An eBay Wedding Story That Has Us in Awe

By Leah Chernikoff
July 8, 2011

Beatriz Cardenas

Bea Cardenas, director of global communications for Bumble and bumble, planned a gorgeous and original wedding with vintage and pop culture details, many sourced on eBay. Her RSVP cards were vintage postcards with imagery of the Manhattan Bridge, since Smack Mellon Studios, the wedding venue in Brooklyn's Dumbo neighborhood, provided a clear view of the Bridge. Here, the bridal party poses under the Bridge.

By day, Beatriz Cardenas (who goes by Bea) is the director of global communications for Bumble and bumble, the salon and haircare company beloved by celebrities and fashion folk. But after she got engaged two years ago, Cardenas took on a second full time gig: planning her June wedding with characteristic attention to detail.

“I do so many events because of my job—it was like planning one big PR event, but way more personal and way more intense,” Cardenas said.

Beatriz Cardenas Here’s what she means by “way more personal”: Save the date cards were photos of Cardenas and her now husband, John McMonagle, as Samantha Baker and Jake Ryan in "Sixteen Candles" recreating that famous dining table scene. On their first date, Cardenas and McMonagle bonded over their love for all things by Wes Anderson, especially the "Royal Tenenbaums," so the wedding party had a "Royal Tenenbaums"-themed photo shoot in advance of the wedding, and photos as well as props from the shoot were scattered throughout the venue. Escort cards were vintage lockets with table numbers printed inside, affixed with bits of lace to vintage suitcases. Invitations were printed on vintage napkins and RSVP cards were vintage postcards with imagery of the Manhattan bridge, since Smack Mellon Studios, the wedding venue in Brooklyn's Dumbo neighborhood, provided a clear view of the bridge. And the list could go on...

left: On their first date, Cardenas and her now husband, John McMonagle, bonded over their love for all things by Wes Anderson, especially the "Royal Tenenbaums," so the wedding party had a Royal Tenenbaums-themed photo shoot in advance of the wedding, and photos as well as props from the shoot were scattered throughout the venue. Cardenas purchased many of the props on eBay.

If the number of vintage items in her wedding didn’t tip you off already, Cardenas is a self-described “eBay person.”

“What attracts me to eBay is you can find whatever you want and make it completely original,” she said. “It's a pretty handy tool for making your wedding personal. Especially when you want stuff that's on a very specific theme.” Like, say, "Royal Tenenbaums," or, as Cardenas puts it: “third grade in the 1960s... old and eclectic.”

The dress she wore to channel Molly Ringwald in "Sixteen Candles" for her save the date cards? eBay. The costumes and props for the "Royal Tenenbaums" shoot? eBay. The Beatriz Cardenas vintage napkin wedding invites? eBay. The vintage postcard RSVPs? Also eBay.

One of the best examples of Cardenas' eBay wedding mastery is her escort cards (she had to explain to me that these are the little note cards that tell guests where they’re seated). “Every single element is eBay,” she said. “The typewriter that I used to type guests’ names on the hang tags is from eBay, and I sourced all the vintage lockets from eBay... Then I wanted vintage lace to tie the hangties to vintage suitcases, and that came from eBay, too.” Of course, the lockets hold personal meaning, too, beyond serving as a thoughtful favor for guests. “The first present John gave me was a vintage locket,” she explained.

left: Bea Cardenas getting ready for her wedding.

Not only did eBay help Cardenas find endless ways to add deeply personal touches to her wedding, but it also allowed her to save money. Case in point: The lockets she used as escort cards were $25 for a lot of 100.

Beatriz Cardenas

Escort cards were vintage lockets purchased on eBay with table numbers printed inside, affixed with bits of lace (also bought on eBay) to vintage suitcases.

Beatriz Cardenas

Wedding invitations were printed on vintage napkins purchased on eBay.

You just have to be patient when it comes to eBay, she says. To find what you’re looking for, “you have to start off really specific” with your search terms. From your initial results, Cardenas recommends looking at the few results you like, and using their titles as additional keywords to further to hone in. She also suggests looking to see what else those sellers are hawking. Sometimes modifying a search term to "‘20s," for example, instead of "twenties" can yield entirely different results.

All her hard work and patience paid off. “It was very gratifying because people were completely blown away,” Bea said. So are we.

We channeled Cardenas and hit eBay. Here's what we found.

Roll over items for details

Vintage Crochet Sheer Maxi Dress

(current bid, $41)

Vintage '70s Animal Print Caftan

(current bid, $9.99)

Vintage Floral Dress

(buy it now price, $58)

New Southwest Native American Tank Top

(buy it now price, $34)

150 Vintage Heart Lockets

(buy it now price, $29.99)

1929 Vintage Typewriter

(buy it now price, $249.99)

Vintage White Lace

(starting bid, $3.95)

Vintage Manhattan Bridge Postcard

(buy it now price, $7)

The Royal Tenenbaums Movie Poster

(buy it now price, $59.99)

Sixteen Candles DVD

(buy it now price, $17.82)

An eBay Wedding Story That Has Us in Awe

1. Vintage Crochet Sheer Maxi Dress: Cardenas shared her four favorite eBay stores with us. The first, Indie Cult Vintage, specializes in colorful pieces from the '70s, many with a Southwestern vibe. For fans less courageous than the model pictured here, this '70s-era dress, one of many for sale on the site, can be layered over a slip or used as a beach cover up.

2. Vintage '70s Animal Print Caftan: Tin Roof Vintage, another of Cardenas' top eBay picks, offers bold, statement-making dresses and skirts from the '70s and '80s. Paired with oversize gold jewelry, this '70s tiger print caftan would make the perfect hostess ensemble.

3. Vintage Floral Dress: Cardenas also loves Mama Stone Vintage, an eBay store specializing in clothing from the '60s through the '80s with a gypsy/boho vibe. This dress, an authentic piece from the '70s or '80s, captures the current trend in calf-length hems.

4. New Southwest Native American Tank Top: Thrifted Modern has the same vibe as Cardenas' other favorite sites, but offers both vintage and new pieces, like this Native American print top.

5. 150 Vintage Heart Lockets: Cardenas bought 100 lockets for just $25 on eBay that she used as her escort cards for her recent wedding. There are plenty of similar deals to be had.

6. 1929 Vintage Typewriter: She purchased a typewriter on eBay that she used to type the numbers onto the wedding escort cards.

7. Vintage White Lace: Cardenas found vintage white lace on eBay that she used to tie the escort cards to antique suitcases.

8. Vintage Manhattan Bridge Postcard: The RSVP cards for Cardenas' wedding were vintage postcards with imagery of the Manhattan Bridge, since Smack Mellon Studios, the wedding venue in Brooklyn's Dumbo neighborhood, provided a clear view of the Bridge. She found the cards on eBay.

9. The Royal Tenenbaums Movie Poster: On their first date, Cardenas and her now husband, John McMonagle, bonded over their love for all things by Wes Anderson, especially the "Royal Tennenbaums," so the wedding party had a Royal Tenenbaums-themed photo shoot in advance of the wedding, and photos as well as props from the shoot (many purchased on eBay) were scattered throughout the venue. This original movie poster would have made an excellent wedding gift.

10. Sixteen Candles DVD: For their save the date cards, Cardenas and McMonagle dressed as Samantha Baker and Jake Ryan in "Sixteen Candles" and recreated that famous dining table scene.

For more eBay wedding inspiration, see how Lauren Sherman, the editor of Fashionista and a regular contributor to The Inside Source, shopped the online marketplace for her recent nuptials.

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