Weddings on the Go?

I was on Facebook earlier and saw a post from the Knot asking fans how they felt about a "Wedding on Wheels".  It was a picture of "Wedding on Wheels" van. Apparently you can pay $99 for a quick and easy wedding ceremony that comes to you. It is fast, and definitely costs a whole lot less then your average wedding. When I first saw the picture I was upset over it, thinking back to the long drawn out process of wedding preparation I went through and how these couples are missing out on the whole experience. But as I thought of the whole experience it kind of made me go back on my initial feeling. I can't even count the number of times my husband said we should just go away somewhere and get married in a small setting, and that was before the wedding actually happened. Don't get me wrong we were supper happy everyone was there, and had a great time but if this Wedding on Wheels idea would have been brought up when we were getting married who knows where we would have gotten married.
How do you feel about a wedding van that comes to you for $99 ceremony and your done?

Dress Post-Wedding

Your big day, THE B-I-G day that you have been planning for months or years has finally come and gone. The honeymoon is over and you are coming back to reality of your normal life. You may have a room full of wedding left over items that were instrumental in your big day success story or your living quarters may be filled to the brim with wedding themed items in every nook and cranny. Any which way you have it, your post wedding items probably include many items. One very special post wedding item being your wedding dress. The dress that made the day feel real, the dress you walked down the aisle in, the dress you took your first look photograph in. This special item has sentimental value, and was probably not cheap either. So what do you do with this essential, wedding day item once your big day is done?
I have had my wedding dress in the bag since my husband and I came home after our wedding day weekend. It moved from our old house to our new house in the bag. And has hung in our spare room ever since. I contemplated bringing it to a bridal store to be boxed but have heard so many horror stories about dresses falling apart too long in a box. I guess I am kind of just scared to do the wrong something with my dress, a dress that I fell in love with, a dress that I wore when I finally made my dreams come true. Leaving my dress in the bag hanging in my spare room is obviously NOT the right choice but it is a temporary solution until I can choose what to do.  Most of my family has kept their weddings dresses in boxes in the attic never to be seen again. Some friends and family friends have kept their dresses and had them made into christening outfits for their children and grandchildren.

However, those more traditional solutions may not fit your life and style in today's society. Another more recent alternative is to sell your very special, very perfect wedding dress if you don't have another solution. Yes, it is YOUR wedding dress but why can't it be someone else's perfect, special, wedding day dress too? Think about it. If the only use you have for your wedding dress is to take up space in your closet or attic is it really useful to you or just a waste of space?
In recent years I have heard of more and more wedding dresses being sold on ebay or other online selling sites.  You don't exactly get your money back but if your dress is in good condition you can ear a little extra cash and closet space while making someone else's wedding day dreams come true. In our ever evolving online, tech savvy society almost everyone now has access to the internet. The internet intern provides access to online shopping sites, online decorating tips and much much more. Some tech savvy brides & grooms may have outfitted and decorated their entire wedding using online resources, so why not apply the internet to your latest conundrum...what to do with your dress after the wedding day?

Sand Art

I took this picture this afternoon while at the beach. I was thinking of changing some of the pictures I have in my living room & just happened to be at the beach today. My husband and I met while I was in college right down the street from the beach. He lived a few towns over at the beach, and when we moved into our first house we were literally at the beach. Our house was on a side street but were were two houses off of the main ocean road with a beautiful view of the beach. We were outside looking at the stars and listening to the ocean, the night my wonderful husband asked me to marry him.  And our engagement pictures were all taken on the beach. With so many amazing memories having been had with the beach as the perfect background I thought it fitting to take a few beach pictures to frame and hang as a reminder.


If you or someone you know is having a beach themed wedding or shower a couple of cute beach pictures in the sand could be the perfect decor. Drawing table numbers in the sand in a heart is a cute way to incorporate your beach theme into your table settings. You can also write simple love or wedding themed words in the sand in place of table numbers. Just be sure to clearly define the lines of your letters or numbers.

Thank YOU: We Reached 500!

I just wanted to share a little about my adventures on Etsy and say thank you to everyone who has helped me reach 500 shop views. I can't express how much I appreciate your support on Etsy, Facebook & of course this blog!

First off, if you don't know what Etsy is, it is a site where people can advertise, buy and sell handmade or vintage products. Their are a lot of really creative people out in the world who have A LOT of talent, and Etsy allows people from all different places post their products for a small fee per product post. The site takes all different types of works of art, and allows each unique artist to display their pieces in their own way by writing their own shop pages, creating covers, and featuring their products.


I found Etsy through a few friend and family member recommendations. After making my first few gift diaper cakes to bring to baby showers I was attending my cousin told me about this awesome site that allows each seller to have their own shop for people to buy their handmade products. She had made a few purchases through Etsy Shops and loved the idea of handmade gifts that you could buy right then and there or custom order to fit your needs, and since each shop owner was different she was able to find the perfect fit for her regarding shipping/timing needs of the products.  I received a few more similar recommendations and decided to check it out.

When I signed up I had very little experience in the area of selling, let alone selling online. The Etsy team was ready and willing to help right from the start. They provided a new seller handbook with advice on creating a shop, keeping true to your style, and how to best feature your talents and products. A little reading and few days down the line my shop was ready for business. I have had my shop open since March of 2012. It doesn't seem like a long time but I am excited to say I have reached my 500th shop view! Through the help of Etsy staff and sellers, my Etsy Teams & Members: Etsy NJ Team,  New Jersey Etsy Team, The Wedding Shop Team,  Etsy Today Team, & Etsy at the Jersey Shore Team. And of course everyone who has shared, liked, favorited, posted, or just visited my Etsy Online Shop, my Facebook page, and this blog!! I have offered a coupon code starting today to celebrate and say thank you for your support & help. Visit my Facebook page for the code & details! :)

Sunday Fun Day Pets

I have two small dogs, a Mini Daschund and a Papillon. They are my fur-children. They make me laugh, smile and I love coming home to them day after day. They meet me at the door, and no matter how bad of a day I am having they are happy to see me. As far back as I can remember I have always had a dog in my life.

We got our first dog when I was 4, a Rottweiler we named Gamble because he got sick right before were were able to bring him home & almost died. Thankfully when we were able to bring him home he was happy and healthy and lived a long life for a large dog. He did everything with us, and we did everything with him. We dressed him up in bathing suits in the summer, and sweaters in the winter. We played tug-o-war with him, he always won even though it was 3 on 1. He pulled us around on our sleigh in the winter. Whatever we ate he ate, where ever we slept he slept.
He was my best friend, and I think I can say the same for my brother & cousin who grew up with us. He was a gentle giant, always protecting and looking out for us. He protected us so well that we couldn't get in trouble in front of him, if anyone raised their voice or got too rough with the rough housing near any one of "his" kids Gamble would jump in the middle and put himself between them and us.
Gamble was my first pet, my first of many chores-though I was so young I couldn't do much. I remember helping feed him, making sure he had water, and helping to give him a bath. Those little things I remember doing with him and for him as a child, a young child built up so I was ready for my next pet, and the pet after that leading into my current fur-children/pets. I couldn't imagine a childhood without my dogs, starting with Gamble. Having him taught me to be gentle, firm yet kind and gave me a sense of responsibility at a young age.
I see my friends children, young children learning the same things with their pets. A close friend's little one is under a year and LOVES their dog. She makes him smile and laugh, and is just as gentle with him as my Gamble was when I was a child. My pets are a part of the family just as much as any other family member & they play a vital role in my life. I hope everyone can have an experience with a pet of any kind like I did and still do with my dogs.

Happy 4th- All Things from BBQs to Weddings

Happy 4th of July hope everyone has a great day and enjoys the day.
People celebrate in so many different ways, which just reflects the uniqueness that makes our country what it is. Many of us BBQ or have family gatherings today and throughout the weekends of the Summer. Others choose this time of year of their big day, with a holiday wedding weekend!
I just wanted to give a shout out, SaltymeetsSweet has some great ideas for Summer BBQ meals and desserts. I really want to try her latest dessert recipe. It would be a GREAT addition to our Thinking-Outside-the-Cakebox dessert ideas for weddings. I'm a bit of a chocolate junkie, if you haven't already figured that out from my other posts. Another great blog full of BBQ ideas and recipes for summer is Closet Cooking  I just started following his blog last week and LOVE so many of the recipe ideas.

Anyway, the 4 of July can be a great theme for a bridal party and wedding. Of course I could not miss the opportunity to mention some cool wedding styles using red, white and blue color schemes. I just saw an interesting, festive, very out-of-the-box bridal party. The girls where in white dress with red diagonal stripes and the maid of honor was in a navy blue dress. It is definitely different while incorporating patriotic colors and theme. A more traditional patriotic theme that I have seen use more often is the bridal party dressed in red and blue, they can alternate or the maid of honor can stand out in one color with the brides maids in the other. The bride wears here beautiful white dress and the photographs of the bridal party are as patriotic as you get.
If you are planning a 4th of July weekend wedding, Memorial weekend wedding or just want to celebrate with patriotic theme their are a lot of cute ideas and options.

How do you all feel about red, white and blue color scheme or theme?

Bridal Shower Decor

Traditionally the bride has nothing, or at the most very little, to do with her bridal shower. The bridal party along with the brides family or bride and groom's families get together to plan the whole sha-bang. The venue is left up to what is available and the location in which the people throwing the party have agreed up, unless otherwise specified by the bride.

The shower decor normally reflects the theme and colors for the wedding. And those backing the shower go to great lengths to ensure the bride and guests are happy. Every bridal shower I have ever been to, and those I have helped throw took effort and preparation for perfection. You can glitz up your shower with the decorations you choose or you can keep it low key and just go a little color to match the wedding theme. Any way you do it, try to keep it in line with the brides tastes and personality. 

*If she is not the over the top type, her shower should reflect her. Maybe a backyard, or low key restaurant would be the best fit, especially if it is of some significance to her and her husband to be. 

*If the couple are childhood sweet hearts, a shower that incorporates their story their start would be a nice touch or even theme if the bride doesn't already have something in mind. 

*If the couple are supper outdoorsy their favorite spot, a local outdoor retreat, a hall or restaurant featuring a more rustic theme maybe the perfect place. 

My wedding theme was the beach. It is where my husband and I met in a sense, down the shore and where we chose to begin our life together. My mom and bridal party were awesome and completely fit my personality into the decor of my shower. From the little starfish and shell decorations to recipe book decoration and cake, they incorporated every bit of me and my hubby-to-be into the party perfectly!

Sunday Fun Day- Traditions

As I have shared Sunday in my family was the day were all got together for dinner, yard/house work & fun at my grandparent's house. In memory of my childhood Sunday Fun Days I am going to share a little tradition.
First off let me clarify family, when I mention my family I don't just mean my parents and my younger brother. My family includes my grandparents, my aunts, uncles, cousins and their significant others. My normal family Sunday was my parents, myself and my brother, my aunt and her husband, my uncle and his wife, my other uncle and my cousin. So we rounded out to be TWELVE on a regular basis. Twelve, loud, opinionated people packed into my grandparent's house. Twelve people who put Christmas lights up all together every year, and took them down. Twelve loud crazy people decorating for Halloween each year, and Twelve crazy loud people who ate a whole lot of pasta each Sunday. And that was when it was just us, much of the time were joined by extended family my great aunts, great uncles & cousins pushing us over the dozen chairs we had normally crammed into the table.

Any way, Sunday was our get together day so on Sundays we always celebrated birthdays even if it was earlier in the week because we would all be together that day. My grandmother would make the most delicious chocolate cake topped with sweet chocolate icing. The birthday boy or girl got to eat on "The Red Plate" our birthday plate, it was you probably guessed it Red. The plate was obnoxious, it was this bright red with yellow and blue writing that stood out from the rest of the table which was decorated with cream and light green plates. But the stand out obnoxiousness of the plate just made the birthday celebration that much better! Dinner was always great but on our birthday Sunday it just stood in the way of that perfectly prepared chocolate cake calling our name a room away. And when it was time to take the cake out and celebrate we would all try to make our way into the kitchen where the cake was sitting to swipe a little of the icing. All three of us "kids", my younger brother, older cousin and I would fight with our uncles over who got the first taste of icing. And then we would all try to steal the first piece of cake. Now, traditionally speaking, the birthday boy or girl gets the first piece but in my family it was the thrill of the fight that was so great. You knew the birthday boy/girl would get it but everyone loved the challenge and the joking and poking fun that went with it.

Mom's Heart Shaped Choc. Cake 

My grandmother still has the "RED PLATE" but it doesn't really come out anymore unless someone requests it. The last time I saw it was my husband's first birthday with the family. And my Grandmother still makes her famous chocolate birthday cakes but not as much now that we have all gotten older and spread out into our own lives. She does however, still have a shelf full of chocolate cake mix just in case!