Crocheting is a kind of needlework done by interlocking looped stitches with a hooked needle. It also makes unique and personal touches to wedding style and decor.

Wedding dresses can take a less traditional spin when made with crochet details. I love the short dresses, which could be great for either a less formal bohemian type of wedding or for the rehearsal dinner. I am especially enamored with the green wedding dres with white crochet detailed overlay (shown below), which is like nothing else I’ve seen before!

In addition to wedding dresses you could also incorporate crochet details into your day-of attire with this cute crochet garter or a crochet headband.

These crochet purses are also adorable, great bridesmaids gift ideas!

I love the idea of making a ring pillow out of something crocheted too, either of these would look great.

Making your place cards with a crochet detail is so different and would be something your guests would actually keep after the wedding as well! Can’t you imagine these leaves with gold calligraphy for the guests names? Crocheted rocks with the guests names attached on cute tags would be amazing too.

Crochet tablecloths are classic and would lend themselves well to a vintage inspired wedding for a feminine touch to a drink table or dessert table.

If you want to pick up another new skill in your planning process, you could teach yourself how to crochet, or call on a friend or family member who already knows how. Dn’t forget to check Etsy for any specific crochet items you might be seeking!

Photo One: shopnastygal.com; Photo Two: 100layercake.com; Photo Three: hudsonphotos.com; Photo Four: thegartergirl.com; Photo Five: elisajoy.com; Photo Six: lionbrand.com; Photo Seven: lasmanualidades.com; Photo Eight: whimsybyvictoria.com; Photo Nine: fullbloomcottage.com; Photo Ten: thelateststory.com; Photo Eleven: purlbee.com; Photo Twelve: greenweddingshoes.com

Rebekah is a DIY obsessed, wedding and event design wizard who loves hunting her bay area  homeland for clever craft ideas, vintage gems, bargain buys, new pieces for her vintage rental line  and blogging inspiration. She and her husband live and write in Oakland. Read her blog.

I refuse to believe that snail mail is dead – neither do the creators of Handmade Hellos: Fresh Greeting Card Projects from First-Rate Crafters, a book that offers both inspiration and instructions to create fabulous stationery.

If you are in need of  cute and crafty thank you cards, invites, or bridesmaid cards for your wedding, look no further! Handmade Hellos features DIY tutorials for twenty-seven unique card projects. Although the projects are for a variety of occasions, many the projects could easily be modified to be wedding specific. The projects range in levels of difficulty and involve a variety of materials. Handmade Hellos teaches you to collage, screen print, string a garland, make pop-ups, use a Gocco machine, embroider, bind a booklet, emboss, stencil and stamp just to name a few.

Handmade Hellos is the first book by Hello!Lucky creators (and sisters) Eunice and Sabrina Moyle, their second book Handmade Weddings: More Than 50 Crafts to Personalize Your Big Day was just as much a hit as their first. Their style is clear and easy to follow. The Moyle sisters gathered their favorite fellow paper crafting artists to contribute the projects in this book.  At the end of each of their projects, you can read more about each of the artists – from their favorite crafting tools, to fun facts.

Creating a handmade card is a soul-satisfying endeavor – it’s also a cost-effective one. As the sisters say: “The abundance and affordability of supplies are a huge part of why we love making cards by hand. Why buy a $9, albeit charming, birthday card from a boutique when you can achieve the same “aww” factor yourself for next to nothing?” Agreed!

With a grading system in place, the authors have created a guide to help you know how much time to set aside for each project. A “basic” grade would mean that the project is easy and doesn’t require much skill or practice. Generally cards that are rated as basic will take fewer than half an hour to make. Bonus: these are also great cards to try making with kids.

“Moderate” projects need to be done with a little more focus and concentration and there are more steps and techniques needed as well (like tracing or sewing on a button). These projects usually take around one to two hours to complete.

The “advanced” projects are for the “motivated card maker” meaning that to make them look their best you will need more hand-eye coordination and patience. You may also need to learn a new skill such as silk-screening or block printing. They suggest that you set aside at least an afternoon to make these cards. The benefit with these cards however, is that you learn a new skill set that you can use for future projects as well!

I have to say that I generally would not describe myself as having the steadiest hand or the best hand-eye coordination, but I made the “Paper Portrait Friendship Card” (which is an advanced project) as a donation for a fundraiser a while ago and I was able to make these look like how they described and they turned out beautifully. Here is my finished product. This project is based off of using a photograph of someone and then cutting out and layering the paper to look like that person in paper form. I used photos taken on a research trip and made these paper card replicas of the children from the photos. It took some practice and making it detailed was difficult, but I couldn’t have been happier with the end result!

Handmade Hellos is designed so that each project offers  a clear step-by-step guide with enough instructions that don’t leave you reading and re-reading thinking that you’ve missed something. The book also comes with all the templates you may need, as well as a section in the back with suggestions for any materials or tools you may also need and further technique instructions.

Handmade Hellos is a great inspirational tool for cards that you may need for you wedding and for everyday after that.

Rebekah is a DIY obsessed, wedding and event design wizard who loves hunting her bay area   homeland for clever craft ideas, vintage gems, bargain buys, new pieces for her vintage rental line  and blogging inspiration. She and her husband live and write in Oakland. Read her blog.

My wife and I got engaged here, stayed here on our honeymoon and celebrated our anniversary here. We cannot think of a more relaxing, romance inducing atmosphere. I’m counting the days to our next stay at the Brampton Inn.

This is just one of many rave reviews found on Tripadvisor for the Brampton Bed and Breakfast Inn in Chestertown, Maryland.

The Brampton Bed & Breakfast Inn sits on twenty acres of picturesque grounds, surrounded by century old trees that provide an unparalleled setting for your special day.  The award-winning Chesapeake Country Inn is a quiet oasis one mile outside of historic Chestertown.

Inside the doors of this romantic Maryland inn, you will find the grand elegance of a 19th century country estate. The Brampton’s elegant 1860 plantation house and landscaped gardens are perfectly suited for intimate weddings and elopements.  The wedding venue can host intimate weddings of up to 20 guests in the formal parlor and on the massive wrap around porch.

Check out The Brampton Bed and Breakfast Inn for more information about weddings at the inn.

Photo Three: Tripadvisor; Photo Four: Cayne Zimmerman; Photo Five: Geoffry Demeritt Photography; Photo Six: Acorn Photography

Groupings of mixed bottles are a great way to make a visual impact in your wedding decor. Collections of bottles can fit your theme easily as well: you can pick the bottles to match your wedding colors or  make a collection of vintage bottles to fit a rustic theme. Bottles can also be hung to accent areas where there isn’t enough table space.

Hanging bottles with a single bloom have a clean and modern look that can be altered by using all of the same flowers, or mixing varieties and colors for a more bohemian look.

Another way to display a mixture of bottles is in a drawer or on top of a vintage desk or dresser. The bottles can either be mixed and matched, or be all the same style. You can also vary the style with the piece of furniture you display them from, as well as the variety of flowers you choose.

A collection of bottles can also be used as escort cards, with or without flowers.

Another way to group your bottles can be by color; this grouping makes so much of an impact that using flowers isn’t totally necessary.

A mixture of various sized bottles can also of course be used as centerpieces. The centerpiece will seem the most interesting if the heights and shapes of the bottles vary like the examples below.

If you like the look of bottles as decor and want to use them for your big day, remember to start stocking up ahead of time! You can ask your family and friends to start selecting specific types and colors for you to help speed the process as well. Searching flea markets, thrift stores and your local Goodwill is a great way to start gathering vintage bottle collections.

Photo One: stylemepretty.com; Photo Two: weddings.theknot.com; Photo Three: utterlyengaged.com; Photo Four: celebrationsathomeblog.com; Photo Five: greenweddingshoes.com; Photo Six: oncewed.com; Photo Seven: stylemepretty.com; Photo Eight: browndresswithwhitedots.tumblr.com; Photo Nine: brightboldbeautiful.blogpspot.com; Photo Ten: libbyjamesblog.com; Photo Eleven: stylemepretty.com; Photo Twelve: stylemepretty.com

Rebekah is a DIY obsessed, wedding and event design wizard who loves hunting her bay area  homeland for clever craft ideas, vintage gems, bargain buys, new pieces for her vintage rental line  and  blogging inspiration. She and her husband live and write in Oakland. Read her blog.

I am a sea glass fanatic. I began collecting seriously in summer 2009 on the north shore of Lake Erie. (That’s my husband and two daughters above.)

Lake Erie has some damn fine sea glass. To put it scientifically, Lake Erie has a high PH – almost as high as an ocean, and this helps to make the glass nice and frosty. (I read this in Richard LaMotte’s Pure Sea Glass, a must-have book for any avid sea glasser!)

I collect sea glass in area called The Pelee Passage, where there have been 275 shipwrecks. The area was a popular summer attraction for many years and I’m sure some of the glass I find is from wild parties many moons ago. I find quite a bit of old glass (80+ years old), and it’s fun to think about where it originated.

What does a girl do with mason jars full of gorgeous sea glass? She makes jewelry!!

I’m a big fan of using sterling silver in sea glass jewelry – so you’ll find lots of that in my Etsy shop.

Sea glass jewelry makes for wonderful one-of-a-kind bridesmaids gifts. Here are a few of my latest pieces:

Stunning, perfectly frosted white sea glass pendant with sterling silver bail.

Dainty cornflower blue sea glass necklace.

Lush, plump emerald green sea glass.

Uber rare lavender sea glass pendant. Perfect shape.

Stunning blue sea glass mosaic. The sea glass in this piece comes from England.