Brides love to be surrounded by those that mean so much to her on her wedding day, and her flower girl is no exception. Flower girls are cute and can provide some fun antics, and these little ladies definitely deserve something special to commemorate being a part of your wedding day.

Young girls adore dolls, and what a better way to thank them than with a custom made doll that resembles them? AND that is exactly what we are giving away!! Goose Beary Shop on Etsy is giving away one handmade Waldorf doll, but before we get into the giveaway, I want to show you some of these cuties while letting you know what a Waldorf doll is.

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Here are Joy Niehaus’s (owner of Goose Beary Shop, which comes from her daughter’s nicknames of “Goose” and “Bear”) own words about the dolls, “ The dolls I make are known as Waldorf or Steiner dolls (though the ones with funky colored hair are technically Waldorf Inspired), and they are made using a German technique. Steiner believed that a child’s toy should be as natural as possible and should allow for a wide spectrum of imaginative play. The heads are sculpted using cotton tubing stuffed with wool roving and sculpted using a needle and strong thread.”

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“The head is then covered with a cotton interlock fabric (think thick t-shirt material) and the body is made of the same material. The face is hand embroidered with cotton embroidery thread and the hair is made of entirely all natural yarn. First, I crochet a cap to snugly fit the doll’s head. After that is sewn on the head I attach individual hairs to the cap giving it a really thick naturally falling head of hair. The clothing is traditionally also made with all natural fibers, however some synthetic materials may be used for flower girl dolls in formal wear type gowns.”

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“Because of the large amounts of wool used in the doll they cannot be washed in a washing machine, and need to be surface washed only. However, wool is naturally anti-bacterial. It also has a nice feel so while the dolls are still light enough for little girls to carry, they have more weight then a rag doll. The wool also retains scents so the doll smells like home and can be a very comforting toy. Each doll can take any where from 8-16 hours to create and is made to be played with for generations.”

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These dolls indeed are special, and I know that your flower girl would LOVE to have one made just for her. One thing to consider is that it may take up to a month to complete a doll, so keep that in mind when ordering. Also, if you want to place an order for a doll, just use the code “WEDDING” for 5% off plus a complimentary extra doll’s dress.

Joy has been generous enough to offer one custom doll (either 7″, 9″ or 12″), and the skin tone (fair, tan, or mocha), eye color (any color they want), and hair color (both natural or hair with fun colored high lights) can all be chosen to match the girl herself. Clothing can be either normal or be made to match the flower girl dress as closely as possible. What a great giveaway!!

Have fun, and here is how to enter …

You can enter multiple times if you follow the guidelines below (be sure to post separate comments each time you do one of the instructions):

1. Visit Goose Beary Shop on Etsy, and let me know what is your favorite item!

2. Tweet the link to this post.

3. Follow Hill City Bride on Twitter.

4. Put the link to this post on facebook.

5. Fan HCB on Facebook.

6. If you have a blog, blog about this post, and then come back and comment along with leaving the link to your blog post.

7. Subscribe to the RSS feed.

8. Subscribe to HCB via email.

9. Click on one of HCB’s wonderful vendors, and come back to tell me who you clicked on and why … fun!!

10. If you have another cool way to get the word out about this post, feel free to do so!

You have until to enter so that I can announce the winner. Do you have to be a bride to enter? NO!! I just want to spread the word about Goose Beary Shop and Hill City Bride, so anyone is welcomed to enter … have fun.

Again, a big thanks goes out to Goose Beary Shop for hosting this great giveaway. You have until 11:59 EST on Wednesday, April 14th to enter. Have fun!!

Remember … if you want to place an order for a doll, just use the code “WEDDING” for 5% off plus a complimentary extra doll’s dress.

While doing some searching on the “manly” aspects of weddings, I came across this posting on mydiyweddingday.com. They are such adorable shirts, and they seem easy enough to make. I can even see a plethora of them for flower girls, ring bearers, bridesmaids … etc. How fun! Special thanks goes out to mydiyweddingday.com … if you are a DIYer, be sure to check out their website for great ideas. Also, this idea was submitted by Lisa Tse of Inkbox Design … she has lovely t-shirts for sale on her website, too, if you are not a DIY bride. Have lots of fun!

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Finding the perfect bridesmaids gift is easy — the biggest problem you’re likely to face is the agonizing decision between all the great options. Coming by a decent groomsmans gift, though, is a little trickier. Save yourself the shopping hassle with this cool project from from Lisa Tse of Inkbox Design Boutique. Her fun groomsman T-shirts are inexpensive and easy to make. Bonus: She also has a great technique for packaging the finished product.

Materials
Blank, light-colored T-shirts
Iron-on transfer paper and an iron (or a local copy store!)
3″ x 12″ clear, plastic mailing tubes
Festive paper (optional)
Ribbon

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Step 1: Use the word-processing program on your computer to play around with fonts. Choose a style you like — simple, fancy, formal or fun. You can use the same font for all your shirts or mix them up.

Step 2: Size your graphics, measuring how wide across the chest you’d like the word to extend. A good maximum width for a single word is 8″. If you’re using the same font for all the shirts, size the longest word or phrase first (here, it’s best man) and use that size for all the shirts to keep things consistent.

Step 3: Reverse your graphic horizontally to make it a mirror image. Make the font whatever color you want it to be on your shirt. Save your files separately as PDFs, TIFFs or JPEGs.

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Step 4: Print the files out onto iron-on transfer paper. Then, follow the instructions that come with the paper to iron the transfers onto the shirts. Place the graphic about 4 1/2″ to 6″ under the top of the neckline. You can also take the files and your blank T-shirts to your nearby Kinkos or local copy store, where they can make a transfer of your artwork and iron it on your shirt for about $10. Be sure to let them know exactly where you’d like the graphic placed.

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Step 5: You can use the mailing tubes exactly as they come to package your T-shirts, or you can wrap them in cool paper. To measure the paper, lay a tube on top of it. Use a triangle to draw straight lines on the paper along each side of the tube. Cut along the lines, using a craft knife and a straight edge for precision.

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Step 6: Once the paper is cut to the exact width of the tube, line one edge of it with double-sided tape and attach it to the tube. Roll the paper around the tube and tape the loose edge to the tube, overlapping about an inch.

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Step 7: Roll the T-shirt, place it inside the tube, add the end caps and adorn with a ribbon.

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For more ideas on wedding details, designs and gifts, check out Lisa Tse’s Inkbox Design Boutique website at www.inkboxdesign.com.

All unitalicized text and photos come from mydiyweddingday.com. Thank you, and be sure to visit them for more DIY projects for your big day.

It’s always fun to see what pops up in my inbox, and this engagement session from Crystal of Crystal George Studios brightened my day!! I will always have a soft spot in my heart for the Old City Cemetery, which is were the first set of photos took place. The old Academy of Fine Arts building is being restored (click here to see how you can get in on this wonderful project!), and that setting made for some fun and flirty photos! Below are Crystal’s own words about James and Nicy, and enjoy their creative engagement session.

“This is Nicy & James … love them!  Nicy and James reconnected through their siblingss, who are also married to each other.  They have known each other for forever, but didn’t see the romantic possibilities until later in life.  They live in Northern VA but are from South Boston (Nicy’s hometown).”

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Thank you, again, Crystal, for a stunning session, which shows off a beautiful couple in some of downtown Lynchburg’s historic locations. For more of Crystal’s work, visit the website of Crystal George Studios.

It’s here! Your time has come. You are officially a bride. More than likely, you are also a former flower girl, bridesmaid and maid of honor.  Like others before you, I am sure you’re thinking the same thing- how in the world do I make my Big Day my own?

Relax- wedding inspiration is everywhere, even when you’re not necessarily looking.  You are off to a great start already, scouring wedding blogs for the latest trends. Our guess is that you have also seen a few or more of your friends’ weddings in your time.

Our advice? Dare to go outside the proverbial bridal box and find inspiration in the unexpected.

Who doesn’t love a fabulous napkin?  Virginia DIY home bloggers Young House Love use a clearance napkin from Crate and Barrel as the inspiration for their new home’s entire décor.  Why not take a trip to your home goods store and see what strikes your fancy?

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Not the DIY type? Embrace your local craft store nonetheless. The paper aisle alone will keep you busy for a good hour between the colors, patterns and textures. The same holds true for fabric!

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Wedding planning makes for a hectic schedule. What bride doesn’t like a little non wedding down time on the couch with the fiancée and a good story?  Time to turn those idle hours into a swoon worthy wedding theme!

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Don’t have time for inspiration road trips or down time? Might we suggest a little online hunt on Wedzu, an online marketplace for all things handmade and wedding.

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So ladies- fill up that gas tank and hit road (or charge that lap top!)-  it is time to take the inspiration road less traveled to guarantee your day will be one that you and your guests will soon not forget.

Jennifer McBride is the owner of McBride Events, a wedding and event production company, who recently launched her own McBride Collection. She is also a monthly columnist for the Richmond Times Dispatch with Wedology 101: the Realities of Being a Bride. She enjoys a good floor length linen, bedazzled bonbons and is fueled by good ideas and endless coffee.

Photo credits:

Polka Dot Napkin- ehow.com; Other napkins- crateandbarrel.com

Paper- Invitations for Celebrations- http://invitationsforcelebrations.blogspot.com

Envelopes- paper-source.com

Mad Men pic- AMC

Wedzu pic- chezwedd.com