will be telling you about their highlight/s of 2011.

Jessica is a wonderful woman and I can’t wait to read all about her highlight.  I can’t tell you how many times she has risen up to pitch in whenever I need assistance.  One of the very first to volunteer always.  Such a kind and generous spirit that is reflected in an outstanding down to earth blog about her and Erin’s event coordination and weddings.  A great read guaranteed.

DIY Copper Mercury Glass

I know that you have seen the beautiful trend of mercury glass at weddings and in decor already.  Even if you have, I have a little twist on the classic mercury(silver).  Let’s spice things up for the holidays with copper and bronze mercury glass!

 Here are the DIY instructions:

-You need highly reflective spray paint in whatever color you want.  For the copper I would choose:

Valspar Brillian Metal (Not cheap at $35.00 but will go a long way) or

Krylon Premium Metallic in Copper (way better value)

-You will also need a spray bottle mixed with 50% water and 50% white vinegar.

-Paper towels.

-Painters tape

-Newspaper

To get started collect glass vases from your local hobby store or even a dollar store.  Clean them very well and make sure no lint remains.

Lay down newspaper to protect any surfaces from paint

Wrap the painters tape around the top exterior rim of  your vase. {I don’t know about you, but I am very messy with paint}

Spray the interior of your vase with paint.  Go slow here.  Small bursts of paint.  Irregularity is perfect.   Let it dry no more than two minutes.

Now spritz the interior again with your vinegar/water mixture and let it work for about twenty seconds.

Grab those paper towels and lightly start rubbing off the paint in sections.  Get a feel for how much light you want peeking out of the glass.

Let dry entirely and Voila!

November Digital Calendar

Remember that kick a$$ Polkadile giveaway I announced Tuesday????  Adaleta of Polkadile whipped up this beautiful digital calendar for you lovelies.  Just click on the image to download.

November Giveaway with Polkadile

This month’s WedEclectic giveaway is hosted by: Polkadile!

She creates handmade jewelry, including rings and wedding bands, cuff links, earrings, necklaces, and more! They would be perfect accessories for your wedding, or for wearing everyday.  And it is all made from recycled silver (from computer motherboards and film!), making them eco-conscious!

Take a close look at the designs…many are created using impressions from natural surroundings. : )

And for some designs, you could get matching cuff links. : )

She has graciously offered a $50 gift certificate to her shop to use towards your wedding necessities or to indulge in your favorite piece of jewelry.

This giveaway will run until midnight, November 30th, but don’t wait!

Your initial entries will be accepted for:

A comment including your favorite item from Polkadile’s shop

Extra entries for comments indicating that you:
(Please include your email, handle, etc for verification & contacting you when you win!)

Heart Polkadile’s Etsy shop
Friend/Like Polkadile on Facebook (www.facebook.com/Polkadile)
Follow Polkadile on Twitter (www.twitter.com/Polkadile)

Follow @WedEclectic on Twitter
Become a fan of WedEclectic on Facebook

Tweet this giveaway: I just entered to win 50.00 bucks toward one of a kind wedding jewelry by Polkadile on @WedEclectic http://wp.me/p1BibD-k8

Posted this giveaway on your Facebook page.
Posted this giveaway on your blog (make sure to give us a link to it in comments)
Posted this giveaway on a wedding/social network.

The giveaway is open worldwide.

The winner will be chosen randomly, verified, and contacted on December 1st via email with the good news!

Fall Comfort with the Etsy Wedding Team

Here in the US the temps are dropping.  Comfort food and cozy sweaters are making there seasonal debut.  In honor of the cool weather and the sweet goodies that this time of year brings, I have chosen a collection of Etsy Wedding Team items that remind me of it.  Enjoy cream, caramel, chocolate, pumpkin, and spices galore.

Caramel and Chocolate

Pumpkin and Spice

Dark Chocolate

Butter and Cream