For the love of Etsy, vintage and all-things local, don’t miss this.
By Jennifer Steffy Swanson
If you’re planning to attend LoveCraft, don’t schedule your visit around the fashion show because there isn’t going to be one. Nor will there be a raffle or door prizes. What kind of wedding event is this, you may ask. It’s one-of-a-kind, and the Hope Artiste Village — with its deep-rooted love for all things artsy and locally made — is the perfect place for it.
Unlike the large-scale wedding expos that take place early in the year, this event is about shopping rather than idea gathering. Look at LoveCraft as a live Etsy shop with fifteen or so artists and wedding industry people from clothing and jewelry designers to letterpress artists and potters. In fact, most of the vendors participating do have Etsy shops, and is your chance to see what their goods look like in person. In addition to shopping their wares, attendees will also be able to meet with these creative folks and discuss possible custom creations.
LoveCraft co-organizer Harper Della-Piana of Seams Couture, a vintage-inspired custom wedding-wear shop, says wedding events like this are gaining momentum in cities such as Chicago and London. On-the-spot shopping for locally handmade products is particularly appealing to millennials, she says. “With the gown world right now, the younger generation doesn’t know how to shop way in advance or they’re not shopping a year out. Because they wait, they have to shop off the rack. This works for them.”
This will be the second LoveCraft event to hit Rhode Island. Della-Piana says the success of the first event is what pushed her and fellow organizers Kristen Minsky of Chifferobe Events, Lulu Locks of Suite Tart and Dawn Temple of Bellaria Designs Photography to do it again this time in a larger space, at Chifferobe Atelier.
Although the offerings will be diverse, the vendors are united by a common thread. “Everyone is a maker of their own product,” says Della-Piana. “It’s all handmade in America.”
The shopping event itself is on Sunday, and it’s free and open to the public. There will be refreshments and a cash mimosa bar. For those who care to celebrate (and peek) a day early, a preview party is being held Saturday night complete with food, drinks, goody bags for registered couples and perhaps a special appearance (we said ‘perhaps’ — don’t accuse us of ruining any surprises) from the Chifferobe TropiGals.
The Skinny…
LoveCraft Providence at Chifferobe Atelier, Unit No. 8141B, at the Hope Artiste Village, 1005 Main St., Pawtucket.
Preview Party: Saturday, May 16, 5–9 p.m. $15-$20 general admission; $25-$30 VIP tickets (includes a drink ticket). Click “here” to buy tickets.
Pop-Up Shop Event: Sunday, May 17, 11 a.m.–3 p.m. Free.
Vendors: Archetype Vintage, Beehive Handmade, Bellaria Designs Photography, Bridal Finery, Cassandra Flinn Invitations, Chifferobe Events, Corinne Hursh Events, Darrien Segal Wildcrafted Jewelry, Darius Inn of Block Island, Ellie’s Bakery, Gilded Rose Studio, Gracie’s Restaurant, Harmony Winters Studio, Ingrid Lavoie Paper Artist, Julian’s Restaurant and Catering, Narragansett Beer, Noble Knots, Retro Stitch, Seams Couture, Silverleaf Studios, Suite Tart, Susan Spring for the Wedding Dresser, and That Guy.
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