Welcome to the Etsy Virtual Bridal Show with links for readers to donate to Wish Upon a Wedding and For Japan With Love.
“Wish Upon a Wedding is a nonprofit 501 (c) (3) organization that provides weddings and vow renewals to couples facing terminal illness or other serious life-altering circumstances, regardless of sexual orientation. Often, couples facing such situations do not have the energy, time, money, or resources needed to plan their wedding. Our organization takes care of all the details, offering couples a chance to relax and enjoy a very special day while surrounded by the love of their closest family and friends.” -www.wishuponawedding.org
When I originally came up with this idea, it was solely to benefit Wish Upon a Wedding. However, given the recent disaster in Japan, I am aware that some viewers might want to donate their funds toward relief efforts. Well, thanks to Utterly Engaged and Ever Ours, the wedding and event blogging world is coming together to support For Japan With Love. “For Japan With Love has a direct link on the website to our fundraising page for ShelterBox. ShelterBox was one of THE first organizations asked by Japan to help and were on hand on the Saturday after the quake. 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.” -http://www.utterlyengaged.com/please-help-for-japan-with-love-update/
No matter where you direct your donation, be it Wish Upon a Wedding or For Japan With Love, you will be making a difference in the lives of those facing life’s most difficult of circumstances. If you are unable to donate monetarily, your thoughts and prayers will truly touch the hearts and lives of those affected. I send my thoughts, prayers, and strength to those affected by such life altering circumstances.
Legalities:
While I am a volunteer with Wish Upon a Wedding and a participant with For Japan With Love, Parties by Kristen is not affiliated with Wish Upon a Wedding or For Japan With Love in any other capacity and is not an official representative of Wish Upon a Wedding or For Japan With Love. In addition, Parties by Kristen is not affiliated with Etsy or the vendors featured and is not an official representative of Etsy or of each of these vendors. I am simply a fan of these artists/vendors and a volunteer with a passion for what I do and for organizations I have chosen to donate my time and finances to. I have sought permission from each and every vendor featured to use their products and their photos. Please do not use these photos for personal gain or copy the designs presented. These products are the livelihood, passion, and intellectual property of each artist and to copy these items or to use them for person gain is both illegal and unethical.
Our first artisan is Arbie of Paris XOX. “While preparing for my own Wedding in Switzerland and a Blessing in England I wanted something to wear with a bit of romance and history. I purchased an antique gold horseshoe brooch studded with diamonds and pinned it onto a silk ribbon to wear as a choker… And there is the very small beginning of our company.” In addition to Paris XOX, Arbie has two other shops Waikiki XOX and London XOX, both are wedding related, so please check them out. “My shoes are perfect and glamorous! Arbie is amazing at what she does! Thank you for making these beautiful shoes for my wedding!”
Next on the show, Nora Karen, who says, “I studied graphic and Fashion Design in Argentina.Painting and designing is a true passion for me. I owe this to my Father, whose love for life,art and the needed inspired much of what I am today as an artist,person and believer.” “I bought these shoes for my upcoming winter wedding and they are absolutely AMAZING. They are so perfect it is hard to put in to words exactly how much I appreciate Norakaren’s work. Beautiful craftmanship. I was also touched by the packaging they arrived in as well as the sweet hand written card left by nora. I would highly recommend anything created by norakaren and I hope to be back soon for more beautiful unique items. Thank you so much again. Both shoes and clutch will add so much to my wedding day. Also I should mention that the shoes fit and are comfortable!!”
Here we have Sofisticata’s beautiful shoe clips.” Each piece is delicately handcrafted using the best quality materials available. My designs incorporate gemstones, beads, sequins, crystals, feathers, wire, and metal findings. These flowers are hand-stitched and handcrafted, each one will be unique (small variations are only natural to find).” “What can I say…your are talented and a true delight to work with for an extremely customized request! I sent my family tartan to add a special detail to my wedding attire and I am quite pleased. I also enjoyed the collaboration, patience and positivity during the design process. THANKS AGAIN! I will certainly provide pics from my wedding day to share your creation in action. Hope to work with you again soon.”
Brigitte Chung is a shoe designer from San Francisco. “Custom handmade crystals jeweled shoes. Perfect for wedding, pageant, prom, and party. Mix & Match our rhinestones heels, height, and colors with the shoes.” “Be-au-ti-ful sandals and experience. Great communication from Brigitte and the quality is excellent. I will treasure these shoes made for my wedding day.”
Our last shop is Chloe and Maddie “The perfect place for adorable handmade accessories for women and girls! Vintage inspired headbands, hair clips, combs and wedding or party accessories and gifts!” They have some seriously unique shoe clips that I just had to share. “LOVE these clips, they are so pretty! Can’t wait to wear them – will send you a picture of them on our wedding day.”
Belle Memorie 