Keep Moving Forward #2

It's the weekend. For many brides to be this means planning time after a busy work week. Take some time to relax and enjoy our keep moving forward inspiration board for a few laughs and a short break.


(Photo credits from left to rights: just breathe, planking dog, pug in batman costume, relationship foundation, sad kitten.)

Let Your Groom Take Charge (Just a Little)

(photo credits from left to right: bride and groom, groom getting ready)

So, we know that a wedding is often times a lot more stressful for a bride because she wants everything to be perfect. It's often the groom that is laid back and nonchalant about the whole event. But, that doesn't mean that we should forget about the groom and just concentrate 100 percent on what the bride "should know" and do in order to be prepared for her wedding! A bride may not be willing to let her groom take control of certain details, but it will be an enormous help if they let go of the reigns and let the groom take care of, well, himself. Now, hand over the computer to your soon to be husband and remove some things off your wedding to-do list.

When I was planning my wedding it was really hard to let Joe take control of some of our wedding details, but when I did, it was such a relief and it really did make me feel less stressed out and more like I could just relax and have some things taken care of by my future spouse. So, if you're not sure if you should step in or are scared your bride will shoot down all your ideas, I would truly suggest at least trying. She'll love you even more for it.

Whether you are a laid back groom, a groom that doesn't want to be involved in wedding planning at all (but should be at least a teensy bit) or a groom that is truly interested in helping but can't find a way to do so, read on my friends! There are many great websites that offer resources just for grooms that are a great place to start. Like...

Knowing how to choose a suit or tuxedo for your body type.

Mens summer suits.

Mens winter suits.

Groom Guide checklist.

What all men need to know about marriage.

The Groom's List website

If you haven't noticed yet, Friday's are all about the groom here at The Handmade Wedding, so do check back on our Manmade Wedding segment for great manly DIY projects, inspiration boards, and more!

Inspiration Board #9: Groom Accessories I

There are so many great bride accessories roaming around that often groom accessories get overlooked, but there are tons of great groom accessories as well. The following are just a few of my favorites from the web.


(Photo credits from top left to bottom right: cufflinks, salut flask, leather belt, skinny knit tie, silk groom hair serum)

Ming Makes Cupcakes Recipes

Have you considered having cupcakes as your wedding dessert?

Joe and I did a combination of a bride and groom cake for us to cut and had cupcakes for our guests at our wedding. We had ours made by Stockholm Bakery in Kingsburg, but we very much thought of making them ourselves at one point. If you're thinking of making your own cupcakes you have to check out Ming Makes Cupcakes for an amazing array of cupcake recipes that all look delicious and are not very complicated to bake, such as a recipe for vanilla almond cupcakes.

(Photo credit: Ming Makes Cupcakes)

Inspiration Board #8: Braids

It could only be so long until we had a braid inspiration board! There is no denying that braids are VERY in right now. And I'm not complaining about the fad at all. I love braids. They can be worn meticulously for a sleek bridal look, or more loose for a romantic nature feel. Each photo credit below comes complete with a link to each style's tutorial.


Photo credits from left to right: maiden braid, side braid, cascade braid, braid strands, dutch braid.

Beauty and Fitness: Healthy Snacks

Are you a big snacker? I am for sure, so it was hard to get into the habit of not snacking as much when I was trying to keep the weight off to fit into my wedding dress. I tried to stick with healthy snacks such as lime and salted cucumbers or vegetables and hummus, both a yummy option, but not snacks everyone would like. Whole Living has a section on healthy snacks that are awesome such as a great granola combo with dried papaya and berry pops if you're looking for good and healthy snack ideas.

(Photo credit: wholeliving.com)

What are your favorite healthy snacks?

Uhm, Yum!

I just ran into these amazingly scrumptious looking fruit jellies by Zukr Boutique. Don't they look delicious?! Plus they're on sale!

Combine the jellies with these awesome clear cube boxes and Avery printable labels for a stressless and yummy wedding favor!


(Photo credit: Zukr Boutique)

Sundance Bridal Shop

Sundance announced the launch of their bridal shop today, and I'm already loving every one of their handcrafted ring designs. Their new bridal collection has an air of romance about it that is enticing and spirited. It has once again made me a fan of Sundance jewelry. You can view their entire bridal collection by clicking below.


(Photo credit: Sundance Catalog)

Colored Tights for Bridesmaids

Have you ever considered black dresses for your bridesmaids? It's usually something brides shy away from, but I love how this bride and her bridesmaids choose black dresses matched with different colored tights! I also love their colorful bouquets.

For those of you that like the idea, but are having a hard time finding colorful tights, you can make this a handmade project by purchasing white tights and a dye in the color you wish at your local craft shop or online. Mix the dye with salt and water, and simply put the tights in a couple of minutes, then set them out to dry.


(photo credit: Green Wedding Shoes)

Wednesday Giveaway: Handmade Cufflinks

This week we're having a really groovy giveaway sponsored by Andrea of Legal Miss Sunshine on Etsy.com. You can win a pair of her handmade vintage-style cufflink's for your soon to be groom, spouse, or significant other, in the style of your choice.

For a chance to win, become a follower AND visit Legal Miss Sunshine, then leave a comment telling us what the most romantic thing your future spouse or significant other has done for you so far in your relationship. Please include your email address in your comment so we can notify you if you win!

UPDATE: Congrats to Eve for being our cufflink giveaway winner! :]

Sparkler Long Exposure Effect

(photo credit: Belle and Beau)

Don't you just love wedding sparklers? I think that they add such a romantic feel to weddings and couple photography sessions!

Have you ever wondered how to achieve that awesome long sparkler effect? Well, it's fairly easy and is all about having a long exposure on your camera. If you don't have a camera where you can set the exposure time in seconds, try borrowing one from a friend. Or if you plan on doing a sparkler photograph on your wedding night, make sure to talk with your photographer ahead of time about it or remember to have someone bring a tripod for them to use. You can purchase sparklers online or in stores at a reasonable price (especially after the Fourth of July).

You can have a friend or professional photographer take long exposure sparkler photographs before your wedding and use the photographs you take in your save the dates or invitations!

For a quick tutorial, view the following video.

Quick tip: Have the couple stand in the middle, and have someone else move the sparkler around them. And no worries, the person holding the sparkler won't show up in the image!

Inspiration Board #7: Paper Goods

There is so much that paper can add to your wedding. From helping you keep your wedding ideas written down to being part of your wedding favor kit, don't forget about this important wedding tool. It can also be an inexpensive way to add some flair to your wedding.

Photo credits from left to right: favor bag thank you tags, wedding invitations, wedding ideas notebook, paper hearts, coffee stained paper flower.

DIY Projects: Circle Top Heart Skewers

What You Will Need:
Paper stock in the color of your choice
Hot glue gun & a pair of scissors
Toothpicks/skewers at your preferred size
Round paper punch at least one inch in diameter
A single needle and some bright colored thread (ours was the same thread you use for needlepoint projects)

Price to Make: A lot of these items we had left over from our circle garlands DIY project. And we already had toothpicks and a hot glue gun at home so we literally spent zero dollars on this project. If you're starting from scratch and need to purchase all the materials the cost of this project is around $15 to $25 dollars.

Directions:
Step 1: Using your circle punch, punch out a vast amount of circles and set them aside. Cut out a vast amount of thread pieces, each about 12 inches long, and set those aside as well. Each thread will make about three hearts on your paper circles.
Step 2: Thread your needle, making sure that you leave one end about an inch long throughout the whole project. Then take one of your circles.
Step 3: Start making your heart on the bottom of your circle, and work your way counter clock wise, threading under instead of over first and then back over. Follow the photographs below until you have a completed heart. Make as many of these are you want, keeping in mind that you'll need two for each skewer.
Step 4: Plug in your hot glue gun and wait for it to get super hot.
Step 5: Take two of your already finished heart circles and one of your skewers. Place one of your circles with the heart face down and place the skewer in the center of it. Apply hot glue on top the skewer so it flows onto the paper part as well. Take your second circle and put it over the first and the skewer and squish both together so the glue smears. Wait for the glue to dry and you're done!
Step 6: Repeat until you have as many as you need or want.

You can also make these using your initials or with plain, polka dot or sparkle paper. The options are endless, and the circle top skewers are great for a bridal shower, cocktail hour, and dessert table.

Real Weddings: Mallory + Josh

Happy Monday everyone! Today we have a unique and colorful candy-filled wedding photographed by the talented wedding and portrait Utah photographer, Rebekah Westover.

A big thank you to Rebekah for sharing this wedding with us!

From Rebekah:

Mallory and Josh's wedding was filled with handmade decor, personal touches, and eclectic style. Mallory had a strict budget to adhere to and therefore resorted to her creative skills in coming up with the decor for her wedding. She was never a fan of traditional wedding flowers and instead opted to have a bouquets of yellow billy balls. These bouquets were simple to make and added a huge pop of color to her wedding pallete. Her colors were platinum and yellow so the billy balls worked perfectly within her scheme.

The groomsmen wore grey vests and pants from Target (of all places) and paired this with bright yellow argyle socks. The grooms suit was a bit of a splurge and was from JCrew.

For the reception decor Mallory and Josh deciding to decorate using one of their favorite things, CANDY!!

It all started with the colorful centerpieces. The bride and groom cut branches off of a tree and spray painted them white. Then they placed each mini white tree into a vase full of gumballs. The trees were ornamented with photos from Mallory and Josh's dating years. Amongst the tables and centerpieces were large yellow balloons. The bride has a serious sweet tooth and provided her guests with delicious cupcakes and a candy buffet.

Along with all the colorful candy decor the bride and groom decorated with their initials M+J (see photos). Mallory hand-sculpted her sweet little cake topper.

Mallory did not follow any current trends with her wedding because she wanted her wedding to reflect who she and Josh are as a couple. Their wedding was so memorable and unique and truly showed their guests who they were as a couple and what they loved!