Why I love Etsy (so far)

I really do love etsy. I have lost count of how many gifts I've bought from etsy vendors, and I know that the homepage always has great inspiration when I'm at a loss. So it was a logical choice when I started wedding planning. Of course I'd use alchemy/custom to find things when I knew what I wanted but couldn't find it, and of course etsy would be an easy choice when I wanted quality that I shouldn't be able to afford!

First, I went to etsy for invitations. I found an amazing letterpress printer who worked with me (and that's a major accomplishment, considering how many revisions I made!) to design exactly the invitation suite I wanted, and then ran half of the set through the letterpress twice, just to make sure it looked perfect! He was absolutely amazing, and less than half the price of even some of the DIY kits I looked at!

Then I turned to etsy for wedding bands. I am super excited about this one (as I have mentioned before). I love our bands. I love that they were custom-made for us (even though they don't have an inscription). I love that they are titanium, so they feel a little special to me. I love the price (and I'll love the price even more if we ever need to replace one). And I love that the seller has an easy exchange policy in case we change sizes (since titanium can't be re-sized). I sooo couldn't be happier about this purchase!

I also bought Mr. L's wedding present on etsy, but that's a surprise! The seller was, as usual, great to work with, and I got a great deal on something totally personal.

The fabric that I was desperately looking for to cover the cupcake tower? Someone on etsy had some that was perfect (read: exactly what I envisioned), and for a steal! They were uber-responsive, and I had exactly as much as I needed, pronto! I think one of the best things about etsy is that the quality of the items I order consistently surprises me by being even better than I expected. This was a great example of just that. This was wonderful, heavy fabric!

Most recently, I had someone one etsy create the design that I printed on my cookie bags! I put up an alchemy request, and ended up with a design I love for a great price with great customer service. I also discovered the work of a great graphic designer, and I'm convinced that I'll come up with some excuse to buy something from her again in the near future.

Rings!

We went ring shopping this weekend, and I ordered our wedding bands this morning!

We checked out all the options - titanium, gold, platinum, tungsten, and even black ceramic. Gold and platinum are pretty standard, but it was neat to look into the less-standard options too. Ceramic and tungsten are great, economical options, but both can shatter, which scares me a little (and Mr. L didn't like the look of the black - he preferred more of a traditional metal look.

Titanium was by far the most economical. Although it can't be re-sized (neither can ceramic or tungsten), we found a great, creative etsian who has a policy of allowing exchanges for a different size as long as there is no custom engraving. Perfect! I perused mostly etsy sellers (WAY cheaper than the jewelry store we checked out, and more variety... not to mention the awesomeness of getting a custom/handmade item direct from an American crafter), and really feel in love with the highly polished stuff. TitaniumKnights was our guy! Here's what we ended up getting (mine will be a little thinner than Mr. L's):

I can't help but boast; we're getting BOTH for a total of $94!!! I think this is the budget move I'm most proud of right now. I would have been willing to pay gold or platinum prices if there was a ring that we liked better, but we are both really excited about this ring! The price is just a wonderful bonus!