My dad recently asked me to help him with a gift for my brother for his upcoming wedding. He had initially planned to use part of my mother’s wedding dress to make handkerchiefs for my brother to wear on his wedding day, but once the wedding dress was taken out of storage, my dad found that he could not bring himself to cut it up. Completely understandable.
So he called me in a bit of a panic; he wanted to still have something special for Matt, but he was struggling finding something sentimental. I thought about the wedding gifts I had seen posted on Etsy, and I had an idea: we could make custom handkerchiefs using a handwritten letter my mother wrote. The trick here was finding something my mother had written that would be a good fit for a wedding handkerchief. Thankfully, my mother was a letter writer. Shortly after she passed away, I purchased a wooden box and filled it with all of the important items and letters she had given me over the years. I came across the letter she had written to me before I had gotten married, and it fits this occasion for my brother perfectly.
No matter where the future takes you, always know that I love you with all that I am.
Love, Mom
The other trick was finding a shop that could create the handkerchiefs in a timely manner. We are mere weeks away from my brother’s wedding, and this is not a quick process. After searching and contacting a few vendors, I found a shop that would fulfill my order in the time that we needed. The name of the shop is the Handkerchief Shop, and I highly recommend it. I gave her the specifics, uploaded the image, and she then gave me the quote. Here is the image she sent to me:
When she sent the quote, she instructed me to call the number she provided to place the order. I called the shop, thinking that I would be speaking with an assistant, and I would need to explain the entire situation all over again. I was pleasantly surprised; I spoke with Colleen, the shop owner, and together we got the order details straightened out and the order was under way. She was so personable and friendly, and she assured me the handkerchiefs would look hand-embroidered; the dainty script in which my mother wrote would show up beautifully on the hanky. We decided on a khaki/linen-colored handkerchief, with a navy font to coordinate with their wedding colors. I decided to order three of these; one for Matt, one for myself, and one for my uncle.
My husband, the sweet man that he is, undertook a google search as I frantically searched for a shop that would create these handkerchiefs. He came across an Etsy shop that created custom hand-written key chains. He encouraged me to order the same quote from my mother in a key chain to give to my brother. I ordered two, so that I may have one after the wedding as well. I am so happy with this final result:
I will share a photo of the handkerchiefs when I receive them. I think it will be the perfect personal touch that is needed for my brother on his wedding day.
a life well loved 