We often hear from readers who are having a difficult time finding pretty, budget-conscious gowns that their flower girls (and junior bridesmaids) will actually enjoy wearing  – and be able to wear more than once. We’re excited to introduce Olivia Kate Couture because they’re so perfectly filling the need for reasonably-priced gowns that can grow with the child.

What’s wonderful about OKC is that they work with you to put together the perfect colors to coordinate with your wedding style or color palette. Their gorgeous custom creations are made in luxe cottons, beautiful satins, and delightfully girly tulle. The styles are designed with both comfort and growth in mind, making these pretty frocks a joy to wear for your girls at special occasions beyond your wedding.

Olivia Kate Couture offers sizes from 3 months through girl’s size 12 and are made upon order. While orders normally take 8 – 10 weeks for delivery, Olivia Kate Couture does offer a rush service for those on tight time schedules. If you have a large party to outfit, do ask about discounts.

(Breathtakingly beautiful! We swoon!)

You can find Olivia Kate Couture gowns at Etsy.

Happy Wednesday everyone! Thank you for being so patient as we work out the remaining kinks resulting from the hacking and subsequent rebuilding of the site. We’re almost done, and moving back to a platform that works much better for us.

What’s especially fantastic is that this means Real Weddings are back! Yay! Today we are starting things off right with the wonderful wedding of Sara and Joey. An adorable couple who met their freshman year of college, Sara wanted to have a “fun, whimsical, and romantic-themed wedding. . . I liked the idea of keeping some things traditional, but putting my own twist on them to make them meaningful for us.” Oh boy, did they deliver. This gallery is phenomenal – all the adorable details, and DIY touches. I want to get married again and do it just like this!

DETAILS

Location:  Mansfield, TX

Photographer: Kristin Greenlee Photography

Venue: Aristide Event & Conference Center

Event Coordinator: Foster Blue

Flowers: Market Street – Floral

Invitations: Inviting Ink, The Paper Kutt

Dress Store: Brickhouse Bridal

Mens Attire: Men’s Wearhouse

Hair Stylist: Ingenue Hair Artistry

Cake Designer: The Cake Guys

DJ: Randy Ro Entertainment

Jewelry: Diamond Treasures

Popular destinations include: Aruba, Australia, Bahamas, Caymen Islands, Jamaica, Costa Rica, Disney, France, Italy, Hawaii, Las Vegas, Mexico, Tahiti, and more!

The honeymoon registry is becoming popular as many couples find it most appropriate for their needs. After all, the purpose of a gift registry is to take the guesswork out of gift giving. It’s also eco and green friendly, as there is no driving to the stores to shop, no packaging waste, no gift wrapping, no returns, etc. On average, 35% of traditional wedding gifts are returned.

Tips for creating a honeymoon registry:

Use one of the pre-built registries provided by Honeymoon Pixie. They are based on the most popular honeymoon destinations and include a full spectrum of fun activities. This saves you time and gets your registry published in a flash.

If you want to create your own registry, make sure to include many fun and exciting activities –as these are the types of gifts your friends want to give to you.  Be creative and let your personality shine through. Also, have a variety of price points ranging from $20 to $100 dollars so that all budgets can be accommodated.  You can also break-down big ticket items into smaller increments. For example, a $400 honeymoon suite upgrade can be listed as four $100 gifts.

Use the free tools that Honeymoon Pixie provides:

• Print announcement cards
• Print Thank You lists
• Send out pre-written emails
• Implement Facebook integration
• Upload unlimited photos
• Select a beautiful registry theme
• Redeem your gift funds at anytime
• Benefit from expert travel tips and links
• Learn from our honeymoon destination guides
• Reduce stress by using our Planning and Packing Tips

Honeymoon Pixie consistently receive 5-Star ratings from newlyweds, earned the Bride’s Choice Awards 2012 for excellence in quality & service, and 6000+ fans love their Facebook page!  Be sure to connect with them on Twitter and Pinterest, too!

Be sure to check out their honeymoon planning section that covers ever crucial component of honeymoon planning (destination guides, planning, traveling essentials, etc.) with lots of resources, and it’s all FREE.  Visit their website to get started today: http://honeymoonpixie.com/honeymoon-planning/

Contact Honeymoon Pixie:

Website: http://honeymoonpixie.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/honeymoonpixie

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/#!/HoneymoonPixie

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/honeymoonpixie

Email: info@honeymoonpixie.com

Phone: 888-74-PIXIE (888-747-4943) toll free

Learn more about Honeymoon Pixie.

Much of this post was written by Honeymoon Pixie directly, and they are an advertising partner with DIY Bride.  

Here are some other reasons coaster wedding favors and candle wedding favors are better options than other favor types out there:

Double decor! Coasters and candles aren’t just practical—they’re versatile, too. You know the saying “kill two birds with one stone?” Well, coaster and candle favors do that and then some. Not only do they provide your guests with some type of practical use, but they also provide them with a long-term keepsake and can double as home decor as well. Guests can use them in the living room, family room, or office to add a stylish touch to the home, while reminiscing on your special day at the same time.

Personal touches. Unlike many other wedding favor ideas out there, some coaster and candle favors can be customized with personal messages and even special photos. If you’d prefer to gift something unique and thoughtful to your guests, adding a personal touch to your favors is a great way to do just that. Whether you customize your coaster wedding favors or candle wedding favors with your wedding date, names, or a poem, the option to add a personal touch makes coaster and candle favor options stand out among the rest.

Pretty place settings. Another benefit couples can enjoy from using candle or coaster favors is the chance to spruce up their reception place settings. Something about presenting pretty coaster sets or colorful, scented candles on your reception table makes the whole place setting display light up.

Candle wedding favors and coaster wedding favors are practical, decorative, and offer you the chance to express your personality and give your guests a personal message—what’s not to love?

This guest blog was contributed by WeddingFavors.org – one of our featured vendors at DIY Bride.  Be sure to check out the full selection of favors and gifts for all occasions!  Learn more about WeddingFavors.org.  

Meet Thurman:

1. What do you love about the DIY wedding industry?

I wanted to get involved in the DIY wedding industry, because it is such an exciting and rewarding business. And it keeps getting larger and larger.  I love the feedback that I get from my customers!!  Their excitement over the items is just amazing.

2. What did you do before engraving?

I have done everything from working in a factory to being a supervisor at a dairy company.  I am so blessed that my hobby has become a business.

3. Do you publish your work on a blog?  If so, how often do you post new images?

No I’m afraid that I don’t have a blog, and I feel I am missing out on a lot by not doing so.

(You can find Thurman’s work in his Etsy shop.)

4. Describe the best wedding you’ve ever seen, and why was it the best?

The best wedding I have ever seen happens to be my wedding!  We got married in the Smokey Mountains with family and friends.  It was the best because I married the love of my life.  We had a professional photographer and videographer, that gave us memories to last a lifetime.

 

Tell us about your Etsy shop, Engraving by T:

1. Did you start your business from scratch?

Yes we definitely started from scratch, and we learned all about it from the school of hardknocks.

2. What is your philosophy for ensuring a happy customer?

My philosophy is good communication to find their wants and needs.  I get to know the couple through conversation, over and over!

3. How do custom engrave each piece?

Each piece takes quite a few steps to create the finished product.  Every step is equally important – from doing the artwork to wrapping the finished piece.  It takes about an hour to complete a piece.

4. Do you offer custom packages, and what is your most popular package/product/service?

One package that customers love to customize it is my unity sand ceremony set.  Many couples want additional pouring vases to include for parents or children.  Another hot item is my Mr. and Mrs.  Mason jar set.  Couples often want to and wedding dates to the mugs.

 

5. Why should our readers give custom engraved favors or gifts, and what makes you better or different than other engraving vendors?

I believe the DIY Bride readers would love giving or receiving any of my products because it’s a personalized gift that can be used or displayed for many years to come.  Since my business is a reflection of myself, I do my best to produce and deliver a finished product that will bring the customer back in the future.

For anyone who wasn’t around last time Appy Couple was feature here, we’ll fill you in: with Appy Couple you can create and publish your own mobile wedding app to share with friends, family and guests.

With features like real-time picture uploads, event details, mapping, RSVPs in the app, private messaging and much more, Appy Couple has become a must for your wedding—and invitation codes to their private beta are a hot commodity.

Stick around, and you’ll not only see some of their latest and greatest designs, but you’ll find out how to get in on their invitation-only beta.

Why is Appy Couple creating such a buzz? Because the team that created it gets the importance of having everything around your wedding coordinated and beautiful. One look through their extensive catalogue of app designs to choose from, and you’ll see what we mean.

While they’re in invitation mode, they’ve been collecting feedback from brides and grooms, and using it to add even more design options. So whether your wedding is vintage, contemporary, opulent or casual, there’s bound to be something that will work in perfectly.

And the package comes with coordinated wedding website, Save-the-Date, and app invitation emails as well. Now compatible with Apple and Android devices, you’ve got just about everyone covered.