I don’t think you can understand what it’s like to plan a wedding until you’re in the thick of it. (If you are in the thick of it, I feel your excitement and your pain.) When I was married in 2009 I knew I wanted details galore, just as I’d seen in Martha Stewart Weddings. It quickly became clear that the colorful, quirky, bygone era vibe I wanted wasn’t for sale. My mom, best girlfriends, and even a talented neighbor were all enlisted to DIY it up! I won’t go into major detail but spray paint, Photoshop, and reproduction feedsack were all involved. In the end, our wedding was featured in a magazine and that’s when I realized I might have something to offer others.

I opened The Happy Couple to give brides that uber creative, colorful, not found anywhere else wedding you see on all the bridal blogs (hint: Green Wedding Shoes is a fav). My goal was to have my customers say, “This is the perfect thing!” I'm proud to say I've heard that more than once from a happy bride.

Colorful reproduction feed sack prints and floral fabrics from designers like Heather Bailey fill my shop. The vibe is somewhere between rustic chic and day at the horse races. What’s my philosophy for fabric selection? If I can’t stop thinking about it, I have to have it.

Up there with great fabrics is quality. The Happy Couple ties are cut on the bias and have interfacing for great stretch and structure, and a tie loop is always sewn in. Each item is lovingly stitched on my grandmother’s vintage Kenmore machine.

Since opening my shop I’ve worked with wonderful brides, been featured on many blogs and Brides.com, and have my first editorial spread coming up in November. More has come of this little shop than I ever thought possible and I’m so enjoying it.