When Tes de Luna (who happens to own Velouria in Ballard) married Jason Hughes (who happens to own Sonic Boom, also in Ballard), she made the decision to make just about every single wedding element herself. She’s a clothing designer with a sweetly merchandised and curated boutique (two, actually, at that time. One has since closed.) full of handmade fashions, so while that’s not surprising, one does get a little anxious and tired out on the small business owner’s behalf just hearing about.

And yes, she did end up sort of regretting her decision.

Which is, in part, why Crinoline & Tweed was launched. De Luna teamed up with another Ballard business owner, Sarah Furstenberg from Clover, to offer DIY-minded brides and grooms a way out of overwhelming situations. The new event designers and bridal fashion consultants say they’re here for couples who have lots of ideas and want to be involved in the look and feel of their big day, but know better than to take the whole thing on themselves.

Furstenberg and de Luna both have art backgrounds and each has seven years of experience creating environments that feel special—and both shop owners love the new opportunity to dream up color stories, craft graphic elements, and see a mood and vision come to life—but it might be their sourcing capabilities that really set them apart.

Velouria, let’s remember, is stocked by dozens of do-it-themselves’ers who have no problem zipping up silks and satins, leathers and tweeds, vintage cottons and random found elements. It’s what they do. And many have or have access to interesting tools, methods, and procedures.

Take for example local artisan Amy Bengtson, who uses a laser cutter for her jewelry designs. De Luna and Furstenberg have employed her to use that tool and those skills to create various decor elements for events. Recently, Bengston used a graphic from the invitations and printed elements to do create a coordinating cake topper.

Take a look at the short slideshow here for more examples of the event consultants’ projects, and check out the Crinoline & Tweed blog (a placeholder for a more permanent website that is in the works) for more on the farm-, vintage-, and constellation-themed events that are in the works for their summer clients.