Indie Wedding Guide

A Toast to our Sponsor - Dew on a Petal at Home

Vintage Indie & Eco-Chic Weddings would like to send a "toast" to our indie sponsor Dew on A Petal at Home . We are thrilled to have this fabulous indie company with us this month.

 

Dew on a Petal At Home provides beautiful handmade soy candles especially for your wedding.  After working with paraffin wax for many years, owner Marty  Vanslette stopped making candles for a time because paraffin was difficult to work with.  When she began reading about soy wax, she took her molds and supplies out of storage and decided to give it another try.  She was totally amazed with the creamy texture and superior properties of the soy wax so she began making a variety of candles as gifts before setting up shop on the internet.  Almost immediately, Marty began to receive requests to provide candles for weddings because she offered to customized orders and provided bulk pricing.  Brides have mainly requested unscented pillars, votives and tea lights, some with custom dyes to match the color scheme.

Who doesn’t love candles, especially at a wedding?   They have deep spiritual symbolism as the guiding light for two people beginning a new life together.  They testify to the solemn vows spoken during the ceremony and bring ambiance to the celebration..  We feel their presence from the subtle glow that gives the room a warm and welcoming atmosphere.

Marty hand-pours each candle and has tested each candle extensively to ensure that they burn property.    Her candles are completely vegan, are long-lasting and burn clean. Soy is a completely renewable resource, so when the candle is gone, the container can be washed with hot soapy water and re-used.    In addition, she has a unique buy-back program and will repurchase unused wax to recycle into new candles.  What better way to make your wedding even more eco-friendly and guilt-free?

A Toast To Our Sponsor - Little Flower Designs

Vintage Indie & Eco-Chic Weddings would like to send a "toast" to our indie sponsor Little Flower Designs . We are thrilled to have a fabulous ceramics and pottery indie company with us.

Linda Johnson creates the loveliest dinnerware and she'll do it for you for your special day. Under the banner Little Flower Designs (on her website), Linda's new dinnerware collection is a mix and match assortment of handmade goodness.

  








If you'd like something special and unique for you and your honey, Linda is happy to customize designs to suit your table setting needs. And if you want to spread a little love to your guest's, her Table Lovelies are a must.

Vintage Indie & Eco-Chic Weddings would like to send a "toast" to our indie sponsor Little Flower Designs . We are thrilled to have a fabulous ceramics and pottery indie company with us.

Linda Johnson creates the loveliest dinnerware and she'll do it for you for your special day. Under the banner Little Flower Designs (on her website), Linda's new dinnerware collection is a mix and match assortment of handmade goodness.

  








If you'd like something special and unique for you and your honey, Linda is happy to customize designs to suit your table setting needs. And if you want to spread a little love to your guest's, her Table Lovelies are a must.

Clara French Ceramiques

It was love at first site when I came across Clara French Ceramiques. I immediately dove in to find more about their exquisite line.

"Clara French is a local artisan run studio creating exquisite handcrafted wedding cake plates and pedestal cake stands for a limited number of weddings each year."

Truly intriguing, Clara French Ceramiques is a team of two sisters Micaela Willis and Bethany Woll. This duo created Clara French, to honor their great great grandmother. A nineteenth century painter, Clara French was the first female artist in their family.

If you are looking for something truly personal, Clara French offers personalized cake plates for every guest. They can work with the color scheme of your wedding with their custom glazing process.

My most favorite part of Clara French is that they offer rent-able pieces. Micaela says, "Renting provides the products/services brides need at a discount and places limited stress on the  environment.  Instead of remaking a product we 'reuse' it, recycling at  it's best!  Also, I think renting is a great option for budget conscious brides, they can 'borrow' a cake stand to create a lavish, colorful center piece at a fraction of it's cost.

Fall in love with Clara French just as I have. Click on the file below for ordering info and more.
Download order_2008_clara_french_ceramics.pdf

- Gabreial
Vintage Indie

Gabreial's Vintage Alternatives - "Something Old"

Something old, something new, Something borrowed, something blue. Sound familiar? This saying comes from an old English rhyme and is thought by some to have come from the Victorian era.

Usually the "something old" part comes from using something old and of meaning from a family member. Including family heirlooms in your wedding doesn't cost a thing and is a great way to re-use articles of the past many of which can also be vintage.

(Photo courtesy patternmania)

A few ideas for "something old"

- Your mother's wedding gown
- Mothers & Grandmother's Brooch
- Your Parents cake topper
- Family rings
- Purses
- Vintage Hanky
- Family wedding picture tucked in your purse
- Vintage Hat/Gloves
- Piece of lace or trim, sewn into the hem of your gown

- Gabreial
Vintage Indie

Gabreial's Indie Alternatives - Palomas Nest

I can't tell you how many wonderful independent companies are out there for weddings. Supporting local artists in your home town and going to the root of where the item was created really gives each special detail of your wedding the meaning it truly deserves in your heart.

Paloma's Nest really breaks tradition in a new and very chic way, with their  " To Have and To Hold" ring bowl. Each bowl is hand crafted and hand stamped with a message.

It serves it's purpose as the important vessel for your wedding rings during the ceremony and can be used again and again in your new home together. Re-purpose it to hold your rings in a safe place or string it up for your 1st tree together.

Gabreial
Vintage Indie

"Mind Your Own Beeswax" - Chicago Honey Co-op

In the midst of wedding planning, the last thing a stressed out bride to be may be thinking about is how earth friendly her candles are.With all those tables to light up with votives it's tempting just to go for the least expensive easiest to find option. Those candles are made of paraffin, and paraffin is a by product of the oil industry and has some not so great qualities when it is burned.

But, beeswax is actually the best and oldest kind of wax used for candles.. Unlike paraffin, beeswax is a completely renewable resource. Produced by bees, beeswax has surprising qualities that make it a better choice than the industry standard paraffins. For instance, a beeswax candle will burn 5 times longer than a paraffin candle. Properly wicked, beeswax candles do not drip. They burn with a brighter cleaner flame and leave no sooty residue.

Aside from their negative eco-impact, paraffin candles, when burned give off some of the same fumes found coming out of the end of a car's tail pipe. Not surprising when you think about it. In contrast, beeswax candles  produce negative ions when they are burned. This means they actually attract impurities in the air, which are positively charged, and burn them away.  Who knew?

Now of course beeswax is more expensive than paraffin but after a 4 hour long wedding reception those paraffin votives will be burned out. With beeswax votives,  you will have plenty of  candle left to burn. In fact, gather those votives up, loosen them up with some warm water to get them out of their glass. A crafty bride can re-melt and make them into new candles all over again.

A Special thanks to the Chicago Honey Co-op. I've recently tried some of their bath and body products and have fallen in love. Head over to their wonderful site for more information on beeswax, honey, the co-op and more.

Greenward Shop Owners Scott & Simone Share their "Eco-Indie" Wedding

We love this contribution from Greenward Shop owners Scott & Simone. Here they share the many different ways they supported independent businesses and reduced their environmental impact with their wedding.

    * Selected a friend-of-a-friend photographer, an independent photographer working out of San Francisco arsmagnastudio.com

    

Instead of the traditional cake topper, we commissioned a set of handmade birds from Ashley Anna Brown/Fern Animals.

Since we were getting married in October in Vermont and the weather can be a little iffy, we had a friend knit a shawl for Simone and a capelet sweater for Briana, the maid of honor. These are both gorgeous, heirloom pieces that don't scream "wedding!" so they'll be worn for years quite happily.

   Scott found a jewelry designer through a friend that has taught at the North Bennett Street School in Boston's North End. The NBSS is an amazing school that specializes in "old world" craftsmanship. Our designer, Tracey Jenkins, started her own studio--Green Spot Studio and with her help we ended up with unique custom rings that we admire nearly everyday!

We wanted to try to make as many things as possible for the wedding. We knew doing so would end up cheaper, but--more importantly--would result in a unique event.
          o We designed and hand screen-printed (with a Gocco) our save-the-date cards.
          o We designed, printed, and cut our invitations.

We made much of the table settings including the flowers! We spent about a month making individual paper flowers. We thought this would be an eco-friendly option (since floral industry is particularly tough on the environment--pesticides, flowers traveling long distances, etc.).

* For our rehearsal dinner we hired a Vermont caterer who specializes in using local and/or organic ingredients.     

* Our wedding and reception were at a small inn in Stowe, VT. With their help we selected a menu that included local and organic ingredients, including organic wine and beer.

* Since we live in Cambridge, MA and knew that many of the guests would be traveling to Stowe, VT we purchased carbon offsets from Vermont-based Native Energy.

   * Our registry included the option to donate to our favorite organizations like our local NPR station, the Conservation Law Foundation,  the Massachusetts and Freedom to Marry

Thanks again to Scott & Simone of Greenward. Head over to their shop at                         

1776 Massachusetts Ave. Unit 1
                        Cambridge, MA 02140

Can't make it to this Eco-modern shop in person? They just opened up their online shop!

Eco Friendly Gifts, by Diana from Please Sir Blog

The Indie Wedding Guide would like to welcome our latest guest Diana from Please Sir Blog. She's here with us today to share a fabulous dishware company that has some fabulous options for eco-friendly and recycled glassware, perfect for gifts to the bride and groom.

Rosanna is a company that specializes in exceptional dishware and looks beyond the simple table setting by creating mindful stories and traditions.  The Spring 2008 collection has amazing dish sets for any bride-to-be or design lover who wants durable, eco-conscious products. One such set is the Rosanna Mexican glassware, also known as Mondo Glass, which is handmade and decorated by Mexican artisans from completely recycled materials.

 

The pieces in the collection, including glasses, votives, a vase, and water pitcher, are individually mouth blown and hand etched with modern patterns.  The glassware is not only earth-friendly, but also creates sustainable living for an artisan community.

 

I got the inside scoop that in about eight weeks Rosanna we will be adding Gift Certificates and a Gift Registry to their site. The Gift Registry is going to be huge, and they plan on launching it with a contest featuring a very cool prize!  Adding Mondo Glass to your bridal registry can be a modern replacement to the traditional china set, as well as make an environmental and charitable statement.

Check out other amazing collections at Rosanna on their site, and get table tips from Rosanna on their blog.   

Emily's Pick of the Day - SF Girl By Bay

Remain Calm

Not only is SF Girl By Bay an awesome blog, but she also has the coolest items for sale on etsy. You know how it feels when you go to someone's house and it's, like, head to toe Pottery Barn? Yeah, well don't let that happen to you when you set-up your newlywed house. Take the time to cultivate your own unique style--and you definitely don't have to get everything all at once.

Check out this great artwork from SF Girl by Bay...she's made reproduction posters of the famous UK WWII posters "Remain Calm and Carry On". Perfect for these stressful times, and also perfect for the sometimes stressful merging of two households!

A Tost to our Sponsor - Shabby Cottage Boutique

Vintage Indie & Eco-Chic Weddings would like to send a "toast" to our indie sponsor Shabby Cottage Boutique.  We are thrilled to have this delightful shop  with us to celebrate Indie Weddings Month!

 
Once Upon A Time....
Vintage Embellished Wedding Cake Card Boxes
Recreated Vintage Cake Toppers
Recreated Vintage Fairytale High Heels Centerpieces
Vintage Embellished Favors

I live on the southeastern coast of Massachusetts on a tiny peninsula out over the Atlantic ocean. My inspiration and passion is from my being surrounded by NE cottage charm, beautiful precious gardens and the awe-inspiring power of the sea. My pieces are widely collected across the country. With reasonable care can last into the next century. Signed and dated by artisan.

Create a personalized gift for a bride. A one-of-a-kind treasure that will last a lifetime. Send me your memorabilia or copies (photos, vintage,ephemera). A perfect gift and cherished keepsake. Created individually, embellished with vintage lace, buttons, ribbon, trims,pearls,vintage wallpapers, fabrics and other sweet treats. Totally one-of-a-kind custom orders accepted 8-10 weeks.

Free combined shipping till end of April 2008. Please email me if you would like to make a combo purchase to save on shipping.

Order early and have your reception card holder for your Bridal Shower and your Wedding Reception.
I also custom design wedding guest books and favors to match your faux wedding cake card holder or your wedding attire.
Please check back often. Your feedback, suggestions and questions are greatly appreciated email.