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Classic Wedding Investment: Creative Ringbearer Boxes, p.2

Yesterday, I shared a few of my favorite alternatives for ring bearer pillows (if you missed the post, you can catch up here). I promised a few more fun ideas today and I hope I won't disappoint! Everything featured in this post will soon be heading straight for the (online) shelves of my little shop, CB Vintage, so if you'd like to place dibs before stocking takes place, just e-mail me at theclassicbride[at]gmail[dot]com. I'm happy to answer any questions about size / dimensions / shipping / additional photos, etc. :)


Boy, that mint green French Opalex ashtray sure is cute ... I wonder what it would look like as a ring box for a ring bearer to carry ...


TA-DA!
Doesn't it look like an enchanted little bird's nest? I just adore the minty color!
I found this cutie at a vide grenier in a tiny town in northern France. :)


Next up, I couldn't resist this sweet vintage paper box advertising a little French shop in Lille, France. The pale blue color and gold lettering hum in unison and the pretty design makes me wonder what goodies the box used to hold. I think it's the perfect little token to hold a pair of rings down the aisle:



I also promised yesterday that I'd share where I rounded up my natural moss (for free!). I scooped this selection of moss from my Mom and Dad's front garden at their last house in Alabama. They had a great little shady spot near their porch where the most beautiful green moss thrived. And the great thing about moss is that it maintains its green color after it has dried - the moss in these photos is about 4 years old and still looks alive and pretty. You can also purchase moss at craft stores if you don't have a great little garden at your fingertips. ;)

Next up, I found this darling cream French bonbon box (made of thick plastic) at another French flea market and fell in love with the ornately decorated lid which says "Sucre Dulcor" "Paris" ... if this wasn't made for a wedding ...


Isn't she a beaut? Here's another of my favorites - the simple but beautiful Pastilles tin:



I have a few other pretty French tins that would be equally enchanting for a ring bearer ... or to hide a secret love note:


Lastly, I adore pastel kitchen enamel and I made it a mission to collect a few French vintage enamel lunch pails while I was living abroad. A vendor once told me that men would tote them to work around WWI and after. I love the history and I just find them positively charming in their quaintness ... and hello, pretty ring box:


And that's all I've got for ya today - I hope my ideas have inspired you to get creative for your little ring bearer! I'll share a few creative ideas for the flower girls soon, too! Stay tuned!

And do tell what you plan on having your little ring bearer carry down the aisle. ;) I'd love to hear!

All images styled and taken by moi.
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Classic Wedding Investment: Creative Ringbearer Boxes, p.1

I will always love a classic ringbearer pillow {my Mom once cross-stitched a monogrammed pillow for a friend's wedding and I'm still swooning over it!} but I'm also really loving alternatives to the pillow. I thought I'd share a few of my favorites with you today.

You may remember this amazing glass box used for the rings from Violet + Jason's Ohio wedding I shared a few months ago:
Photo by Adam Lowe Photography
I kinda made a huge fuss over the little glass box on Instagram {you can follow me here}. I love that the couple added some natural moss for cushioning - it adds great color and texture! And they didn't stop there! They also included a ceremony called 'warming of the rings' where the guests get involved and pass the rings around and wish the couple good luck and bless them. Here is a link with more info about the ceremony.

And how can you not love a ringbearer pup? The darling black lab from Matt + Laura's New England wedding is too cute for words - and I love a good floral collar - perfect for attaching the rings:

Photo by Kat Hanafin
I also love the idea of getting creative and using beautiful vintage containers as ring boxes for the ringbearer. A few goodies I have lined up for my CB Vintage shop seemed too perfect so I decided to do a little impromptu photo shoot with some of my wares to show you just how great they could be! As always, if you see something you'd be interested in purchasing, just shoot me an e-mail at theclassicbride[at]gmail[dot]com. I'd be happy to pack anything you see and send it right off to you for your wedding. :)



Similar to the glass box used in Violet and Jason's wedding, I love this little antique glass box I found at the Lille, France flea market (read about all the fun I had at the market here) a few years ago. It sits a little crooked {which I freakin love} and is missing one sidepane of glass but I don't think that takes away any of its inherent charm ... I actually think it adds charm! I love the faded red tufted material inside - I like to imagine the box having once belonged to a little French princess who kept her most prized pieces of jewelry inside. How cute would it be to have a ringbearer tote this pretty down the aisle?

The sidepane of glass is missing but whatevs ... it's still adorbs! Don't you agree?
This next idea is a little outside the box (see what I did there? (;) but I think it's incredibly cool - use a vintage (extra points if it's French) ashtray as a ringbox and use some green moss as a natural cushion:


I have a weak spot for collecting French ashtrays because they just exude Frenchness to me ... I imagine Eva Green languidly puffing on a cig and blowing smoke rings at a Parisian streetside bistro while waiting for her lovaah to arrive. ... Or Brigitte Bardot doing the same in St. Tropez ... you get the idea ... it conjurs up sexy French vibes that are irresistible. And who wouldn't want to inject a little of that in their wedding, right? What makes it even better is that most of the vintage French ashtrays I collected have French ads for a product or cafe or bar on them and many times they were also used to deliver the bill to customers. I love a piece with good history, don't you?

Under the moss, this French ashtray says St Raphael.
If you're interested in purchasing and would like more photos,
just e-mail at theclassicbride[at]gmail[dot]com.
For a more pared-down, natural look, I love the idea of using a vintage French pitch pot and again using moss as a natural cushion. I scored a heap of these cute little clay pitch pots in Provence:


 Cafe au lait bowls are rather charming, too:


And, lastly, for today, a good vintage tin always makes a beautiful ring box:


The best part about using a unique ring box for your wedding is that you can continue to use it as a ring box well after the wedding on your nightstand or in a place of prominence in your home. Hello, classic investment.

Tune in tomorrow for more pretty vintage ring boxes for sale! I've saved the best for last so make sure you come back! ;) I'll also tell you where I found my pretty moss (for free!). xox.

Photos by moi unless otherwise stated.
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Elegant + Classic Summer Wedding Weekend in Canada by Emilie Olson

Maia and Paul wed on Fiddler Lake, a beautifully lush resort dotted with grand log cabins tucked away north of Montreal. I love that the flowers were purchased in bulk and arranged the morning of the wedding by friends and family! And don't get me started on Maia's flawless + polished bridal look - she couldn't be more classic if she tried. Exquisite! / Photos by Emilie Olson.


Says Maia, "We both had a fairly clear vision of what we wanted to create for our wedding. My family has a cottage in the Laurentians and I had always loved the idea of a relaxed wedding weekend where guests could have plenty of opportunities to catch up with one another while enjoying great food, drinks and fun outdoor celebrations. 



We wanted to create a setting that felt beautiful and polished. We were thrilled to find such an amazing venue in Saint-Sauveur that offered gorgeous chalets, stunning outdoor spaces and a carte-blanche to create the exact wedding we had envisioned. Because of the remote location, we planned and executed nearly the entire event (with plenty of help from friends and family).


Maia wore her grandmother's pearls from the 1930s. 




The style of our wedding could be described as relaxed elegance. We had beautiful outdoor spaces for our ceremony and cocktail hour where an abundance of fresh flowers accented the natural Laurentian backdrop.


The decor for our reception tent was tasteful with accents that highlighted the natural beauty of the setting. We tried to create an intimate environment where guests could relax and enjoy a long night of celebration.

Thanks so much to Maia and Paul for sharing their darling day with us and to Emilie Olson for sharing her lovely photos! xx.

Maia leaves us with some parting advice, "[Don't] worry about 'pulling it off.' If you have specific goals of what you want to create for your wedding day, don't hesitate to pursue them. Everything will come together beautifully and whatever space you've created will be enhanced by the love and positivity of those joined within it."

Maia and Paul spent a week in the Algarve for their honeymoon.

Credits: Venue: Fiddler Lake Resort / Flowers: Costco, arranged by friends and family / Bride’s Shoes: Lasonia www.lasonia.com / Groom’s suit: Hugo Boss www.hugoboss.com / Groom’s shoes: Locale / Hair + make-up by the bride / Photographer: Emilie Olson

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Relaxed + Preppy New England Wedding by Kat Hanafin

Today's bride and groom met in 4th grade and the two basically have a love story fit for a deliciously sappy movie (you'll see - just read their sweet love story below). Matt and Laura threw a beautifully relaxed + preppy wedding on a stretch of dreamy New England coast in Cohasset, Mass. I'm drooling over their reception at The Cohasset Sailing Club and I know you will be, too! / Photos by Kat Hanafin.


Says Laura, "We had the incredible opportunity to host our wedding at the Cohasset Sailing Club. My uncle has volunteered there for years, so we went out on a limb and asked if they would let us have our wedding reception there. The sailing club has the most amazing view of the entire Cohasset harbour - and we were lucky enough to be able to put a tent up right on the water. Matt wanted to minimize the day feeling too much like a 'wedding' so we tried to keep it pared down and make it feel as much like a party as possible. We tried to keep it nautical and beachy without being too kitschy.



Did you include any family heirlooms or special family traditions? "We included a few - the Boston Whaler being our favorite [more on that below]. My aunt, who I call my 'American Mom' lent me the bracelets she wore on her wedding day, which was really special. My other aunt and godmother had bought my dress, and my third aunt gifted me a lace handkerchief from my great grandmother to carry down the aisle (I have a lot of aunts). My sister wore a pearl bracelet that I had made for her with pearls from a necklace Matt had given me years before (I had the necklace made into two matching bracelets) and we both put sixpence in our shoes from the years our parents were born."


Matt + Laura's Love Story
Matt and I had met back when we were in the 4th grade - our families are good friends, and his parents made the 13 hour trek up to our lake house north of Toronto for two weeks. Years later, I moved to Cohasset for the summer after my first year of college to nanny for two wonderful girls. I was living with my aunt for the summer, who happens to live accross the street from Matt's parents. Long story short, we agreed to break up at the end of the summer, and three years later I moved to the states permanently, seven years later we were engaged, and eight years almost to the day we were married about a half a mile from where we started.


I'd walked by Meredith's in Scituate, Mass., and seen the dress in the window, and thought it would be perfect. I didn't cry or get emotional - I just knew it felt right when I put it on, and I couldn't stop thinking about it when I got home. I went back the next day and bought it.


Matt and I are both very close to our siblings, so they were our maid of honor and best men. I chose two of my closest friends from nursing school and two that I met after moving to Boston, Matt chose his three best friends from childhood. The boys wore classic khaki pants and navy blazers and the girls wore simple navy dresses that they chose from the store I bought my wedding dress from. I'd gone the day before with the most honest of my bridesmaids and narrowed it down to a few choices for them to pick from.


Your favorite memory of the day? "I should probably say something about Matt and I, but 'our' black lab was our ring bearer - watching her stroll down the aisle with her flower collar was just the cutest thing ever."


We were able to arrive at the reception on Matt's family's boat - we were able to take a short ride with our family over, have a glass of champagne together, relax, talk and enjoy the beautiful harbor. 


We'd also set up lawn games outside the tent - featuring a set of corn hole decorated with the Canadian and American flags, which was a big hit. Passing out beer cozies that said 'wicked, eh' instead of favors was also a smart move in the 90 degree heat.




We borrowed hurricane lamps from a good friend's mom, chairs from my aunt's dining table, used an antique mirror as a menu board that was in the attic, and sourced a lot of the decor from Etsy. But by far, the best 'antique' at the wedding was the Boston Whaler I gave Matt for Christmas a few years ago (We got engaged 12 hours after he picked up the boat. Coincidence? I don't think so). We filled it with ice and used it to chill drinks at the bar, and by the end of the night, we got a great picture of one of my best friends sitting in the boat, surrounded with ice and beer, paddling away. 


My sister and I both went to my Dad's alma mater (Queen's University!) an extremely school-spirited University back home in Canada - instead of doing a traditional father daughter dance, we performed the 'oil thigh,' Queen's school dance and song (in gaelic!) with my friends from college who had come up for the wedding. It made for some of my favorite pictures from the night.


Thanks so much to Matt and Laura for sharing their beautiful day with us and to photographer Kat Hanafin for sharing her lovely photos! xx.

Laura leaves us with some great wedding planning advice, "Relax. Literally everything went wrong or off-course the day of our wedding, with the exception of the weather. As long as you end up married to your partner at the end of the day and you were surrounded by family and friends then it was a success. If you relax and have fun so will everyone else. We had an actual medical emergency in the middle of cocktail hour - I'm talking ambulances and all. And everyone still had a blast. Oh, and it doesn't hurt to have two doctors, a few nurse practitioners, a dozen MGH nurses and a respiratory therapist as your wedding guests."

Laura and Matt honeymooned in Nantucket. 

Credits: Photographer: Kat Hanafin / Catering: The Silent Chef / Tent: Sperry Tents / Ceremony: First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church in Cohasset / Reception: The Cohasset Sailing Club / Wedding and Bridesmaid's Dresses: Meredith's Bridal (No longer open unfortunately) / Make-Up: Blush Hingham / Hair: Rudoph Adamo Salon / DJ: Unique Sounds / Raw Bar: Island Creek Oyster Co.  / Florist: Beach Plum Floral

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