A few months ago, I shopped everywhere around Little Rock for a type of ribbon or something I could use on my wedding favors. I found things that were similar, but not exactly what I wanted or in the quantity I needed. After searching for days, I finally looked on Etsy. And then, my obsession began.
I’ve tried to shop for wedding-related items at local businesses as much as possible, but when I can’t seem to find what I want, I continue to turn to Etsy. I love being able to talk to real people about my orders before I make my purchase. I also love that I can customize anything and EVERYTHING and then have my customized items sent right to my front door!
One of my favorite Etsy shops, FourPandas, has worked closely with me, ensuring that each of my orders is exactly what I want. They’ve gone above and beyond and created custom orders that I have been SOOOOO excited about! They designed the monogram to use on my stationery, customized my bridesmaid’s gifts and also made a super-cute stamp that matches the monogram. These girls are amazing and so easy to work with.
I’ve also ordered a surprise for my groom to give him on our wedding day — a customized cake topper and shirts for us to wear on our honeymoon (with Jordan’s approval, of course, haha)!
Unfortunately, not all online sellers and resources are reliable. I’ve already come across a few. If you’re shopping online, remember to:
- Look to see if both the items you’re looking for and the company have good reviews. If they don’t have reviews at all, try somewhere else.
- Make sure you’re not buying USED products. I know it sounds like common sense, but I didn’t know the table linens I was planning to purchase were used until I saw the reviews that said they were soiled.
- If the web page doesn’t have a phone number, find somewhere else to order from. If there’s a problem with the order, you won’t have a way to contact the company for a live response.
– Jordan
Bride-to-be and Benton native Jordan Westbrook graduated from UALR in 2011 with a liberal arts degree with an emphasis in mass media. The former Arkansas Bride intern will be blogging about her adventures in wedding planning right here each week.