Let the sale continue ladies & gents! Today on Small Business Saturday, take a minute to stop and visit people like me, the small guys…or girl in my case. =) We love to feel the love too! The 2nd annual Small Business Saturday is a day dedicated to supporting small businesses on one of the busiest shopping weekends of the year.
And what better place to hit up for more holiday shopping deals on this super supportive day than Etsy! It’s a wonderful place to celebrate the creativity and talents of millions of small business owners and I guarantee you’ll find something worth gifting for the holidays! You may even find yourself something nice to spruce up your home, your tree, or for entertaining this holiday season.
Of course I would love for you to stop by my shop to scope out my goods and receive 25% off your entire purchase! But outside of my little Etsy world there are other small businesses that were so awesome and instrumental this year with either my wedding planning or the launching of my own small business, and for that I am thankful to them. So I ask that you shop with the “little people” this weekend and also when you get a sec, check out the fun stuff the following Etsy peeps got going on too…
Some other favs of mine…
So tell me, what small business do you love supporting and/or will you be supporting today?
Hope you’re Thanksgiving was filled with lots of love, family, and good food! =) Mine definitely was. This year and every year we have so much to be thankful for. I’m thankful for the roof over our heads, the food on our table, and the clothes on our back. I am thankful for my wonderful husband, super duper loving and supportive family, the best friends in the whole wide world, and YOU! It’s so awesome to be part of a great wedding and online community and I thank you for sticking with me through such an amazing year.
Sooo, I suppose I can say I am thankful for Black Friday sales too as it gives me the jump start to my holiday shopping. As I write this it is 7 o’clock in the morning. I have seen the sunset and sunrise while shopping since yesterday evening but I had an amazing time with my sisters and successfully dodged some really outrageous lines. Boy- this year was nuts! Anyone else think so? And for being one of the first 50 people in line to purchase an item at Rack Room Shoes, I got one of their “doorbuster” prizes. What did I win? Drum roll please….A free YEAR of shoes. Shut up! Yeah that’s what I said when I saw it. I seriously still can’t believe it.
So as I still wonder if my year of free shoes is a joke, I am still celebrating the shopping and giving spirit. As you know I recently opened my new Etsy store, Oceanside Designs. And I am so excited to finally begin my first 12 Days of Christmas sale! You fabulous people can enjoy 40% off on any purchase today and this exclusive coupon code is only being shared here with my readers and social networking peeps. But feel free to pass along the discount love to family and friends. Oh and yes- and anyone thinking about purchasing save the date magnets or wedding favor coasters sets this includes you too!
Everyone have a safe and fun holiday shopping weekend! Oh and hey- got any good Black Friday stories to share? Oh do tell!
xo,
Mel
Just a few more days now to spending a fun filled day with great family, friends and amazing grub! We are sooo in need right now of some good home cooking and what better day to feast on mama’s cookin’ than Thanksgiving!
But although the holidays are upon us (doesn’t that mean s’mores and campfires?), it doesn’t take long for my mind to drip off to pretty beaches, crashing waves, and pretty weddings. My mind will remain in Ireland for the rest of the day after this pretty event coordinated by the wonderful Annie Byrne of Aislinn Events.
The adorable couple decided to marry at the 300 year old hunting lodge of Ballintaggart House in Dingle, Ireland. Dan has family from Dingle where he had visited on many occasions as a child. After he and Kelley met, he took her along on some of these trips to Ireland and Dingle which she absolutely fell in love with. She felt the sense of history there for him and wanted to honor that and bring all of their friends to a place that meant so much to them as a couple and family.
From Annie:
Kelley wanted everything to be natural and really reflect the location. With real fuchsia flowers that grow naturally in the area, along with natural fabrics like linen and burlap to contrast with wide plush satin ribbon on Kelley’s dress. The flowers were put into tins covered with fabric, Dan is a member of a Vespa Club in New York so we had mod buttons as gifts and a Vespa delivered as a surprise.
If you ever wondered planning a destination wedding from afar, Annie gives us a little more insight to how to pull it off. Technology nowadays makes things super easy…
Any challenges coordinating with a destination bride? It’s a challenge planning a wedding from abroad for anyone. Couples can feel very separated from the planning process so we kept in close contact through email and Skype and I made sure I noted the small details that Kelley mentioned she liked immediately so they didn’t get lost in the bigger picture. Some details she had even forgotten she mentioned so they were like a surprise on the day!
What is your best advice for other couples planning a wedding right now? Write down your full vision of the day and your priorities along with noting small details you want. It’s so easy to get destracted by other things. Write down your vision and stick to it!
The Creative Team Behind the Scenes:
Photographer: Adam Lerner Weddings / Wedding planner: Annie Byrne, Aislinn Events / Venue: Ballintaggart House, Dingle / Flowers: Leona Fitzmaurice, Every Occasion Florist / Hair: Cathriona Rohan Salon / Makeup: Clodagh Clusky, Pink / Wedding cakes: Cloudberry Bakery /Wedding gown and dresses: J Crew https://www.jcrew.com/index.jsp
Happy Monday everyone! This week officially kicks off the true holiday season! Or do we technically start that at Halloween? Anywho- can’t believe 2011 is coming to an end already. So many amazing things have happened to many of us this year and despite any challenges we’ve each faced, there is so still so much to be thankful for.
And I’m always thankful for the beautiful blue oceans and true love. So what better way to start this week of thanks off than with those two things!
On this lovely Monday (p.s. aren’t all Mondays on a short work week the loveliest?), I have the most stunning trash the dress session from Michelle Castle Photography that I ever did see.
Here’s the scoop from Michelle…
Leslie & Rory are an amazing couple that have had 3 destination photo shoots with me! (the couple resides near Auburn, AL-Rainbow City to be exact) The 1st was their engagement session in Apalachicola, FL in March 2011, then their wedding in the fabulous 30-A area of Santa Rosa Beach, FL this September ,and then this daring Trash the Dress Session at the edge of the jetty’s in Destin, FL the day after their wedding! Don’t let this beautiful backdrop fool you, this couple worked hard walking some 100 yards across large uneven rocks to get the very tip of the jettys. leslie’s dress was heavy and the conditions were difficult with literally 100′s of jelly fish surrounding us! Leslie had one goal in mind and that was a beautiful wall canvas to showcase their destination wedding experience. Going on just a few hrs sleep, the couple braved their morning after the wedding trash the dress session with only 1 cup of coffee. After the session was over they cleaned up, headed to Atlanta, & caught a flight to the Caribbean.
Uh- that dress?! G-O-R-G-E-O-U-S!
Hope everyone enjoys their vacation this week and/or at least a great short work week! Oh- and to thank everyone for all of your amazing support throughout the year and celebrating the recent launch of my new Etsy shop, Oceanside Designs, I’ll be kicking off 12 Days of Christmas deals and discounts starting this Friday. I absolutely can’t wait!!
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