Engaged with a Cause - Julie and Andrew

Patton bridal fascinator, available in my shop. Fifty percent of each sale will go to benefit Cystic Fibrosis research. 

My very good friend Julie got married last night in New Orleans. I've known Julie for nearly a decade and one of my favorite things about her is her charitable spirit. So naturally, she chose to have a socially-conscious wedding. As if planning a wedding wasn't exhausting enough already, Julie and her now-hubby Andrew spent their entire engagement searching for vendors that "give back" to a charity or non-profit. EVERY single aspect of her wedding involved a contribution of some sort - from the photographer who gave to SmileTrain, an organization to help children born with cleft palate get affordable corrective treatment, to the packaging for the wedding favors at the end of the night. (Wow, right?)

Julie asked me to make the accessories for the bridal party as well as the flower girl dresses. I was both thrilled and extremely flattered to be a part of their special day. And it was also the first time I've ever gotten to see any of my items in action. I won't lie, that was pretty amazing for me!

Julie requested the use of cruelty-free, naturally molted feathers in the hairpieces. I was able to work with some pretty amazing feather suppliers, one of whom actually sent me pics of the birds from which the feathers came! And another custom-dyed some of the feathers to match the wedding colors (burnt orange, golden-olive, and wine.) I had a lot of fun working on these pieces and I love how they turned out. All the girls looked great. 

I decided to donate to Cystic Fibrosis Foundation which is a research and resources website for those affected by cystic fibrosis. This is a very personal cause for me as I lost a childhood friend to the disease back in 2009. 

Julie started Engaged with a Cause to document her wedding planning and share with others the contributions they have made to various charities and non-profit organizations. You can read about our collaboration here. 

Congratulations, Julie and Andrew! Your wedding was lovely! Thank you again for letting me be a part of it! xoxoxo