True Story

I received an unexpected and sweet email that I just had to share.  Here it is in her own words.

Hi Judy!


I bought your daughter's wedding dress over a year ago. I saw that you have started an eco-boutique and thought I would let you know how much I enjoyed the experience of purchasing a pre-owned wedding dress from you. Since you packed up and shipped off the dress, it has done a lot more traveling. We were married in Santorini, Greece a week ago. I carried it on 3 different flights to get there!!! Eighteen of our close family and friends joined us and it was absolutely amazing. I am now reflecting back on all of the planning and how the wedding came together and I thought it would be fun to send you a picture so you can see the dress recycled and loved all over again.

We have not rececived our professional pictures yet but here are a couple that were taken.

Thanks so much for making it a wonderful experience.

Take care,

Heather

If It Fits It Ships

Ever use that flat rate shipping that the USPS offers?  If you could squeeze your wedding dress into that larger flat box, it would be a deal!  Unfortunately, most wedding dresses are going to require a more involved shipping and handling process. 

When my daughter sold her Paloma Blanca gown, we were excited, of course.  We were also nervous.  The gown needed to be paid for, the shipping address confirmed, and the dress safely delivered.  There were some snafus that we encountered in the payment that turned out to be an overly cautious credit card company, but that is a good thing in today's crazy Internet world where scammers lurk.  So once payment was secured, the shipping rested squarely on our shoulders.  I first confirmed the buyers address.  How?  Ever hear of google?  And I called the phone number given to give us some reassurance that this was the real deal.  Can you see how skeptical I am?  I was able to find out that someone would be there for delivery, and that was important, too.  Next, I went comparison shopping.  I only have two options locally.  USPS and UPS.  I started at UPS thinking I would get faster service.  I was shocked to learn that they could not offer me delivery confirmation.  That was after they had measured and weighed and estimated between $50 and $60 to ship.  USPS offered tracking,delivery confirmation, and insurance for a very reasonable price.  Now before you invest in USPS insurance, please know that unless you have a receipt for what you are shipping, you are wasting your money.  I had the receipt, luckily, so I felt very fortunate to be able to insure it.  It still cost over $50 to ship, but I packed it in a box suitable for the gown's fullness and still allow for some packing material so it was a HUGE box!  To pack the dress, I lined the box with lots of plastic bubble wrap to make it as waterproof as possible.  The dress itself was also in its garment bag to prevent soiling and provide another moisture barrier.  I stuffed any empty space with white tissue.  On the outside I marked top and bottom and noted on the box to avoid sharp objects.  I was so nervous letting it go, but my husband laughed and said it was the buyer who should be worried, not me.  She had paid me almost $1000 and I had her money and the dress.  Still, I wanted the transaction to go smoothly.
Happy Ending?  Yes!  The gown arrived safe and sound.  It fit her like a glove.  She was thrilled to get a dress for half of what it would have cost, and my daughter and her new husband bought a piece of antique furniture for their new nest. 
I just hope she saved the box...

Announcing

I asked and you responded overwhelmingly, YES.  Newspaper announcements are still highly desired by the bride and groom along with their families as a way to share their good news.  I promised my advise on how to accomplish this task and I hope you will find this blog post very useful.  Feel free to cut and paste and if you think about it, send me a link to your announcement when it's published.  I would love to read it!

First, I hope you will take care of this in the weeks before your wedding.  Decide which newspapers you want to send your announcement, contact them or visit their website for pricing and publication deadlines, and write your wedding announcement.  Even if the newpaper has a form, I suggest you supply your own copy of the announcement.  They will edit it, if necessary. 

Here is a basic format to follow for your announcement.  It can be tweeked in lots of different ways depending on the size of the announcement you are purchasing.  See notes following the basic form for suggestions.

Announcement How-to

It starts with the who, what, when, where.

(Your names) and were united in Holy Matrimony on (date) at (place). (Officiant) officiated the ceremony.  A reception followed at (place).

The bride, daughter of (parents' names and their city), is the granddaughter of (all the grandparents here, including those who have passed away and their cities).  She is a graduate of (school) and is employed by (employer) as (job title).

The groom, son of (groom's parents and their city), is the grandson of (all the grandparents and their cities).  He is a graduate of (school) and is employed by (employer) as (job title).

(MOH's name and her city, if desired) was maid of honor.  Bridesmaids were (their names and any other identifying information you want to include, such as friends, sisters, cousins, etc). ( Child's name)was the flower girl.

The groom's father (if applicable) served as best man.  Groomsmen were (the guys' names and again any information you wish to add).  (Child's name) was the ring bearer.

After a honeymoon trip to (location), the couple will be at home in (city).

Notes

Using that basic format, there will be lots of personalization that you will do.  Perhaps you had special music.  Place that in the first paragraph. 

Want to say more about your bridal party?  You can include if they are sisters or brothers of the bride or groom or friends of the bride.  You can include their city and state.  Just keep in mind, that your space is limited.

I used the example of the father being the best man, but if he isn't, just use the same format as maid of honor.

I think its nice to include a note about the rehearsal dinner, too. I would place that in the last paragraph right before the honeymoon information. 

Costs

I did some comparison shopping of three major publications in our state and found that announcements ranged from $150- $1000.  Most brides probably choose something in the middle.  Smaller newpapers will not charge nearly that amount and may be all you need to please family and locals.

Talk to your photographer about a newspaper proof.  They are usually quite reasonable considering the amount of other work they are doing for you. 

Now, remember to send me those wonderful announcements and if you have any specific questions, I will be happy to give you my input.  Just leave a comment or send me an email. 

She said Yes!

Micha Everett Photography

Ah, such joy can be spread with three little words.  "I love you." "Let's get married." and "She said yes!"  And when you are THAT happy, you want to let everyone know it!  My advice to newly engaged couples has always been, "Just enjoy being engaged for a while." Wedding planning is not going to be easy, and it may even be stressful at times. So just for now, please...be happy.

Micha Everett Photography

This is a great time to go ahead and shoot your engagement photos.  I just received some pictures from a recent shoot in Pensacola by Micha Everett Photography that capture the happiness of a New Orleans couple.  Aren't they just the cutest.  And yes, I know you want that dress...and those shoes...and that guy....

Micha Everett Photography

Sorry, they're all taken.

Congratulations, Leigha and Nate! Thank you for sharing, Micha!

Congratulations, Chelsea!

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Did You Hear the News?

I planned to write some tips on how to submit your wedding write up to your newspaper, but then I wondered. How many brides do that anymore?

There's no doubt that the newspaper industry is suffering. People have shifted to online news and get inundated by television news outlets. Then there's twitter and facebook and myspace and blogs, oh my! Who needs to put an announcement in the newspaper anymore?

So, before I tell you HOW to do that, please tell me...Did you or do you plan to submit your wedding to your newspaper?  Please take the poll and leave a comment with your view on this.

Quizzes by Quibblo.com

Be Our Guest

Meet Ashley, a recent bride and author of Bride on a Budget. 
Photo Credit: Micha Everett Photography

No doubt we are slap dab in the middle of wedding season 2010!  Our extended family is blessed to be celebrating a wedding in three weeks, so everyone has begun to ask, "What are you wearing?"  Yes, it's true, the focus will be on what the bride is wearing.  Yet guests care about how they look, too.  There will be photographers and cameras, you know!  So here are a few things to keep in mind.

White is out, unless you're the bride. That goes for the guys, too.

Great choice by this couple!

Black is for evenings, as well as sequins. Wear those after 6:00.

Don't wear overtly sexy attire. If you wonder if it's appropriate, the answer is no.

You don't need to coordinate with the bride's colors. You couldn't possibly be expected to know all those details.

Guys should wear suits, possibly a sports coat, for informal day weddings. The best choice for later in the day is a dark suit.

Anything more formal, such as a tux, will be stated on the invitation.

A perfect dress for a wedding.

There you have it.  Easy, right?  WRONG!  I am still debating what to wear to the wedding in three weeks.  I have the perfect black dress, but the wedding is at five o'clock, so I am rethinking that.  Thanks to Ashley, from Bride on a Budget, and her guests for showing us all how it's done.  Her guests looked amazing!   (Please visit Ashley's blog to see all her DIY projects and budget tips.) 

Let's see if we can help each other out with what to wear.  The Green Hanger Shop usually charges a small fee for its listings. However, we have created a new category  that offers free 30 day listings for dresses that guests have worn and are ready to sell.

The best thing to wear? A SMILE!

Drop by and register as a user with us to submit your free 30 day ad. (They will be approved before posting.)  We are looking for gently used, clean, and current dresses, shoes, and accessories.  Guys are welcome to submit their wedding attire, too! Free ads are for items priced $50 or less only.

If you have something to share or need something to wear, please~

Be our guest!

~Judy