Recycled Wedding

Getting married and need some stuff?? Wedding's over and don't know what to do with all the left-over stuff? Head on out to the Great Wedding Recyclery on April 28th! All the details will be available soon at The Green Wedding Alliance's website. 

Robot Love

Earlier today I was looking at robot wedding cake toppers. Why? Because I like cake toppers. And I love robots.


So, in my internet wanderings, I came across this tutorial for making your very own robot wedding cake topper. Ya gotta love Instructables!


While it did take about a week to put together this particular pair of love-bots (each tiny part had to be individually painted), it only cost about $20 to make. 


It's a great way to save money - and make your wedding a little more YOU.  

Fall Wedding Ideas

My close, personal friend Martha has some great ideas for fall weddings. Everything from marzipan acorn garnishes to autumn boutonnieres.

But my favorite has to be a basket of leaves for the flower girl. Simple, yet so perfect.

Instead of dropping rose petals, your little cutie can toss colorful fall leaves on her way down the aisle. Not only is it completely adorable (and environmentally friendly!), the lucky bride will get to walk down a path of leaves.

And..... if you collect your own leaves - it's completely free. Better yet, let the flower girl do it for you.

Love it!

Beautiful Corsages for Your Wedding

Okay, I admit that, up until recently, the thought of a wrist corsage made me cringe. But that probably goes back to an incident a long time ago, when I went to a dance with a friend (I didn't think it was a date - we were going with a group of friends) and he presented me with a wrist corsage. I wanted to die. It didn't help that it was a big purple orchid and wearing it made me feel like someone's grandma.

Oh well, the night was a disaster and thus, my disdain for the wrist corsage was born.

But....... that ended when a couple I married last year ordered a corsage for me to wear when I officiated their wedding. I was really flattered - and it was a beautiful corsage!

Then, a few months later, another couple gave me a wrist corsage. Wow! These sweet gestures changed my mind.

And then - I just checked out a post on Martha Stewart Weddings. She's done it AGAIN! Check out these luscious corsages!! The article even gives you ideas for sweet little guest corsages, delicate crepe paper flowers, even flower rings for your bridesmaids! Most of these ideas include instructions to make them yourself, so they won't cost you a fortune.

And they're so pretty!!!

Okay, I admit it - I was wrong for a long time. I encourage you to get corsages for everyone! And don't forget me. =)

Green Weddings!

There are so many resources available for green weddings, but it's hard to sift through all the information to find practical advice.

Well, here's a way to make your research a bit easier - 50 Ways to Go Green at Your Wedding. This helpful article offers a list of 50 great resources, ranging from Green Wedding Guides to to Eco-Invitations.

Some of my favorites from the list:

#4 - Ecopolitan Bride: a website that offers eco-friendly and unique, non-traditional wedding ideas

#10 How to Reuse it Creatively: Great article for eco-weddings on a cool, crafty website! ( with lots of cool non-wedding DIY projects, too!)

#11 Recycled Bride: a cool wedding re-sale site

# 40 - Carbon Calculators: allows you to measure the carbon footprint of your wedding.

Check out the article for all 50 great tips!

I Love My Funky New Earrings!

It all began when I was searching for an octopus pin. Well, let me back up.....

I was paging through Madeleine Albright's book, Read My Pins, in which she shares anecdotes about her pin collection. I've always liked pins and realized I hardly ever wear them. So I was determined to get a new pin - but what to get? Inspired by Ms. Albright, my new pin needed to make a statement.

So, I decided to search for an octopus pin on etsy. You see, I kinda have a thing for cephalopods. Squid, octopus, cuttlefish - I just can't get enough. They're just so darn cool! They change color, they change shape.... how can you not love them?!?

I found an octopus pin in the shop of Mama's Little Babies. Well, doggone it - I had to keep looking at this funky little shop! My browsing led me to my other favorite - mermaids. And that's when I discovered the newest love of my life....... these Mermaid/Merman Earrings.

They arrived in the mail today and I'm ecstatic! The packaging alone sent me over the moon! They came in a cute red box with a checked ribbon, decorated with a sweet little sparrow charm. Even though I ordered the earrings myself, I felt like someone had sent me a present! Thanks for making my day, Cheri!

As you can tell, I absolutely love my new earrings. That, of course, prompted me to go back to the Mama's Little Babies shop and see what else I could find. And don't ya know it - the shop is full of fantastic little goodies! Better yet - the website has even more!!

Look at these adorable Bird Silhouette Earrings. Wouldn't these be great for bridesmaids?

And while you're shopping around, check out the Tiny Tweeters Bird's Nest Necklace. It would be perfect for a spring wedding.

Just keep your hands off the Tattoo Guy Earrings - I saw them first!

Running of the Brides!

Filene's Basement will be hosting the annual Running of the Brides sale this Friday, July 24th. The sale opens at 8:00 a.m. at the Filene's on State Street.

Dresses normally priced anywhere from $900 to $9000 will be on sale for $249 to $699! No wonder people line up for hours before the sale opens!

Plus, there's a bonus! WeddingWire has teamed with Filene's to offer a drawing for gift certificates towards a wedding dress. Click here to enter online.

Will you be one of the running brides this Friday?

A Sweet Tooth Extravaganza!

I just love the trend of candy buffets popping up at wedding receptions. Why didn't they have things like that when I got married??

But then again, I don't know if I could really picture the old German relatives dipping into the rock candy or scooping up handfuls of SweetTarts!

If you're planning on a candy buffet, you really should read the article "How to Create a Candy Buffet Bar," found at Bride and Groom.

In addition to many other helpful hints, the article suggests using clear containers, so your sweet treats will also serve as a fun, colorful decoration.

Another idea is offering your guests nostalgic candies, such as lollipops and candy bracelets. Oh, I can just see Uncle Norm munching on a candy bracelet right now!

I found more good ideas in the article, "How to Create the Perfect Wedding Candy Buffet." It gives you tips on what type of candy to buy and -very important!- how much of it to buy. The article also has lots of great candy buffet photos to get your creative juices flowing (and make your mouth water!)

I think this is such a fun idea - and the best part is that it can fit into a tight budget. Just don't forget the peanut M&Ms.

Forget the bouquets- grab a bag!

I'm a big fan of the amazing DIY Bride website, which features fun, creative projects that help you personalize your wedding - and save money while you're at it! I was really excited to find The DIY Bride: 40 Fun Projects for Your Ultimate One-of-a-Kind Wedding at my wonderful local library the other day. I had to check out the book and found some fantastic projects that I was pretty much drooling over.

One of my favorites was the "Buds & Blossoms Bridal Bag," pictured here. It's a beautiful alternative to the traditional bouquet. Not only is it really pretty, but it can save you a bunch of money! The book says that, while a traditional bridal bouquet can run up to $200, this floral bag will cost you about $50 to make (or less, depending on the flowers you use).

It's made by using floral foam as a base, which is cut into the shape of a purse. You add fresh flowers and a ribbon strap, and voila! - you have a lovely flower "bag!" What's great is that the bag has a flat base, so you can put it down anywhere. Very practical.

I think this idea would also be great for the bridesmaids' bouquets. You can use less expensive flowers and have beautiful bags for each attendant. Also, if the bridesmaids place their bags in the middle of their table, they would end up making a pretty table decoration. This project just keeps getting better!

I'm thinking about doing a variation of this project as a decoration for my mom's 80th birthday party coming up in June. Maybe a topiary of fresh flowers for each table? Hmm.... I'm going to have to give this some thought.

Wedding dress resource

I came across Once Wed, a website that allows brides to buy (or sell!) wedding dresses. Most of the dresses are used, but many are brand new and have never been worn. A great way to get a good deal!

This got me to wondering..... how do most brides feel about the idea of wearing a pre-owned gown? Leave a comment if you'd like to share your
opinion.

Green Wedding Gowns

Simply Dazzling Events, a New York event planning company with a fantastic blog, recently featured a unique eco-friendly wedding gown. The Chameleon Wedding Gown, created by Isadora Clothing, is made from organic cotton, bamboo and spandex jersey.

What's really cool about this dress is that it can be worn in many ways, depending on how you wrap and tie it. It can go from short-sleeved to strapless, with a bunch of changes in between.

The dress can be found (and purchased!) at Isadora Clothing's Etsy shop.

If you're into recycling, you can "re-imagine" your wedding dress after the Big Day. Just dye it, hem it, and wear it for many more years.

What a great idea!!!

Planning an Intimate Wedding

I just discovered the Intimate Weddings website, created by Christina Friedrichson, author of Intimate Weddings: Planning a Small Wedding that Fits Your Budget and Style. The website offers helpful, informative articles on planning a small wedding. The great thing is that the articles have useful advice for all couples, regardless of the size of your wedding.

I just read 15 Unique Ceremony Ideas which has excellent suggestions, such as having bridesmaids carry candles instead of bouquets. Another is arranging the seating of the ceremony so that guests will be around you, in a circle. There are several good ideas to create a more intimate atmosphere for your wedding.

The article 50 Ways to Save Money on Your Small Wedding offers suggestions that allow you to have a great wedding on a small budget. A few of my favorites are:

#8 - Guys, do you really need a tux? What about a suit?
#19 - Use potted plants or herbs as an alternative to cut flowers.
#25 - Is it necessary to have an elegant rehearsal dinner? If not, why not have a more casual dinner. Why not go out for Chinese food or order a pizza. What about a backyard barbecue?
#48 - Call your local university or college to find out if there are any talented photographers at the school that shoot weddings.


Check out the website for some great ideas you can use for your own ceremony.

And check out the book for even more ideas!