Month: September 2022

Posted on by — Leave a comment

What’s a Bro-dal Shower Anyway?

bro-dal shower

Why yes, that is precisely what it is! 

This day in age, anything goes when it comes to your wedding. Tradition, be damned! It’s all about following your heart. A bro-dal shower, while atypical, is just that – a shower for the groom. This is not to be confused with a grooms’ shower (for two grooms) or a couple’s shower (aka a Jack & Jill Party). At the bro-dal shower, a singular groom is the star of the show.

Shower Origins

According to World Bride Magazine, bridal showers date back to 16th century Holland. In the event the father of a bride were against the marriage, or too poor to afford a dowry, friends and family of the bride would provide her with small gifts to help her begin the next chapter. In slightly more modern times (think late 1800’s), the term “shower” originated from the tradition of putting gifts inside a paper parasol and opening it up over the bride, so she was “showered” with them. To this day, bridal showers remain meaningful events in which others offer their well wishes, advice, and thoughtful gifts to help the bride begin her new married life.

Do Bros Really Want That?

Depends on the bro! Sentimental men may appreciate the meaning behind the shower and relish in a few hours spent with loved ones, honoring the next chapter of his life. On the other hand, a lot of grooms could do without, so long as they get their bachelor party! The two are not mutually exclusive. You may have a sentimental groom who would appreciate it in theory, but doesn’t want to appear as if the event is just a gift grab, or doesn’t want to add another event to a seemingly endless list of wedding-related events – both for his sake and the guests’!

So When is The Right Time to Have a Bro-dal Shower?

A bro-dal shower isn’t for everyone, but there are circumstances where it may be a good option:

  • Your colleague is getting married and you want to celebrate this milestone, so you throw him a low-key bro-dal shower at the office.
  • The groom is part of a large family of women who want to celebrate him but would not get to go to his bachelor party.
  • The groom wants a shower but not for the gifts, so insists guests just bring themselves instead (your presence is the present).
  • The bride doesn’t want a bridal shower (hey, it’s 2022 – anything goes!)
  • Your culture celebrates grooms in a similar fashion to how the US celebrates brides.

I Want to Throw a Bro-dal Shower!

That’s great! Making someone feel appreciated and celebrated during important moments of their life is never time wasted. If you’re looking for a bro-dal shower invitation, be sure to check out our template below! The invite is fully customizable and you can either send it digitally or get it printed to send in the mail. If you want a different design for the bro-dal shower invite, send me a message and let me know! I want to create things my readers want and I’m happy to take your feedback! 

Posted on by — Leave a comment

DIY – Make Your Own Wedding Centerpiece Vase for $5!

Make your own wedding centerpiece vase

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I get a small commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links. This is at no cost to you.

Table of Contents

If you’re willing to DIY a little, you can save a lot of money by making your own wedding centerpiece vase or compote. Even better, you can sell it for a profit when you’re done! 

DIY gold compote vase. Added some faux flowers for effect.

I spent a lot of time online looking for inspiring table settings that would trigger a desire in me to replicate it for my own wedding. Once I stumbled upon a gold compote vase, I knew it was meant to be. These pedestal vases are so elegant and charming. I couldn’t believe they were going for $19 a pop on Etsy. A floral budget will quickly skyrocket when you start adding in all the various vessels. I questioned how the sellers were making these and after some digging, realized they were just using some stuff from the Dollar Tree. Off I went on my quest to replicate these compotes and save some money!!

Materials Needed

  1. Glass Bowls – The Dollar Tree – $1.25 at time of publishing (yes, blame inflation on the extra quarter. These should be available in-store).
  2. Glass Candlesticks – The Dollar Tree – $1.25 at time of publishing (you may have to order these online and pay for shipping because they are not always in store. If you order 10, it will come out to a reasonable ~$2.25/stick)
  3.  E6000 Adhesive – Amazon/Home Depot/Michaels
  4. Spray Paint– Amazon/Home Depot –  you will likely use one can for all your materials. Here’s where you can customize. Do you want gold, silver, or bronze? Do you want to give it a mercury glass effect? Do you just want it clear? Choose what looks best with your desired aesthetic!  
  5. Top Coat – Amazon/Home Depot
That’s it! While some of the supplies cost more than $5 individually, you will be able to use them for all the vases you make, therefore spreading out the unit cost among all of them! 
The supplies you need, plus a top coat enamel if you'd like.

Painting the Glassware

Follow these steps for painting your glass bowl and candle stick holder.

  1. Remove labels. You may need rubbing alcohol to assist with this.
  2. Thoroughly clean and dry the bowl and candlestick holder.
  3.  Choose a well-ventilated spot to spray paint the glassware. This could be the garage or outdoors. 
  4. Prepare the area. This could mean finding an old cardboard box on which to put the glassware, or creating a makeshift spray booth that protects the surroundings from overspray.
  5. Put the bowl upside down and the candle stick holder right side up. I recommend painting the outside of the bowl versus the inside because the inside will have the potential to get scraped up during the flower arranging process.
  6. Spray paint! Don’t overdo it. Thin layers are best to prevent drips. Follow the instructions on your spray paint can regarding recoating times. It’s not a bad idea to do at least 2 coats to ensure you are giving it an opaque finish. 
  7. Let dry for at least 24 hours.
  8. Optional: Top coat with a clear enamel and let dry for at least 24 hours.
After spray painting a bowl and a candlestick outside. I transported these inside the garage to further dry.
About to top coat with clear enamel. Be careful to choose an appropriate sheen. I chose satin.

Attaching the Glassware to Create the Compote Vase

Once you are satisfied with your paint job (double check that you can’t see through it and it looks good), it’s time to affix the candle stick holder to the bowl!

1. Turn your bowl upside down.
2. Draw a bead of the glue around the rim of the candle stick holder.
3. Draw a bead of glue on the base of the bowl (around where the candle stick will be affixed – test this out first).
4. Secure the candle stick to the bowl, ensuring it’s centered properly.
5. Let it dry and cure for at least 24 hours (check glue label).

Make sure you have your E6000 adhesive! I'll explain why one bowl is darker than the other below.
Let the glue cure for at least 24 hours to ensure the connection is solid.

Curing

After Googling how to cure paint, I decided to bake my bowl and candle stick (before I secured them with glue). I put them in the oven at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes. This is the color they were when I took them out:

NOT the bright, shiny gold I had put on them.

Moreover, they had a really weird texture to them that was very irritating on my hands. 

Needless to say, I do NOT recommend curing these in the oven. Learn from my mistake! I ended up re-doing these so they are now the appropriate bright, shiny gold I intended for them. However, since I am only painting the outside of the bowl, the inside still shows darker (as per the photos above). That’s okay, because no one is going to see the inside when it’s full of beautiful flowers!

The best way to cure them is time. And a top coat doesn’t hurt either.

 

Ta-da! Beautiful DIY wedding centerpiece compotes

So that’s it!!! If you’ve tackled this project, I’d love to see your results in the comments! Happy DIYing!!

If you’re still looking for a florist, be sure to check out our Florist Comparison Tracker!

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Dare To Be Different: Floral Wedding Dresses

floral wedding gown

Choosing a dress is one of the biggest decisions you’ll make when planning your wedding. Do you want to go classic? Boho? Simple? Detailed? Do you want to have long sleeves? No sleeves? Be tea length or short? Don’t even get me started on silhouette. There are so many, too many, options to consider.

The most important question you have to ask and answer yourself when shopping for your wedding dress is:

DO I LOVE IT?

Who cares what your best friend thinks? It doesn’t matter what your mom thinks. What matters is what YOU think. Be true to yourself and you’ll have no regrets.

In this spirit, I’m going to share some really amazing floral wedding dresses that I adore. The women who choose these dresses in real life are 100% themselves and don’t succumb to the industry expectations of what you should wear. They didn’t listen when their mom said they wouldn’t look like a “traditional” bride, but that’s not what they’re going for.

This wildflower dress is so whimsical.

Floral Wedding Dresses
Dress: Natalie Wynn Bridal | Photography: Megan Robinson

Wow! Talk about a showstopper! I’ve got such a thing for Marchesa everything.

Marchesa floral wedding gown
Dress: Marchesa | Photo: KT Merry

Real bride alert! 

Dress: Celestina by Ronald Joyce | Photography: Imogen Eve

Just stunning

Dress: Frida Jonsvens | Photography: Annie Hyrefeldt

Imagine going to a winter wedding and the bride walks down the aisle in this dress.  *Jaw drops*

Dress: Frida Jonsvens | Photography: Maria Broström

Maybe you want a traditional bridal gown but also want a unique accessory to stand out. Enter this cottagecore wildflower veil!

floral bridal veil
Veil: David’s Bridal

These were just gorgeous. Looking for some bridal gown inspiration for yourself? Be sure to check out our wedding inspo page! 

Want to get updated when we have new products and posts (+ get access to exclusive discounts)? Sign-up for our newsletter! Don't worry, we won't spam your inbox.