April Giveaway!

This month’s WedEclectic giveaway is hosted by:

EdenGallery

They create Steampunk Art, Jewelry, & Curiosities – Gearwork bouttonieres, fascinators, jewelry, paintings…and more! They would be perfect accessories for your unique wedding, for wearing everyday, or for decorating your home.

Take a look at some of their designs…. : )

Bouttonnieres

Fascinators…

And Jewelry…

They have graciously offered a Vintage Style Beaded Headpiece, a $28 value!

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

Your initial entries will be accepted for:

A comment including your favorite item from EdenGallery’s shop

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

Heart  EdenGallery’s shop

Friend/Like EdenGallery on Facebook

Follow EdenGallery on Twitter

Tumble with them on Tumblr EdenGallery

Follow @WedEclectic  on Twitter

Friend WedEclectic on Facebook

Tweeted this giveaway (please copy your tweet here)

Posted this giveaway on your Facebook page (please copy your post here)

Posted this giveaway on your blog (please include the link here)

Posted this giveaway on a wedding/social network (please include the link here)

The giveaway is open worldwide, however, any additional charges for international shipping would be the responsibility of the winner. Shipping in the US is included in the giveaway.

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

Wedding Garters with a Little Bit of History

One wedding custom most of us are familiar with is the garter toss.  This tradition seems to stem from a few different cultures, each of which had their own way of obtaining a piece of the bride’s clothing on the wedding day.  I thought I could share a little of my research with you!

During the Dark Ages, the story goes that friends and family would accompany the bride and groom to their wedding bed.  When the couple began the consummation of their marriage the husband could provide the wife’s garter as proof that their marriage vows had been fulfilled.

Another old English custom was for wedding guests to sneak up to the bride and groom’s wedding chamber.  They would then fling the bride’s stockings at the bride and groom, and if the stocking landed on his or her nose, the person who tossed it would be the next to marry.

In France, in the 14^th Century, certain areas believed that obtaining a piece of the bride’s clothing would bring good luck.  This resulted in the wedding guests ripping pieces of cloth off of the bride.  (Which, as we can all imagine, was no fun for the bride!)  Later, to deter the ripping of clothing, the bride began throwing pieces of her dress, the garter being one of them.  Drunken male partygoers then began trying to remove this item themselves, until that role became the groom’s and the tradition began.

And still there are more stories.  Eventually, traditions evolved to the point that some groom, somewhere tossed a garter to the single men.  The man who catches the garter is now said to be the next to marry.  For this innovation I am thankful!  While I was comfortable with the garter toss at my own wedding, I don’t know that I would have been comfortable with any of these other garter customs!

Now that you’ve got a little background, here’s a collection of my handmade favorites to help you out on your search for that perfect garter!

 

The Graceful de la Ronde Crocheted Garter

 

Miss Muffet Had It Coming...

 

Superman Inspired Garter in Vivid Colors

 

Ivory Lace Bridal Set

 

This post was brought to you by Jon and Deanna of EdenGallery.