Wedding Wednesday – An Etsy Wedding Event in New York City

They stood in a tight row pressed against the side of the building which wrapped around a tree lined New York City block. With their tickets in hand and some coffee, they waited patiently for the preview of the first ever Etsy Wedding Event.

Ribbons in cream and ivory lace, and eyelet hung from the windows and danced over your head when you walked through the doors and into the treasure trove of fabulous Etsy finds. It felt magical. I felt a little like Alice in Wonderland walking into a secret garden. The event brought a ‘face’ to the sellers from all over the world that have shops on Etsy.

The items were carefully displayed in an intimate room with vintage settings. Shawls hung from tree branches, and the fabulous creations from the sellers were tucked into beautiful antique vanities and shabby chic hand painted furniture. Invitations hung from chicken wire and white lattice.  Mocha cookies, cocktails and a ‘swag bag’  greeted you at the door. There was a certain buzz in the air that was different. There was a sweetness to it. A calmness. Something heartfelt about the occasion.

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About six years ago I was on the internet searching for a personalized gift. I couldn’t find it. I then began to search ‘custom, unique, and different’…and lo and behold ‘Etsy’ popped up.

Now, I’m not the Martha Stewart type so I found that all of the ideas I would dream up in my head would usually go no where. But once Etsy was in my life, my imaginary thoughts were able to be created into a reality by these wonderful sellers. The creative talent of these fine people would blow me away each time I opened a package. I would literally squeal with delight.

I was a fan. And that’s putting it mildly. I would mention Etsy to people on line at the grocery store like some people talk about the weather.  As soon as I opened my doors for business, almost all of my brides were informed of Etsy and my business cards actually even had their link.

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A few weeks ago life came full circle for me. I had the most wonderful privilege to be invited to photograph the fabulous handmade wedding wonders from such lovely sellers from all over the world.  I adored every moment of it. I can’t even put into words how much I loved it.  Maybe because ‘hand-made’ means ‘loved’ in a way. Maybe because the heart and soul of the person that makes the items is there. Maybe because the personality and character of the buyer is represented so well in the finished outcome, that you feel as if you know them. But what I love most about Etsy is the fact that each item is soo thoughtful and personal. There is something wonderfully sentimental about it all.

 I wanted to share a little bit about the day with you here today…

 

 The event was held at the ’91 Event Space’.

 

Mmmmm…heavenly treats from ‘Ovenly’ in NYC.

   

Cocktails…

   

The staff at Etsy spent weeks putting together these delightful curtains.

I was a smitten kitten with them. If anyone wants to whip up a batch for me, let me know. I’d love to hire you!

   

 This was the first designed set you were greeted with as you walked in under the stream of ribbons…

   

Some other sections…

 

   

A big trend in the wedding world is a bouquet other than flowers. Brooch bouquets are big, as well as paper or fabric creations.

 

 

Ring bearer pillows that were lovely…

 

 

The bouquets and the boutonnieres were actually my favorite items.

I looove how inventive they were and how they can totally create a mood.

Plus it’s a cool, sentimental heirloom for your future kids or grand-kids I think.

 

 

Thought this was fun for the groom and his buddies…

 

 

This was one of my favorite sections.

It was great to see how creative the sellers were with envelopes, paper choices, design, location maps, colors and letterpress.

 

The biggest element trend at the event was wood pieces. It was incorporated into everything. Invites, guestbooks, cake toppers, vases and more.

 

Tiny and ohh so cute ceremony booklet, and table seating cards.

 

 

Sooo different and fun!

 

 

I thought this would make a cool gift, and give your hubby an extra reason to bring you home some fabulous flowers.

I like the fact that it has a casual look to it too.

 

 

I thought this would be great for the table numbers for English majors or book lovers…

 

 

La, la…love!!

 

 

Remember these from when we were kids?! Or am I aging myself by suggesting that I actually had it?

The slideshow showcased the couples engagement pictures and the last image was their ‘save the date’. Super cute!

 

 

Love the rustic feel and colors…

 

 

A portion of Etsy’s guest book and some friendly faces that worked on putting the event together!

 

 

I can’t even begin to thank Etsy enough for the wonderful opportunity to be a part of such a fabulous event.

If you haven’t experienced Etsy for yourself yet, run…don’t walk. Beyond the whole wedding world,  there are a ton of other magnificent things for everyday life there.

If you do have the time to incorporate items from Etsy for your wedding…do it! I think it brings the whole wedding day full circle when the couples inject their personality into the happy day.

One of the main reasons I created Dear Stacey  was so I would be able to share more wedding stuff much more frequently. I hope you enjoyed the amazing creations as much as I did, and you’ll join me again next week for ‘Wedding Wednesday’!