Wedding Books Giveaway: Groomology and Altared

June 11th, 2011 - 

wedding booksWant to get your fiance more involved in the wedding planning? I’ve got the book for you! It’s called Groomology: What Every (Smart) Groom Needs to Know Before the Wedding by Michael Essany.

And if you’re feeling overwhelmed with the whole wedding planning thang, you’ll find comfort in Altared: Bridezillas, Bewilderment, Big Love, Breakups, and What Women Really Think About Contemporary Weddings

I’m offering these two books to one lucky winner. Just fan IW on Facebook and leave a comment on here telling us about one thing that stresses you out about planning your wedding. The contest will end June 18, 2011, 11:59 Eastern. The winner will be selected by the Random Number Generator. Open to Canadian and US residents only.

Here’s more info on Groomology: What Every (Smart) Groom Needs to Know Before the Wedding:

The ring’s on her finger, her to-do list is growing, and her mood is frantic. What’s a groom to do? Let Groomology show him how becoming a partner in the wedding process can make the whole event more enjoyable, meaningful, and memorable. Time and time again, soon-to-be husbands only tackle what the bride-to-be has told them to do. Groomology outlines these traditional groom’s duties but goes a step further to instruct grooms in the art of getting involved.

Grooms Will Learn The Best Strategies For A Happy Bride, Including:

  • Being Sensitive To the Bride’s Needs and Worries
  • Taking Over Tasks the Bride Doesn’t Want
  • Understanding How Much Work Goes Into It All
  • Reducing Her Stress
  • Giving an Opinion
  • Letting Go of an Opinion
  • Being Creative
  • The One Thing He Needs to Do
  • The Benefit of Venting
  • When Doing More Is Less

Complete with helpful resources, a guide to bridal party responsibilities and etiquette, tips on hiring vendors, wedding statistics, and more, Groomology is sure to keep couples happy throughout the tricky planning process.

Here is what Publisher’s Weekly has to say about Colleen Curran’s Altared: Bridezillas, Bewilderment, Big Love, Breakups, and What Women Really Think About Contemporary Weddings:

Curran solicits tart tales from 27 writers, normally willful and independent women, who, for the most part, have taken reluctant swan dives into the consumerist culture of the bridal industry. Contributors including Curtis Sittenfeld, Lisa Carver and Amy Sohn never thought they’d catch the bridal bug. Still, they each get lost in the fantasy but come out the other end with a meaningful realization. The essays delve into the fraught conversations, negotiations and neuroses around wedding vows, dress shopping, etiquette, registries and budgeting. Sticker shock is a common theme, among women who subvert the wedding industry with a DIY approach (Rory Evans topped cupcakes with handmade clothespin bride-and-groom figures), and others who pay a price despite saving money. Julie Powell’s entertaining experience trying “to make a meal for hundreds into an expression of who you are” illuminated an incontrovertible equation: “hundreds of guests + unreasonable expectations + catering billions of dollars = rubber chicken.” Some of the more heartfelt pieces include Jennifer Armstrong’s story of how she called off her wedding, and Lara Vapnyar’s poignant recollection of a $16 gown and the leap of faith that marriage entails. Brides-to-be or women who’ve been there will easily see themselves in these true stories.

 



DIY wedding flower tutorials from Jewel Box Ballerina + GIVEAWAY!

January 29th, 2011 - 

This business has paid a fee to be listed on offbeatbride.com because they feel their wedding products and services are in-line with offbeat brides’ philosophies and needs … and I agree. Here’s more info about how advertising works on offbeatbride.com.

This is from the Hand-Pressed Fabric Rose tutorial

We know how much y’all love your DIY tutorials, which means that ya’ll are going to love our newest sponsor Jewel Box Ballerina.

Eliza Mariano, the owner of Jewel Box Ballerina, doesn’t sell you wedding flowers — she helps you create your own with her downloadable fabric and feather flower tutorials. It’s like the OBB DIY section on steroids: all the floral tutorials you could ever want at the touch of a button.

Keep reading to check out some of the ways her tutorials have been put to good use and get the details on how you could win a free wedding bouquet tutorial…


Say you’re interested in the Wedding Bouquet Tutorial. For $19.95 you get three PDF Files that will teach you…

  • How to make feather flowers
  • How to make fluffy cabbage roses
  • How to attach stems on fabric flower appliques/cabochons
  • How to make fabric flowers with stems (wired technique)
  • How to make feather stems
  • How to assemble the wedding bouquet

Shoe clips featuring the Fluffy Cabbage Rose tutorial.

And there’s so many ways to use your Jewel Box Ballerina tutorials: make bouquets, boutonnieres, funky necklaces, fascinators, and these adorable shoe clips pictured above. You could even make these flowers into colorful wedding favors for all your guests. Jewel Box Ballerina tutorials also encourage recycling and repurposing vintage items AND Eliza offers a 100% refund if you, for some strange reason, aren’t satisfied with the service.

This bouquet features the Carnation tutorial.

Jewel Box Ballerina tutorials are super budget friendly — they range from $5.50 to $19.95 OR you can by a suite of eleven tutorials for $49.

Oh yeah, and there’s her whole free tutorial section too! Why she gives these babies away, I don’t know.

This was made from the Knotted Chrysanthemum tutorial.

JEWEL BOX BALLERINA GIVEAWAY: Eliza Mariano will be randomly choosing ten offbeat bride readers to win her wedding bouquet tutorial for free. Head over to her site before Feb 4, 2011 to enter to win.

OFFBEAT DISCOUNT: All offbeat brides can still take advantage of a 10% discount using the code Offbeatbride10 at checkout. This offer stands forever and ever!

Okay, so we got endless usages, affordable prices, easy-to-follow instructions, and a money-back guarantee plus a giveaway … why are you still reading this? … GET THEE TO JEWEL BOX BALLERINA!

Click here to comment ?

Williams-Sonoma $250 Giveaway

May 24th, 2010 - 

Appie Pie With William Sonoma

Since starting Once Wed, I dont spend as much time in the kitchen as I would like to, but I still go a bit crazy every time a Williams-Sonoma catalog arrives in the mail. Their incredible selection of cookware, kitchen electrics, and bakeware never ceases to me. I seem to always have a hard time resisting the urge to purchase one of their newest kitchen gadgets, like the apple pie mold below. We rarely do giveaways here on Once Wed, but today I have a fabulous treat in store for you. Williams-Sonoma has generously agreed to give one lucky Once Wed reader a $250 gift certificate. Wohoo!

Wedding Registry William Sonoma

Below is all the information you will need for a chance to win:

First visit Williams-Sonoma to create a registry. Don’t worry if you’ve already registered with W-S, you can just add 5 more items to your current registry to qualify.
Leave a comment below letting us know you’ve registered along with your favorite William-Sonoma registered items.
Bonus: You will receive an extra entry if you include your public registry link in the comment section below.
The contest ends May 26th, so be sure to enter the giveaway before then. Have fun!

*Sponsored post provided by Williams-Sonoma