4 Creative Wedding Gifts

For a lot of engaged couples, it seems like one of the most anticipated part of the wedding planning process is registering for things you'll need to start a new life together. Aka: wedding gifts! My husband and I went through the registering process, which, admittedly was really fun for him and overwhelming for me, ha! We picked out all the practical kitchen appliances, home goods and other odds and ends that we thought we might need. And luckily, we received most of the things we registered for as gifts, which was a huge blessing to our newly married life. 

Now, as helpful and practical as those registered gifts were, there were some gifts that stood out particularly because they were so different and creative compared to the store bought gifts. I wanted to share some of those ideas, along with others, so that you'll be able to give these fun gifts to your friends when they get married! 

Garden Starter - Help your friends get a head start on their indoor or small patio garden!
- potting soil + assorted pot sizes
- a variety of flower, herbs and veggie seeds
- a hand shovel and rake
- a vintage watering can
- gardening gloves

Tea Set - A romantic gift for the tea or coffee lovers in your life
- two unique mugs
- a serving tea pot

- a pretty platter (DIY it!)

- a variety of teas + coffees

- biscuit or scone baking mix

Italian Date Night Basket - A special dinner for two, all in one basket

- a big basket

- two kinds of pasta 

- two kinds of sauce 

- a nice bottle of wine 

- a gift certificate to their local bakery to buy fresh loaf of bread

Fun + Games - Bringing it back to the good ol' days with some childhood fun!
- a board game (or two!) from childhood
- variety of penny/movie candies
- a DVD set of their favorite cartoons 

- bubbles and/or sidewalk chalk 

{Alex + Brendan's Wedding Video}

March 8th, 2014
Irvine Estate, VA

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Watch Alex + Brendan's GORGEOUS wedding video by Five Copper Creative!!


Alex + Brendan Wedding Highlight from Five Copper Creative on Vimeo.

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The Story:

From Alex, the bride's, perspective:  

"From the first light of morning breaking into my room on our wedding day I felt the joy and presence of the Lord. I woke up in the beautiful Bed & Breakfast my closest friends and I were staying in and knew it was going to be the most special day.  It has always been a dream of mine to read Psalm 45 (the Wedding Psalm) on my wedding day, to remind myself that the Lord is my husband first and that His delight in me gives me my identity; He is enthralled by our beauty every day, not just on our wedding day or when we feel most beautiful. My mom and soon to be mother-in-law joined us at the B&B and we all ate a morning meal together on a huge family style dining table.  It was such a sweet way to embrace the day- with my most loving and supportive girlfriends and family members to "be led in with joy and gladness" (v.15).  We spent time praying, crying, and rejoicing together at God's redemption in my life and marveling at how the day unfolding would be such a remarkable picture of that.  We all got ready together, took pictures, danced to whatever music was playing- it was FUN and relaxed, just as I had always hoped.

I loved the idea of honoring and connecting with family members through aspects of the wedding.  My mom gave me beautiful, delicate gold earrings to wear as her and my dad's wedding gift to me. I attached a brooch that I inherited from my grandma after she passed away onto the front of my bouquet- she always wore her beloved pendants proudly.  And my Nana gave me a necklace to wear that has been worn by every bride on my Dad's side of the family for four generations. I felt honored to be included in that tradition!  Brendan and I decided not to do a first look.  We liked the idea of the patient anticipation and sheer emotion that would be raw on the aisle. I think we are a bit more traditional than we thought--except we did decide to offer whiskey toasts instead of champagne, so who knows.  

Looking back, I cherish our ceremony immensely.  Our minister is a good friend of ours and spoke truth of the Gospel in the most incredible way.  And was not afraid to throw in a few jokes here and there! Laughter made his message even more endearing.  He built his message on three aspects of our marriage which are really pictures of our life with Christ lived out: take my name, take my heart, and take my body.  All concepts which are encompassed in marriage, but more so gifts given to us by Jesus Himself…His name, His heart, and His body. I saw Jesus so much in Brendan's vows to me.  He echoed God's promises to me beautifully, "I vow to never leave you, never desert you, and never divorce you. In sickness and in health, for rich or for poor, I will never leave you no matter what."  I loved his twist on the traditional vows, that's so him, so us.    

My mom did the most amazing job orchestrating the decorations of our venue.  Every detail was thoughtfully displayed -- each handmade welcome bag for the overnight guests made with love and gifts of hospitality, every centerpiece encompassed aspects of Brendan and my relationship.  We wanted to invite people in, make them feel loved and appreciated.  Instead of table numbers, we named each table after a memory we have so that people would get to know us better and feel as though they were a part of our story, because they absolutely are!   

The rest of the night was the most joyous blur.  I was astonished at seeing many familiar faces that were faintly different after years of separation, all smiling, laughing, celebrating with us.  We ate delicious food, visited with incredible friends and family, and danced with abandon. At one point our crazy friends decided to throw Brendan in the air!…and then me!…and then MY MOM! When I remember our wedding day, I remember the joy and life we experienced in God's love expressed through each other and the people we love.  People traveled from all over the world simply to be a part of our most favorite day; and that's not to boast in ourselves…Jesus brought them to hear His truth and see His love fleshed out in two messy sinners who happen to be in love. Gosh, He is so sweet to us."

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Thank you so much Alex+Brendan for sharing your day with us! It was absolutely beautiful! I don't even know you and I cried during your vows!! I can tell it was such a joyful day. :) And Alex, you are such an eloquent writer!

Thanks to the insanely talented Amanda from Five Copper Creative for submitting this film!

~Joie Mag Team

Etsy Shop Roundup!

Today is SO EXCITING! We're sharing some awesome Etsy shops that we believe will be a great asset to your wedding planning, and even your life! Yeah. That's how excited we are. We're sharing custom signage for your home, gorgeous invitations for your wedding and unique jewelry for all the special people in your life. 

Read on to see their awesome work and learn more about how they started!

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Heart Crafted Co.

Heart Crafted Co., based in San Francisco, was born when owner Amanda knew she needed a fun, creative outlet. Using her knowledge and lettering skills from design and calligraphy classes, she creates beautiful pieces of personalized artwork for your home and special events. Amanda uses reclaimed wood in most of her work and loves the rustic look it gives. Wedding signage is also a favorite, and with her unique style, it will be sure to liven up your wedding day! For custom orders, contact her at heartcraftedco[at]gmail.com.

shop / instagram

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Sincerely, Jackie

Sincerely, Jackie is the New York based fine wedding stationery studio behind Jackie Mangiolino. Jackie is passionate about creating heirloom wedding invitations and knows that wedding invitations are destined to become a special part of a couples family history. With a less-is-more eye for design, Jackie's invitations perfectly blend modern trends with timeless sophistication. Jackie works one-on-one with each of her brides to achieve their unique invitation experience. All of Sincerely, Jackie's fine papers are hand sourced from paper mills around the world and brought to a New York based letterpress print shop to be letterpress printed, foil stamped, or engraved. To Jackie, invitations are more than just pieces of paper; they are individual works of art capturing a moment in time and marking the beginning of a family legacy. 

shop / website / instagram

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Modern Momma

Modern Mama Jewelry was created out of desire to marry sentiment to style.  "I purposely incorporate faith, family and love in all my designs.  That's my passion."  Says Lindsey, mother of 3, owner and designer of Modern Mama Jewelry.  "Personalized jewelry can often take on an ordinary look.  Sometimes I incorporate current trends, other times, I step out into the unknown and attempt to create my own trend.  I try to find meaning behind the design for the wearer.  My belief is, jewelry should be valuable... not always in the price, but to the one wearing it." 

shop / facebook

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Thanks so much to Amanda, Jackie and Lindsey for being a part of this post! We hope that you'll check out their shops and websites to see even more goodness from these creative ladies.

Happy Thursday! 
Joie Mag Team

Super Easy DIY: Will You Be My Bridesmaid?

Have you seen the "Will you be my bridesmaid?" gift trend going around? Well, here's a really easy and meaningful DIY way to make some for your girls!

Supplies:

- Two different colors of washi tape, in your wedding color scheme (can be found at Paper Source)

- An ink pad

- A paper tag (can also be found at Paper Source)

- One small kraft paper box (I got this one at Michael's)

- Some "filler" shreds of paper. Or you could use fabric.

- Small piece of paper to write a note on.

- A small, very special gift (I chose a sterling silver ring)

- A marker

- Scissors

1. Cover all four outside edges of the kraft paper box with one of the colors of washi tape.

2. Open the ink pad and press it firmly onto the top of the box. Careful, it takes a while to dry. 

3. Cut hearts out of the second color of washi tape. Place them in a cluster, anywhere on the top of the box.

4. Also ink the paper tag (the more gold the better!)

5. Add some personal touches! Write a special note on the card inside and your friend's name on the tag. Tape the tag to the box and voila!

There you go! An easy DIY for your future bridesmaids. Definitely add your own twists to it, like using your wedding colors and choosing specialized individual gifts for each girl. 

Send us your DIYs! Tag your photos #joieDIYfun on Instagram! 

~joie mag team