I’m Getting Married in Scotland This Year! My Wedding Essentials

Bridal Bliss: Wedding Essentials

This post is sponsored by BabbleBoxx.com.

So I think most of you know I’m getting married this year. I’m so excited! I’ve been engaged to Gregg for a while, and we’ve been together for just about eight years now, so most people are like, “Wait you guys aren’t married yet?” It kinda feels like we’re already married, but it’s time to make it official!

We are getting married this October at a beautiful castle in Scotland and doing our honeymoon in London. People keep asking why we chose Scotland for the ceremony. Gregg and I have both been to London a few times (not together), but never Scotland, and there’s no obvious Scottish blood in our veins (I do have British ancestry but I’m not sure about Scottish). So why Scotland? Well, as Gregg put it, there’s a serious lack of castles in Los Angeles! We are not traditional people, and we want to have a wedding that is as unique as we are. It will be a small ceremony with about 25 friends and family.

We are actually having THREE parties! One small ceremony in Scotland for those who can make it out there, and then a party in Los Angeles, and one in Baton Rouge (my home town, where my family lives). We already sent out invitations for the Scotland wedding, but we are still looking for options for our other two wedding parties. I received some paper samples from Mixbook and I’m impressed with their quality and selection. You can use one of their many pre-designed templates, or you can create your own with their “no design experience needed” editor. I’ve got my eye on their “Ornate Vintage Frame” wedding invitations. To get the perfect wedding invitation, save the date, postcard, or thank you card, you can choose from their premium paper (I like the thick, textured ones myself), real foil and different die-cut card shapes. We still haven’t bought a guest book, so I’m excited to see they have those too. And, they have canvas, acrylic, metal, or poster photo prints, which will be great for when we get our photos back! If you’re getting married and in the market for wedding stationery or cards, I have a coupon code you can use: BABBLE50 – for 50% off all wedding stationery! It expires 12/31/2018.

We already picked out our hair and makeup team, photographer and florist, but I haven’t even started looking at dresses yet! Lots of Pinterest board ideas, but I haven’t started looking yet. I may not have my dress picked out, but I already know what I’ll be wearing underneath. The Bali Lace ‘N Smooth Bodybriefer is the perfect bodysuit to smooth out my tummy, keep the girls in place, and also look great under my dress. It’s sexy enough that it will be cute when I take the dress off later that night too! It’s made with soft, breathable, stretchable lace and it comes in rosewood (pink/nude), black or white. The white color is perfect for my wedding day! It comes in band sizes 34-40 and cup sizes B-DD. It has a plunging neckline (which is great because I will probably have a deep v neck dress) and the cups are lightly lined but without any added bulk. The bottom has full coverage with no bulges, and there’s a hook and eye closure so you can go to the bathroom without taking the whole thing off (girls you KNOW this is important!).

Now let’s talk nails. I haven’t decided on a nail polish color yet (gotta pick the dress first), but these delicate, feminine shades from Zoya are at the top of my list. I was sent three perfect wedding nail polish shades: Jordan, Leia and Abby. Whether you’re getting married or not, you need to have Leia in your life. It’s described as a sheer opalescent white with flecks of fuchsia, green and gold. You can wear it alone but it makes a gorgeous topper over almost any color. Jordan is a pale, creamy cool pink, and Abby is a light lavender cream. Both perfect for a bride. As you guys know, I’m a big Zoya fan. Zoya is cruelty free, vegan and a “big-10 free” breathable formula. Zoya polish contains no: Formaldehyde, Formaldehyde Resin, Dibutl, Toluene, Camphor, TPHP, Parabens, Xylene, Ethyl, Tosylamide, or Lead.

My engagement ring is a black diamond, and I love it because it’s so non-traditional. Gregg and I haven’t decided yet if we’re going to do a whole new ring with gemstones for the wedding, or if we’re just doing a band. I may also re-size my mom’s or grandma’s old ring too. Decisions, decisions! But, I have always wondered how women were able to wear their wedding rings ALL the time – even when they go to the gym, beach or other activity where the ring could get scratched, lost, or damaged. Over time these things can gradually bend your ring, loosen the settings and possibly cause the stones to fall out. I got a sample of the RingHero, and now I get it! RingHero protects your rings in a zippered wristband pocket so you can keep it with you while you do your thing. It comes in black, gray, blue or pink, and it’s stretchy enough for small or large wrists (like mine). I plan on using this at the gym and at the nail salon. No way am I leaving my ring in the lockers, or letting the nail techs get acetone on it! 

And last but CERTAINLY not least, I have these beautiful Charles + Colvard Forever One moissanite stud earrings that I plan to give to my mom as a thank you for helping me with the wedding (financially AND mentally!). They are beautiful 1.00 ctw, round, three prong martini solitaire stud earrings set in 14K white gold. These babies are Charles + Colvard’s Forever One GHI grade gemstones that have the diamond equivalent weight of 1.00ctw. Moissanite is one of the rarest minerals found in nature, and the experts at Charles + Colvard have recreated it in a lab for an artfully crafted, socially responsible and eternally brilliant gemstone. They have been making these beautiful stones that look just like diamonds for over 20 years, but these are ethical and a fraction of what you’d normally pay for the same weight. These are just perfect for a bride (not for me though – because I don’t have pierced ears anymore!), or a gift for a maid of honor or mother of the bride (or groom).