Weddingbee Blog

I very much believe that, when you can, you should buy handmade. Not only are you getting an item which is (at times) completely custom but, you are also supporting an artist (and their art) and usually getting a better deal over factory-made items (which is always a plus!).

There are so many talented artists and designers over on Etsy. When looking through the wedding category, I am stunned by the amount of talent and beautiful items that are being sold. Any idea you have ever had for your wedding, chances are there is someone who can make it for you on Etsy. Just about anything in a seller’s shop can be altered to fit your wedding. Mr. Dolphin and I had some pretty awesome custom Gator cake toppers made through Etsy. My bridal consultant Kari had her Groom’s cake toppers custom made through Etsy, too. So, without further ado, here is a small taste of items available on Etsy to outfit your Groom on your wedding day:

MichelleVerbeeck His/Hers Hitched Cuff $14; ErinBorges “In Case You Get Cold Feet” Socks $30; Cuftlynx Custom Cuff Links $60; MeandMatilda Black Damask Tie $19.99; JMGJewelDesign Flower Fascinator and Boutonniere $45; Somethingbluedesigns I ♥ My Wife Shirt $14.95; InitialImpressions Personalized Grosgrain Ribbon Tag Set (for Dress and Tie) $13; MeandMatilda Modern Ring Bearer and Tie Set $38.99

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I (once again) found myself at the Solutions Bridal in Gainesville last summer. I went in with two of my lovely Gator bridesmaids (we all went to UF together) to show them my garden/vintage/awesome wedding dres.

Kari greeted us and told us the sad news that the store sample of my dress had been sold last week to a bride who would be getting married in the Caribbean in 2 months. At first I was a little bummed I couldn’t show the dress to my gals but Kari immediately cheered me up by asking if we still wanted to ’hang out’, talk wedding, and try on accessories (who wouldn’t want to talk wedding??). Since I was at a crossroads as to what type of veil I should have, it was the perfect opportunity to try some out. Also, I wanted to hear all about what Kari had been up to. She has a super cute/helpful wedding blog, Keetoyourheart, and was three weeks out from marrying her man at the time.
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Here comes the EXCITING part. Oh, I get so giddy wanting to tell you all how I found ‘the one’—the dress which set my little heart a flutter! It all started at the Solutions Bridal in Gainesville, FL. I walked in one (seriously HOT) afternoon to just ’browse’ their selection of dresses.

Photos of the Gainesville Location; taken from Solutions Bridal’s blog The Bridal Closet; look at the detail on those dresses! Oh my!

I was by myself and had no intention of trying on any dresses. Well… that plan lasted for all of 5 minutes. Kari (who later became my super awesome bridal consultant!) listened carefully for everything I was looking for in a wedding dress:
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Before coming into this world of “everything wedding”, I had never heard of bouquet preservation. After hearing from a bride who’d had hers done, it only seemed like the perfect answer. Many brides obsess over their bouquet for their wedding (umm… I’m guilty!) and even have a few nightmares over flowers (uhh… that would be me too!), so it only seems fitting to have the awesome bouquet you toted around on this very special day preserved. Now I’m not talking about having it in a little glass dome on your coffee table. There are so many new ways of preserving your bouquet for years to come.

One company that preserves wedding bouquets is Keepsake Florals. A friend of mine used this company to preserve her bouquet and it turned out beautifully! You can choose every little detail in preserving your luscious flowers, it is completely custom. They can do just about anything you want. Check out some of their work below:

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Last summer I had the opportunity to accompany a courageous friend to her boudoir shoot. Many brides choose to do a boudoir shoot before their wedding day, but my friend’s wedding day has come and gone, so she has chosen to give the photos as a gift to her husband (lucky him!). I had been nervous about doing a boudoir shoot for quite some time, but knew that this was something I might want to do for my hubby-to-be. There is just something about skimping down to my undies for a photographer I don’t know that sort of creeps me out. So, my friend (we will call her the ’guinea pig’) was testing  the waters for me.

The photographer we went with was Jaime from Sweet Serendipity Photography out of Gainesville, FL. Jaime held what she calls a “Rockstar Session” at the The Camelia Rose Inn (a local bed and breakfast) in the ’Anticipation’ room (by the way, super awesome room). I have to say we were both incredibly nervous going into this, but Jaime and her sister were incredibly nice and easy-going. We turned up some tunes and handed my friend (the guinea pig) some champagne as she posed (tastefully!) in her lingerie.

Before diving head first into a boudoir shoot, you will need to find some inspiration…
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Before I arrive at the moment when I tell you about how I found the dress, I feel a little back story on my search for ’the one’ is important. As some of you know, Mr. Dolphin and I had been engaged for 1 1/2 years before I bought my dress. Throughout our long engagement, I scoured the Internet and bridal magazines for wedding dresses, telling myself I was not allowed to try on any dresses until we hit the 1-year mark (’til our wedding). I kept that promise to myself and went shopping the exact weekend of our 1 year countdown; and, just like that, I found the dress of my dreams—the dress that made my heart swoon!

Here was the criteria when looking for the dress of my little Dolphin dreams:

• Sweetheart Neckline
• Flowy
• Romantic
• Soft

And Mr. Dolphin’s Criterion? That he could feel my butt through the dress. No poof-y dresses. What can I say, Mr. Dolphin is a booty man!

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Last summer, about 11 months out from our wedding (I know… I was an early girl), I designed and ordered our guestbook through Blurb. I was a very busy bride getting together details for Mr. Dolphin and my nuptials this May (less then 2 months away, EEK!). And with that, I didn’t want to go with the typical wedding guestbook. You know, the one where everyone just signs their name, kind of like they are checking into your wedding, like it’s a hotel. So begins the story of our guest book.

I wanted something where guests could leave more then just their name. I hope for guests to leave messages for us. So, when looking through all the ways of making a non-typical guestbook I decided on using our engagement photos and compiling them into a Blurb book (ohhh another way to use them in our wedding… boy am I sneaky! After all the Starks did such an awesome job… how could I pass up using them?).

After downloading the Blurb software, it was super easy putting the book together. And when I say super easy… I mean SUPER easy.

Check out our guestbook’s awesomeness below: *all photography by yours truly
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One day while trying to find something to satisfy my need for Gator Bride-ness I typed “gator bride” into Google images to see what would come up. After rummaging through several pages of images I came across a super cute image of two wood carved gators, one with a top hat and the other with a veil made by bunnywithatoolbelt over at Etsy.

They were the cutest Gator themed cake toppers I had ever seen. Only one problem arose…
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When trying to come up with the perfect place to have our long awaited* engagement shoot (*more on the “long awaited-ness” later), my fiance and I racked our brains for a location that would be meaningful for both of us. We figured we could always do the ’typical’ engagement shoot… you know… shoots involving train tracks, beaches, or downtown buildings. Then we thought, ‘hey, why not the University of Florida Campus!?’

Both of our fathers are alumni (and so am I!) of the University of Florida. So, Mr. Dolphin and I practically grew up around the Florida Gators. What a perfect place. I mean… it is the decade of the Gator, am I right? For those who didn’t know that it was the decade of the Gator, feel free to Google Tim Tebow (my second love).

So, on we searched for the perfect (and affordable) photographers. After searching for months, we came across the very talented Ben and Amy Starks of Starks Photography (love them!). They were seriously awesome to work with and did an awesome job (if I do say so myself). But better to show you then to just talk about how awesome they are…

One of my favorites. The stadium was just about empty (thanks to me scheduling the shoot over Spring Break). Smart Miss Dolphin. I tend to commend myself in the third person quite often, so you best get used to it.

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I know everyone says this in their first post as a new bee, but seriously… I think I had a mini heart attack when I found out I was going to be the newest bee over here at Weddingbee. Sweating, heart racing, red faced, jumping up and down… the whole shebang.

And being the lovely Miss Dolphin? I am in heaven. How cute is that moniker, hibiscus flower and all? I’m in LOVE!

I bet y’all want to know who Mr. Dolphin and I are. Well, I’d like to start out with this cute picture of the both of us.

Yes… that is us in 3rd grade together. Mr. Dolphin leaning out of the frame is typical Dolphin behavior. Isn’t he a sweetie?

Mr. Dolphin and I first met 15 years ago, when we were 8 years old and in the same 3rd grade class.
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