Etsy Week Day II: Littlebeane Boutique

The owner of Littlebeane is an interior designer by trade who is now a stay at home mom who creates the most adorable stickers and seals, invitations, gift tags, address labels and stationery for fellow Etsy users. What I'd like to highlight of all these is her stickers. I have ordered dozens and the selection...and quality of them is amazing!

Now, I'm sure I don't have to run down the plethora of things that brides-to-be can use stickers to personalize, but here are a few that immediately come to mind:

--Invitations
--Envelopes
--Programs
--Out of town guest bags or boxes
--Favor bags or boxes
et al

**Nota Bene: For Northeast Ohio brides, Littlebeane is based in Lyndhurst! So buying from the boutique means buying local. Always a good thing;)

And now, stickers!

Here is one of the sticker sheets I received. We used these to seal the envelopes of our save the dates. It included our wedding date and wedding web site address.

And I used a slightly different sticker on our DIY invitations--as part of the bellyband.

Etsy Week: Veils by Batcakes! Couture

A little about Batcakes! Couture owner, a Los Angeles-based costumer:

Hello Ladies! Welcome to my Ye Olde Haberdashery. As you can probably tell by now I make hats, fascinators and other accessories of all kinds. I am a professional sculptress, prop fabricator, and costumer based in Los Angeles, California. I am also a circus performer, which is where I honed my skills making fancy head wear (and got my silly nickname- don't be surprised- Satanica is a completely appropriate name when you are a fire eater!). My hats and fascinators are sturdy enough for an acrobat to wear! I use only the highest quality, hand-picked materials. There are no flowers from craft stores here! I also include care instructions with each purchase so your hat and feathers last a lifetime!

And now: the goodies!

Vintage Rose Hat with Birdcage Veil with Crystals Ostrich and Coque

The Cream Dream Wedding Fascinator Bird Cage Veil


The Lydia a high fashion birdcage veil fascinator on a satin headband

(How fabulous is this!!??)

Champagne Birdcage Veil with Crystals and Beaded Comb

It's Etsy Week!

Need I say more? Goodies on the way!

Northeast Ohio Brides: Event Venue: Blue Heron Golf Club

Last month, I had a chance to visit a venue where one of my summer brides is holding her wedding reception. She is having a destination wedding ceremony in Riviera Maya, Mexico and I'm working with her to bring that tropical vibe back to Northeast Ohio for a larger celebration with family and friends. Challenging? Maybe a little--if we were working with a hotel ballroom or typical banquet space. But Blue Heron's look, feel and layout will be a perfect canvas for my bride's vibrant and chic soiree!

Check out a few photos I snapped of the space last month. Keep in mind, these were taken in the dead of winter in Cleveland.... imagine how gorgeous this would be outside in June:)

First,  two fab outdoor patio spaces to work with. The upstairs patio at Blue Heron, in particular, would be great as a ceremony space for brides.



The main ballroom at Blue Heron is super elegant by day--tall ceilings and chandeliers. But we have plans to transform the space with a few elements sure to set the mood. I love the floor to ceiling windows in this room and how neutral it is... 

We were here on December 26th, I think, hence the Christmas deco!

And lastly some photos of the exterior in summer. Courtesy of Blue Heron:

Fore more information on Medina's Blue Heron, go here.

More Bling Chic!

Just finished these up for a June bride who will use for her boudoir pics. Thought they were pretty darn cute!

See my Etsy store for more.

Bridesmaid Dress Idea: Victorias Secret

Yes, we shop here mostly for undies, lingerie and swim...but don't forget VS often carries super cute dresses online!

Here is a particularly cute option for brides looking for tea length black dresses for the girls!

And I love this with the pearls!

Enjoy:)

$98. Get it here.

Be Savvy: "Details Please!": On Floral Proposals...

The writer of one of the wedding blogs I love to follow, destination planner Kelly McWilliams (Weddings by Socialites), has a recent (very useful) blog post on the importance of detailed floral proposals which really got me thinking.

In her post, she discusses why thorough proposals from your florist are essential so that there are NO surprises on your wedding day and so you know exactly what you're getting--down to the kind of ribbon and wrap for bouquets and even what type of alternate flowers may be used in the case a promised flower is not available.

But another really great reason to request such detailed proposals is to know exactly what you are paying for--and to be able to decide if there are things in the proposal you may forgo, do cheaper or that your wedding planner can do for you. This is where a wedding planner can really help out!

One of the things I do as a planner is review all of the contracts--and proposals--that my brides and grooms receive from vendors. I look at them for any gaps, unanswered questions or red flags....

But it's also REALLY important for me to be able to see where I may help my couples save money! And to be sure we stay within budget. Normally, there will be things I can flag in a floral proposal that are not necessary or that we can downgrade or negotiate for budget purposes. And because I talk to and deal with vendors often, I can immediately see when something may be done in a more budget-friendly manner. 

The best floral proposals are those that go into detail about each aspect of the floral--i.e. personal flowers, ceremony and reception flowers, cake table flowers etc.--AND that include itemized pricing for each piece--e.g. 6 boutonnieres at $7 each to be made of X-type of blooms in Y-color and to be wrapped in Z-kind of ribbon...)

Hopefully this is helpful in terms of figuring out your floral and in seeing one way in which a wedding consultant may help save you money!