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| all via my NI wedding board |
When it comes to planning I am a master at hammering out the bigger details...
Venue-check
Band-check
Photography-check
String Quartet-check
etc. etc.
But when it comes to the little details that really make the day special,
I am at a loss.
Flowers,
centerpieces,
linens,
place settings,
I just don't know where to go or what to do.
If I was in the USA it would be a lot easier,
because I know who to contact, or my bridesmaids know who to contact,
but in a small place like Northern Ireland?
I have no idea.
It is also pretty safe to say that the style of weddings in the UK is often very different than the style of weddings in the USA, so it is harder to find vendors and stores that carry items in the look I am wanting.
So I am taking a breather and focusing my attention on something easier,
like bridesmaids gifts and groomsman gifts.
Gift giving is my love language.
Gift giving is my love language.
I think getting something for the ladies is easy..
like the little engraved rings I've seen on pinterest,
nice perfume,
jewelry,
etc.
etc.
Groomsmen is a little harder,
Here are a bunch of groomsman gifts; I like the idea of the engraved cuff links here.
We only have one groomsman (the best man/Stephen's little brother),
plus my little brother who is walking me down the aisle.
We had the idea of just purchasing their suits so they actually can keep them other than renting one that doesn't fit that well.
(Every young man needs one nice suite)
so maybe the addition of a unique cuff link would tie the whole thing together?
What did you all do for bridal party gifts? Or what was the nicest one you have ever seen/received?
Give me the goods.
Give me the goods.
I love that idea of customized cuff links for the groomsmen, it is unique and eternal. Imagine in 30 years time your brother giving his to his son as a family heirloom. Or S giving his to your son for his wedding. My husband has a few such family heirlooms and he loves them to death and takes such pride in wearing them, and already speaks of the day he can gift them to our son (who is only 17 months old)...
ReplyDeleteOh gosh, if you do figure out how to sort out the little details while abroad do let us know. I'm Canadian, thinking of having my wedding where I now live in Malta, but would have no idea where to start about those details. And, like you said, they would be so much easier at 'home'.
ReplyDeleteso apparently the tradition in the UK is that brides buy the bridesmaids' dresses. of course I'll still get the girls a gift, but I'm stressing a little less about it because of that! I think the idea of buying the boys' suits is lovely - every man should have a good suit!
ReplyDeleteYou are doing so well with your planning! I wish it was as easy for me. We have looked at 20+ venues so far, and haven't found one that is within our budget AND lets us bring our own catering.
ReplyDeleteFor my bridesmaid gifts, I think I'm going to give them pearl earrings, but I'm not sure yet. How much should you spend on these gifts? Your groomsmen gifts sound really nice :)
Oh, and really quick - how did you make that collage? When I try to make them, they turn out like crap!
Lauren
http://laurensweetnothings.blogspot.com/
I love the cuff link idea. I got my man engraved ones on our wedding day and I get all smiley when he wears them to Church. I love the bridesmaid gifts- your friends are so lucky to have you.
ReplyDeleteAnd psh on those vendors. Do they not know who you are?! I am sooo emailing you!
eeep so fun! our groomsmen wore suits.. but they bought them. h ended up getting them prints from prague as gifts. i bought my bridesmaids a few things-- earrings, a candle, nail polish, makeup bag as a thank you gift. im sure you'll find something great for your girls. xoxo jillian:: cornflake dreams
ReplyDeleteI remember these woes of trying to find the perfect EVERYTHING! Do not beat yourself up over each little detail - everything will come together and it will be spectacular. Plus, at least you have Pinterest to pull from for inspiration - I so wish it was around when I was planning our wedding.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with it all!!! Sal xxx
We had such a hard time with the guys too. Girls are so easy! We ended up getting them Swiss Army knives that had their name engraved on the knife.
ReplyDeleteEtsy has some neat tie bars that you can engrave aswell. I loved them but my husband didn't go for it.
i LOVE those little rings. they're really cute.
ReplyDeleteughhhh. planners not responding? wtf?
We had 10 people on each side of our party, so gifts had to be inexpensive or that'd be like the whole budget. For the girls, I got them pretty make up bags off Etsy. I wish I could have gotten then something nicer but oh well.
ReplyDeleteAnd for the guys, Ben went through and bought them each their own gift. Fishing stuff for my brother, a funny book for his brother, darts for the friend that plays darts, that kind of thing. And we bought a bunch of different ties and let them pick theirs for the wedding and keep it. But I like your idea of buying their suits! That's totally useful and super classy.
okay, i NEED one of those rings! love them.
ReplyDeletewe had tons of vendors not respond to emails, it was so frustrating. to me this is the age of the internet/email...if you're not using those to help grow your business then how do people find you?
i love the idea of gifting suits to the groomsmen! and the cuff links would be a great touch for that.
for my girls, i did necklaces from here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/elephantine plus clutches from here: http://www.etsy.com/listing/92232990/bow-clutch-in-dijon plus a bracelet my mother-in-law made each of them.
for the groomsmen we did (ahem, all his idea): cigars, a 6-pack cooler, and fancy beers in the coolers.
we had a huge wedding party, so couldn't do anything too expensive, but we wanted them to feel appreciated. we also paid for everyone's hotel room on the rehearsal night.
I love all the pretty jewelry that you can find on Etsy! That ring would be an adorable bridesmaids' gift. Good luck on your quest for groomsmen's gifts!
ReplyDeleteBest of luck on the wedding planning. It's definitely tougher when your in another country with a very different expectations.
ReplyDeleteI had a friend who gave all her bridesmaid a new bag as a thank you. I thought that was nice ;)
We had our groomsmen buy suits and it worked out really well. None of them had one yet, but they spent about what they would spend on renting a tux. And every single one of them told us later that it was perfect for a job interview or some other event. So they definitely come in handy later. I tried to be practical b/c while it's nice to have everything just the way you want it, it sucks to spend a ton of money to be in someone else's wedding if you don't even like what you're spending the money on. I also let my girls choose their own dresses, as long as they were in the same color from David's Bridal (so they were not different shades or anything). I loved the variety b/c it allowed each girl to showcase her own personality a little, but it still looked uniform.
ReplyDeleteHi Megan! I just recently discussed wedding party gifts on my blog! http://jkavanaghevents.blogspot.ca/ You should also good sugarplum robes for the girls, their a super popular gift these days! Good luck with all of the planning, everything will come together, just remember how exciting it is that you're getting married to your dream guy :)
ReplyDeleteOhh I love the ring! Don't stress too much about the details. You could always set the head table with the china & centerpiece of your dreams and make the rest of the tables more simple. And when we see the pictures of it and just imagine the rest was set to perfection :)
ReplyDeletewe got my bridesmaids necklaces from tiffanys and we bought the groomsmen cufflinks.
ReplyDeleteit was just a little something to say thank you for all their help and everything. although one usher was complaining about his cufflinks and why we had chosen that particular style for him which might have made my blood boil just a little bit.
Our groomsmen's purchased their suits after I got frustrated with the lack of light colored rental options. I found a deal that was buy one get one free for these amazing linen suits! So the boys ended up paying only $100 and got beautiful suits that looked great on them and that they could keep! (Suit rentals were upwards of $170) They were thrilled to keep the suits and that we saved them a little money since a lot of them were flying from Seattle to NY to attend. It turned out great! Their gift from Steven and I were the ties they wore and a celebratory cigar at the reception.
ReplyDeleteWe also paid for the rental house they stayed at in NY..we took care of our boys :)
And it turned out great!
I think your idea of the engraved rings and buying suits and cuff links is so sweet.
ReplyDeleteMy fiance got engraved cuff links as a groomsmen gift for the last wedding he was in. That was almost a year and a half ago, and about once a week he still says "I love those cuff links." I think just because it's something that guys don't normally buy themselves, but he was smitten over those dang things :)
ReplyDeleteI think the little details are what make up the wedding, and adds the finishing touch. You'll be fun, I think the cuff links are a good idea
ReplyDeleteLauren,
Fashionswirls.blogspot.com
xx
i'm in the same boat! I'm trying to picture the little details, flowers, centerpieces, escort cards, etc... and it's so overwhelming! so i put my focus on planning the groomsman gifts too. except theyre a little more difficult to shop for. the girls, easy peasy! best of luck!
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree more. Im great with the big things and at a loss for all the little items!
ReplyDeleteOn another note, love the gift ideas! I think we're doing engraved Zippo lighters, cigars and cigar clips.
http://coffeebeansandbobbypins.blogspot.com//
I would die for an engraved ring, how precious are they? You are in such a special time in your life. I love that we can live vicariously through you!
ReplyDeletexoxo
I can't believe they have responded! What about Jillian from Mimi Nicole? Is she close to you? This inspiration board is so pretty. Love the groomsmen gift ideas!
ReplyDeleteLove this inspiration board! And gifts are my love language too...giving gifts, getting gifts, ya know :)
ReplyDeleteHi! Even though the wedding will be in Ireland, you might want to check out the website http://bridesupnorth.com/. As an American living in Bristol and engaged to a Welshman, I still find her site to be very helpful! Congratulations and good luck!!
ReplyDelete~Desiree
I gave my maids their jewelry as their gift, but I struggled with the groomsman's gifts. I think we ended up doing a money clip with a giftcard to different places for them. Blah.
ReplyDeleteFor the girls' gifts I purchased really cute (and customizable!) small pouches/cosmetic bags and got the jewelry for them along with paying for their hair to be done and paying for a condo for them (along with significant others) to stay in for the weekend. For the guys we didn't do near as much, but bought them nice utility knives (pocket knives) which had all the bells and whistles on it.
ReplyDeleteFor gifts I've received a monogram fleece with a coffee coozie, and a really nice scarf along with day-of jewelry.
I like your idea of the rings - so pretty!
A) "Gift giving is my love language" is my new favorite saying.
ReplyDeleteB) When my best friend got married she gave us each a little handmade necklace with a tiny map of Portland charm and the wedding date on engraved on the back. Might be a fun way to commemorate, especially since it's a destination wedding for all the American folk!
I still wear mine all the time!
Oh my gosh, you're getting married in the UK. I totally didn't think about it before. People will wear hats at your wedding! How awesome!
ReplyDeleteI've only been a bridesmaid and I usually was given jewelry which has always been beautiful. But my favorite gift was when friend gave all her bridesmaids earrings to wear in the wedding and then something else small, different from everyone else that was sort of about the friendship. She gave me a candle from one of my favorite shops in Paris (we met in Paris). It was so special and sweet of her to think of each of us separately.
Have fun shopping!
I just had my wedding on the 18th. I got the bridesmaids Vera Bradley purses and matching wallets. I had no idea what to get them at first. But, I wanted to get them something they could actually use. Plus, they all love Vera stuff (even though I hate it).
ReplyDeleteThen, my husband wanted something nice for his guys. He picked out glass decanters with their initials engraved on them & their favorite sipping liquor.
Everyone loved their items because they could actually use them a lot. We had thought about jewelry & cufflinks... But, we didn't think they would get much use out of them.
Good Luck!
This was one of my favourite parts of our wedding - choosing gifts for our special friends and family!
ReplyDeleteWe bought perfume, earrings and friendship bracelets for each of my bridesmaids - the earrings matched their bridesmaids dresses, the friendship bracelets are forever and the perfume was specific to each of them - and they all LOVED them!
We bought plain cufflinks and funky socks for each of our groomsmen and they are ideal gifts for boys as they can use them forever too...
I bought my hubby his favourite cologne and engraved cufflinks (with our wedding date and initials) and asked his best man to leave them on his pillow before bed the night before...
Aaaaah, I wish we could do it all over again!
x
i love love love weddings!!! these are really beautiful, especially the flowers and the wedding dress! :)
ReplyDelete<3, Mimi
http://whatmimiwrites.blogspot.com/
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I think you're gifts sound perfect, a very thoughtful way for everyone to remember the occassion. I am from Northern Ireland, actually the area that Stephen is from so I thought I could share some places that may help with your wedding plans (my sister is getting married next year so have been doing a bit of research of my own!). I'm not sure what American weddings are like but here wedding planners are very rare, it's usually all left up to the bride and her little helpers (way to bring out the real bridezilla in you!) but as you seem like a very organised person, I'm sure you will cope!
ReplyDeleteFlowers- The Gold Rose in Newcastle has been there for as long as I can remember. It has always had a rep for being a bit pricey but have a look at some of there wedding bouqets on theire website (www.goldroseflorist.co.uk) and see if they're worth it.
Place Settings- We are actually going to make our own as our theme is Park Avenue Princess (yes alot of borrowed ideas from Blair Waldorfs wedding). So our table names are going to be different places in New York, so we are using pics of the bride and grooms trip there to illustrate the place. Your best bet for these is to order online from anywhere in the UK. There are lots of websties that do this for example; http://www.place-cards.co.uk/ & ://www.thelittlethings.co.uk/
Cakes- I know you didn't mention it but here are two of the best cake shops in Co. Down; http://www.shelbournebakery.com/weddinggallery.html & http://corndollyfoods.com/weddings. Literally every birthday cake I ever had came from either of these places, and while I've never tried any of there wedding cakes, I'm fairly confident they won't disappoint!
Hope this helps in some way!
P.S The Park avenue princess is very much an underlying theme, i.e just something we have used to make sure everything ties together (think peonies, peals, blush pink lace) rather than something very blatent(we tried to explain this to the groom, he just doesn't get it!) but definately a good idea to think of something so every aspect of your wedding will compliment each other, a good idea when you are pulling all the finishing touches yourself!
For our wedding last year, we gave the groomsmen "vintage" shaving sets. They loved them.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.etsy.com/shop/DirtyDeedsSoaps?section_id=10190084
@onedimpledwonder- THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! Thank you thank you for taking the time to write all of that out, and provide me with links. ugh. you have been so incredibly helpful. I think i am for sure going to meet with that florist in newcastle since that is where our venue site is for the reception. Do you happen to know where i can find table linen rentals and like plates/cutlery? SO are you from Kilkeel?? or just the co. down area?? You sisters wedding sounds like it is going to be lovely! where is she getting married??
ReplyDeleteI sooo feel your frustration with the wedding industry over there... only because I assume its similar to the industry in new zealand. Every beautiful thing that I saw on wedding blogs was not available here so I ended up DIYing most of it. Which is frikkin stressful but i think it turned out pretty nice! I've been blogging all about it this last week if you want some ideas - as for groomsmen, that was seriously hard... we went with aviators in the end but we also bought their suits so that was kind of a gift too. Good luck!! xo
ReplyDeleteHappy to help with any wedding related activities. Didn’t realise I was such an enthusiast until someone close to be started to plan, I am now more psyched than my sis is! By table linen do you mean seat covers and that sort of thing? If so there is a service also based in Newcastle, their website is http://www.addalittlesparkle.com/ . As for plates/cutlery my sister’s wedding is in the Burrendale hotel in Newcastle so don’t have to worry about providing any of our own. Where is your venue? I’m from a wee village in between Newcastle & Kilkeel called Glasdrumman. I live in Belfast now though so spilt my time between city & country..If you keep all fingers and toes crossed as well as daily prayers between now and your wedding, you may be blessed with a rare spot of sunshine for your big day. If you are so lucky you have the opportunity to get some beautiful pics. I’m sure your hubby to be will know some great spots, Tullymore forest park has some nice features for wedding pics, that is where we are headed. I also have the name of a great photographer if that is something you are interested in, takes great natural wedding photos. I’m beginning to think I could fill the gap in the market for wedding planners in N. Ireland, maybe time to forget about accounting and start a new career ha!
ReplyDeleteJust a suggestion - Lily Pink Bakery based in Belfast! She is SUPERB! Congrats on future planning and marrying! (:
ReplyDelete@onedimplewonder: we JUST went to a wedding at the burrendale! And we have his cousins wedding there in november! ANd yes, i know glasdrummen! how funny! And i think we will definitely be headed to tulleymore for photos. Our reception venue is the slieve donard. Ive got photographers coming in the from the USA so that is covered. its just the finer details im trying to figure out. Oh and i should of clarified linens..more like table cloths and table runners (we are hiring chairs in because i dont like the ones they have). And im not crazy about the linens and stuff they have either for the tables. But that site you sent me looks like they might have something so im going to contact them. thanks!
ReplyDeletei can't/don't want to think about having to plan a wedding. i think i'll elope. there's no way i'll be able to pick colors, napkins, plates, silverware, table seating... oh geez it's giving me anxiety thinking about my nonexistent wedding haha!
ReplyDeleteI love all of your wedding ideas. Distance definitely makes the planning process hard. Any chance that your contacts in the US can help you track down good people in the UK?
ReplyDeleteI know it might sound totally corny and cheesy but one of the cutest wedding gifts that I've ever got was one of those little water/glitter globes with the city of the wedding inside.
ReplyDeleteHave you seen this already? It's a blog for destination weddings with Ireland as one of the categories. And all the vendors are listed at the end of each of the wedding posts...
ReplyDeletehttp://flyawaybride.com/category/destinations/ireland-destinations/