The Wedding Planning Tour of Manhattan

image via NYCtourist.com

For a few weeks I planned out a wedding shopping list for visiting New York City. This did not include wedding dresses, it was all about decor and stationery. Then I compiled a master list, got addresses and business hours for all the spots and then with my friend Barbara figured out the path of least resistance in order to hit all the shops in one day. Here's the breakdown by neighborhood. We took the bus down 5th Avenue and got off in the 30s.

1. The Fashion District: M&J Trimming and Tinsel Trading Co.

2. The Flower District: Jamali Gardens

3. Chelsea: Sam Flax and Paper Presentation

4. The West Village: The Ink Pad

5. SoHo: Pearl River Market and Kate's Paperie

It worked out so fantastically that each neighborhood flowed into the next and we never had to walk more than a few blocks to the next spot. I have some photos I can share of inspiring things we found and I can show you a few little things I purchased later this week when I have better access to camera equipment. On the entire extravaganza I think I spent $40 on food/drinks (that included lunch for both of us, a snack and dinner for me) and $32 on actual goods.

It was great fun to visit Tinsel Trading Co. which I have known online for a few years. We were beyond impressed with Jamali Garden and Paper Presentation. We spent the majority of our shopping time wandering these two shops and came up with some good ideas and threw out some other good ideas.

It was interesting to see much of what I had looked at online at Jamali Garden in person. They have an amazing shell collection and I bought 200 small sand dollars. They were too precious to pass up - and came in packs of 100 for 9.99. I also looked at a lot of candle holders, lanterns and vases. I think I will definitely be back for a few more items - online that is.

Paper Presentation is far and away the best paper store I have ever been to. They had everything you could think of. It was also the place where I realized that wood paper with the beautiful grain in it completely and utterly clashes with any other pattern or print. Buh-bye wood grain paper. You are outta here. But it was lovely meeting you. So it's going to be dark brown card stock instead, which is vastly cheaper and will work much better with the paper plan we somewhat solidified today. We were beyond impressed with the amount of paper, stationery, stamps, craft tools, stickers and so much more that we saw at Paper Presentation.

It's all so tricky pulling boatloads of ideas together, trying them out and then throwing out things you like that just won't work with other things you like. Even keeping track of decisions you've already initially made is a challenge. So much to keep track of and think about. It was a big day, but a fun and inspiring one.