I'm a sucker for it...

Seersucker!  Ok, I know, bad bad bad play on words.  But who can help it?  Little ring bearers in summery seersucker suits are potentially the cutest thing I've ever seen.  And more affordable then tuxedo rental too!

You can score this one for $39.99 at In Fashion Kids

My good friend R.'s ringbearers wore seersucker ensembles for her wedding, wearing their vests (sans jackets due to the heat- a great built-in contingency she planned for), and they looked incredibly adorable.  With hot pink bow ties too.  Who is in love?

Pillowcase Dresses!!!!!

I know, five exclamation points is a bit much but it's hard not to write with so many when I see pillowcase dresses.  These are a recent discovery of mine, one that has turned into a full-fledged obsession.  There is something so lightweight and airy and comfy and kid-appropriate about a pillowcase dress.  They are inexpensive to make, can be made with recycled or vintage materials, and can be totally customized to match a wedding.  I think they're the ideal flower girl dress, and I also love that they're re-wearable.  If only I was 28 years younger.  If you don't like these, you have no soul.  I mean it, I am in love.  Or maybe I just need to get knocked up.  But that's another blog post for another day...

Even if you're not a seamstress yourself, you can score adorable pillowcase dresses on etsy.  Take a look at what my own quick research revealed (all images link to their source)!

[caption id="attachment_2745" align="aligncenter" width="200" caption="KayKape's version ($19.99)"][/caption]

Crisp in blue from TheUptownBaby ($25)

[caption id="attachment_2741" align="aligncenter" width="233" caption="From Main Street Bowtique ($40)"][/caption]

Hummingbirds from CreativeBee706 ($20.99)

[caption id="attachment_2742" align="aligncenter" width="200" caption="Also from Main Street Bowtique ($54)"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2740" align="aligncenter" width="289" caption="Girlie Bow's Damask adorableness ($20)"][/caption]

A Compendium of DIY Pinwheel Love

I was recently reading a post about pinwheels over at $2000 Wedding, and ever since I'm been stark raving mad about paper pinwheels.  There is something so utterly romantic and playful about them!  And I feel like they have so much hidden versatility, not to mention their absolute customize-ability and cost-effectiveness!  So far, I've come up with 10 potential ways to use them, many of which could save you considerable cash:  

  

- Have guests waive them in lieu of bubbles, rice or birdseed when sending you off! 

- Incorporate them into floral centerpieces. 

- Or, forget the flowers altogether and use a bunch of pinwheels AS the centerpiece! 

- Write guests' names and tables on them, and use for escort cards. 

- Top cupcakes with mini-pinwheels for a playful cake table. 

- Leave them on the kids table for the young and young at heart. 

- Tuck them into the napkins at each place setting for a whimsical favor. 

- Give them to your flower girls to carry during the ceremony instead of a basket. 

- Put your pinwheels on extra-long sticks and plant them in the ground for a festive aisle runner. 

- If you really want to get creative, you could even make your invite with instructions for how to turn them into pinwheels. 

  

Anyways... I clearly have no life... if you want to learn how to make your very own adorable pinwheels, the blogosphere is filled with great tutorials!  I've compiled some of my favorites to share but if you know of more, I'd love to hear them!  What would you do with pinwheels at a wedding?   

[caption id="attachment_2731" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="via Paper Source"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2730" align="aligncenter" width="200" caption="via BHG"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2729" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="via Intimate Weddings"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2728" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="via Style Me Pretty"][/caption]

via Once Wed

 

Customizing Your Party (and a GIVEAWAY!)

Sometimes having a blog is the best thing ever.  For example, when people let you try things out to review them, which is what today's post is all about!  The folks over at Customized Girl totally made my day a few weeks ago when they contacted me and invited me to try out some of their goods (for free, thanks CG!)!  And the even better news is that Customized Girl will be offering a mind-blowingly generous giveaway here at The One! next week, so definitely keep checking back- lots of fabulous freebies on the way!!



Customized Girl, together with it's sister site, Bridal Party Tees, has some incredible offerings if you're considering making t shirts or keepsakes for your bridal party gifts, or if you are planning a bachelorette party.  I've tried making T shirts through VistaPrint (which were certainly workable), but found CG's products to be of a significantly higher quality for almost the same pricing and with more options.  And just as importantly, the print quality was excellent!



I can't share photos of my specific order just yet because it's a surprise for someone special (but I promise I will down the road), but I'll tell you this: I ordered a few different types of shirts- a men's tee, ladies fitted tees, stretchy tanks and even a tote bag.  Each and every piece that I ordered arrived looking exactly as I had ordered it, and the shipping was super fast!  The fabrics are soft and comfy!  The ink was vivid and definitely not going anywhere!  And even though everything I ordered was a tad different, it all coordinated so well I couldn't be happier!



One of the best things about these goodies is that they come in a variety of price points (unlike some of their competitors) and they always have some cute stuff in their sale section too, so you don't need to bust out a bajillion dollars to have some fun.  And the customizing software is super-user friendly.  You can use their pre-made designs and change text, fonts, sizes, graphics, or you can start from scratch and make your own!



Aaaaand... it's not just for girls.  They have options for men and kids too, so you can buy gifts for the whole bridal party (even baby onesies)!  All images in this post are, of course, from the websites, but you should definitely go check it out to see more!

Don't forget to keep checking back in for the upcoming giveaway- it's a great one!

Accessorizing Our Flower Girl

I may have mentioned once or twice (or 100 times) how cute I think our flower girl A. is.  So I'm especially excited that her mother and I have chosen some fun accessories for her wedding outfit!

The Dress!

First, we're chosen ivory tights for the ensemble.  My dress is ivory, as are the roses in the bouquets, so it made sense.

[caption id="attachment_1084" align="aligncenter" width="280" caption="not sure if we'll go solid or cable-knit yet..."][/caption]



A. will also be rocking a pair of ivory wrist-length gloves.  If I was a little girl, I know I'd be loving these!

[caption id="attachment_1083" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="I may or may not actually steal these and start wearing them myself"][/caption]

But the best details of all are her shoes and coat- gold sparkly and white furry.  Makes me wish I too was in kindergarten so I could wear such wonderful finds!  I'm looking forward to getting a photo of the two of us ladies rocking our furs (remember mine?)!

[caption id="attachment_1086" align="aligncenter" width="236" caption="try not to be jealous; its hard, I know..."][/caption]

perfect, right?

 And finally, a gratuitous reminder of the cutie pie who will be wearing it all, little Miss A. (pictured here on the first day of school)!

[caption id="attachment_1087" align="aligncenter" width="423" caption="As you can see, the good genes run in our family."][/caption]

All images in this post link to their source where applicable

A Basket For My Flower Girl

Its no secret in the world of weddings that little details cost big bucks. For example, flower girl's baskets from my florist start at $50. Heck, just a bag of rose petals is $30. What's a girl to do?

Make one of course!

I actually sort of made this up as I went along, based on a little moss basket I found at the Christmas Tree Shop after Easter for $.50. I don't think Christmas Tree carries them anymore, but I found these from A Beautiful Life at 2 for $26, so I'm sure a savvy shopper could find them for less.

Anyhow, my less-pretty version of the basket came with funny looking garland around the top. Which was not going to work. So I ripped it off and hot glued some "artfully curled" [read: haphazardly applied] white ribbon to cover the rough edge. Easy peasy lemon squeezy.

Add some mushroom birds, white clay flowers (to make your own, check out The Martha's How To) and a basic
bow, and you've got yourself a cute, Christmasy flower girl basket for less than $5!

What will your flower girl carry down the aisle?

No JonBenéts In Our Wedding!

In most aspects of my life, I subscribe to a "to each their own" philosophy, but one thing I just can't seem to get behind is this idea of little girls dressed for weddings like mini-brides. Isn't the whole point of having children in your wedding that they look like children-- and not pageant queens?

Enter our ring bearer M. and flower girl A. These two simply don't need to be fancified, they are utter perfection just the way they are!

So I did my best to find outfits for them to wear to the wedding which were both age-appropriate and which they could re-wear for other dressy occasions. Sadly, Little A. won't see her dress until the wedding rehearsal, but I think little M. looks great in his ensemble (indeed, he started crying when his mother wanted him to put it away)! I can't wait to see them all dressed up on the big day!

Little A.'s green velvet dress (source: Flower Girl Princess) and Little M. showing off his tuxedo.
Money saving tip- boys' tuxedos can be found for a song on ebay and can save you $50-100 off the price of a rental!

How did you choose the wedding attire for the kids in your wedding?