WeddingDates.ie

1. iDIY - Design Goodies for “I Do”-It-Yourself Weddings
2. The UnBride - Unconventional & Unforgetable
3. Didn’t Get the Wedding Gene - personal account of an Irish gals wedding planning
4. Temple of Groom - One for the Boys!  An LA Groom who is very much part of his wedding planning
5. Etsy Wedding - Offbeat finds for the Ecclectic Bride (From Etsy, online shop for all things handmade)
6. Wedding Nouveau - A Style Guide for Intercultural Brides
7. Brenda’s Wedding Blog - Daily Inspriration for the One-Of-A-Kind Bride and Groom
8. BrideChic - an online resource for Bridal Fashion - DRESSES, DRESSES, DRESSES!
9. StyleMePretty - “Obsessions for Brides” - the photography in this blog is FABULOUS!
10. Beaut.ie - Irelands #1 Beauty Blog - Now while not 100% weddingy, I think all brides-to-be need to be in the know re: beauty products and regimes!

These crafty and sassy mini-notebooks are all the rage; the matchbook style presenation is a nod to the days when smoking was not included on the list of Seven Deadly Sins and couples actually had match books custom printed for their big day as favours because absolutely everybody on the planet smoked.

Ahh, those were the days.

Anyway, Eva and Alice at Piping Hot Papers make these adorable matchbook notebooks in a range of sizes, running from $5 to $8.40 US for every pack of 10. They come in fantastic mixed but coordinated, double-sided papers so you can match them to your colours, theme or venue. Gorgeous!

You could of course DIY these, but shipping from the US is a very reasonable $4.25 for the first batch plus $1.25 for each additional set - meaning you can get 200, delivered, for under €150! Piping Hot Papers even takes custom orders.

It’s traditional to give your wedding party gifts. It’s also stressful to give your wedding party gifts, because it’s one more thing to plan, one more thing to organise, and yes, one more thing to pay for. Here’s a less expensive solution that your bridesmaids will love - individually chosen cosmetics bags stuffed with a variety of handmade goodies.

Online retailer Etsy is stuffed to the gills with unique and gorgeous cosmetics bags and wristlets so you can choose whatever style you fall in love with. I’ve bought from Dalinda’s shop Plonka and I love the wristlet I got. She makes bags in a range of fabrics, so you can choose a different fabric to suit each bridemaid and make your gift really individual. (I like these little zippy purses at $13.50 each.)

In it you can put lots of little goodies, like luscious handmade soaps and lipbalms from Cherry Blossom Co. Ciara and I both have products from Cherry Blossom Co and love it; the products are very natural, really pretty and great quality. She charges $11.30 for international shipping for the first product, but each item after that is only one cent - so for large orders, it’s super cost effective.

Finally, you can pick up loads of little samples on Etsy that fit perfectly into small bags - check out the super-cute perfumes from Theme. You get seven minis for just $7, and they come in a whole range of scents and colours, perfect for coordinating with bags and soaps for a really lovely themed gift.

All of this stuff - pouches, lip balms, soaps and perfumes - comes to $172 including shipping if you’re buying for half a dozen bridesmaids, which is about €134 these days. For a party of six bridesmaids, that’s €22 each, which is a bridal bargain if there ever was one.