today is my daughter’s (@gartertot) second birthday! where does the time go?! on this special day, i thought it only fitting to share a few funny photos of her getting into my wedding garter gear, which pretty much happens all the time. she loves to pull alllll of the ribbon out of my bins, she really, really loves to push the buttons on my sewing machine and some of you have already seen her obsession with bracelets.
my friend jessica was over the other day and she took a few photos of my work space. amory work up from her nap, just jumped right up onto my chair and got into the pictures…
(fyi…she is showing off wedding garter style #214 in the above picture.)
happy birthday, little muffin…mommy loves you! leave a comment and wish the garter tot a happy birthday!!
tomorrow is thanksgiving, which means turkey, family and…football! in honor if this most sacred of days, here are a few custom wedding garters that i recently designed to match college colors. see, you can show your school spirit in a chic, stylish way! check it out…
going from the top down…the first one is for the university of alabama. it is white grosgrain with a crimson satin bow (1.5 inches wide)…
this next wedding garter is for tulane university. it is a white grosgrain with a green satin bow (1.5 inches wide)…
this wedding garter is for the university of mississippi. it is white grosgrain with a crimson satin stripe and a blue satin bow (1.5 inches wide)…
this wedding garter is for louisiana state university. it is white grosgrain with a gold satin stripe and a purple satin bow (1.5 inches wide)…
this wedding garter is for the university of georgia. it is white grosgrain with a crimson satin stripe and a black satin bow (1.5 inches wide)…
notice a theme?? these are all southern schools, because i custom designed the wedding garters for a wedding boutique in new orleans. all of these little beauties can be found and purchased at wedding belles new orleans. if you find yourself down south, check ‘em out!
leave a comment, let me know what you think!
i live in washington, d.c. i’m super-duper supportive of all that our military does for our country, so it is only fitting that i have an american flag themed stylish wedding garter in my collection. i always love when brides choose this wedding garter because it is such a personal decision…but, enough about me, on to the beautiful pictures…
here are the real wedding garter photographs from alli’s wedding. alli picked style #310, which is blue grosgrain with white stars and a red satin bow (1.5 inches wide)…
photo credit...steve lyons wedding photography (www.lyonswedding.com) taken by tracy doyle (www.tracydoylephotography.com)
photo credit...steve lyons wedding photography (www.lyonswedding.com) taken by tracy doyle (www.tracydoylephotography.com)
how cute is this couple??
photo credit...steve lyons wedding photography (www.lyonswedding.com) taken by tracy doyle (www.tracydoylephotography.com)
in full disclosure, alli and i used to work together in my former life, which is why i love sharing this awesome photo of the mock campaign signs handed out to guests…
photo credit...steve lyons wedding photography (www.lyonswedding.com) taken by tracy doyle (www.tracydoylephotography.com)
now comes the wedding garter toss. this is actually a great example of how to do the wedding garter toss right. the bride and groom were relaxed, they were having fun. she helped him out by pulling up her dress, so no funny pictures of his head up her dress. the crowd looks like they were having a good time. very well done…
photo credit...steve lyons wedding photography (www.lyonswedding.com) taken by tracy doyle (www.tracydoylephotography.com)
aaaaand this is my personal favorite. the guys all stand back and watch, straining to not actually touch it, as the tossed wedding garter falls to the ground…
photo credit...steve lyons wedding photography (www.lyonswedding.com) taken by tracy doyle (www.tracydoylephotography.com)
one last photo, cause i really like this one…
photo credit...steve lyons wedding photography (www.lyonswedding.com) taken by tracy doyle (www.tracydoylephotography.com)
thank you so much to alli for letting me be a small part in our big day! i wish you and bobby so much joy and happiness!
special thank you and all photo credits to steve lyons wedding photography with the photos taken by tracy doyle.
leave a comment, let me know what you think!
great news…my first-ever collection of environmentally friendly (and super stylish) wedding garters can now be purchased on the dream green weddings website. yay!
the best part about being on the dream green weddings website isn’t the fact that my wedding garters are listed with lots of other fun, green wedding products (you’d think that’d be enough, right!?). nope. the best part is that on the dream green weddings website brides can mix and match the colors of their wedding garter right on the site.
i designed this new, eco-friendly wedding garter collection so that the colors could be interchanged, giving brides more options to customize their garter. and, now brides can do the mixing and the matching themselves at dream green weddings.
you can also check out the dream green weddings blog for a little write up about the eco-friendly wedding garter collection…
thanks dream green weddings, i’m so honored that you are carrying my eco-friendly line!
leave a comment, let me know what you think!
all this week, i have been discussing how to make a wedding garter not only stylish, but how to let it help brides to carry out the wedding tradition of wearing something old, new, borrowed and blue.
ah, the something blue…this might be my favorite part of the wedding day tradition. wearing blue on your wedding day symbolizes love, good fortune and fidelity…all the fun, romantic things that a wedding should be about!
the most obvious way to go with something blue on your wedding garter is to choose the color. there are so, so many different shades of blue. the type of blue is one area that brides can really have fun with and play around. you can go with sky, indigo, powder, electric, cobalt, sapphire, turquoise or royal….the list is endless and these shades are all considered blue and perfectly acceptable in meeting the something blue tradition.
why not mix a bunch of different shades of blue together to get a really pretty blue contrasting wedding garter? or go the traditional route and use the blue color to accent whatever base color you choose. the wedding garter is small and hidden under your dress, making it a safe place to go wild and pick the blue color that you love the most!
here are a few of my favorite something blue wedding garters for my stylish wedding garter collection…
(image links, clockwise from top right…style #313, style #001, style #500, style #218, style #304, style #214, style #216, style #001, style #204, style #313, style #002, and style #303.)
what is your something blue? leave comment, let me know what you think!
this week i’m discussing probably one of the most popular wedding traditions…something old, new, borrowed and blue. brides gather these items to help bring themselves good luck on their wedding day. your wedding garter, being small and hidden, is a perfect spot to complete all parts of this wedding tradition (well, except for the sixpence in your shoe, but that’s another post for another day!)
so, something borrowed. this is such a great part of the tradition because it represents family and friends, as those are who the bride usually borrows things from. it symbolizes love, support and happiness.
one idea for making your wedding garter borrowed that i love is to use fabric from the hem of your bridesmaid dress. this is a great choice because, you know you love the fabric and the color already, since you picked it out. (and, if the dress is new, you get another tradition checked off the list!) check out this wedding garter where the deep purple satin is from the bridesmaid dress…
another way to make your wedding garter “something borrowed” is to add something to the garter yourself. ideally, this would be something that you could easily attach and remove, like a pin, broach or earring.
julie jones (i just like saying her whole name…julie jones!) from encore bridal was chatting with me recently about the idea of creating a special wedding garter for a group of girlfriends. as each friend gets married, the wedding garter could be passed between them so that each person could wear something meaningful *and* something borrowed. it is a cute way to incorporate your good friends into your wedding day…and save money!
instead of passing the entire wedding garter around, you could have a small fabric flower, crystal or pin that is sewn into each friend’s individual wedding garter and then passed on to the next friend/bride.
a borrowed wedding garter also works well for creating family traditions. ask your mom or sister (or new sister in law) if she still has her wedding garter. she might really love to pass it on to you. who knows, you might start a new family wedding tradition!
as a little tip for wearing old/borrowed wedding garters…sometimes the elastic is worn on old wedding garters. it is usually the first thing to go. if you go this route, just make sure to try it on before your big day. if it isn’t in good shape, ask a friend who sews or take it to a professional tailor who can put in new elastic. if it is beyond repair, perhaps you can use parts of it to remake a new wedding garter…this would be something old, new and borrowed!
one last tip…if you borrow something, make sure be polite and give it back!
what are your ideas for something borrowed? leave a comment, let me know what you think!
check back tomorrow as i discuss ideas for making your wedding garter something blue…
this week i’m looking into the age-old wedding tradition of brides gathering something old, new, borrowed and blue to help bring their marriage good luck. yesterday i talked about something old, which means that today is…something new!
the something new part of the tradition symbolizes the fresh start and the beginning of a life that the bride and groom will celebrate together. it is probably the easiest to complete, as brides are all about getting something new and special for their big day.
your wedding day is a chance to splurge and get yourself something that you wouldn’t otherwise get on a normal day. the same goes for your wedding garter…go ahead and treat yourself to something new and meaningful. because it is small and hidden under your dress, so brides and afford to take a risk with their wedding garter. they can design or choose one that best fits their personality, even if that means yellow polka dots and hot pink stripes!
to make your wedding garter new, you could use new materials, such as ribbon, lace or fabric. you could also buy it new for yourself. if you buy one that is more plain, you could add different accents or touches, such as a pin or piece of ribbon, to your wedding garter to help make it more your own.
even if you use old materials to make it (see a wedding garter as something old), creating a wedding garter out of something that wasn’t a wedding garter before still counts as something new. you are reinterpreting something old and making it new and different…so, it is a twofer!
what is your something new? leave a comment, let me know what you think!
check back tomorrow as i talk about how to make your wedding garter something borrowed…
this week i’m talking about how a wedding garter can help brides complete their wedding day ritual of something old, new, borrowed and blue. the wedding garter does it all in one little, hidden package!
starting with something old…this part of the wedding day tradition symbolizes an acknowledgement of the past and its important contribution to the couple’s future. with this respect for the past in mind, things that are “something old” tend to have deep meaning or be extra special to the bride and groom. they are often nostalgic and involve family or close friends.
here are some ideas for adding something old to your wedding garter….
using the lace from someone else’s wedding gown or dress is a great option. you could ask your mom, sister or best friend if they would be willing to part with a piece. they could always take the piece from one of the inside layers, if they don’t want to cut the dress itself. here is a wedding garter made from the bride’s mother’s wedding dress that i designed recently…
maybe it isn’t someone’s wedding dress, perhaps you have an old pillow case or hankie that has meaning to you. you can pretty much make a wedding garter out of anything. you just need fabric and someone who knows what they are doing in the sewing department.
as i’m sitting here typing this i’m thinking about these beautiful crochet lace table runners and place mats that my grandmother gave to me. she made them over the years and then passed them on to me when she moved out of her house. like the good, traditional wife that she was, she had tons of them socked away. they would make such a beautiful wedding garter!
another idea to add something old to your wedding garter is to use a pin or even an earring. maybe your grandmother or mother has a small pin or broach that is meaningful or just really, really pretty. you could get a simple wedding garter and then attach the item. just make sure that you wear wedding with the attached item in the front of your leg. also, be sure to try it on before your wedding day to ensure that your wedding garter fits securely, so that it doesn’t twist around and the attachment rubs your leg…that wouldn’t feel good at all walking down the aisle!
what are your ideas for something old? leave a comment, let me know what you think!
check back tomorrow for ideas on how to make your wedding garter something new…
the poem goes, ”something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue…” brides for centuries have been gathering items to fulfill this tradition in hopes of the good luck it might bring them on their wedding day.
recently, i had the pleasure of making a beautiful wedding garter from the bride’s mother’s dress. as i was sewing it together, i wondered if it was going to be her something old, something borrowed and something new. then i thought, “if i put a blue bow on here, this wedding garter would complete the whole poem!”
if done a certain way, the wedding garter might just be *the* catch-all wedding day item that brides can use to put the pieces of this wedding tradition together. it is like one-stop wedding tradition shopping!
let’s think about some of the other one-size-fits-all options for completing the tradition…it would be a little hard to pull off a blue dress, although it would make for cool pictures. you could go with a blue sash around your waist, but again that’s a bold move. your shoes? i’m not one for wearing other people’s shoes, but some brides might be into it, especially to save money. undergarments? yes on the blue, but no way on the old and borrowed. you could have a new veil, but blue? that might be tough. (wait, i take that back! a really pale, light blue veil might be totally awesome…hmmm, a new business venture maybe??)
my point is this…your wedding garter is an ideal spot if you are looking for a place to help carry out your something old, new, borrowed and blue. a wedding garter is small, customizable and hidden, making it darn near perfect.
check back all this week because i’ll be going through the tradition and giving ideas for making a wedding garter something old, new, borrowed, blue and, of course, very stylish!
leave a comment, let me know what you think!
custom wedding garter order spotlight #13…ivory lace from bride’s mother’s wedding dress
it is the lucky number 13 in the wedding garter spotlight series and this wedding garter i’m so honored and excited to share. (well, i’m always honored/excited to share my custom wedding garter orders!) a friend of the bride came to me with a piece of the bride’s mother’s wedding dress. the little scrap itself was so beautiful and delicate i hated to cut it. i literally had to turn my head the the other way as a i snipped it. here is what i came up with…
this wedding garter was a gift to the bride from one of her bridesmaids, so it has a chocolate brown satin bow in the middle to match the color of the bridesmaids’ dresses. the wedding garter is an ivory satin background with the vintage ivory lace from the bride’s mother’s dress on the top. it is 2 inches wide.
here is one more picture, ’cause i’m so in love with this one…
thank you so much for letting me make this gorgeous, stylish wedding garter…it was an honor! leave a comment, let me know what you think!
carla david’s couture invitation designs + my stylish wedding garters = two seriously awesome wedding invitation suites! inspiration comes from the strangest of places and why can’t it come from your wedding garter?? check it out…
carla custom designed a whole set of wedding treats, including circular invitations and favors, around one of my stylish wedding garters. this first one is style #317, which is pink and white polka dot grosgrain with a limelight satin bow (1.5 inches wide).
i can’t get enough of the gray/yellow combination. check the second suite out…
this second set was inspired by style #211, which is silver satin with a white grosgrain stripe and yellow feathered satin stripe (1.5 inches wide). this set includes really cool long invitations and custom labels for mini champagne.
carla is talented graphic designer who i met at my launch party. i did a little convo with her a few months ago. if you are in need of some invitation or design services, check her out! she is hosting the first holiday party of the season tomorrow night – can’t wait!
and, check it out…nole at oh so beautiful paper blogged about the collaboration.
thank you to carla for putting together such an awesome set of invitations! and, thanks to nole for sharing it with your readers.
what do you think? where does inspiration come from for you? leave a comment, let me know!
even though october is over, i know that we all won’t stop working for a cure to end breast cancer! the winners of my “why do you want to wear a pink wedding garter” are:
katie who said…”I would love to wear the pink garter with the white satin bow. Not only is pink one of my colors, but what it stands for this month means even more. A lot of family members have been affected by cancer in my family, and I try to do everything possible to support cancer research efforts for ALL kinds. This would be a great way to honor both of my grandmothers who are no longer here, one who did have breast cancer and one that had colon cancer. Though my wedding is on 11/7 so this may not be for me! 
But hopefully awareness continues to grow and thank you for doing this!!”
bridecka who said…”These is such a fabulous idea! I would love to wear a pink garter and represent for Breast Cancer Awareness. It is a disease that still claims too many lives, like that of my best friends mom last year. If I wore this she would know that her mom was still in my heart and my thoughts and all of my friends who have been affected by breast cancer would know how much I love and support them and their families through the struggle. Hopefully it would inspire some of my guests to get involved and get in the fight … maybe do the Breast Cancer Walk in Central Park with me! Thanks for the wonderful giveaway!”
nadine johnstone…”I would love to wear a pink garter on my wedding day as it would be rememberance of my aunt elen who passed away from breast cancer, she was such an incredibly stong woman taken away by such as terrible disease. Also in acknowledgement of my mum and gran’s fight against breast cancer, my gran having to have a mastectomy after having breast cancer for the third time. She will thankfuly be there at my wedding, chicken fillets and all !!!! 
. Unfortunately, mum still has friends suffering and the ironic thing is they are all nurses and find it extremley hard being patients when they are used to caring for others. God bless for raising awareness and in such a lovely way xxxxx”
thank you so much to everyone that entered! reading the stories was moving and i’m so appreciative to everyone for taking the time to enter.
winners: email me at info(@)juliannesmith.com to redeem your prize!
being crafty and living in a city just don’t mix…for about a 100 different reasons. this weekend on a four hour trek out to the suburbs with a mile long craft store list, i actually contemplated what it would be like to not have going to a craft store, like michaels or a.c. more, be such an issue.
getting out to the craft store requires a car and i actually have to leave the state that i live in. i keep a running list and save up my craft visits. however, when i’m there i end up spending so much money, because i never know when i’m coming back. i load up my cart with every option in site. when i get home, it is always an issue because there is just never enough room to store all of my new crafts….the gripe list is endless.
there are no craft stores in d.c. none. trust me, i’ve tried to find them. i tried to find an embroidery store a few months ago…turns out, it moved to the suburbs! there are small pockets of expensive stores where you can sometimes find what you need in a pinch, but i can usually find more craft items at cvs than in actual stores in d.c.
online crafting isn’t easy. it is a lot of trail and error. for example, i was in desperate need of a buckle to complete this belt that i knitted.
i had to order a whole bunch of different buckles from joanns.com to find one that fit. i’m still not happy with it and now i’m stuck with five extra buckles i don’t need.
enough complaining, because i really to love where i live. it is an awesome neighborhood and the lack of craft convenience is something i’m willing to put up with…i just wonder if i’m alone is this. are there other city dwellers out there who struggle with crafting?
suffice to say, i’m always on the hunt for good online resources for crafts. the three things that i’m constantly in need of are thread for my sewing machine, ribbon for my wedding garters and yarn to feed my knitting habit.
i haven’t found a good online resource for thread and embroidery floss. these items are fairly cheap. the shipping is often more expensive than the item itself, which just bothers me, so i won’t do it. unfortunately, these items require a trip to the actual store.
my favorite site for ribbon is theribbonretreat.com. i really can’t stay enough good things about this site. they are quick, easy and personable. they actually offer affordable shipping options, which not all sites do. i use both their retail and wholesale site on a weekly basis.
for yarn, i usually hit up yarnmarket.com. the shipping isn’t cheap, but it has a huge selection and it is incredibly easy to search. someone in my knitting group just turned me on to eatsleepknit.com. i just placed my first order and i hope it works out!
if you are looking for more online craft resources, check out this list from the inspired bride. i, of course, suggested the ribbon retreat!
what are your favorite online resources for crafts? leave a comment, let me know what you think!
garter girl style here! this time we are answering a real question from a real person. this is a question that someone left on the blog. rather than answer it in a comment, it is worthy of a its own post. fluctuating weight, whether you’ve had a baby or not, it is a big issue in a woman’s personal style quest and i think this is something that a lot of us deal with. i know that i’m personally going through it right now after having a baby. here goes…
question…So, I have a question for Kelly…I suffer from the 20 +/- pounds…every year I am a different size…how do I get around this? I know I should just stick to my diet…but realistically… I have nice clothes for 2-3 sizes…what to do? I don’t want to part with the size 10s because I’m working my way/weight back down. And, while I would love to part with the size 14s, I may just have another kid…realistically, I will need these clothes for a good 6-12 months after pregnancy. What’s a weight-fluxy girl to do?
kelly’s answer…First things first, if your weight is fluctuating more than five to seven pounds and you are not pregnant or postpartum you need to deal with the real reasons your weight fluctuates so much. I know you don’t need a lecture about weight and health, we’ve all heard enough about it. Speaking purely from fashion’s perspective, you can look great and be a size 12, but you have to learn how to dress that size 12 body of yours. You are not going to be very good at it if sometimes you are a 10 and other times you are a 14. You have to learn how to dress your body for your life. Maintaining a consistent weight is going to make getting dressed much, much easier.
Okay so my weight-fluxy girl, I just went through this myself. I have a two year old and I know how hard it can be, but you can do it! Basically, it sounds like you have too many pieces. You have to get rid of some of them, but not all of them. In order to figure out what to keep, I would advise that you focus on the clothes and ignore the sizes. Just because something is small or big is never a reason to hang on to it. Here’s how to do it:
Step 1: Look at all of your clothes and separate into piles the things you LOVE without looking at sizes. Be honest. Keep these pieces.
Step 2: With the remaining clothes, separate out the things you HATE. Donate these items. Don’t think twice about it, go with your gut.
Step 3: Look at the left over items and ask yourself about each item, “Can I wear this NOW?” If the answer is NO, then toss it. You have already established that you don’t LOVE these pieces (see Step 1), so why hold onto them? Assuming you have some budget (this could be as small as $200) to buy new clothes should you get pregnant again or lose weight, you will be fine. Most of your clothes will end up in this category. If you decide to keep them, then wear them and get some use of out them until you are happy and ready to part with them.
One of the biggest things people get hung up on is thinking that you need more pieces than you do. If you get pregnant again, remember that pregnant women look best is simple outfits that fit each stage you are in. And, when you finally drop those 20 pounds, trust me, you are going to want to buy new clothes. Even if you keep all your size 10’s (and you should not) you are not going to wear all of them. Get rid of them now and clear some space for the life you lead right now and let someone use your clothes who really needs them now.
I hope this helps!
julianne’s two cents…so, what do think? pretty good answer, huh?? as i said, i’m going through this myself right now. i’m paranoid that if i get rid of the various stages of bigger clothes then i will be in the same situation that i was before and right after the baby…running out to old navy in a panic to buy anything that will fit and look half way decent!
with kelly’s help (of course), i haven’t gotten rid of all of my “pregnancy” clothes. (and by pregnancy clothes, i mean any clothes that are too big for me right now, but too cute to give away yet. these are clothes in various stages of weight, including fully pregnant and all the sizes in between.) this is a small pile of things that i have shoved under my bed and out of sight. these clothes don’t cloud my everyday judgement when i’m getting dressed. for anyone going through this too, i suggest that you get a box or space out to put these clothes.
as far as items worthy of being saved, keep this in mind: more time has passed than you think. there are certain classics that you should keep, like simple tops, jeans and jackets. but, for everything else, know that you are going on a few years until you will be potentially wearing these again. (not to mention that these items get dingy and musty, just sitting around.) for me, my daughter is almost two, so that means that right now i’m holding on to clothes that haven’t been worn in at least three years. if i get pregnant right now, it will be another year, so that’s four years. and then a year (at least) of postpartum and getting my weight back down, that’s five years. five years is a long time in the fashion cycle. you are better off saving only a few things and then borrowing clothes from friends and/or buying new, inexpensive things to get you through.
leave a comment, let us know what you think! what are you real-life fashion/style questions? leave it below or email me at info (@) juliannesmith.com. we’d love to hear from you!
click here to read more in the garter girl style series.
many brides today are skipping the wedding garter toss but, they are still taking part in the wedding garter tradition. i did this post about how to have good wedding garter toss photos, so i wanted to follow it up and give some tips for the brides who aren’t doing the toss. getting great pictures of all of your awesome wedding details is so important. pictures will help you to remember the time and effort you spent picking out each detail.
here are some ideas for getting good pictures of your wedding garter even if you aren’t doing the wedding garter toss…
tip #1 keep the photographer in the loop
make sure your photographer knows that you have a wedding garter that you want pictures of. some photographers even ask for a list, so put it on the list. add your wedding garter in with your veil and shoes and every other accessory that you want remembered.
tip #2 keep it together
before your wedding, keep your wedding garter together with your jewelry, veil and other important accessories. there is less of a chance of forgetting when the time comes to take pictures, if all the items are grouped together.
tip #3 match it up
the wedding garter and other accessories look great all paired together in a pictures, especially if they are all coordinated. does your wedding garter go along with your theme or color palette? make sure you have a program, invitation or other coordinating item on hand when your photographer arrives. this way the photographer won’t have to look around for these items and they can easily take a few shots of all of your coordinating items. also, if you are in a rush getting dressed or running late, you can just give all of these items together to your photographer and let them get the photos while you slip your dress on.
tip #4 get dressed first
yes, your wedding garter is worn under your dress, but if you want pictures of you putting it on, then consider putting your dress on first. your photographer will be able to get some good shots and and this way you will be decent and looking your best.
tip #5 keep friends in mind
i’ve seen a few photos of friends putting on wedding garters for their friends. this can be nice if say, for example, your friend purchased the wedding garter for you. it does run the risk of being a little awkward, so make sure you friend is on board.
tip #6 act natural
if you want a few shots of you actually putting your garter on, just act natural. like the photographer isn’t even there. just get dressed as you normally would and your photographer will make sure to get the photos.
tip #7 take is slow
this really applies to anything on your wedding day. go slow and take your time. it is good for you to enjoy the moment and take it all in. and, it is good for the photographer to get as many photos as possible. if you take your time, this will give your photographer time to get set up and time to get a few different angles.
tip #8 let go
let your photographer do his or her job. this is why you hired them. whether you’ve given them a list of what you want, or you’ve made it clear another way, just let it go and let them get to work. you can’t micro-manage every part of everything, you’ll miss your big day otherwise! so, trust that they will take the pictures that you want. relax and enjoy!
for more info about the wedding garter, check out my garter 101 series.
do you have any tips for how to have good wedding garter photos? leave a comment, let me know what you think!
