| | | July 7, 2009 What do you get when an Etsy addict and an independent artist fall in love? A very unique wedding. I spend all day, every day on Etsy (since I'm an editor of Etsy's blog, The Storque), and my husband Mickey is a cartoonist and designer, so between the two of us, equipped with our crew of crafty friends and family members, we strove to incorporate as many handmade and vintage details as possible. This post came about because our wedding photographer was submitting his portfolio to blogs and magazines, and much to my surprise, Martha Stewart Wedding's editors chose to feature our wedding online — see their post here. This is all very convenient, since Etsy is doing a wedding contest with Martha Stewart this summer. Most of all, I'm excited because I get to talk up all the creative Etsy sellers with whom we worked and share some insider tips with you. Our wedding was the best day of my life, and I owe so much of that to Etsy sellers. Clothing Check out the Wedding Attire Guide for more finds. | 
Rubypearl Children's Party Dress  My niece Sabina Edwina le Bon Bon Bertozzi was our fabulous flowergirl. She said her dress was "the prettiest dress ever!" By rubypearl, $88. I think so too, but there are so many darling options for flowergirl dresses to explore. View Item | View Shop
The cuteness of a colorful tutu, such as this one by tutusbliss, would also elicit "awwws" at your ceremony ($59). Find more tutus.
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Walborg Beaded Clutch
Stash some lipstick, double-stick garment tape, and a couple Advil in a tiny, vintage beaded purse. Trust me on this one. From jodiboutique, $28. View Item | View Shop
Checkered rusty freestyle bow tie  It took a bit for me to convince Mickey that we didn't have enough time for him to design and custom print his own fabric and then learn how to make his own bow ties. You can't do everything! There are plenty of handmade and vintage bow ties on Etsy. By xoelle, $36. View Item | View Shop | Reversible Party Dress-custom sized  I couldn't decide which color I wanted the bridesmaids' dresses to be, so this reversible design did the trick. And it really did feel like a magic trick when the bridesmaids flipped from the ceremony's yellow cotton to the reception's navy satin — in my parents' barn of all places. By missbrache, $148. View Item | View Shop Cupcake Vintage 1950s Petticoat  The detachable petticoats enhanced the 1950s style of the dresses and gave them that extra poof and versatility. Missbrache made ours, and you can find lots of handmade and vintage ones on Etsy. By LolitaVintage, $59.95. View Item | View Shop Pink Strapless Satin Party Dress Size Large  Here's another beautiful bridesmaid option. It was important for me to pick dresses that our sisters could wear again to all sorts of parties. By erinleighheart, $69. Look for more choices in formal dresses. View Item | View Shop 
MinnaK, the Brooklyn designer I worked with on my custom dress, is capable of making you look like a movie star. This Valencia dress, one of her unique designs, is $1,200. I also worked with an elderly Ukrainian woman who embroidered the train, a nod to Mickey's heritage. If you're getting a custom dress made, try working in some vintage lace for texture and detail. View Item | View Shop Search the Wedding Category for more wedding dress styles, and try searching for "white dress" in handmade and vintage too. 3 Piece Custom Tuxedo Suit for Your Pet  Hugo, my sister's beloved dog, was our ringbearer. Furkidfever made his custom suit from my sketches, and Hugo looked very dapper trotting down the aisle with the rings tied to a ribbon on his back ($64.99). Etsy has some jaw-droppingly cute pet clothes. Also check out this necktie by dogties, $8. View Item | View Shop | Jewelry & Accessories More in the Wedding Attire Guide. |  Vintage Blue Rhinestone Cuff Bracelet - Expandable  For my "something old", I wore my grandmother's rhinestone bracelet. It's so weird — I found almost the same exact one searching Etsy's vintage rhinestone offerings! From FussbucketDesigns, $25. View Item | View Shop Breathtaking Bridal Earrings Go On Forever  Diamond earrings were out of my price range, so I went for a vintage rhinestone pair. By carmenandginger, $32. Find more. View Item | View Shop Corinne  This seller makes classy and affordable bridal jewelry. By trystbykerry, $30. View Item | View Shop
By the way, don't think men have no opportunities to accessorize! Our friend James got many a compliment on his straw fedora hat. Here's a similar one from VintageMan ($20).
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| Instinct- Labrodorite and Ruby  Our family friend Jillian Luz, a.k.a. MitMitt, made the bridesmaid jewelry with beads we bought from the Supplies Category. Semi-precious stones come in so many rich colors and make quite affordable wedding party jewelry. I love this necklace by nutraj, $52. View Item | View Shop Lemon Yellow and Turquoise Rose Earrings  If you're looking for unusual colors, try shopping with the Colors site feature. By AxelsCastle, $26. View Item | View Shop 
These earrings would be fantastic for a summery bridesmaid or mother-of-the-bride. By LoellaMedina, $175.
View Item | View Shop Instead of having flower corsages and boutonnières, I made these doodads from vintage beads and paper flowers. I used one as a hairpiece too. I've been wearing it as a brooch ever since. Vintage Millinery Flowers  These millinery flowers are so sweet. I threaded the flower wire stems through the beads' holes to make a cluster. By efinegifts, $4.25. View Item | View Shop 100 pc small vintage flower bead mix  I became very fascinated with vintage plastic and enamel beads. Once I threaded them together with flower wire, I hot-glued the back to make them extra secure, glued on a pin fastener, and we were good to go. By snapcrafty, $5.50. View Item | View Shop 
As for wedding rings, I don't so much have expensive taste — just old fashioned taste. Mickey searched for a vintage engagement ring, but ended up designing my ring to look exactly how he wanted. This deco ring from the 1930s has a similar feel — complete with sapphires, which get that pesky "something blue" checked off the list. From nouveaumotley, $995.
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I ended up using the same "ring master" as Mickey for his custom band. It's similar to this one by HiwahiwaTreasures ($618), with a wreath of laurels. When I wanted to show the designer the style I wanted, I gave him a reference photo of an antique coin. A picture is worth a thousand words! Look for more gold bands.
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Accordion Cufflinks  These cuff links made from vintage buttons would have kept the beat with Uncle Jerry's Ukrainian polkas! By Enthral, $35. Find more cuff links made with vintage items. View Item | View Shop |
Paper Goods Check out the Wedding Invites and Favors Guide for more.  folk LOVE (yellow and green)  I love the folk style of these cards by dutchdoor ($4). These could work as thank you notes — you will be writing many! Often letterpress artists, including dutchdoor, do custom invitations if you ask. You could probably even do a package with invitations and thank you cards. Find more letterpress thank you cards. View Item | View Shop
The Seaside Fan Program  Since we expected a hot August day in New England, we decided to have our programs double as fans. Mickey designed the circular fans with Ukrainian inspired, psychedelic patterns. I cut them out and glued them onto tongue depressors. Here's a similar idea by mybluetulipdesign, $3.50. View Item | View Shop | Custom Letterpress Wedding Invitations  I like wedding invites that express the personality of the couple. This one is great — old-timey and a little cheeky. By drenculture, $950. Find more custom letterpress invitations. View Item | View Shop Comic-inspired Save-the-Date  As a cartoonist, Mickey gave our invitations his all. We didn't get a chance to send out a paper save-the-date. This one by baumbirdy, $2.50, has that playful, comic book feel. View Item | View Shop Vintage Postcard Wedding Invitation  If you're working with an artist to make a custom design, ask them for examples of their fonts. I love the vintage feel of this design. By goldenrectanglepress, $7. View Item | View Shop |
Decor Check out the Wedding Decor Guide for more.  Cobweb Buttons in Mini Bucket  Our flowers were from our friend Els' garden and a local farm. I had been considering potted plants or succulents, such as these by thesporeattic, $10, as centerpieces. I remember harassing our guests at the end of the night to take the cut flowers home and not let them go to waste — maybe potted plants would have been more apt to find a home. View Item | View Shop Vintage Armour lard Tin  Oh, man! I wish I'd found these vintage pure lard tins when I was planning the wedding. Imagine this filled with flowers — that would get your guests in the mood to laugh and joke with their table-mates. From moxiesisters, $19.99. View Item | View Shop Handmade Vintage Soumak Tapestry Rug  As a surprise, my parents bought the rug that we were standing on during the ceremony. It has a "tree of life" design — such a nice symbolic gift that we'll have for the rest of our lives. I've heard of folks doing similar things with custom quilts and wall hangings, which can be used in the home after the big day. From MountainsideTreasure, $750. View Item | View Shop 
As you can see, our taste is a mix of traditional, classic looks with over-the-top details. We wanted our wedding to be ecstatic — full of life, color, humor — but we didn't want it to end up looking like a circus. What do you think? Comment on the blog. | Choose Three Silkscreened Votives  I knew I wanted a little ambiance on the tables, so I designed a Ukrainian inspired pattern and printed little vellum sleeves for our votives. If I could do it over again, I'd get these votives by maryink, $27. Candlelight came in handy, since the dj's equipment kept blowing the power in the tent! View Item | View Shop Handpainted Wooden
Wedding Reception Table Numbers  If there's one thing my husband knows better than anything else, it's typography. He designed our little yellow and black table numbers. I like these wooden ones by Funkifolkart, $8. View Item | View Shop Wood Type Letterpress Monogram Coasters  These monogram coasters could also work as table letters. (Why does it have to be numbers anyway?) By marquandeditions, $10. View Item | View Shop 25 Custom 2.25 Inch Pinback Buttons  My crafty sister-in-law Kim and my coworkers surprised me with a crafting night at Etsy Labs. We made tons of buttons together. You can design your own or have an Etsy seller make them for you. By Buttonhead, $17.75. View Item | View Shop Fantasy Wife Cake Topper  We ended up not coughing up the dough for the cake. But we did have an awesome cake topper by melabo, $40. View Item | View Shop Vintage Photo Album  We put our photos in a vintage photo album. This would also make an excellent guestbook for inscriptions. From LonesomeBrown, $10. Find more vintage photo albums. View Item | View Shop Vintage Souvenir Hanky Niagara Falls
One last tip: vinage hankies for all! From linensandthings, $12.
View Item | View Shop | Looking for more Etsy Finds? Try these links: Wedding Category | Wedding Gift Ideas | Wedding Sellers' Picks | Handmade Weddings Know of any other great finds that fit today's theme? Then comment on Etsy's Blog and let us know. |
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