Say it with love, one piece at a time - Paloma's Nest

Etsy.com has become my go-to site for the cutest and most unique handmade wedding and gift ideas. Paloma's Nest is no exception. Caroline Colom Vasquez is the creative force behind Paloma's Nest. Her simple, yet elegant plates, tiles, ribbons and ring bowls are absolute perfection. Her pieces can be hand-stamped with a simple word, a sweet phrase, a romantic poem or even just a monogram.

Ring bowl - For your wedding bands

Monogram Dish - Treasure your wedding jewelry in this

Dove plates - Love birds set the tone for a romantic wedding

Wood Stationary - Send notes with both your names on the letter head

These custom made items are completely within your wallet's reach with pieces starting at $3. Pretty good for something made for you. For more examples of her work, go to: Paloma's Nest on Esty.

Eric Laurits Seeks Joy

While I love most wedding photographs, they tend to look flat and slightly generic to me.

When I learned about Eric Laurits, a New England based photographer, I immediately went onto to his site. I was expecting the same commercial photographs that I had seen millions of times in magazines and wedding blogs. However, I was delighted and surprised to see how emotional his photographs are. The images are multi-dimensional, capturing not just the couple together, but also the emotions shared by the couple. His work is poignant, honest, tender and truly candid. Seriously, even his close-up shots don't look posed.

Here are some of my favorite images from Eric's blog.

Photograph from: Jackie and Billy's "Together" Session

Photographs from: Jackie and Billy's "Together" session

Photograph from: Keryn and Jason's wedding

Photograph from: Andrew and Bernice's wedding


Photograph from: Jana and Tim's "Together" session

To see more of Eric Laurits's extraordinary photographs, go to his blog: Seek The Joy or his website: Eric Laurits .

Hair today, adorn tomorrow

Myra Callan from twigs & honey has the most gorgeous hair adornments I have ever seen. The pieces from twigs & honey are such beautiful options for non-traditional brides.

Myra writes, "I'm heavily inspired by the natural environment because it happens to be one of my passions and what I studied and researched." So, many of her looks feature feathers, flowers, leaves and berries. I also love the very tactile quality, as she mixes lace, glass beads, and silk.

Here is a quick peak at Myra's hair adornments:

Each piece is made by hand. And, she accepts custom design orders from brides! For custom orders, Myra says:

"I always want to hear what the client would like first...[we] usually come to a loose agreement on the design and I go for it. I tend to attract brides that value the details while maintaining a level of uniqueness and quality. Many twigs & honey brides don't want the typical veil or bridal hair piece. They instead are looking for something that fits their personal style and not just typical and traditional. "

You can have your own custom-made hair adornment for around $70 depending on style, materials, and complexity.

She gets booked up pretty quickly! For more information, please visit twigs & honey.

Dress Jeanius - KT Jean

In a sea of duchess satin and ball gowns, what does the non-traditional bride do about her wedding dress? They turn to Katie of KT Jean.

KT Jean works with each client to custom design every detail of the dream wedding dress. Most clients have asked KT Jean to design more casual wedding dresses, but she has also created some formal one-of-a-kind pieces as well. Her style is both eclectic and romantic, using frayed and unfinished vintage and recycled lace and silk.

Here are some of the wedding dresses from her portfolio (even if this isn't necessarily your style, the photographs are gorgeous!) .





Please go to KT Jean for more information about custom made wedding dresses.

Next up: custom head adornments

I have a Bali Hai

Just a short interruption from my usual custom-made blog entries....but, I HAD to report about this.

This weekend my brother and his fiance went on a weekend reception-hunting trip. I'm so jealous since they were looking in...Bali, one of the most scenic wedding destinations in the world.

Check out the photos below of their top choice from their weekend. Even though I won't be having my wedding here, the resort's vivid colors are inspiring. Don't you all agree?

All photos are from the Arsana Estate in Bali.

Stay stationery - Megan Creates

It's about 10,000 degrees outside and I am officially melting. I better distract myself with wedding related things...

Custom invitations are not for the weak. It does require some soul-searching on the couple's part, but with the help of a design specialist, it can actually be an enjoyable (and time-saving) process!

On Friday, I was fortunate enough to have stumbled upon this gem of a website. Megan of Megan Creates is a graphic design artist specializing in wedding, baby and special occasion announcements and invitations.

For custom work, Megan sits down, listens and learns about the couple and whips up themes that draw upon the pair's hobbies, tastes and interests.

Custom design and letterpress? Sounds pricey, doesn't it? Megan says that you can still create a delightful effect by printing wedding invitations that she has designed on high-quality card stock. That's good news for budget brides as they can still use Megan's artwork on a less traditional (and less expensive) medium.

Here are some of my favorite designs from Megan Creates.

For the couple who is isn't afraid of a little drama



For the couple who enjoys all things organic


For the couple who is laid back and casual

To view more invitations from Megan Creates, go to megancreates.com

Up next: Destination Weddings

An April Fool's Proposal

I thought his proposal was an April fool's joke, but it turned out Austin wasn't kidding. So, I happily said, "yes!"

Supposedly, every couple is unique in their own way. If that is the case, why do so many weddings seem so cookie cutter? The goal for my wedding is to customize all the major elements, so that our wedding looks, feels, smells, and tastes like...well, us. (And, a blog is a fun way to record the wedding planning process.)

So, where to start? Abbey, my unofficial wedding planner and dear friend, suggested that I make a decision about my invitations early on as the invitations will set the tone for the entire wedding.

Next up: custom made wedding invitations