Rebellious Digital Empowerment

UBER COOL made-to-order wedding invitations at MINTED.COM

In this digital and global age, I am surprised at how most Filipinos are still very hesitant at the thought of online shopping. I have been shopping online for almost 12 years now and I have to say that it is quite satisfying. Yes, you definitely need to look out for scammers--but I only experienced about three bad purchases out of the hundreds I've done in the past. I have acquired a variety of items too! From customized wedding tissue packs, to my macbook, to clothes, to even our reservation for our Elvis Vegas wedding! 

The world wide web, is not just there to provide you with ideas for your wedding--you can practically create your wedding--from your gown to your invitations to your bridal registry!



Photo by Mango Red from our Boracay Wedding
Super cute, and super unique "Sniff" tissue packs
from Beau-Coup
I know that wedding online shopping is not for everyone, and I am not trying to convince you if you are not comfortable with it. But this COULD be for you if you fall under one or all of these situations: 


a) you simply do not have the time in the world to source stuff for your wedding and you want to accomplish stuff with just a click of a button, 


b) you are having problems looking for the items that you want locally, 


c) you have relatives abroad who can easily bring your items for you anyway, and 


d) you simply want stuff that would make your wedding interesting and unique.


And with that being said, here are my most favorite online stores that make for efficient, safe, convenient and awesome wedding needs:



1. For Wedding Favors & Props: Beau-Coup



I just absolutely LOVE Beau-Coup! And they have so many unique items as well! You can literally create a themed-wedding in everything that is available here. Some are expensive, some are not. The key is to monitor when they have sales, or to shop for items that can be re-used. I got a lot of stuff at Beau-Coup for our Bora wedding--which includes our parasols, customized bottled water labels, travel tissue packs that says "sniff", recyclable goodie bags, and personalized mini-notepads. 


The best part is, this online haven goes beyond the actual wedding ceremony--you can also get unique gifts for your entourage such as personalized flasks for the best man and even Vegas-themed party favors for the bridal shower! 




 




2. For Invitations: 
Minted & Wedding Paper Divas



Click here for related blog article on Wedding Paper Divas
One of the things that frustrated me while doing the wedding preps was how to look for an invitation supplier that can accommodate my needs, who can give me a quotation on time, who is conveniently located, and who can give me not-so-templated looks. After much researching, I just decided to customize my own prints online. YES, this can be more expensive, but I wouldn't have had it any other way because the designs are so much more creative, and I was able to do it in the comforts of my own office desk. Minted and Wedding Paper Divas are just some of the most awesome invitation suppliers online! I love their designs! 


I discovered Minted after our wedding--although I loved Wedding Paper Divas, I feel that Minted fits my quirky personality more--and had I known of it earlier, I definitely would have opted for it. Minted is a little pricey but get this--it's so complete! It even comes with the name labels! And the designs are just so refreshing! 


Here are just some of my favorite ones from Minted. Warning, I couldn't control myself! Lots of photos below! :)











3. For Bridal Gowns, Bouquets, & Then Some: Etsy


Black Swan Silk Layered Bridal Gown
Custom Made-to-Order for only $855
How busy can you get? Some of us do not have the luxury to resign from work or get a long-ass leave just to do the wedding preps. Worse, if you are in the advertising or in the media industry, hours are just waaaay too long and stressful. I have a friend who is a doctor, and her fiancee is a lawyer so can you imagine how much time they can only allocate for their wedding? So Etsy for me is just a life-saver. You can get everything from your gown to your bouquet, to your unique props. I learned of Etsy a little too late. Had I known of its existence prior to my wedding, I would have seriously considered getting a gown and lots of whimsical, one-of-a-kind props!







Rebellious Wedding Gowns Abound in Etsy!

Made-to-Order Brooch Bouquet for only $288
Photo Booth Props

4. When All Else Fails: Amazon


Contrary to popular belief that you go to Amazon for DVDs and books, you can actually buy everything and anything here. I have been an Amazon shopper since college--it started when I needed to buy college books, and I have been getting my stuff here from my macbook, to my white handpaper fans for the wedding! Amazon will be your best bet for highly specialized items that you need for your wedding. 


For instance, do you want a gorgeous pair of Manolo Blahnik for your bridal shoes? You can get it at Nordstrom, via Amazon! 




Or how about your bridal bag? We have Kate Spade in Manila, but it's cheaper in the US! Plus, there are a lot of styles that are not available to us locally! 



Honeymoon Wishes has got to be one of the most unique
online registries I have seen so far. 


As I said, Filipinos are not very comfortable buying stuff online--but what if you DO have guests who don't mind? How about giving them online options for your registry? These websites are so awesome!  The key is to register for items that are not available locally. 


Honeymoon Wishes - is a clever registry for your honeymoon! You can create personalized titles for what you need from "Trip Contribution" to even "A Romantic Limo Ride". Guests only need to click a button to pay via credit card or paypal. The money goes directly to your paypal account. The best part is, even if your guests are afraid to use this facility, it would still give them an idea that you need a little help with your honeymoon funds, and they can just eventually opt to give it to you personally. Just dabble with it! It's fun! 





There are just so many irresistible registry items at Bloomingdales and Crate & Barrel! Some of them are even cheaper than what is available locally and are just so much more unique! I am not saying that you rely on this completely because it would be logistically hard for your relatives to bring all your gifts back to Manila. Just get 5-10 small items that are "nice-to-haves". Take a chance and see if someone will actually get it for you! :D


Online shopping is quite liberating and empowering. I know that there are a lot of options locally as well. I am perfectly aware that there are affordable gems waiting to be discovered in Divisoria, Landmark, and the like. But like I said--some of us are just too busy with work that we can't even squeeze in a decent lunch break--what more a trip to Divisoria?!? 


If the thought of online shopping still scares you, try it out with just small items first. Make sure to READ everything twice or thrice, and use add-on services like live chats with the customer service, or sample kits, or virtual coupons/promo codes. Don't also get carried away to the point of going over budget. The trick is to get key items--items that you know are really one-of-a-kind. Another practical trick is to purchase something in a small quantity and try and see how you can replicate or enhance it. What I mean by this is, for instance, if you want to get prints from let's say Minted, just order invitations for your principal sponsors, your parents, and for you to keep as a souvenir--for the rest of the guests, create an e-invite or a wed-site. Or if for instance you want a brooch bouquet, just get an affordable, small-sized bouquet that would have about 5-10 large enamel pieces, then embellish it with your own personal accessories to make the size of the arrangement bigger, and the entire bouquet more unique to you alone (Note that a highly embellished bouquet will range from $900++ so if you can get a bouquet that is $300 and below, this would already be decently priced)


Have you ever purchased something online for your own wedding? Share it with us! We'd love to feature it! Email at rebellious.bride@gmail.com :)


XOXO,
Kai
*follow us on twitter! @RebelliousBride


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Mica and I are one in this special cause.
And we dedicate this to you, our dear Rebellious Bride. 
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