Traditional Bridal Bouquets – Here are the Alternatives

I was having a chat with my sister in law at the weekend discussing her plans for her bridal bouquet for her wedding this September. her theme is turquoise and they’re aren’t many natural flowers in this colour so the first question I automatically asked if she was having real flowers?

It was only when I asked the question, that I realised that using real flowers for your bouquet isn’t a foregone conclusion, it’s just one of the many options that are now available.

So while my sister in law has her heart set on real flowers, I still thought I would put together a blog post showcasing some the other options available.

An Alternative bridal bouquet – Yes you can eat it!

I thought I’d start with something pretty unusual.  How about an edible bouquet?  I’m not talking about sugar flowers, however I guess that would work too (would need to double check with a cake decorator) but something a bit more fun.  How about over sized lolly pops?  It’s definitely not an idea for everyone but it would fit with a carnival feel wedding.  Another thought that just popped into my head - origami flowers made with edible rice paper, would that work? Do we have any origami enthusiasts willing to give it a go?

Here’s a photo taken from Lolly Pop Bride, I think this edible bridal bouquet looks amazing but then it does combine some of my favourite things, purple and sugar.

Photo Credit Lolly Pop Brides

Alternative Bridal Bouquet with written meaning

If you and your hubby to be are big books fans then how about using a copy of your favourite book to create gorgeous paper flowers.   These paper flowers are really easy to make and you get to chose the words and phrases that create your alternative bouquet.  Maybe pick a book of love poems or something else that she share a passion for, whether that’s a certain author or genre of book.

There are quite a few tutorials about how to make paper flowers on YouTube so start your search for ideas there. In the meantime take a look at this stunning bouquet available from a seller on Etsy. Pretty, isn’t it.

Image Credit TreeTownPaper

An alternative with endless possibilities

My other type of bouquet is one made from handmade fabric flowers.  This is a huge opportunity to really customise your bouquet as they can be created in any type of material and any colour.  Here’s a fabric flower I created myself a few days ago.  I don’t make fabric flower bouquets myself, but if I did I’d have a cluster of these with just a hand full of diamante brooches to really make it sparkle.

As you can see it’s attached to a comb here but it can pretty much be attached to anything you can think of.  To use it in a bouquet it would need to be attached to some floral wire.

An alternative bridal bouquet without all the flowers

Not all bridal bouquets need to be created from flowers, currently succulents are really in fashion adding a lot of texture to a bouquet but how about things you would find in nature, pretty pine cones, sea shells, starfish, and exotic grasses.  Ok so the one I found on etsy below has 2 flowers in it but they’re not the only thing in this rustic bouquet, check out the feather, pines cones and wheat.

image credit Boutique in Bloom

Sparkle your way down the aisle

My last suggestion is brooch bouquets, I simply love them.  I love that you can use them with flowers or just on their own.  You can also incorporate your something old in there too, whether it’s your grandmas brooch or a vintage find you and your husband to be found together.

What about no bouquet at all?

There’s nothing to say to have to have a bouquet of any sort, how about a vintage fan or something created to match your wedding colours.

I hope I’ve given you something to get your creative juices following.  If you have any other ideas for alternatives to traditional bridal bouquets, then leave your ideas in the comments section below.

Bride Alert: saving money on bridal shoes

Save money on your dress, save money on bridal shoes, you’ve heard it all before right?

Well hopefully I’ll provide you with a little insight that you’ve not heard before.  I’m not going to talk about how you can save money on designer bridal shoes, you’ll have to check out the sales for that, maybe buy second hand or scour eBay.

I want to talk about saving money on even the basic type of bridal shoe that you will find online or in your bridal shop.  A quick look tells me that bridal shoes range from £50 to £250 on chain stores such as John Lewis.  If you consider £50 way to out of your budget, and I know many of you do then there are a few ways you can bring that cost down.

Decorate your bridal shoes yourself

The first suggestion is my favourite but that’s because I make the item I’m going to suggest,  shoe clips. I think they are an amazing invention. They can completely change the look of any pair of shoes.  And the same pair of shoe clips can be worn in various areas of the shoe changing the look again.

If like me, you love to create then how about taking an existing pair of shoes and decorating them with a bit of bling.  Swarovski crystals can be very expensive so if your budget doesn’t stretch choose an alternative.  Here are a few tutorials on how to glue them to your shoes.

Use them as something borrowed

Ok so what if you’re not crafty and If you’re really trying to save some pennies, how about checking with your friends who share your shoe size, do any of them have any pretty shoes you can borrow for the day. If you want to jazz them up temporarily then buy some shoe clips, my prices start around £12  and you can use them for other occasions too.  I love dual purpose items.

They don’t just have to be bridal shoes

I guess one of the things that make bridal shoes seen expensive is that you’re not really getting value for money if you only ever wear them once. But what if you bought shoes that could be worn for other occasions such as the works Christmas party, anniversaries, girly nights out and even in the bedroom   I’m thinking more of a silver or gold type of shoe instead of white here.

Bide your time and don’t impulse buy

You may have you heart set on traditional bridal shoes and that’s perfectly acceptable, just because you don’t have a huge budget doesn’t mean you can’t have all the traditional trimmings. If you are going to buy purpose made bridal shoe, then refrain from buying them the second you see them.   Take a photo, check online for similar shoes at a lower price, sleep on your buying impulsive for a few nights as see if you still love them a few days later.   Don’t be pushed into buying them by any sales assistant.

If you’ve got the time, what for the sales, the wedding season runs in the UK from January to September, this is our busiest season for selling, outside these times you might be lucky enough to find sales.

Say no to Satin

Bridal shoes are traditionally created out a satin, it can be dyed so can easily be customised.  But what about considering other types of material, these may be less expensive.

Go sole-less on the beach

If you’re having a beach wedding then you’ve got the option of going barefoot.  If you’re not in love with your own feet and feel they look better covered up (like me) then decorate them with foot jewellery which gives the impression of a shoe without the sole.

These sole-less sandals are generally beaded, with some stretch to allow you to place the whole design over your ankle then keep it flat against your foot by hooking the loop over your second toe.

Here’s a photo from my Pinterest account to shoe you exactly what I mean.

Chose non traditional bridal shoes

Finally depending on how traditional you are, what about having something completely different on your feet for your wedding?  These cow boy boots look great with this wedding dress, perfect for a rustic wedding but would feel seriously out of place at a church wedding.  So give your venue some consideration when it comes to choosing your bridal shoes.

If comfort is your main priority for the day, then how about decorating simple white pumps or flats by covering them in glitter and sparkling rhinestones, that way you’ll have comfy bridal shoes.

Have you got any other ideas to save money on your bridal shoes?  I love to here them, share your idea or link to a tutorial in the comments section.

My name is Kerrie G and you can follow me on Google+ and check out the Wedding and Gems Google + page here.  I look forward to meeting you.

Our 1500 Facebook Fan Give away

So we’ve just reached 1500 fans on Facebook and I promised that I would do a give away so here it is.  I’m giving away this sparkly bracelet created with Swarovski crystals and clear glass orbs.  It’s not too wedding-y so you can wear it for other occasions too.

To enter, you need to leave a comment in the box below telling me what you would like to see me make more of.  Jewellery, bags, garters, give me all your ideas and if I like them I’ll try and create those types of  hand crafted products.

Only those who have left comments by midnight  this friday will be eligible.

Good luck.

I’ll email the winner on Saturday and announce the name on the facebook page over the weekend for everyone to see.

Funny RSVP card – It will make you smile, honest.

You should be able to show people who you really are at a wedding, individually and as a couple. One of the things that makes a wedding memorable is how much you made people laugh. Since it’s well known that your wedding invitations are supposed to be the first impression of your wedding, why not give you guests a smile with something similar to this Funny RSVP card.

photo credit happyplace.com 

I just had to share this with you, I found it this morning and it’s just what I needed after a bad start to the day.  Hope it brings a smile to your face too.

Bridal Updos

There are plenty of places to get inspiration for your bridal updos on the internet.  In fact the amount of places to check can be a little overwhelming so I’ve gathered together my six favourites.  These aren’t have tutorials but a good hairdresser should be able to create something similar from the photo.

My favourite Bridal Updos

Image Credit pinterest

Aren’t they pretty?

Decorating these hairstyles

Bridal hairstyles such as these can be decorated a number of ways.  Hair vines are always an excellent choice, so are hair pins.  Something like these diamante hair slides would be good to add a bit of sparkle to any updo.

Also you could add a comb. Tiaras don’t work so well with these types of hair styles, simply because there is so much detail in the updo a tiara would obscure it.  If you’re planning on wearing a veil, keep it to the nape if it’s a tradition tulle veil, or a single layer if you want to wear it higher up.

If you need hair accessories designed just for you, don’t forget to give me a shout.

Kerrie G x

Wedding Horseshoes and other Bridal gifts

Occasionally I’ll feature a guest post from someone else in the wedding industry and this week I’m featuring a post from Gill Marshall from www.soraiseyourglasses.com.  She’s here to give you a little info of the traditions behind the wedding horse shoe and wooden spoon.

So I’ll hand you over to her.

It is a huge tradition in the UK to give the bride a good luck gift on her Wedding day.

In the 21st century many gifts are given from the traditional horseshoes, sixpences
and spoons to contemporary hearts and other small personal gifts.

Close friends and relatives of the Bride often want to give such a gift as it is something personal from them to the Bride rather than the couple to wish her good luck in this new chapter of her life.

The  wedding horseshoe is a tradition going back hundreds of years. It can be a real pony shoe, silver or perhaps card decorated with fabric. For good luck it is important that the horseshoe is hung the right way up using the attached ribbons.

The wooden love spoon has its origins in Wales and these were carefully carved for the bride. The tradition is an old fashioned one – the wooden spoon was the most used utensil in the kitchen! Despite this rather dated tradition the spoons themselves are often beautiful and decorative. They are very popular with collectors and some have vast numbers of them.

The lucky sixpence was often given by the Father to his Daughter to place in her shoe so that she had a small amount of money hidden in case of emergencies. There is no need to have the discomfort of a coin in your shoe these days. The tradition has been broadened out and friends and other members of the family often give a
sixpence in a pretty box.

Hearts and other small gifts are very popular and these make great gifts as they don’t look out of place hung in the Brides home long after the Wedding celebration are over. There are a huge number of options available and often children like to create their own to make a truly personal present.

A key question often asked is when do you give the bride this personal gift?

The tradition was for the Bride to carry the wedding horseshoe or spoon with her bouquet but, in the main, this has changed. Most gifts are given to the Bride after the ceremony is over, just before the photographs are taken outside of the venue. This is something the chief bridesmaid should be aware of and be ready to help the Bride out in case she is suddenly inundated with gifts. After the Bride has accepted the gifts the Bridesmaid can make sure that they are all kept safely and given to the bride later.

The article was written by Gill Marshall director of party and celebration store
www.soraiseyourglasses.com

Thanks for the info Gill x

Wedding Guestbook alternatives

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with a traditional guest book, especially if you like to sit and flick through the pages with your husband in years to come and reminisce.  But what if you’re the type of person who who never looks through these things? What if you don’t have your guests sign a book?

There are a number of ways to ask your guests to give their input, advice, congratulations or anything else they want to say on your wedding day, so we’ve found our favourite ideas for an alternative wedding guestbooks and listed them below.

Wedding Guestbook Alternative #1

photo credit

I shared this photo with on my Facebook page a few weeks ago and it’s still one of my favourite ideas as a guestbook alternative.  I like the fact that there’s plenty off space for people to write, since there are 4 decent sized surfaces to leave a message.  But the thing I love best about this idea is that as a couple its a game you can play together and if you chose to have a family it’s a piece of history you can share with your children too.

Wedding Guestbook Alternative #2

Photo Credit

OK so I’m a big fan of butterflies, so when I saw this idea for a guest book, I just had to include it. This would be a very cheap alternative to a traditional wedding guest book.  Supply gel pens so the writing can show up against the dark background.  Obviously use your own wedding colours as black might be a bit too dramatic for some.  If you’re a wedding diy-er then these paper butterflies are something you can create yourself.  After your wedding use them to decorate your home or store them in a pretty box.

Alternative Wedding Guestbook #3

photo credit

Using a guitar as a guestbook might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it’s the idea behind this that grabbed my attention.  Is there some hobby that you and your husband share, are you football fans? sign a football or your teams strip.  Are you both artistic – get your guests to sign a easel.  The idea here is to have something that important to you both as your guest book.  Something you would be proud to display in your home to show who you are.

Wedding Guestbook #4

Photo Credit

The message in a bottle idea is only going to work if you’re having a beach themed wedding.  It’s such a old world romantic idea but I can see 1 huge drawback – How are you going to get those messages out without breaking the bottle?  Maybe this could be ok if want to wait until your first wedding anniversary to read the messages.

Alternative Guestbook #5

Photo Credit

Another interactive guestbook, each piece has a message, but together as a finished puzzle is a complete reminder of your wedding day.  You’ll need to keep the pieces safe though, lose one and it’s going to be very noticeable when you decide to complete the puzzle.  Maybe this could be an idea for date night.

Do you have any other quirky ideas for a wedding guestbook, have you pined any that you’d love to share?  Leave the links to your pins below and I’ll add them to my own wedding guestbook pinterest board.

Just a little reminder and a completely different topic, if you didn’t know, I love weddings but my real job isn’t to find amazing pictures on the internet but to make bespoke bridal accessories, so if click over to the main site and check out my own style to see if something takes your fancy – Bridal Accessories.