Flowers That Won’t Wilt: Bouquets from Paper, Gowns, & Glory

Lots of keepsakes can be savored from a wedding day—the dress can be stored in your closet, the top layer of the cake set aside in the freezer, an invitation displayed fondly on the refrigerator—but with their short lifespan, the flowers can only live on in pictures from the big day. That is, until now.

Charlestown-based company Paper, Gowns, & Glory creates beautiful keepsake bouquets in the form of hand-cut paper flowers that will never wilt, droop, or lose their petals. Made from acid-free and recycled stocks, these eco-friendly arrangements can replicate any flower, color, and blossom you desire.

Shipped with real flower boxes and the stems long, the display options are endless. After a wedding, newlyweds can choose to use the keepsake bouquet as a table centerpiece, to decorate a mantle, or to brighten up any room in the house.

For a lasting reminder of the big day, Paper, Gowns, & Glory’s paper bouquets can’t be beat! And attention all bridesmaids—if you’re looking for a wedding gift, consider giving a paper replica of the bride’s bouquet!

Trash The Dress

Bridesmaid dresses get all the heat when it comes to the “you’ll never wear it again” stigma—but what about wedding gowns? You’ll REALLY never wear that again and, despite some women’s dreams, the chances of your daughter wanting to wear it on her wedding day are slim to none. While the sentimental argument for keeping it vacuum packed and stored away in the back of your closet is certainly valid, many brides are choosing to “trash the dress” in a post-wedding photo shoot.

From paint-covered, to water-drenched, to even dirt-stained, these photos from Marquin and Dan, Essential Moments Photos, Trash The Dress Europe, and Rachel Richter show the unique photo opportunity one can get from choosing to “trash the dress.”

What do you think? It’s certainly unconventional, and when most brides purchase their gown they probably aren’t envisioning it rolling around in the sand and water, but the photo potential is wonderful!

Rain On Your Wedding Day Doesn’t Have to Be a Bad Thing

You can have you wedding planned down to the most minute of details, but the one thing that will always be out of your control is the weather. For most brides, the thought of rain on their wedding day is unbearable—but it doesn’t have to be!

Like these pictures from Tres Chic Bride, Foto Cabina, and Dave Cross Weddings show, rain boots and umbrellas can be an adorable addition to your bridal party!

To kill two birds with one stone, you can buy monogrammed umbrellas or a cute pair of rain boots as bridesmaids gifts. Not only will you have a wardrobe Plan B should the weather be wet, but your bridesmaids will have a practical and adorable gift that they’ll be sure to get good use out of! For umbrellas in every color with tons of monogramming options, check out Savannah Jacks.

For reasonably prices rain boots in every shade, pattern, and style, check out Rain Boots Online. These fun, patterned boots would look adorable with a simple, solid colored bridesmaid dress!

What do you think? Would rain be the end to your perfect wedding dreams, or would you seize the opportunity to incorporate in some cute rain boots and umbrellas?

Wedding Gift: Name a Proxy Product After the Bride!

If you’ve ever shopped online or by catalogue before, you’ve noticed that companies tend to name their clothing products—the Jessica Pump, or the Victoria Dress, and so on. Well if you’re looking for a unique wedding gift for the bride-to-be, why not have a company name one of their products after her?

When it comes to Proxy Apparel’s mission is to employ and empower women in a sweatshop-free and sustainable world by partnering with women-owned, fair trade cooperatives in developing countries.  To take it a step further, Proxy is offering the opportunity for you to co-create their upcoming collection by naming a product in honor of a special woman in your life. Not only that, but Proxy will feature the story of what matters to her alongside the piece in their online shop and lookbook.

So how do you take part in the You Name It Campaign? Based on the pledge you give, which will go to directly funding their upcoming collection, you can select either the accessory or garment on a first-come-first-serve basis that you’d like to have named after the bride. The levels of commitment are as follows:

• $50 An accessory of your choice from our recycled collection & special mention on our website & Facebook Page
• $100 The above and an exclusive Proxy t-shirt designed for the You Name It Campaign
• $250 The above and a featured garment from our upcoming collection
• $500 The above and the right to name one of our upcoming products in honor of a special woman in your life, including a featured profile of her story in our on-line shop and lookbook
• $1000 All of the above and we’ll dress you (or your honoree) head to toe in our Spring Collection

Empowering women while honoring the bride-to-be? Sounds like the perfect wedding gift to us!

Bachelorette Party Idea: Beauty Product Test Party

Not every bride-to-be wants to get crazy in a wild night on the town prior to tying the knot. For the mellow bride, a girls’ night in can make for the perfect bachelorette party—and if that mellow bride happens to love glaming it up with the latest makeup and beauty products, then start planning a product testing party!

The concept is simple: each guest brings a new beauty product to the party so that everyone can try it out. In some parties, the bride-to-be gets to keep all the products at the end of the night, but you could also arrange to that everyone gets to pick their favorite item.

If you need some ideas, here are great ideas which are sure to be crowd pleasers:

• Nail Polish Go for a fun shade that you normally wouldn’t buy. Metallics and bright colors are always a fun choice! With one of the best applicator brushes around, we’re big fans of OPI but Sally Hansen ‘s new Salon Manicure line is equally as amazing. 
• Hair Stylers Any hair styler is sure to be a good time at a girls night in because let’s face it, playing with your hair can be fun at any age! Wave irons are relatively new on the market, so consider trying one like this for Conair. 
• Eye Shadow Sets These are fun because you can get sets to highlight different eye colors or opt for the always-popular smoky eye kit. Practice applying the makeup during the bachelorette party and who knows, maybe you can DIY when it comes to wedding day make up! For starters, check out the variety offered on Sephora. 

At the end of the night, not only will you have been able to try out some new products, but will have had the perfect girls night in with the bride-to-be and her favorite ladies!

 

A Sunny Color Spotlight: Yellow Bridesmaid Dresses

From a deep mustard hue to a pale, soft yellow, this color shines on a bridal party. These pictures from Halter Neck Wedding and Weddingbee show two of the many ways to make yellow bridesmaid dresses work beautifully in a wedding.

While yellow may seem like an exclusively summer or spring color because of its sunny association, deeper shades can look beautiful in an autumn (think foliage!) or winter wedding.

If yellow is one of your wedding colors, check out these beautiful and budget friendly options from Bridesmaid Trade!

THIS strapless, knee-length dress in a butter shade would look gorgeous standing next to the bride up at the altar.

THIS fun Alfred Sung yellow dress has hidden pockets; and, if the predictions are right, pockets are set to be one of the biggest wedding trends in 2011!

Maid of Honor Check List

You’ve been asked to be the Maid of Honor in one of your favorite girls’ weddings, you couldn’t be more excited, but—uh—what exactly are you supposed to do? As a first time Maid of Honor myself, I know all too well that once the initial excitement, hugs, kisses, and congratulations are done, the next thought is something along the lines of “what is a Maid of Honor even supposed to do?” So for all you first time honorees out there, here’s a check list breaking down your main responsibilities. Each wedding party is different, and each bride may have her own requests and tough tasks requiring your help, but here are the basics every Maid of Honor should be sure to check off their To Do list:

• Plan and host a shower with the help of the bridesmaids and bride’s female family members. During the shower, be sure to help keep track of who gave what so that the bride’s thank you note writing goes smoothly!
• Plan and host a bachelorette party with the help of the bridesmaids.
• Help the bride shop for a wedding gown and bridesmaid dresses.
  

  http://www.weddingbellsblog.com

• Pay for your wedding day attire—this includes dress, shoes, and jewelry. If you don’t want to break the bank, be sure to suggest Bridesmaid Trade during the bridesmaid dress search!
• Attend the rehearsal dinner.
• Toast the bride and groom (either at the rehearsal dinner or the reception). If you need tips for giving the perfect speech, check THIS out.
• Keep the groom’s ring during the wedding ceremony.
• Arrange the bride’s train during the ceremony, if needed.
• Hold the bride’s bouquet during the I Do’s.
• Witness and sign the marriage license if requested.
  

  http://www.perfect-wedding-day.com

• Buy the couple a wedding gift.
• Stand in the receiving line and help organize it.
• Coordinate with the other bridesmaids throughout the entire process—keep them informed about important dates, fittings, and any other important news.
• Easy on the alcohol during the wedding! Remember, you’re supposed to be helpful, not slurring your words!

And of course the most important thing to check off your list is to have fun!

Have you been a Maid of Honor before? What were your responsibilities?

Dancing Your Way to the Altar

With over 60 million views, this YouTube video of a wedding party dancing down the aisle to “Forever” has been running rampant across the internet for the passed year and a half. And with one of the most fun wedding entrances to be caught on film, it’s no wonder this bridal party has reached viral video fame!

We love the elegance of a traditional wedding entrance but there’s certainly something to be said for the creativity of dancing to the altar! What do you think?

 

Trading Stories: An Island Wedding for an Island Girl

Julia’s childhood best friend asked her to be bridesmaid on New Years 2009. Both girls were back in their hometown on Martha’s Vineyard for the holiday and it was the first time Julia met her friend’s fiancé.

“She pulled me aside and told me they were getting married. After hugs and many congratulations, she asked if I would like to be in the bridal party. We have grown up so much and I was honored to be part of it.”

As a bridesmaid, it was hard to be heavily involved in the wedding planning because Julia lived in Atlanta, GA at the time. “I flew from GA to MA for the surprise bridal shower and a week before the wedding had rehearsal with the bride and groom for their first dance, which I choreographed for them.”

But the distance certainly didn’t take away from the special experience of being a bridesmaid. “Just being a part of the whole thing with the bride and our childhood friends—when we were little we would have pretend weddings on the playground and would talk about who we were going to end up with and it meant so much to me to be there for her on her actual wedding day.”

The bridal shower was a surprise for the bride which was held at an aunt and uncle’s house with all her closest friends and family. “We flew from all over: NY, PA, friends from college, me from GA. The look on her face when she walked in the door was priceless.”

The bachelorette party was another surprise and was held a couple nights before the wedding at a friend’s house, and, like most bachelorette parties thrown, the celebration made sure to focus around a certain—err—male body part.

As Julia recalls, “The maid of honor and I kidnapped her at the end of dinner with her family, blindfolded her, and drove all around so she lost her sense of direction.”

With the bridal shower and bachelorette party marked off as successes, it was on to the big day! The wedding was held at the old Agricultural Hall on the Vineyard, a quintisential upisland location surrounded by beautiful farm land.

“I have a couple best memories from the wedding: getting ready in the room we grew up in in her parents house, riding in the limo to the ceremony, standing up at the alter with the rest of the wedding party, and last but not least, watching the bride, groom, and his band of friends sing Love Shack towards the end of the reception.” With a musically talented couple and a skilled dancer for a bridesmaid, there was no shortage of entertainment as the happy couple tied the knot!

As for the bridesmaid dresses, the bride wanted something elegant, simple, and reasonably priced. As Julia puts it (and I think we can all agree!), “Hey not all of us college grads have 50k/yr jobs.” But cutting back the cost certainly didn’t mean a shortage of style—the light blue dresses and white shawls made for a gorgeous bridal party.

Bridesmaid Break Down:

Dress Style: Strapless knee length with sweetheart top and empire waist.

Dress Color: Light blue

Main Expenses: Dress and plane tickets (“But what does that matter when it’s your best friend’s wedding?!” Julia adds. And we agree!)

Edible Etsy: Wedding Cake Toppers

If you haven’t caught on already, we love the handmade goods over at Etsy. With lots of options for customization and special attention to details, the talented vendors at Etsy are the perfect destination for creative wedding cake toppers. There are tons to choose from, but here are a few of our favorites:

For customized clay human figurine toppers, clayinaround can’t be beat! Of course we had to feature a picture of this Red Sox-Yankees couple being from Boston, but you can work with this Etsy vendor to make your cake couple true to you.

From turtles, to Mr & Mrs Potato Head, to flamingos, to Mario and Peach, Garden4Arts has just about any couple you can imagine for the top of your wedding cake.

We’re crazy about these adorable love bird cake toppers and mice with heart-entwined tails from PassionArts. And with options for customized details you can match the topper’s flowers, tie, bows, and tiaras to the ones you’ll be wearing on the big day.

For a truly unique cake topper, WeddingsAndWire offers personalized wire bride and groom figurines running across the frosting.

The adorable painted wooden figurines from lollipopworkshop are made special for each order and are sure to please!