Awesome event alert! If you're in the San Francisco Bay Area and are looking for something both glamorous and humanitarian (glamanitarian?) to do next week, look no further.

On Tuesday, April 26th, our lovely friends Jaycin (Lovely Little Details) and Erin (Bustle Events) are helping to host a fundraising evening at Blu Bungalow to honor those in Japan who have been affected by the recent devastation.  From 7-10 PM attendees can participate in a silent auction and enjoy sips and sweets to the tunes of DJ Spintronix. This is a chance to come together and provide help for those who desperately need it.

The goal is to raise $5,000 for ShelterBox, a company that provides emergency shelter and lifesaving supplies for families around the world who are affected by disasters at the time when they need it the most. Each large, green ShelterBox is tailored to a disaster but typically contains a disaster relief tent for an extended family, blankets, water storage and purification equipment, cooking utensils, a stove, a basic tool kit, a children’s activity pack and other vital items.

When: Tuesday April 26th, 7-10 PM
Where: Blu Bungalow, 2068 Union Street, San Francisco, CA 94123
How much: Donations accepted at the door
RSVP online: http://forjapanwithlove.eventbrite.com/
For more information about For Japan with Love, go to www.forjapanwithlove.com.
We hope to you can make it -- every little bit counts and together we really can make a difference.

Take a look at this sweet, robots meet diy out door wedding affair!  The hand-made details range from the bride's veil, all the way to the flags swaying back and forth in the breeze in the park.  Yvonne and her now husband James are so adoring are so in love, it's hard not to get swept up in their family's joy. We were so thrilled that our Robot Wedding Invitations could make an appearance!


Can you tell us why you chose to have an alternative style wedding?

Well, it all started with our love of robots. We decided on 10/10/10 for our wedding date because of binary code. So we went with a fabric and robot theme . We are not an average couple and definitely didn't want an average wedding. I'm super crafty and I couldn't help but want to do everything by hand... and I kinda did.


How involved were your significant other, friends and family in the planning?

VERY! Well I did most of the planning but most of the wedding was DIY and I couldn't have executed it alone.  The wedding party friends and family all put in tons of time cutting fabric, sewing and cooking!

What did you DIY?

I made the Ring pillow, I dyed the groom's men's ties and hankies, bridesmaid's sweaters and the buttons on the flowers yellow! I embroidered names into the hankies for the groom's men, the cupcake topper (one of my favorite things I made), and the save the dates!  With the help of friends and family we made chocolate buttons for the cupcakes, fabric banners, set up the flowers, the boutonnieres, the cardbox, and the food.


We know who did your invitations *wink* *wink*, but tell us about the rest of your fantastic vendors...
1. Vendor Bon Moment on Etsy :for my wonderful Robot Wedding Invitations
2. Michaels Crafts: for tissue paper and dye
3. Jo-Anns fabric: for fabric
4. Party works: for paper plates,cups,napkins and table covers
5. Cafe Infoshop Fesno: For dance reception
6. Dollar Tree: vases for center pieces

Labels: real weddings, robot wedding invitation suite

If working in the wedding industry has taught me anything, it’s that bonds between brides are built and made strong by sharing stories about our successes, failures, and everything in between. Well gather ‘round, all you excited offbeat brides-to-be, and let me share a memory or two about my own unique wedding. (Here’s where we do the Wayne’s World camera-goes-wavy-to-indicate-a-memory thing.)
Cast your mind back to a land before time... almost. More like a land before wireless internet. It was 1998, and I was a headstrong 21-year old San Franciscan who had fallen in love with my teenage fantasy. He was 26, a writer from East London with a vast knowledge of Simpsons quotes and a penchant for patent leather. We were a pair of gothic club kids that met when I was in England for a few months and had clicked instantly. We spent the next two years following each other back and forth across the Atlantic, until he proposed one night on the dance floor (during a Depeche Mode song.) It was perfect.

My experience with wedding planning was not destined to be the elaborate, years-long feat that it is for some brides. We were are both incredibly non-traditional and he only had six months before his visitor’s visa expired and he had to go back to the UK. So my list was simple: pick a date, get a license, find someone to perform the wedding. And of course, find something fabulous to wear. The rest, in my mind, was just details.
Now, this may make the more detail-oriented among you cringe. You know, the ones who realize the enormity and magnitude of what a wedding entails BEFORE their actual wedding day. Looking back, though, it turns out I was right. Despite my charmingly naive approach to the whole thing, I had still managed to cut to the heart of the matter: I love this man, and I want to stay with him. What do I need to do to make that happen?

The details took care of themselves somehow. We got married in my parents’ living room by a friend’s father who was also a very liberal minister. (I think we paid him a hundred bucks and a nice bottle of wine.) My mom made the cake, my dad took the pictures, and after the ceremony we had a party at the house with our friends and family. I didn’t cry (out of frustration or anger) or throw up that day, two of my unspoken sub-criteria for a successful wedding. And as for wearing something fabulous... I think the photos speak for themselves. That top hat is full of WIN.

Some people look at my wedding pictures and shake their heads or laugh. Others wring their hands and wonder how I could have taken something like PLANNING MY WEDDING so lightly. My retort is that I had a great day with my loved ones, and at the end of it I still ended up a wife. How would it have been better if I had exhausted myself trying to put on a performance and please an audience?
To the brides-to-be out there who are stressing about your wedding, worrying if it will live up to your expectations (or the expectations of others), please heed this gentle reminder: this day is about you and your beloved, not anyone else. Have fun and celebrate your love in the way that suits you best. Strive for a day that you’ll look back on and smile. Take care of the important stuff and the details will take care of themselves.

About the Author
Erin McLauchlan is the newest addition to the Bon Moment team. She supports Maureen and Denise with graphic design, production, blog articles, and to learning about the wedding industry. A world traveler who now lives in the Great northwest, she's a self-proclaimed alterna-girl and a word nerd. That’s Erin in a nutshell. Wait, how did she get into this nutshell?

Labels: alternative wedding, Erin McLau, real weddings

When you start at any endeavor, particularly something with a creative interest, the learning curve can be pretty steep. The designs you created in the past do a nice job of documenting the historical road map of your progress and innovations. Looking back, it can be genuinely satisfying to see how far you’ve come. What’s we’ve also learned is that it’s also equally satisfying to go back to early designs whose roots are solid but need additional attention to really come into their own. Therefore it was a true pleasure to revise, revamp and re-release our Water Lily Wedding Invitation Suite:


With some very simple modifications, we took the design from ‘pretty good’ to lovely and fantastic. We hope you’re enjoying the journey with us!


This lovely set is available in Pumpkin, Moss, Fuschia, and Deep Sea. Take a moment to pop on over to our site and enjoy this new incarnation in all of it’s spring glory.

Labels: reintroduction, water lily wedding invitation

Etsy is a great place for artists to collaborate. Thanks to "treasuries" or collections that other Etsy enthusiasts put together, users are able to curate and display pieces that other artists have created that inspire them.

We're very flattered to be included in Mandaroo63's treasury. Our Maneki Neko wedding invitations is complemented by earrings, hats, cards, bags, prints and necklaces. It's exciting to see how many people are inspired by the Lucky cat!

Be sure to pop into Etsy to take a look at this treasury!

Also take time to explore all of the treasuries! It's fun to see what people put together.

Labels: etsy, etsy treasury, lucky cat wedding invitation, maneki neko wedding invitation

We're thrilled to be able to feature the lovely Britt and her husband Mike! We struck up a special bond with them when they requested a concert-poster themed wedding invitation that inspired the whole Glam 80s Wedding Invitation Suite! They were married this past summer Britt tells their quirky, honest, and hilarious perspective on her blog, The Bowie Bride, so be sure to pop over and read about their journey!


Can you tell us why you chose to have an alternative style wedding?

My husband Mike and I are a bit of an odd duo. We tend to relate more to the quirky/weird side of life, so naturally our wedding had to exude “alternative.” First and foremost, we wanted the wedding to showcase us as a couple, but we also wanted to incorporate elements from the city we live in and the things we love. So we opted to serve LA-centric Korean/Mexican fusion food off a taco truck instead of hiring banquet style caterers. We made all the decor from scratch and even managed to reuse many items we had stashed in our closets. Our wedding party wore mismatched outfits, I wore a short dress, and Mike opted for a more casual vest and tie look. Our sisters walked us down the aisle while my other sister played the processional song, Soul Love by David Bowie, on the electric guitar. We started the dance party with a group shot of tequila. All of these elements were a carefully thought-out choice made by the both of us. This helped us avoid white wedding traditions we didn’t necessarily agree with or ones that didn’t fit with our aesthetic. We spent money on the things we actually felt good spending money on. And in the end, we planned a wedding that we were totally and completely in love with.


How involved were your significant other, friends and family in the planning?

Our family and friends were heavily involved in the execution of the wedding. We had crafting parties weekly where we invited over our friends, liquored them up and fed them in exchange for helping us craft our wedding decor. Hands down, we could not have pulled this thing off without their help. To put things in perspective, I’ll just say this: All 8 groomsmen and Mike were at the venue all day on the day of the wedding setting things up. When they finally finished, they had only about an hour to dash back to the hotel, get dressed, and head to the train to get back to the venue to make it there in time before the guests started to arrive. When I saw Mike for the first time, he seemed very harried... I didn’t learn til later that he had been busting his ass all day with the boys getting the venue ready from scratch basically. When they walked into the venue that morning, it was a blank canvas nearly. So they had an enormous task ahead of them.


What did you DIY?

Everything! Well, not everything, technically... but it sure felt like everything. We made vases out of recycled wine bottles. I made 8 bouquets and 11 boutonnieres from fake flowers and miscellaneous recycled materials. We made lanterns out of old CD jewel cases. We made a Mad Lib Guest Book... a cupcake tower.... wooden signs... beer bottle chandeliers... crane strings... flag banners... We basically DIY’d everything; we even made the beer from scratch! And cut the table cloths and table runners by hand! All together, it was an insane project... definitely not a task for the faint of heart. But it was certainly worth it to us - both creatively and monetarily.



We know who did your invitations *wink* *wink*, but tell us about the rest of your fantastic vendors...

Invitations: Bon Moment! The best invitation company in the world!!!!!! ;)
Photography Credit: Nicole Polk Photography
Coordinator: Just Wenderful
Venue: BOXeight Studios
Bride’s Dress: Deborah Lindquist
Bride’s Undergarments: Betsey Johnson
Bride’s Shoes: Pour La Victoire rose gold heels, and Custom Chuck Taylor Converses for the dance party
Bride’s Earrings: Kate Spade
Something blue: Sequin Blue Nipple Pasties via Bristols 6
Bride’s veil: Velvet Owl
Bride’s barrettes: Tarina Tarantino
Bride’s wedding band: Bario-Neal
Groom’s Vest/shirt/tie: Ben Sherman
Groom’s Pants: J. Crew
Groom’s Skate shoes: Dekline
Bridesmaid’s Dresses: Various - Betsey Johnson, Forever 21, local vintage shops, White House Black Market
Bridesmaids Accessories: Untamed Petals, J. Crew & DIY
Hair/Make Up: Julia Papworth Makeup & Hair
Cupcakes: A Little Piece of Cake
Cake Pops: Made by Just Wenderful
Catering: Kogi BBQ Taco Truck
Real Flowers: DIY – bought the morning of the wedding
Fake Flowers/Bouquets: DIY
Beer Bottle Chandeliers: DIY
Boutonnieres: DIY
Guestbook: DIY
CD Lanterns: DIY
DJ: Steve Buck of “Rhymes With… Entertainment”

Labels: alternative wedding, glam 80s, real weddings, vendors

Well hello there! I’m Erin, and I’m the newest addition to the Bon Moment team. I’m on board to support Maureen and Denise with graphic design and production, to write some blog articles, and to learn as much as I can from these two incredible chicks.

If you’re reading this, you’ve probably already gathered that Bon Moment is something special. But being involved behind the scenes has given me an even deeper appreciation for how amazing it is -- and how hard these ladies work. I’m from a family of artists on one side and farmers on the other, so having the chance to roll up my sleeves and get my hands dirty with design is my dream job.

Professionally, I’m kind of a Jill of all trades: I’ve been a coffee slinger, a retail store designer, a display artist, and am currently a “content curator” (something between a copywriter and editor.) I spent a lot of my 20s bouncing between San Francisco and Europe, living a semi-rock and roll existence, before settling down to a far more sustainable lifestyle in the beautiful Pacific Northwest.

I’m an alterna-girl and a word nerd. I speak really fast and tend to laugh at inappropriate moments, but can usually talk my way out of the trouble it gets me into. I love literature, philosophy, and Beavis and Butt-Head reruns. My MP3 player contains everything from 20’s jazz to Rammstein, and I have had a lifelong love affair with Depeche Mode. That’s me in a nutshell. Wait, how did I get into this nutshell?

Labels: introductions