An Introduction to Etsy

Before I found the 'Bee, I had never even heard of Etsy.  These days, I don't know how I ever lived without it!  For those of you just joining us in the Etsy craze, Etsy is an online store and community where artisans sell handmade crafts and where collectors sell rare vintage items.  On Etsy, you can find unique items that you would not normally find in stores, which is what makes it such an excellent wedding resource.  In fact, Etsy even has its own wedding category on its site!  The availability of such unique items allows brides to add a little more personality to their weddings.  Etsy is also a great place for budget brides to find a great deal.  Can't find what you're looking for?  Use the Alchemy function, which you can learn about here with Miss Hippo!

To show y'all the variety that Etsy provides, I decided to conduct a search for something simple.  Let's try "lion" and see what pops up, shall we? :)

Place Cards by cuddlecreature

This is a great example of the kind of wedding item you could DIY, or you could create a shortcut for yourself and find it on Etsy.  What if you had your heart set on a unique shape like this?  I'm all for DIY, but this is definitely not the kind of project I would want to take on.  Could you imagine cutting out all of those little lions?!  Unfortunately, I don't have that kind of patience.

Cake Topper by kikuike

How cute is that little birdcage veil on the lioness?!  Obsessed.

Cufflinks by PlasticParadox

Ah yes, the other reason why I'm in love with my moniker (the first reason is the Disney reference, of course).  A few months ago, I was explaining to Mr. Lion why Etsy is so awesome.  He agreed that it sounded pretty cool, but said that he "couldn't really get into it because it was just a bunch of girly stuff."  I proved him wrong, and surprised him with a pair of Etsy-made Zelda Tri-Force cufflinks.  His nerdy side thanked me.

Garter by gmarasa

So vintagey and elegant!  I love the soft ivory color too.

Custom Wedding Invitations by leahfelicity

Graphic design is definitely one of my favorite things to look through on Etsy.  Sometimes, I'll just glance around for inspiration.  This suite is no different.  If you were having a whimsical, carnival-themed wedding, this could definitely be that specific something you were looking for.

What kinds of treasures have you found for your wedding on Etsy?

Our First Budget Readjustment

You know?  You plan and you plan and you think you cover everything.  But then something comes up and requires a budget makeover.  You see, I was convinced that we didn't need a videographer.  I'm more into still photos, and we had hired an amazing photographer (more on that later).  I changed my mind when I saw this:

Source: Disney Weddings

That's my cousin and her husband, and that's their wedding video montage.  I watched it, I cried a little, and I fell in love with the idea of having one of our very own.  Short, but sweet.  Intimate, but accessible.  It was perfect.  So really, it wasn't that I wanted a wedding video, just a video montage.  Unfortunately, you need to have a wedding video first in order to create a highlights reel from it.

I moved some things around (mostly our floral budget...that category keeps taking hit after hit!  Just not a priority to us, I suppose) to accommodate $2000 for videography.  If that sounds steep to you, you're in for a big surprise.  That's the low end of videography.  Videography is wicked expensive.

I researched potential vendors (via The Knot and Wedding Wire) and narrowed it down to two.  The biggest factor in narrowing it down was price.  The second, if we're being honest here, was the quality of their website.  So many videographers' sites didn't actually have video!  Some did, but either the video quality was mediocre, and/or the rest of the site wasn't really up to par.  Maybe I was being superficial, but the way I saw it, these vendors are artists.  The little bit of extra effort it took to construct their site in a way that complimented their work made such a difference.  Flash was a bonus.

I requested demos from the two vendors that made the cut.  When they arrived, I was a little disappointed with the first one.  When I watched the second one, I realized that I was tearing up at the love stories of complete strangers.  This videographer managed to capture every wonderful, unique aspect of the couple they documented.  It wasn't just about that day, it was about the couple's lives together.  Hive, allow me to introduce you to Three Ring Weddings.

Three Ring Weddings markets themselves as producers of "love stories."  They even interview the couple a few months before the wedding to get to know them.  This helps them come up with a story line so that the wedding video takes on a true storyline.  I ate this up.  Best of all, they actually listed their prices directly on their site.  I know!  Unheard of in the wedding world!  They offer a new "economy package" that was just under budget.  We immediately put down a deposit, friended them on Facebook, and bragged about how they made the Little Black Book on Style Me Pretty.

All in all, I was thrilled with our budget readjustment.  I can't wait to see the results!  Did a new wedding wish force some flexibility into your planning process?