20 guests joined Carmen and Jim for their intimate September wedding at the Second Empire Restaurant and Tavern in Raleigh, North Carolina. Carmen first learned of Etsy when her friend Christina opened up Just Envelopes an Etsy shop selling cards and envelopes. As a somewhat crafty person herself, Carmen was instantly hooked and is now considering opening up her own shop.
The Details
Wedding invitations by Just Envelopes
Airplane place cards for the reception by Timeless Paper
Wish tree sign-in cards (with a postcard theme) by Packrat Diva
Wedding necklace by Allison Mooney Jewelry Design
Bouquet Bling by Sara Libbey Jewelry
Photography by Brian Mullins Photography
What was your theme/colors and what inspired it?
Our wedding theme was “the journey.” Jim and I love to travel the world, and we thought adding elements into the ceremony and reception that represented both our love of adventure and memories of the places we’d visited together would give the wedding a personal touch. My color was purple, for no reason except I wanted my wedding gown to have a punch of color in it, and purple looked the best! The best part of the theme was our wedding cake. I called it a “suitcake” because it was a cake made to look like a suitcase, with fondant passports sitting atop it.
What creative (DIY) or personal aspects did you include in your wedding?
Almost everything was a DIY project. My friend Christina (above-mentioned Etsy nut) made our invitations. I made our wedding programs, thank you cards and our logo window clings. I also made “wedding wands” – since we couldn’t throw rice and I didn’t want bubbles or sparklers – and the guests went nuts for our “pom poms.” I’ve considered selling them on Etsy myself, but I’m not sure if there would be a market – contact me if you are! cs94wahoo@hotmail.com.
What was your favorite Etsy find?
Let me just say that all of these sellers really went out of their way to customize their products to fit my wedding, which made every single item one-of-a-kind, but I have to say I hold a special place for the wedding necklace that Allison Mooneymade for me. Mostly, because everyone loved it, but also, because I can still wear it! And, she threw in a pair of matching earrings. Yay!
What’s the best advice you have for planning your wedding now that you’re on the other side?
Find someone you trust to help you with the details, and then when the time comes, just let it go. In the end, all that matters is that the person you love shows up and says “I do.”
What is the most memorable moment of your day?
You know what? My entire day was amazing. And yet, my memory is still fuzzy! It was like floating on air. I got the most emotional when I saw my dad waiting to walk me down the aisle, and I remember wanting to get down that aisle fast to get to Jim! I remember the food (most brides don’t). I remember having my very best friends and the family that I love there to share it with me. I remember our first dance. Just bits and pieces, but all so special.
Today’s couple truly had a Real Etsy Wedding. Bride Misty bought over 25 items from Etsy for their Oregon wedding. The two tied the knot in front of 56 close friends and family at the Atavista Farm in Brownsville last May.
The Details
Butterfly place cards by TimelessPaper
Olive brooch (for my bouquet) by AgedandOpulentJewelr
Bride’s Copper pearl open hoop earrings by KateVanDorenStudio
Candy shaped mdf sign by popalicioustoo
Copper ring bearer bowl by CocoandChia
Guest book table by JoyandJoshua (Shop now closed)
Photo props by whiskerworks
Hat boxes by Frippelous
Hooray flags by soinviting
Hair comb for my veil by Saralibbey
Vases by retrosugar
Vases by dotvintage
Vases by grandmasjewelry777
Vases by anothertimeantiques
Vases by SweetKathleen
Vases by BettysKitschen
Vases by room0031
Photography by Glen Johnson
What was your theme/colors and what inspired it?
Being from Montana, we have blue sky, green trees, and copper mining. It was only fitting to surround myself with my favorite colors and memories of home. The color scheme of teal, chartreuse, and copper couldn’t have been better picked.
What is the most memorable moment of your day?
I was hidden by a hedge as the ceremony started and when I watched the flower girl and ring bearer walk towards Alan, it was so hard not to cry. Just seeing him there I wanted to run and hug him.
What creative (DIY) or personal aspects did you include in your wedding?
We really wanted our wedding to be small scale and we tried hard to reuse items (recycling for a good use). We tried so very hard to buy as little new things as possible! We collected a lot of old milk glass vases and cake stands. I made my own veil from a comb I found on Etsy. I knit my own shawl. We also designed, printed, and put together our own invites. We purchased and arranged all the flowers for the tables and ceremony site. We found vintage brooches for the mom’s corsages. We wrote out our place cards by hand. We restored and painted our guest book table from a purchase on Etsy. We folded paper airplanes for folks to toss as we walked down the aisle. We collected vintage hankies for those happy tears. And best of all, family and friends wanted to be involved! The groom’s mom (Paula) made the napkins and the groom’s sister-in-law (Shirley) made the flower girl dress, the baby sister’s dress, and all the young men’s ties and vests. Our dear friend Rita even made our wedding cake for us.
What was your favorite Etsy find?
It is hard to pick a favorite. We collect tiles when we travel/go adventuring so having a tile made for the groom’s gift meant a lot to me. It is a memento of our biggest adventure yet, our marriage.
I also really love the Olive brooch. It was so exciting to find something in just the right color. It really looked lovely with my bouquet.
What’s the best advice you have for planning your wedding now that you’re on the other side?
Make it all about the both of you! It was so much fun to have our close friends and family spend a day with us and the things we love (food, sugar, and lawn games!). We set out with the goal of having a fun and meaningful day and everything else was just a bonus. Set out a budget, pick a few things you really care about, and support each other in finding good deals and making it work.
It’s hard to believe but today’s Real Etsy Wedding was planned in just 3 short months. The bride Sarah credits Etsy for making her purchasing decisions so easy. She and David were married in May at the Courtyard on St. James Place in Houston, Texas in front of 50 guests.
What was your theme/colors and what inspired it?
Baby pink, taupe and ivory – I’ve always loved soft and feminine colors!
What creative (DIY) or personal aspects did you include in your wedding?
Made the candy jars for the candy bar (ball jars to represent Ball State University (our alma matter), assembled the favor boxes, spray painted and bought letters to hang on outside gates.
What was your favorite Etsy find?
So hard to pick just one! Everything turned out BEAUTIFULLY!
What is the most memorable moment of your day?
Seeing no one else but my husband when walking down the aisle and saying our vows
What is the best advice you have for planning your wedding now that you are on the other side?
It doesn’t take a year to plan. I planned mine all in 3 months and focused on one thing at a time and was so thankful for Etsy to make a lot of my decisions SO easy.
Congratulations Sarah and David. Thanks for sharing your day with us!
Etsy Vendors:
Brides Crystal & Rhinestone Hair Barrette by ClassyWedding
Brides Satin Champagne Hair Flower by VirginiaGeigerJewels
Elizabeth Place Cards by PinkAvenueBride
Unity Candle Set by leighannkline
Pearl Bridesmaid Bracelet with Ribbon Ties by MercuryJane
Ring Pillow, Guest Book & Matching Pen by Spoccdesign
Other Vendors:
Photography by Edgar J. Rodriquez
Today I’m sharing an intimate vintage DIY wedding with you. Rebecca and Nathan chose to have a small civil ceremony followed by a reception a few months later where they renewed their vows in front of close friends and family . “We didn’t have a theme or wedding colours” explained Rebecca on Once Wed. “So we started by picking wheat as a motif. It is symbolic of eternal life, nourishment and fruitfulness. after a few months of searching I found a bakery large enough to throw our dinner party in and I couldn’t believe how perfect it was! We also carried the bread/wheat motif through to the invitations and Nathan’s braided wheat wedding band. ”
All of the floral arrangements including the boutonnieres were made by the bride with the help of her maid of honor. The invitations were provided by thispapership. The brides 7o’s vintage gown came from vintageysj and was paired with feather shoulder jewellery from MissMors. The Zinc placecards were custom made by TheGraphicsFairy and the flower girls dress was found at purplefrangipani. The apple jam favors came from a local orchard. Rebecca printed up labels and added fabric tops.
You can find more wonderful photos on the Tealily Photography blog.
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