Rachel and Nick’s backyard wedding took place at the home of the bride’s parents in St. Catherines, Ontario, Canada.  Rachel first came across Etsy while she was searching online for a “Puppy Tux” for the couples dog Indie.  According to Rachel, it was love at first “site”!

The Details

Pearl Letter Cake Toppers (R & N) from myfrivolities

Personalized Ivory Wedding Garters with Pink Pearl Flower from makethisdayspecial 

Audrey Hoop earrings in sterling silver with ivory pearls for the Bride and 3 Anna Necklaces for the Bridesmaids from BGBJewelry 

Eco Chameleon Gown in Ivory for the Bride, and 3 knee length dresses in Satin Jersey in Steel for the Bridesmaids from Isadora Clothing 

Gerber Daisy Flower Girl Wands for the Flower Girls from zuzugirl 

Puppy Tux with Tie and Ring Pillow for our Dog Indie (our ring boy) from Pugpossessed 

Vintage Daisies and Pearl Headband for the Bride from BeSomethingNew 

Pink Daisy Smock Dresses for the flower girls from Purple Petal

Photography by Rachel’s father, John Looyestein of  The Perfect Image

What was your theme/colours and what inspired it?

Our colours were grey, white, and pink. Our wedding was a sunset wedding, so we wanted to go with really romantic colours.

What’s the best advice you have for planning your wedding now that you’re on the other side?

Don’t take it too seriously! Make the Wedding YOURS. Luckily, people are really starting to think outside of the traditions, and make their weddings unique or special to them. Don’t be afraid to leave parts out or add your own special touches. Its your day, have fun!

What creative (DIY) or personal aspects did you include in your wedding?

We really wanted our wedding to be intimate and personal, we wanted our day to be OURS. From everything to our clothing, to the cupcake stand, to our puppy “ring boy”, to the candy buffet – our day was full of FUN! Luckily our family and friends are so talented, so our entire wedding was creative and personal. Rachel’s mom did all the gorgeous decorating, made the cupcake stand, perfected the garden. Rachel’s father did the photography, built a dance floor, and set up the speakers outside. A neighbour made the cupcakes, a family friend performed the ceremony, while another family friend did the bar-tending, and Rachel and Nick picked all the music themselves for the entire evening. The stuff that we couldn’t do, we found on Etsy, everything is unique and one-of-a-kind!

What was your favorite Etsy find?

It’s so hard to choose! I loved my headband, and the puppy tux was a big hit, but if I had to choose JUST one, I would choose the dresses. I knew I wanted an Eco-friendly dress, and when I came across the wrap dresses at Isadora Clothing, I knew it was exactly what I wanted. The dresses were SO much fun! My dress was full length in ivory, and the bridesmaids got to choose their own colour, and all wanted the knee-length dress in Steel. We all wore our dresses different ways, and even switched it up throughout the evening. We all loved our dresses. They were comfy, versatile, very danceable, and we can wear them again!

What is the most memorable moment of your day?

The entire day was amazing, so it is really hard to pick one moment. Our weather was perfect, hot and sunny with blue skies! Our families met for the first time, and everyone got along great. We had our pictures done at the local carousel, which we rented for an hour. We had 2 ring-boys, 3 flower-girls, and a puppy in our wedding party! And our only request for the evening was that everyone had a good time drinking and DANCING! At the end of the night, when we lay in bed, in each other arms, we both agreed on how blessed we are. We had a night surrounded by family and friends, full of laughter, dancing, and love. We both have wonderfully supportive and loving families, and those two families were together for the first time to celebrate our love.

Cristina and Jeff chose the East Grand Rapids Public Library in East Grand Rapids, Michigan as their ceremony site followed by a reception at the “EVE nightclub” at “The BOB”.  130 guests shared their day with them.  Looking for some inspiration, Cristina found herself visiting several websites which all seemed to link to Etsy.  After checking out the site herself and finding so many cool things Cristina was hooked. 

The Details

Bride’s & Bridesmaids Clutch Purses by DavieandChiyo  

Silver and Black table runners by UnivrsalEventLinen 

Garters by the Garter Lady 

Ringbearer Pillow is from the  Elle Bloom Series by 5eizen 

Bride’sPearl Bracelet by FlutterBeads      

Photography by Dan Deward at Studio D2D  

What were your theme/colors and what inspired it?

My husband is a police officer and I work as a police dispatcher.  Originally we wanted to do something with police and blue but when it came to picking out colors we both decided that blue wasn’t our color.  We’re a really modern city couple and we wanted our guests to pick up on that so instead we decided to keep it classy with black and white.  We threw in punches of lime green to make it modern and our venue was at a downtown club with very sleek white furniture, linens and curtains to keep it all in line.  However, we didn’t want to forget about our love for police work so we added little police touches that kept in our theme.  Our wedding programs where in the shape of a badge, the table names where all of government agency acronyms and our seating place chart was a huge pin-board in the shape of a badge with all of our guests’ names.

What creative (DIY) or personal aspects did you include in your wedding?

I wanted to do a lot of things myself but found that when it came down to it I just didn’t have the time to do them.  I planned everything out on my own without a wedding planner and I made my own wedding binder with all my inspirations in them so I always had a clear vision as to what I wanted my wedding to look like.

What was your favorite Etsy find?

My favorite Etsy find was for sure the clutches.  They were of such high quality.  They were beautiful and totally customizable which made them that much better!

What’s the best advice you have for planning your wedding now that you’re on the other side?

Don’t compromise on what you really want/love. You can have the things that are really important to you, you just have to find a way to do it.  Also, when talking to vendors make sure you really give them a clear vision of what you’re looking for and stick to it.  You are paying them and they are doing something for you so don’t budge unless what you are asking is totally unreasonable.

What is the most memorable moment of your day?

Honestly, I think the best moment of the day was when we got to our hotel.  We had just had the time of our lives with our friends and family and we were exhausted but knowing what a great day it was and just laying in bed for the first time as a married couple, it was a great feeling.

Maggie and Derek got married last June at Drees Pavilion in Covington, Kentucky.  165 guests joined them for their fun modern wedding.

The Details

Veil by romancingtheveil
Brides shoes clips and Hair Flower by  bellafiore2009
Garter by hellodesigncrew
Table Runners Cake Table, Head Table and Gifting Table- floratouch 

Photography by Amanda Egan Photography

What was your theme/colors and what inspired it? 

My theme was modern-fun. I wanted classic shapes with clean lines with some bling! My colors were Pink and Silver with pops of Black 

What creative (DIY) or personal aspects did you include in your wedding? 

Well from Esty itself- I got my veil, my shoes clips, flower for my hair, my grater and 3 pink table runners for my cake table, head table and gifting table.  Personal touches – I had pictures of family members that had passed with their pictures and a memorial candle to remember them. I also had pictures of both of our parents on their wedding day with pictures of us from our engagement session. I had an engravable picture frame that all of our guest could sign.  I also go small pink crystals in all sizes that looked like diamonds on every table to give it some sparkle.   I also made drink cozies for each of our guests as their gift. 

What was your favorite Etsy find? 

I mean I like them all and they all mean different things to me but I loved my shoe clips and flower!!! Everyone loved it- it was nothing like anyone had ever seen! 

What is the most memorable moment of your day? 

I can’t pick just one! From me putting on my dress to seeing Derek for the first time to walking down the aisle… they all were so memorable.  However walking into my reception and seeing all my hard work put all together was pretty cool! I mean I did it and it looks amazing!!!  

What’s the best advice you have for planning your wedding now that you’re on the other side? 

Best advice… if you are a control freak like I am… do it all yourself and make sure you have a smartphone so you can get emails any hour of the day!  Also send out the same timeline to all your vendors so everyone has the same time line.  Bottom line… make sure to laugh, have fun and know that you are planning the best and most fastest day of your life and make sure you have great people around you! 

Aimee & Christopher were married last year at the Niakwa Country Club in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.  150 guests enjoyed their shabby chic/vintage inspired wedding.  Aimee first came across Etsy while searching for invitation ideas.  She was so overjoyed to have discovered the site that she has opened her own Etsy shop called Mon Amour Boutique that features wedding items from English sixpences to hand crafted stationary.

The Details

Garter Set by PetereneDesign 

Invitations by Denise Amelie Paperie
 
Personalized MOB and MIL Hankie by mollyandmom

Favor Tags by oldchateau

Photography by Rebecca Whitney Photography

What was your theme/colors and what inspired it?

Our wedding theme was a romantically shabby chic/vintage inspired wedding that included lots of candlelight, lace, aged roses, shabby chic/vintage details, and palettes featuring dusty roses, blushes, creams, and champagnes. Both my husband and I absoluetly loved our theme and how it all came together, we certainly would not change anything if we had to do it all over again!

What is the most memorable moment of your day?

Oh goodness this is a hard one. There were so many memorable parts of the wedding day that its very hard to choose! I can definitely say, walking down the aisle and seeing my husband at the alter and his face when he first caught glimpse of me definitely takes one of the top spots – it was a wonderful feeling and a comforting sensation that washed over me to know I would soon be marrying my best friend. Our speeches from my Maid of Honor and the Best Man (my brother in law) were touching. Christopher surprised me with a beautiful speech that girls can only dream of – naturally I was weeping and speechless by the end. I’d have to say the last memorable part of our wedding day came after the ‘first dances’ when our amazing DJ brought all our guests onto the dance floor to play a game. It was like an out of body experience, I remember feeling still and watching all my friends and family laughing hysterically and having a great time playing this crazy game with music. It made me so happy to see so many people involved and enjoying themselves. The night was filled with so much dancing, laughing, and good times – our guests were talking about the night for weeks after telling us how it was the best wedding they had been to in years!

What creative (DIY) or personal aspects did you include in your wedding?

I think one of my most meaningful and favorite DIY projects of the entire wedding would have to be our picture and candlelight vigil for our grandparents whotopher couldn’t be there with us on our special night. Christopher and I had recently lost almost all our grandparents in the year before the wedding and we really wanted to make sure they were not forgotten and that a part of them were there with us. I hunted for the perfect vintage inspired frames and filled them with some of our favorite pictures of our grandparents. The frames sat on a beautifully old rustic brick fireplace with a poem in a seperate frame that read …

In Memory of our Grandparents
Who Aren’t with us Today ….

We thought of you with love today
but that is nothing new,
We thought about you yesterday
and the days before that too.
We think of you in silence,
We often speak your name
Now all we have are the memories
and your picture in a frame
Your memory is our keepsake,
with which we’ll never part.
God has you in his keeping
we have you in our hearts.

Love you and miss you!

Along with our grandparents vigil, we also DIYed our wedding programs. Adorned with pretty satin ribbon, vintage scrolls, and pearls, these wedding programs created a lovely keepsake for our guests. I was also on the hunt for the perfect shabby birdcage to collect our cards, needless to say, one of my bridesmaids beat me to it and it was absolutely stunning at the guest book table.  I also DIY ed our table numbers the night before the wedding, yup you hear it right, the night before the wedding! We wanted to share our wonderful engagement pictures with family and friends, thus every table number had one of our favorite engagement shots on the one side and the table number with pretty vintage scrolls on the other. They were a hit and many people took their table number home as a keepsake of the bride and groom.

What was your favorite Etsy find?

I would have to say out of all my Etsy finds, I really loved our invitations! Denise Amelie Papier was so absoluetly wonderful to work with and her designs were exactly what I was looking for. I happened to come across her website and Etsy for the very first time while I was googling “Peony Invitations.” When I came across this simply yet romantically chic invitation set I was sold. I loved the idea of having an invite in which the rsvp card resembled a post card. This idea was modern, economically, and environmentally friendly by saving and not having to fuss with envelopes for the RSVPS. Our guests found them simple to fill out and had no problem dropping them off in the mail. I would definitely recommend Denise Amelie Papier to any bride looking for the perfect invites and chic designs.

What’s the best advice you have for planning your wedding now that you’re on the other side?

A beautiful wedding doesn’t have to cost you a fortune! There are so many great DIY wedding websites out there that offer great instructions and even free DIY templates. Looking back, I definitely wish I would have taken advantage of all the resources out there. And of course, where would I be without ETSY!?!?! This was one of the greatest sites for finding unique and personalized wedding items and I would suggest that anyone planning a wedding needs to check out the site. There is an endless amount of creations and wedding resources, and working with Esty sellers is more enjoyable and user friendly than some of the large wedding companies out there that create massed produced items and treat you like a number.

My second second big tip would be to enjoy the process of planning and the journey there, not the outcome of the big day! I often find brides getting so caught up in the stress of planning a wedding, trying to please everyone else but themselves, having unrealistic expectations, and forgetting to relax! Once the big day arrives everything seems to happen in light speed and before you know it, the day is over. Take everything in strides  and be organized, choose wedding options that represent you and your husband best, and lastly, set realistic goals of what you’d like. Once the big day comes remember to take a big breath, take it everything in, and appreciate all the wonderful things in life that has led you up to this day!All you can do and should do is relax on your wedding day and be thankful for everything coming together and sharing such a special day with all your friends and family.

I’m kicking off this week with a gorgeous detail filled wedding that took place at Lillie Belle’s of Franklin in historical downtown Franklin, TN.  Kayla and Stefan were married last June in front of 130 friends and family.  Kayla and I first crossed paths about a month after her wedding and we’ve both been anxiously waiting to see her professional pics.  I think you’ll agree that it was well worth the wait. 

The Details

Antique Diamond White Venise Lace Double Scallop Garter with Satin Ribbon Bow and Swarovski Crystal Centering by JLWeddings

Custom Microfiber Ties for Groom & Groomsmen by Cyberoptix TieLab (Toybreaker)

3 Tier Custom Wedding Cardbox by Divine Wedding Decor 

Custom Bridesmaids Sets featuring Swarovski Innovation Crystals & Pearls by K.Y.M. Jewelry

Custom Monogram Unity Candle by Leigh-Ann Kline Weddings 

Custom Wedding Koozies by Barry Promos

Photography by Valeisha Kelly – Pedigo: Visions Photography 

What was your theme/colors and what inspired it? 

Our theme was ”Vintage Romance” with a summer twist. The color palette that we chose for our wedding were shades of Citron Green with Chocolate & Sliver accents. We also used a neutralization of creme & peach. I have always been obsessed with all things girly & feminine, and I knew for our wedding that I wanted to use delicate touches of sliver & peach, and candles to give the feel of romance. Since we were married in a garden courtyard at a historical Victorian home, I knew that a vintage style wedding & shades of greens were the way to go. Having a outdoor summer wedding helped us choose the rich & vibrant color combo. We knew that we wanted to incorporate summer colors but without going over the top & it turned out PERFECT!

What creative (DIY) or personal aspects did you include in your wedding? 

We wanted every little detail at our wedding to reflect us as a couple, so we choose several items that were custom made for us. We choose & designed our very own monogram that was used on our invitations, candy buffet boxes, Thank You cards & more. My mother was incredible at helping me or our coordinator with anything that needed to be done. She put every custom monogram sticker on our take out boxes used for the candy buffet & we purchased some of our favorites candies to be used on it. That way when guests made their boxes, they would taking a piece of us with them. I chose & designed the color palette,  size of pearl & crystals that were used on my bridesmaid custom jewelry pieces. 

My BIG (DIY) or personal aspect was PLANNING..I planned, searched websites (including Etsy), & did research f0r hundreds of hours to find items that fit into “our” theme & that represented us as a couple. From the monogrammed beverage napkins served at the bar to the Alabama “A’s” drawn on the strawberries (My husband Stefan is a HUGE Alabama football fan) were detailed. I wanted to show all the guests what I had always wanted for my “dream” wedding through all the meticulous details that were at the wedding. Almost every single guest told me it was one of the most detail orientated & beautiful weddings they had ever been to. Etsy helped me find personalized items that helped add those amazing touches to my dream day!!

What is the most memorable moment of your day? 

Wow! I have to pick just one?! The whole day was AMAZING but  I would  have to say that it would have to be my dad walking me down the aisle to my soon to be (now) husband. I didn’t get to emotional the whole day until I locked arms with my dad & he said “well my baby girl it’s time”. I completely lost it & it was at that very moment I realized I was getting married. It was a very surreal, sad yet exciting moment! Seeing all the smiling faces as we walked down the aisle, & then FINALLY seeing Stefan standing there waiting for me was the BEST feeling EVER!! It was definitely one of the BEST days of my entire life!!

What was your favorite Etsy find? 

This is a hard question for me to answer because I loved EVERY item I purchased from Etsy, & still catch myself browsing the wedding section to see what else I could have purchased! 

I loved my bridesmaids gifts, which was custom made earrings & necklaces that they wore at the wedding. They were so delicate, beautiful & perfect. I was OBSESSED with our custom made Unity candle & wedding card box. Both were something different that I had never seen before at weddings, & reflected my style. My husband & I loved the Unity Candle so much that we have decided that on our anniversary, we want to take a few minutes to light the candle & remember how much that day meant to us!!

What’s the best advice you have for planning your wedding now that you’re on the other side? 

I would say: Don’t sweat the small things & don’t let the little things get to you! I put my heart, tears & soul into planning our wedding. I was very detailed oriented when it came to planning our wedding & let small things, such as colors of ribbon that didn’t quite match like I wanted them to upset me to the point of tears. But at the end of the day you have to remember that it’s about the celebration of love between you & your husband, no one will even noticed the ribbon!  The whole planning process will fly by so fast & before you know it, it’s your BIG day! So, just remember to breathe & enjoy every minute of it!!!