The Primary Pack: Wedding Party Gifts and Tips for Teacher-Brides!

Hey there, it's Megan from A New Box of Crayons!

Today I'm coming to your with another Teacher-Bride post!

If you missed my first Teacher-Bride post you can check it out here!

I know that this has NOTHING to do with school, but I like showing my "human" side to all of you bloggy friends!! Soo...sit back and enjoy a ..uhh...Life post...thing! :)

I am happy to announce that I am MARRIED! WOOHOO!! I still have a hard time remembering to call my Husband...MY HUSBAND...whoops..but I am sure I will get the hang of it.

ANYWAYS...

I am here to share some tips, tricks and wedding party gifts with you! Maybe if you are lucky I will share some wedding photos...EEEK!

Warning: These tips will seem a little scattered, but they are what I have shared with my closest friends who are currently planning weddings. Bare with me :)

#1 Pinterest can be your best friend and overwhelm you at the same time.

I LOOOVEE pinterest and used it to find IDEAS for what I wanted my wedding to look like. However, you need to keep in mind that it will not look that EXACT way! I have had some friends that have been disappointed because something did not look EXACTLY like what it did on pinterest...DON'T LET THAT GET IN YOUR HEAD! Keep in mind that they are ideas!

For example...here is the image I found to inspire my wedding bouquet:

My main colors were gray and a succulent blue (ooo sounds so fancy), so I wanted those accents added.

Here is how it actually came out!

This picture doesn't do it justice! It was BEAUTIFUL!! Now, I am hoping my wedding photos (which I haven't seen all of them) show how amazing this was!

My bridesmaids bouquets were inspired by the same photo. I told my wedding planner that since my girls were wearing charcoal gray that I really wanted them to POP!

Check these babies out!

AHHH!!! You better believe these babies POPPED!!!

(Follow me on Instagram or Facebook to see more wedding photos!)

Which brings me to my next tip...!

#2 Let the experts do their job!

If you have hired a wedding planner, florist, Photographer or DJ then you need to remember to TRUST THEM! It is easy for us Type A folks to want to micro-manage those around us. Let's face it...we are NATURALLY bossy! However, you need to let these people do their job...when you relinquish control it allows you to ENJOY the experience and it allows those lovely people the chance to relax and have some fun. I completely handed over the reins to my wedding planner and my flowers, venue and reception were AMAZING!! TRUST ME!

#3 Look for sales!

I lucked out with having a 2 year engagement so I had PLENTY of time to scope out the jewelry, shoes and gifts I wanted. If you have time...LOOK FOR SALES. I scored the majority of my bridesmaids' gifts on Black Friday and Cyber Monday. This means that I got what I wanted without spending all of that money!

Check out the gifts I got for my ladies!

(Click images for direct links)

These weekender bags are from Easy and they are amazing! I got them on a summer Etsy sale!

These are a definite must!

I bought these a few weeks before the wedding during their summer sale!

These tee's are from J.Crew and they are SUPER SOFT!

I got these on Cyber Monday!

I got these jewelry trays at our J.Crew outlet during the holiday blowout sales!

Online they no longer have the mint chevron, but these hefty little things are amazing.

I kind of regret not getting myself one!

These necklaces were bought online on Cyber Monday.

I have linked to a necklace that is on the outlet site, but is not this exact necklace.

#4 Think outside the box!

I really had to think outside the box for my Personal Attendants gift. My Personal Attendant is my best male teacher friend and I really wanted to create something personal. He LOVES Moscow Mules so I found a Moscow Mule gift basket (again, on Pinterest) and created it!

I think it turned out great! One trip to Bed Bath &Beyond and a Grocery store and I was done!

Don't be afraid to let your creative side show in your gifts or even your decor! Sometimes creating is a great way to relieve a little stress and distract the mind!

Our Groomsmen and Usher's gifts were Adidas drawstring bags, golf polos and glasses made from their favorite beer (found on etsy..image below).

My HUSBAND forgot to take photos of his gifts, so I sadly do not have them (clearly he needs more training in this area..lol). UGH..MEN!

Finally...

#5 ENJOY YOUR DAY!

I know it has been said before, but the day will fly by! Try to find small moments to sit and take it all in...it may be during those intimate photos with your future husband or wife or while you are taking a potty break. Take advantage of any small moments that you can! They will be the ones that you remember!

A moment with my "old" principal...so glad we stopped to take this!

And..don't panic if you don't have that "Bridal Moment" filled with tears and realization that your wagon is now hitched to your significant others'.

I honestly don't think it has hit me yet that I am MARRIED...I'm not sure if it will happen when I watch our wedding video or see our pictures, but right now I feel like I am visiting my husband on Summer Break. HA! I am sure reality will catch up with me sooner or later, but right now I am happy and excited for our future!

I am okay with not having my "Bridal Moment"...ugly crying just isn't high on my list!

"Ain't nobody got time for that!"

Now...for a sneak peek of the "teaser" photos my AMAZING photographer sent us!

Seriously, this woman is brilliantly talented and so chill! She is one of those people that you meet once and you instantly want to be friends with because she brings such peace and calm to your life..or wedding day (and she is a pretty awesome human being).

Click the images to see more of her work!