A Love Story

I have a very special corner at The Green Hanger Shop where I get to be creative and design something I think is a fun part of the wedding tradition.  The Garter!  I love to play with the different colors and and ribbons and see how it turns out.  So much so that by the time I am done, the garter has to have a name! 

For example,  meet

The Mrs.

She's just a sweet, classy kind of garter with white satin ribbon, blush grosgrain and pewter satin accents.  She is one of my most viewed, so I think she will soon find her bride!

Another popular garter is

I Do

She is perfect for spring or summer weddings.  I wonder sometimes if I should have named her Daisy!

But my favorite of all on a very personal level is

Love Story

She was made for one of my favorite bride bloggers, Ms. Library, whose blog about her wedding plans I stalk follow on a regular basis.  She is a phenominal blog writer.  I love her wedding colors: cobalt blue, cornflower blue, light blue, and fuchsia!  She entered an earlier giveaway I hosted for a free garter, and unfortunately didn't win.  But she enlisted me anyway to design her garter and I felt a strong personal connection to the importance of designing something that would become a keepsake and part of this most important event.  I considered it as no small task.  It was a BIG DEAL!  Having read her blog posts, I can assure you that Love Story is the perfect name.  Enjoy, Ms. Library!

Love Story

I'm Cheap

First, a confession.  I have several.  I use them and lose them.  Do you?  Do you, like me, have multiple email accounts that you use to avoid spam in your "real" email?  Or maybe you opened an account and "forgot" and discovered the user name taken when you tried to open it a second time?
When we started The Green Hanger Shop, its mission was to reduce the waste involved in weddings and the attire associated with them.  One of the decisions we faced was what, if anything, to charge customers wanting to list their dresses.  For a time, we offered a free option.  Here is what happened.  The seller would provide an email account that they didn't check frequently, leaving buyers waiting and waiting.  Emails sent to registered users were often undeliverable.  It seemed the sellers had no investment in the process.  So, after some careful thought and research into other similar websites, we determined a fair fee.  Voila!  Problem solved.  We have the lowest fee online because we still believe in the cause.  But now, our sellers are investing in the mission, too.  (The fees simply support the expense of advertising the dresses and maintaining the website.) So, yes, we are cheap and proud of it. 

On the other hand, here is something that is FREE! We are celebrating spring with this giveaway of  Anna Griffin invitations.  We used these to invite friends to our daughter's engagement reception.  Since then Anna's enterprise has continued to grow and branch out into craft papers and scrapbooking.  Her designs are widely recognized for their elegance. This giveaway includes 35 of the invitations shown with envelopes.

If you want them, please leave a comment.  Become a follower on the blog for a second chance or remind us that you already are.  Be our facebook fan or follow on twitter or both.  Every way you share the love is considered an entry.  Leaving separate comments improves your chances.  Winner will be randomly selected on April Fools Day, no joke!

Happy spring!

Got Green?

March is the perfect month to celebrate our GREEN side! 

New-to-you shoes saves more energy than

an average household uses in

a day.  Way to reduce that

carbon footprint!

Shown: Touch Ups Ronnie

Buying a pre-loved silk dress saves 95% of the CO2 needed to make a new one.  That size fits all!

Pictured: Ann Taylor 222563

Using an online wedding album service like The Wedding Lens saves printing costs when friends try to send hard copies.  Also, centralizing photographs reduces the number of PCs and servers needed to store and share!

Go Green! Get Green! Save Green!

Skinny on the Skirt

Wedding Dresses come in many skirts!  The Green Hanger Shop has the skinny on each one!

A-Line

Ballgown

Princess

(A-line without a waistband)

Mermaid

Sheath

Soft

Pickup

All of these are being offered for sale at The Green Hanger Shop.  If you were a skirt, what would you be?

From the Neck Down: Real Brides

As I was posting the last blog, a reader jumped in and reminded me that halter was a neckline I had missed.  It seems to be a popular choice among the comments received.  So I quickly found one in The Green Hanger Shop and added it.

I also learned of the wide variety of neckline choices out there.  One bride was sweet enough to share a picture of her dress that proves once again that just when you think you have thought of everything...

You learn something new everyday, or at least I hope so!  This great dress has an Elizabethan with a scoop neckline.  I love this.  She tells me that she was married on a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean. She loved that this Jessica McClintock dress was tea length, making it very maneuverable.  This combination of lace, Elizabethan and sea seems very romantic to me.  (This one is not for sale.)

So there you have it.  I know there are more necklines to uncover. In fact, I found a portrait neckline on a dress at The Green Hanger Shop that I did not post.  If you're curious, go here.

Next time,

the skinny on the skirt.

From the Neck Down

One of the most exciting perks of a bride-to-be is trying on those gorgeous dresses!  I know I dreamed of the day I would get to see my daughters choose THE dress. I thought it was fun. We set aside a Saturday when all three of us could go. Yes, without sister, there can be no cheering section. After five or six gowns, it gets old for the tryer onner.  In fact, it can get frustrating.  So here is my suggestion.  Try on different types of gowns in very broad categories and narrow what appeals to you or looks the most fabulous.  Think neckline, skirt line, fabric, embellishments, and train.  Here are some real brides in real dresses.  Let's start with the neckline. Yes, there are other dresses besides strapless!

Off the Shoulder

Scoop

Bateau

Sweetheart

V-Neck

Square

Strapless

Halter

All of the dresses pictured are available at The Green Hanger Shop.  Now, what neckline have I left out?  Please tell me your favorite.

Giving O' The Green

The Great Green Giveaway Winner!

I am so happy to celebrate the arrival of March and the approach of spring with the announcement of our giveaway winner.  Congratulations to Dana!  I hope she enjoys the Artecnica tranSglass® Jug from CSN Stores.  Dana, an email is on the way.

I welcome all the new followers, and I hope I can make it worth your time to hang out with me here.

Happy March!