Postage Options

So, I’m a girl. And a girlie girl at that. Honestly, if I have to pay a little bit more for something to look better, in my opinion, it’s totally worth it. I don’t lie about this. It’s part of who I am. Accept it, embrace it, and move on.

This little quirk of mine also applies to our wedding. More specifically to our wedding invitations. Now that the suite is finished, I did what I said that I would do, and I brought a finished invite to work with me to weigh it in today...this was smart before I go and buy the stamps, right? Right.

I reverently placed MOH’s invite on the postage scale and held my breath. It read out that I would need $.61 of postage to mail my babies off. (Yes, I just called my invitations my children. When you’ve worked this hard and slaved and worried over them for as long as I have, they’re like family!) After finding that out, what is the first thing that you think that I would do when I got home?

If you guessed checking USPS online to see what stamps options are available, you’re RIGHT! I logged in real quick and took a peak at the “Additional Postage” options out there. Here’s what I came up with:

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My favorite? The wedding cake. That one comes in right at $.61, which makes it perfect for my budget. I know what you’re asking yourself right about now...well, S, if the design is great and the postage meter says that’s how much postage you need, then what’s the problem? Why the long post?

Here it is. I haven’t embossed the outer envelope. I wasn’t sure that I was going to, but after seeing it all together, it looks a little plain to me...I think that it needs a little something to punch it up a little bit, and our scroll stamp is perfect. Since we used it on the outer envelopes for our Save the Dates and it’s on the actual invitation, it’s the perfect thing to dress up the envelope a bit. But what will it do to the weight of my invitation? Do you think that it would be enough to tip the invite into a higher postage bracket? I don’t know.

I see two options. #1) Cross my fingers, toes and anything else that can be crossed and hold my breath while I emboss one and then re-weigh it tomorrow on the postage scale. Pray to the heavens above that my little stamp and embossing powder will NOT add enough extra weight to the suite to cause me to need more postage. #2) Go ahead and buy a different stamp that has extra postage built into it. There are several that I like, and maybe B won’t have an opinion...oh wait, who am I kidding? I’ve got the world’s most opinionated groom in history! And I LOVE it! Don’t take that the wrong way honey and get defensive!

What’s your vote? What would you do? The other thing to consider is that the post offices might not have the actual stamp that we select, and I’ll have to order it. Granted, it only takes two days to get here...but that would put me past my own deadline...decisions, decisions, decisions. Such is the life of a bride!

Senior Pictures – Raynee

It's not often that I get to see "other" work that a photographer that I stalk does. So imagine my surprise when I clicked onto the Pink Posh Photography website to check out what was new and found these adorable senior portraits!

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What do you think? I love the pop of color that the flower prop brings to the shoot.


Would you have liked having some candid shots like this versus the canned/posed shots that you might actually have? I would! Then again, I'd like to be 17 again...not really! LOL!


Run over to their blog to check out the rest of the session with Raynee and Pink Posh - you'll LOVE it!

Stormy Weather Anyone???

Does an image like this one....

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make you want to possibly have rain on your wedding day?

I know, I know...that sounds kind of backwards. The last thing that most brides want on their wedding day is rain, but if you could get a picture like the one above...with your gown blowing in the wind as the storm rolls in, your hair all tossled about, and the skies above dark with thunderstorm clouds, while also reflecting the last rays of sunshine in the sky...would you do it?


Not actually stand there in the coming stormy weather until raindrops fall. Because let's be honest here, you didn't spend ALL that money just to have your hair and make-up ruined by rain! And definitely AFTER your ceremony if you're a bride like me with an outdoor ceremony. But if you also have an indoor reception following your ceremony...would stormy weather really be that bad?

I think that a shot like that one would be worth a few storm clouds on my wedding day. Of course, now that I've said that, I've probably jinxed myself to doom with a rainy wedding day...which isn't REALLY what I want!

Then again, if it does storm, then maybe I could have some rainy-day accessories like these...

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What do you think? Worth it for that dramatic shot? Or you would prefer sunshine on your big day?

Featured Wedding - Jara & David

Christina of Christina Carroll Photography brings us our eye candy today. This is just the cutest wedding filled with laughter and joy that definitely falls into the category of Intimate Weddings, if you ask me. Here's what Christina had to say about the event:

"Jara & David had a sweet and intimate ceremony at Chapel Dulcinea. They drove from Dallas because they fell in love with Chapel Dulcinea. There was so much emotion and love between the two of them!"

Here are some of my favorites from the day...

You know that I had to include some pictures of Jara's beautiful purple bouquet!

Be sure to go on over to Christina's blog here to see the rest of the pictures from this wedding. Congratulations Jara and David! Wish you the best!

Envelope Sneak Peek

I know that I said that I wasn't going to show off the invites yet...so to hold you off before I can show them off, here are some pictures of the envelopes being printed and drying. I did receive the replacement envelopes in the right size before the weekend started, so I knew that I wanted to try to print them all out this past weekend.

Here they are all laid out while I printed out the return address on the backs of the envelopes:And yeah, they didn't just cover the couch seats, they spread across the top of the couch too:Actually, they also took up a large portion of the bannister that runs along the upstairs hallway, which I didn't get a picture of. Here's a close-up as they dry:

They're SO beautiful, if I do say so myself! You can't really see the sheen that the paper has, which just makes it SO elegant, in my opinion. In fact, it's so shiny and opalescent that if I use my flash with my camera, the picture doesn't even turn out due to the reflection.

I have to admit that with all the other problems that I had with printing on the cover weight Stardream paper, I was a little apprehensive about printing on Stardream envelopes. Lucky for me, the envelopes were as easy to work with as the text weight paper was. After some small layout and spacing adjustments were made, these ran through my printer at home with no problem at all.

I printed the return addresses on Saturday and let them dry all day long. Then on Sunday afternoon, I made a mail merge with my wedding address database file and printed out most of the actual invitations. (Yes, we still have a few stragglers who we haven't gotten an address for, or they've moved and I haven't thought to get their new address.) So I'll still have about 5-10 envelopes to print out later this week at some point.

I'm getting REALLY close to my own self-imposed deadline on getting these babies in the mail. My own deadline set was September 1st...which is just a two days away as I write this. Luckily for me, I plan on taking one invitation with me to work tomorrow and weighing it on our postage meter. That way, I know exactly how much postage they are going to need. I think that I know...but I want to be certain. Then, once I know the amount of postage needed, I'll head off to the post office and buy the stamps. If I manage to do all of that tomorrow, then I'll just need to put the stamps onto the outer envelopes and drop them in the mail the day after.

I might actually meet my deadline on 95% of them. Thankfully the few that I know need that need adjustments all live either in Austin or at least within the state of Texas, and one or two additional days before I mail them won't make that much of a difference.

Are you DIY-ing your invitations? How is it going? Or how did it go, if you've already finished? I'd LOVE to hear about your own experience.

After Shoot - Amanda and Marcos

I showed you their wedding the other day, and here's the after session that Christina from Christina Carroll Photography brought to us...I agree with what Christina had to say regarding the shoot!

"The resort had some great locations for the after session. We walked around and took pictures and then ended up on the beach. What a sunset! It made a perfect backdrop to finish up our session. Thanks Amanda & Marcos for being troopers and getting dressed up again!"

That is ONE easy-going groom! Without further ado...here's my favorites:

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I just LOVE the colors in the sky on that last shot! Too beautiful. Congrats to Amanda and Marcos!

Be sure and head over to Christina's blog found here to check out the rest of the gorgeous images from their after shoot...

An Easy Project...

I know, I know – this isn’t really the stuff that you want to see or hear about. This is a simple (and cheap!) project that I also knocked out this weekend while MOH was here helping me...but it’s NOT any of the big projects that I had posted about getting done. Sorry. Don’t hate me. I promise that I’m working on those, so this is just a little teaser in the meantime!

I found some plain, but cute, little vases at my local Wal-Mart a few weeks ago. At $1 a piece, I thought that they would be a great buy and the perfect thing that I would need to set at various spots around our reception. You know the cake table or the signing table or the escort card table might need a little floral love...these vases were the perfect size to add some floral accents without being a big centerpiece design or too overwhelming.

The problem with them? I thought that they needed a little something more...more panache, more jazz, just more. And since this was a simple DIY project, I started on it while MOH was busy working on my invites! (I’m SUCH a slave driver!) J

Here they are before.
To jazz them up a bit, I had seen a bee on weddingbee that added some ribbon to her centerpiece vases that added just enough of a touch of elegance to them that I was going to work off of. She had added a ribbon going all the way around the vase, and then crafted a bow to polish the look off. I found some ribbon that was a little sparkly organza in a black that was perfect for this the week before while shopping on Harry Hines Blvd in Dallas, TX.

First I measure off the length of ribbon that I would need. Then I cut 12 strips of ribbon.
I pulled out my handy hot glue gun and warmed it up. While it was warming up, I asked MOH for her opinion on bow or no bow...and she came up with an idea that was quite brilliant. Since she had been spending most of her weekend becoming “one” with the invitation suite, she immediately suggested that I use our monogram piece to jazz up the vase a little bit. I hadn’t even considered that as an option, so I set out trying it out.

But first I had to get the ribbon secured around the vase. I probably could have just used double-sided tape or something here, but I like the hot glue gun and it’s been feeling a little neglected since I finished all of my pomander projects. LOL.

One thing that I have seen is a bride making a template of sorts so that all the ribbons fall at the same height on the vases. Can you guess if I did that or not? Come on, take a guess...

If you guessed that I did, you would be...WRONG! Yep, you read that right folks. I can be anal-retentive with a touch of obsessive compulsiveness thrown in there for good measure about certain things be absolutely perfect (ahem, the invitations, cough) but this wasn’t one of them. Maybe I was fresh out of obsessiveness that day...but it also helps that these won’t be side by side. It would take a pretty discerning guest to compare these and see that they weren’t perfectly the same.

So a little dab of hot glue directly on the vase...in the general vicinity of where I thought it needed to go...Attach one end of the ribbon and press down so that the glue comes through the sheer material... And then wrap the ribbon around and press to the glue spot again to secure. After I let them dry for a minute, this is what I had. Following MOH’s suggestion, I taped a monogram to the ribbon to test the waters with it. I love that using the monogram would give me another opportunity to use it, as both B and I love it to death. And I think that the monogram gives the vase a very polished look, don’t you think?See for yourself. All in all, I’m happy with the final result. I’ve got to make some more of the monograms, and for the final product, I’ll use hot glue to attach the monogram as well...I don’t want to worry about tape coming unstuck. This was a cheap project that was finished in record time...a whopping 10 minutes. And all because I didn’t feel the need to measure them off! Just kidding.

Here’s a cost breakdown:
12 vases from Wal-Mart - $12.99
25 yard spool of organza ribbon - $3.24
Hot glue gun and sticks – leftovers from other projects
Monograms – leftovers from invitation suite
Total cost – $16.23

Making each vase a whopping $1.35!!! Yea for cheap and fast projects. In fact, these were so easy and simple that if I decide that I need some more vases to place around the reception venue, this would be a great choice. And I can easily fill them with leftover flowers from my centerpiece arrangements.

Did you have a project turn out so well for you? Not just how easy it was to complete, but also in terms of being budget-friendly? I’m curious to hear about it!

All images taken by me...and let me just mention now how HARD it is to do DIY projects with one hand while holding and focusing a camera with the other hand!

Coupons/Contests/Give-Aways...

I did a post like this last week. I think that you enjoyed it, so here’s another one...apparently I’ve either registered at all of these places, or they’re now just sending me information to pass along to the rest of the bridal world. Here are the deals and steals that I was told about this week:

PaperMojo – 15% off of EVERYTHING while their offices are closed for a long week and holiday weekend. The dates of the sale are August 29th-September 7th, and while the store is officially closed, you can just visit their website here for the savings!

The Allan House – ATTENTION all Austin, TX area brides, the famous Allan House is offering this special, and I just almost couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw it...50% off booking rates for remaining September, October, and November available dates for 2009. WOW. Go here to get more info on The Allan House. (And if you schedule with them for December, January or February months, they include the use of a 30’x60’ clear, heated tent!)

Alfred Angelo – they are hosting up to $250 off of their Sapphire collection between the dates of August 30th-September 11th. If you’ve been waiting for a sale, this is it! Go here to get the coupon, and also there is a FREE gift with purchase and a chance to win these earrings.

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Paper Source - they are hosting an even that MOST brides that I know of (myself included!) aren't going to want to miss. Since I'm down to the wire on my own planning and working really hard to try to tie all of the various elements together in one cohesive mix, this is definitely something that I want to attend! Check out their ad...or go to their website for more info. BTW, the event isn't until September 10th...

sourced from an email that Maid Britnet sent to me!

Hancock Fabrics - For all of you sewers out there (like me!) who are on the prowl for great fabric on the cheap, head on over to Hancocks. They're having a 4-day sale starting Aug 27th and running through the weekend. Also, they've got Butterwick patterns on sale for $.99!!

JCPenney - is offering free shipping on internet orders over $49. Use promo code SHIP2YOU during check out to receive this offer.

OvernightPrints.com - is running a special offer now through Sept. 7th. They are offering a FREE 5x5 photo book!! Yep, it says free, and doesn't mention another purchase being required. Use coupon code ONPFREE5D to take advantage of this special offer. Click here for more information.

Etsy - they are having their BOGO this weekend with featured vendors. If you aren't signed up with Etsy, and therefore do not receive those emails, send me your email address and I'll forward the list of vendors participating this weekend to you.

I think that's all that I've gotten this week...have a GREAT weekend and Happy Shopping!

Later...

Did you know that there is life after your wedding? I’m not sure that I do. Especially right now. We’re at T minus less than 60 days and it’s getting close. Like really close. For almost a whole year now, mine and B’s conversations have revolved around our wedding. What we liked, what we didn’t like, the overall feel and atmosphere that we wanted to create...you get the picture, right?

It’s the oddest thing, but our conversations are starting to begin with this sentence: “After the wedding is over...” and then fill in the blank.

It’s really an amazing feeling. To know that there is a time AFTER the wedding. When we’ll be husband and wife. When every spare penny won’t be pumped into our wedding account. When there won’t be piles of this and that scattered around our house, waiting for me to have 10 uninterrupted minutes to “finish up just one little thing.” When I will have time to watch TV again.

I might not know what to do with myself. Honestly. You think that I’m joking here, but I’m not. I’ve been so focused on this wedding, and all of the DIY projects that I’ve had on my plate that it’s almost mind-blowing to find myself wrapping things up. And since you know all about B putting the restriction for new projects on me...I’m becoming reacquainted with someone that I haven’t seen in a while – Free Time. Isn’t that crazy?

Please tell me that I’m not the only bride to feel this way. To feel that there’s actually light at the end of the tunnel, and instead of getting smaller and smaller, it’s starting to illuminate the space around me. I actually took the time to vacuum my house last night. In the middle of the week. AND I did the stairs, which involved pulling attachments out of the closet. You’re snickering at me right now, but I can’t honestly tell you the last time that I did household chores on a week night! For real.

It’s kind of nice. I’ve been a little apprehensive about what I would do with myself once the wedding was done and over with...could it be possible that the day that happens is getting closer and closer? Yes, I do believe it is. Wow. I might need to sit down and put my head between my knees for a minute as this idea takes hold...otherwise I could fall and trip in my excitement as I skip down the hall!

How are/were you feeling at 60 days out from your wedding? I’ve been SO stressed the last month (like worse than normal) that this peace coming over me is SO nice! But I’m sure that it’s bound to be short-lived as we get closer and closer to our date. Do you have any stress-relieving tips to share with us?

The Printer “Beast” is FINALLY Beaten...

I don’t know what the final score should be, but all that matters in the end is that the last of the invitation inserts were printed out and finalized this past weekend. Yep, I beat the printer. I’ll be honest though, and admit that it was close at times.

There were a few days of cursing...many days of cursing, actually. And a few days where I beat the printer on the sides and top until my hand hurt...B got on to me for doing that the one time that he heard it happening. I was usually smarter than that and did it when he wasn’t at home! LOL. But in the end, we’re friends again. The “beast” is tamed and prints wonderfully now that I’m not using the paper from hell.

I’m a little old-fashioned about posting pictures of the invites themselves before they are mailed and all, so I’m just going to be hateful and leave you with these pictures of MOH and I working our little tails off on them this past weekend. I know, I know. Such a tease. Yeah, yeah – you’ll get over it, I’m sure!

Here we are in all of our DIY-glory...

And that tool bag that's open beside me was something that B was using for the weed-eater that we bought this weekend, nothing invitation related!

No, I don't know WHAT that face that I'm making meant!

Man, that stretch feels GOOD!

Notice the different clothes? Further proof that we worked on them all weekend long!

At the end of the weekend, three more name tags lacked being printed off for me to officially declare this project done. Well, that and the envelope situation has to be resolved. I was just SO happy to have this project off of my plate – I don’t think that words can explain the amount of relief that I felt Sunday when MOH left, knowing that this was mostly done. Seriously. It was a LOT!

So as soon as the envelopes get printed, cross your fingers and toes for luck with THAT, this DIY project can be crossed off of my list. At times, I would call this the project from hell, or the project that nearly broke this bride’s back...but like other brides before me have said, they were truly a labor of love and I wouldn’t have done them any other way.

I promise a close-up post as soon as I hear that the first ones have arrived in mail boxes!

A Little Snafu...

Is that a word? I think that it is. I use it on occasion, and it seemed appropriate in this situation.

Once we got back from the cake tasting, MOH and I layed out all that I wanted to work on that weekend. It was just after lunchtime on Saturday and we needed a game plan. I knew that my list was long of what I wanted to work on, you can see it here, and we thought it was best if we prioritized.

First and foremost, with no questions asked, were the invitations. I wanted to get those all done and as ready-to-mail as we could get them by the end of the weekend. They’ve been the albatross hanging around my neck these past few weeks with all the struggles that I’ve had getting those inserts printed. (Don’t worry – I won’t post links for all of THOSE posts!) So that was definitely item numbero uno on my list.

Second on my list was my centerpieces. I haven’t posted on it yet, but they just weren’t sitting right with me. And I had some new inspiration for them, and wanted someone else (read a GIRL) here to play around with my ideas and my flowers and see what worked and what didn’t work.

After those two items, anything else that we got done was just extra. So after chit-chatting, we decided to get down to it. I had mentioned something about running to Austin to get some materials and we decided that it was smarter to go ahead and run the errands right away rather than get busy and then have to stop and go do it later, so off to Austin we went. After a stop at Michael’s, Hancock Fabrics (yes, I forgot my coupon after I’m the one who posted it!) and Hobby Lobby, we were done as far as I could tell. We grabbed a quick sandwhich from Pot Belly and back home we went. I was a little discouraged because we couldn’t find the one item that I needed to play around with the centerpieces, but oh well. Invitations first.

It was on the way back home when MOH innocently asked about the post that I did here about my concerns about the envelopes that I had ordered being too small. I told her that I had measured it out and it was all fine. We moved on down the road, and a sense of dread started creeping up my spine. Did I measure them out? Or did I just think that I did?

Well, you know what the first thing I did upon getting back home was, right? Yep, grabbing a pocketfold and an envelope package and measuring them up...and they WERE too small!!! I nearly cried. This meant that no matter what all we got done, the invitations wouldn’t be finished this weekend. Insert a VERY sad face here...

Oh well. MOH and B consoled me quite a bit and I realized that if we could do everything except the envelopes that it really wasn’t that bad. I was still disappointed, but it was my own fault, so I couldn’t be that mad about it. Luckily for me, I have the World’s Best Groom, and he told me that when I order the replacement envelopes, to have them rush shipped and not to worry about the cost. Hugs and kisses babe!

Also, lucky for me that Envelopper, Inc. (where I got the envelopes from) has a 60 day return policy, and they asked me no questions today when I called to get the RMA# from them. I have to ship them back, but I’ll get full credit (minus the postage) for my purchase. Which will offset the cost of the new ones that I ordered first thing Monday morning.

I’m happy to say that this was really our main snafu for the weekend of DIY projects. Nothing else went really wrong. If I keep my fingers and toes crossed, the new, correctly-sized envelopes will be here Wednesday or Thursday at the latest. Just in time for a weekend of printing and stuffing envelopes!

Featured Wedding - Cyndi and Manju

The first picture that I saw in this wedding that Pink Posh Photography brings to us grabbed me and just punched me in the gut. I LOVE how dramatic this shot is...don't you?

And the fun wedding colors selected just make me want to crash this wedding...check out some of the details.

Do you love how the stargazer lilies pop in the bride's bouquet? I can't wait to work those into my bridesmaids bouquets and our centerpieces!

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Go on over to Pink Posh's blog to see more fantastic images from this great wedding. These are just a few of my favorites. Hope that you enjoyed the eye candy!

What to Do with Your Dress?

You know which dress I’m talking about...THE wedding dress...YOUR wedding dress. This is a topic that I really haven’t seen a lot posted about on the boards and other blogs that I read daily. So I figured that I might try to get you all to weigh in on things to help me out.

There’s really only a few options that I can think of:
1. Keep it forever (or at least until later when the “connection” to it isn’t as strong)
2. Sell it
3. Donate it to a charity

Or maybe I should say that those were the only options I had thought about BEFORE I had a conversation with Maid Britney a few weeks back. (I’ve had this on my “back burner” for a while since I was focused on other things.)

I don’t remember how the topic came up, but one day we were chatting back and forth and she mentioned her wedding dress. Oh, I know! She was moving into her house, and we were talking about all of the things in her closet – that’s right. Anyway. She mentions her wedding gown and says that she really needs to decide what to do with it. It’s been almost a year since her own wedding, and the dress has just been in her closet this whole time.

A look crosses her face like a light bulb went off and she said that there was something that maybe I could help her with. She started telling me about going to a bridal show somewhere up in Dallas during the year and a half that she was planning her wedding and had seen that there was a company that made quilts out of wedding dresses. She said that the quilts that were made were just gorgeous, and she would love to have one. Was that something that I could help her with? Maybe make it for her?

Well, sure. Sign me up! You know that I love a challenge and I figure that after I finish my own wedding quilt (from the guest “book”) that I’ll be a pro at making a quilt. Or at least more familiar with the process than I am now. LOL. After clarifying with Maid Britney that this would be AFTER my own wedding was over and done with, we agreed to talk about it later. But I really can’t get the idea off of my mind.

This is where you all come in...You see, I haven’t really had any free time to search for ideas for how to do this or tutorials on this subject from other brides. Is there a specific pattern out there to use, or can you just use any quilt pattern that you like? (That’s what I’m assuming) Did you do this with your own wedding dress? Or do you know someone that did? Or have you seen a post about it on a blog somewhere else that I can check out?


I’m pretty much just asking for help on this one...I think that this is a REALLY cool idea for what to do with the dress, if don’t want to keep it for future generations to possibly wear. If you find something that you think that I should check out, leave a comment with the info or click on the “Email Me” button on the right and let me know. I appreciate it and I’ll be sure and post credit for the find!

That’s Just Fine and Dandy!

You’ve got that right – it’s not only a great saying, but it’s an internet store that sells men’s accessories named, you guessed it - The Fine and Dandy Shop. Could these be accessories for the Big Day? Sure they could!

Go ahead, take a gander at what they have for you...I’ll wait here patiently. (I really couldn’t resist using an old-fashioned word there – you’ll know why after you click to their site!)

Isn’t their stuff great?!? I think so. It almost makes me wish that we were having an “old-fashioned” or “turn of the century” themed wedding just to get some of their great accessories!

A few weeks back, Matt with The Fine and Dandy Shop contacted me through the email contact on the right side of my blog. (Yes, it really works, and I check it!) He told me that he had found my blog and thought that the merchandise that The Fine and DandyShop had to offer would be a good “fit” with my blog content and for my readers.

Turns out that he was right. I am thrilled to offer this post for their wares. Here are some of my personal favorites (in case you didn’t click over to their store earlier):

A red/gold ascot

Black and silver polka-dotted handkerchief

A themed Double Decker bus set of cuff links (too cute for the Londoner!)

A fleur-de-lis set of cuff links (for the N'Awlins in us all!)

A great "newspaper boy" cap

This one just reminded of Sinatra and I had to include it!

And, of course, I couldn't not include a purple paisly bow tie!

Like I said - really great stuff. The Shop carries a line of men's accesories that includes (but is not limited to): ties, bow ties, ascots, scarves, handkerchiefs, hats, pocket squares, suspenders and sock garters, wallets, cuff links, tie bars/pins, flasks and money clip and SO much more. Just about everything that your groom would need for his Big Day.

Matt also mentioned to me that they keep a blog up too...I've been checking in on it occassionally and it's a great source of inspiration for men's wear. Here's the link for the blog. If you didn’t check out the store earlier, go now. You won’t be sorry.

Go ahead and dress your groom and his guys up in style!!!

**All images sourced from The Fine and Dandy Shop.