A bottle of wine that could save your marriage! {Unique Wedding Ceremonies}

I can’t believe it’s been a month since my last post! We are full swing in an amazing fall wedding season here in SWFL, and busier than ever! I cannot wait to share some of these weddings with you all (soon).

I came across something today that made my heart melt just a little bit. I love a unique touch to a wedding ceremony. Traditional ceremonies are lovely, but I just LOVE hearing something clever that I’ve never heard before, which brings me to what I came across today!

I’m going to quote the Edison & Ford Winter Estates’ blog post, so I don’t ruin the story telling with my interpretation.

“Before the ceremony, the bride and groom wrote letters describing all the things they love about each other. During their wedding, officiant David Thompson of BareFoot We Wed, had them place their letters into a small box containing a single bottle of wine. “Keep this bottle in plain sight in your home. Should your marriage ever hit a rough spot, before you make any rash decisions, open the bottle of wine, pour each other a glass, and read your letters,” he said. This wine ceremony had everyone tearing up! “

Don’t you just love that idea?!

12Sep2011

Custom Couture {Bridal Jewelry}

Posted in Uncategorized, weddings, Florida Wedding, Wedding Trends, Destination Weddings, Wedding by Courtney Shaw {Fabulously Chic}

I love when accessories make a statement. They should not only accent your attire, but complete it! I found this amazing custom bridal jewelry designer that I just had to share: laurenelan.com. Her designs have a very couture and trendy, yet elegant, feel to them. I love them all!

The designer, Lauren Elan, will design a piece for you (or your bridesmaids) based on your dress, personality, hair style….anything. What better way is there to get the perfect piece for your wedding?!

19Aug2011

Brilliant Bridesmaid Gifts {Part 4}

Posted in Uncategorized, Florida Wedding, Wedding Trends, Destination Weddings, Wedding by Courtney Shaw {Fabulously Chic}

{Bridesmaid gift ideas continued}

Anything Awesome.

The final post of Brilliant Bridesmaid Gifts is simply a random assortment of gift ideas. You can get your girls anything that you feel is particularly awesome, represents you and your personality, or just suits them.

Eyeshadow Palettes. All girls love makeup. We use it every day and always want more. Is this just me? I don’t think so. I love getting eye shadow as a gift because it allows me to try something new! Stores like Sephora, will actually allow you to exchange colors, if you happen to dislike the shade you’re given, so you can give this gift with ease!

Umbrellas. If you’re a Floridian, this is the perfect gift. Umbrellas are needed way too often in Florida , why not make them a fashion accessory? Not a lot of people are going out of their way to find a cute, new umbrella for rainy season, but every girl would love and appreciate having one of these trendy umbrellas.

Gift Baskets. I love gift baskets for a few reasons, but the first is because the presentation is always so exciting. Goodies overflowing from a basket makes me a little giddy. What better way to give your bridesmaid a delish bottle of wine? And for the ladies that are not the wine type, there are so many options for these baskets of goodies!

Chocolate. Not just chocolate, decadent chocolate. Chocolate that is not only ridiculously delectable, but visually stimulating. Wondering where you can find such chocolate? Let me introduce you to Norman Love.

15Aug2011

Brilliant Bridesmaid Gifts {Part 3}

Posted in Uncategorized, Florida Wedding, Wedding Trends, Destination Weddings, Wedding by Courtney Shaw {Fabulously Chic}

{Bridesmaid gift ideas continued}

Unique gifts that really give. Bridesmaid gifts are how the bride says thank you to her girls for all of their love and support. It’s always nice for a gift to come with love and a real purpose, The Hunger Site and The Animal Rescue Site take this concept to a new level.

Let me explain. If you go to either of these sites, you will see tabs at the top that list 8 different global issues/charities: Hunger, Animal Rescue, Breast Cancer, Veterans, Autism, Child health, Literacy, and Rainforest. Under each tab is a wide assortment of items that can be purchased from clothes and jewelery to home decor items (and everything in between). Most of the items are handmade from different countries all over the world. For each item purchased, the site will tell you what kind of donation is made through that purchase. Such as, funds for cups of food for rescued animals or funds for meals for veterans. Each charity is different.

There’s an abundance of really neat and unique gift options on these sites. You’re sure to find something your bridesmaids would love! Just a few of the things I thought were really wonderful…

Super cute and very unique candle holders, hand made in Mozambique, Africa. (Funds 50 cups of food for rescued animals!)

I personally love beautiful wine glasses. These Mexican made wine glasses are hand blown and definitely show a lot of character. I would recommend including a bottle of wine with the gift, but that’s just me. (Funds 6 meals for United States Veterans!)

Gorgeous jewelery box, hand painted in Peru. (Funds 150 cups of food for rescued animals!)

Elegant pearl & labradorite beaded bracelet from Thailand. (Funds to Preserve 2,290 sq. ft. of rain forest land!)

Isn’t this just wonderful? Wouldn’t it be awesome to give your bridesmaids something unique that gives so much? I just love this, so I had to share!

10Aug2011

Brilliant Bridesmaid Gifts {Part 1}

Posted in Uncategorized, Florida Wedding, Wedding Trends, Destination Weddings by Courtney Shaw {Fabulously Chic}

Brides are always asking me, “What should I get my bridesmaids for their bridesmaid gift?” Your gift to your bridesmaids should be something special, unique and, of course, fabulous (just like your girls)!

A little too vague for you? Ok, here are some ideas that I find particularly wonderful. This will be a multiple part series, so stay tuned!!

Clutches. I’m clutch obsessed. So, they aren’t always practical, but they are always fabulous (which is enough for me). Custom ones are super fab, because you can have cute little names and phrases sewn in them, and custom colors for each of your gals. For custom clutches, I believe Etsy is the way to go! The options are literally endless! (Click the picture below to head to that particular Etsy store.)