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.

I just love these custom calender Ring Pillows by GiggleRoom.  This is such a unique way to mark your special day.  Each pillow has a vintage linen/cotton tea towel calendar with a hand embroidered red heart around the date of your choice.   The pillows are available in a 10″ square, 6.5″ square or 8″ x12″ rectangle. 

Today’s wedding was sent in by bride Leah.  She and Toby’s rustic wedding took place in early July at the Durango Mountain Resort in Colorado.  They shared their special day with 70 close friends and family.

The Details

Ring Bearers Custom Made Pillow by TurtlesRUs

Custom Invitations/Save The Date/Rsvp Cards by LilyMander  

Custom Wedding Cake Stand by CakeRisers (No Longer Active)

Bridesmaids Gifts-Monogrammed Jewelry Bags by TurtlesRUs

What was your theme/colors and what inspired it?

My theme was “simply Colorado” inspired by my years of living in Colorado and to remember the beautiful memories my husband and I shared while dating in Colorado.  My colors were red with hints of browns, naturals and of course aspen logs and leaves.

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

I had Etsy shop LilyMandercreate my save the date cards, invitations and RSVP cards featuring mountains and aspen leaves from my favorite Colorado tree.  My dad cut aspen logs for me and I used them to insert red roses and curly willow and then carved a heart with our initials in them.  They served as our centerpieces.  The Etsy shop TurtlesRUscustom made my ring bearers pillow and bridesmaids gifts of custom jewelry bags with monogrammed initial.  Etsy shop CakeRiserscreated a custom antiqued silver cake riser to feature our lovely wedding cake which also featured mountains and pine trees.  The day of the wedding I handpicked real aspen leaves from the trees there and had them inserted into our napkins on our tables for the reception.  I handmade all of of the bouquets, flowergirl baskets, boutineers, coursages. My uncle is an artist and he painted our mountain scene used for all of our invitations, etc. It was very special. My groom and I also wore our cowboy boots and he wore a western tuxedo along with his guys to inspire the feeling of the west and to incorporate our lifestyle.  My bridal portraits were taken with a lovely white percheron horse to bring in my love and passion for my horses.

What was your favorite Etsy find? 

The custom monogrammed jewelry bags were a huge hit! I put the bridesmaids jewelry in the bags and gave them as gifts. The jewelry bag is functional and is something they will use for many years to come

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

If planning a destination wedding make sure to have a wedding planner who is familiar with local vendors.  Most of all make sure to relax and go with the flow.  Not everything will go as you planned. We found that out the hard way.  Our ceremony was to be outdoors and an hour before the ceremony was to start it poured down rain and then turned to sleet.  The ground was white from hail in July! Our awesome wedding planner just moved things around in the lodge where our reception was and just moved us indoors. It turned out perfectly!

What is the most memorable moment of your day?

During our ceremony the sun broke thru the clouds and the rain/sleet stopped.  After our ceremony was over my new husband and I got into a gorgeous carriage and the driver took us up in the mountains for a beautiful ride.

Today’s lovely wedding was sent in by bride Sando.  She and new husband Kevin were surrounded by 150 friends and family when they married on May 15th in Wilmington, North Carolina.   Sando was introduced to Etsy when a high school friend opened a shop called ApplesModernArt.  “She would post her beautiful creations on Facebook” explained Sando. “ From there I was introduced to the amazing world of Etsy and I was instantly hooked!”

The Details

Brides Anna Double Ivory Hair Flowers  by PrimandPosies
Custom Calendar Ring Pillow by GiggleRoom
Bridesmaids Infinity Friendship Rings by seababejewelry
Ivory Garters by GartersByKristi
Wedding Program Fan by PEAKaBooDesign
Large Wedding Tree with ink pads by lovliday
Flower Girl Basket by luly612
Flower Girl Headband by ApplesModernArt
Brides Pearl and Swavarski Crystal Bracelet by CrystalMBoutique
Custom Mailbox Decal by empressivedesigns
Cupcake Tower by thecupcaketower
Butterfly Table Numbers by TimelessPaper

Photography by Rick Ricozzi

 What was your theme/colors and what inspired it?

 
Our colors for our wedding were ivory and black with splashes of hydrangea green and blue. I guess what inspired these colors was just the timelessness and elegance that ivory and black have when paired together. Our venue was gorgeous by itself, so I knew I did not want to take away from its character.

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

 
We wanted our wedding to be simple, elegant, and oodles of fun! So I think going with those attributes, we wanted to add personal touches that were unique and true to our personal style but staying within tradition. My mom and I joked many times while planning our wedding how our wedding was “traditionally untraditional.” We wanted all the aspects of a traditional, simple wedding but with our own twist and personalized details added! We are both teachers so I think our attention to details rained supreme when it came to adding those touches. There’s just something so special about having handmade things that is so personal and feels so carefully crafted. One of my favorite personal aspects that we added to our day was our Wedding Tree. We are so blessed to be surrounded by such wonderful friends and family, that we really wanted to some way to constantly be reminded of those influential people who make our lives so special. I love the idea of a guest book, but didn’t like the idea of closing that book and not seeing those names anymore once the day was done. So lucky for us I stumbled upon the Wedding Tree idea and of course found exactly what I was looking for on Etsy! Now our Wedding Tree hangs proudly on our wall in our dining room!

What was your favorite Etsy find?

 
All of them! Some of my favorites included: the calendar ring pillow, the infinity rings for my bridesmaids, the programs, the personalized handkerchiefs we got for our parents, and the headband we got for our flower girl.

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

 
Shop Etsy! Etsy really made planning our wedding so easy and so much fun! We live in MD and got married in NC, so being able to sit on our couch and browse gorgeous, custom items for our wedding was wonderful!

And most importantly seriously relax and have fun with all of it! I had such a blast planning our wedding that I think the best advice I could give to anyone is to enjoy each moment of the planning process, and remember that no detail is too little! If it matters to you, it’s important!

What is the most memorable moment of your day?

 
There were so many memorable moments of our day; it’s hard to choose just one! But I guess if I had to choose I would say when Kevin and I snuck away from the reception for a bit and we walked down to the water and everything just sunk in. We were walking up and down the boardwalk looking out over the Cape Fear River at sunset. There was a cool breeze blowing off the water and I remember Kevin turning to me and saying “Hello Wife.” And I remember just the most amazing feeling of happiness wash over me. It’s an amazing feeling when everything that means the most to you all comes together harmoniously. For us it was the simple things, great food, gorgeous day, amazing friends, loving family and the feeling that this was just the beginning.

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