Vendor Spotlight: Posh Paperie
If you don’t know about Posh Paperie than you must read further– if you do know of the lovely ladies behind this amazing San Diego paper company, than their work below will come as no surprise. I originally met with Elizabeth and Karrie as we collaborated on a project together. I found their work featured on WeddingChicks.com and fell madly IN LOVE with their amazing pinwheels and banners. They’ve been working with us on a lot of projects since our first introduction and I just couldn’t wait any longer to blog about them. Their work is custom for each client and they are capable of taking your wedding paper suite to new levels! From save the dates, invitations, programs, menu cards, travel maps, table numbers, sweet station signs, banners, paper details, unique installations, escort cards, place cards….. seriously, if you can make it out of paper, ribbon and glue, these ladies can do it! Take a look at some of my favorite pieces hijacked from their great blog:
Ladies, thanks for being an absolute source of inspiration for us at Jubilee and our clients! What a joy it is to work with two very talented and supremely creative women. If you are in the market for unique and amazing paper, check out our friends at Posh Paperie.
XOXO
Style Me Pretty Inspiration to Reality Shoot: The Winner!
We are so excited to begin putting together a photoshoot for Style Me Pretty. Thank you to ALL those who submitted a spring inspired inspiration board for our contest. We chose this amazing board by Lena, below. Thanks Lena!!
I love the vibrant color story and modern, sophisticated lines. We’re working with so many great vendors, including Carla Ten Eyck, The White Dress by the Shore, Datura: A Modern Garden, The Loading Dock, Dana Bartone, Ana’s Custom Cakes, Taylor Creative, Inc., Gus and Ruby Letterpress, Paloma’s Nest, 14 Stories and so many more!
We can’t wait to share this same sex shoot with you all. xoxo
Ode to Thanksgiving
It is that time of year again—turkey, wine, pumpkin pie, football, stretch pants—aka Thanksgiving. I think Thanksgiving might be my favorite holiday. This is our first year celebrating as a married couple so we’re excited to see our families and chat about the wedding. Thanksgiving to us is full of so many holiday traditions—as I’m sure it is with your family. We sneak really good bottles of wine in the butler’s pantry and snack on some type of delicious seafood for an appetizer, always brought by my aunt who lives in Boston. The children get bigger every year and we get them chatting about the mother of all holidays – Christmas. We eat dinner at my grandparents house in their big dining room on fancy plates and silver trays, which my grandfather has probably been shinning all week (my grandmother is the true party planner in the family, much to my chagrin). After dinner is aunt Kitty’s homemade pies—apple and pumpkin. Then, like clockwork, my dad rallies the kids upstairs into the family room and puts on The Grinch.
It’s a good day. I look forward to our traditions. It is never the same when a family member can’t make it, someone tries a new recipe (ahh! Where’s the stuffing?!), or something doesn’t go horribly wrong (remember the mash potato incident?). I find a lot of comfort in our family traditions and I’m excited to explore new traditions with my husband’s family this year. We have a new nephew and our other nephew is getting so big—it’ll be really exciting to share the holiday’s with them this year!
On our honeymoon to Sonoma County / Russian River we purchased many bottles of wine for special occasions. I’m really excited to bring and drink Porter Creek’s 2006 Carignane, grown in the Alexander Valley. We had the most amazing afternoon at Porter Creek Winery which was, literally, across the street from our fabulous inn.
What are your favorite family traditions during the holiday’s?
A Preppy Spring Inspired Tablescape: Yellow, White & Black
Last month Abby of Style Me Pretty asked all her Little Black Book vendors to dream up and create a DIY capable tablescape for her readers. I love any opportunity to dress up a table and quickly went to work on a simple Spring design using common household items. This tablescape was featured here!
Yellow has become my new FAVORITE color. I’ve become so inspired by it and now have a ton of new yellow cardigans, shirts and dresses. It has even worked its way into the redecorating of my living room this weekend! I love is cheery disposition and ability to brighten every room. The color yellow was my inspiration for this design and I set out to find all the pieces!
I didn’t have to look far — I opened up my pottery closet where I store way too many platters, dishes, and glassware. I pulled out items that we all have — a white cake stand (by Martha Sewart), some standard household vases (no doubt purchased at homegoods), and some vintage glass coke bottles passed down to me by my mom (a flea market or tag sale find, I’m sure). Real simple stuff, nothing super fancy, expensive, or unique. I knew I wanted to use these items but didn’t know what to put in them.
I took a drive over to one of my favorite florists, Flore in Southbury and asked the owner, Lori, what she had chilling in her cooler. Here is what I purchased on the fly:
1 stem white hydrangea
1 stem green hydrangea
1 ½ dozen circus roses
1 bushel of fancy yellow tulips (5 total used)
2 football mums
3 stems white lisianthus
Total Price: $60 wholesale
On my way home I stopped by the local fabric store to find something for our table runner. I spied some really gorgeous eyelet fabric and walked out with three yards (which proved to be a bit too much, but excess is always best!). I also popped over to the craft store and grabbed some yellow 8.5×11 heavy card stock (for the “charger”) and lacy inspired corner punch. Last stop: the dollar tree, where a good bargain is hit or miss. Fortunately they had some pretty yellow pillar candles and I scooped up two.
I had previously designed the menu card, which you can see, once I had decided on my color scheme. My inspiration for the menu was certainly my kate spade black and white tidbit plates, which I also incorporated into the tablescape. I love those plates! I had the menu cards them from a 8.5×11 sheet of standard white card stock and used this particular corner punch to add a little femininity.
After I had purchased my materials it was only a matter of putting it together. No one ever comes home with all the right ingredients and has a perfect centerpiece — there was a lot of playing around, new ideas, eliminations, and additions. In the end, this is what I came up with in about 20 minutes after focusing my ideas. I love it! After I was finished photographing it in my home studio, it graced our dining room table for the week.
Our tablescape can translate into any event and would look gorgeous at a wedding, mother’s day brunch, bridal shower, baby shower, or any other special occasion. You can dress it up, down, and adjust the formality pretty easily.
Calligraphy
Calligraphy. . . a word that may strike fear into the hearts of brides to be. But just about anyone can do Calligraphy, its not as bad as it sounds. The first thing you will need is a Calligraphy pen and ink. When I first started doing Calligraphy 9 years ago I purchased a Sheaffer Calligraphy kit similar to this one. You will also need 2 pieces of paper, one of which will be for the writing and the other will be your guide to make sure that your writing stays in a straight line.
Once you have a Calligraphy pen my first suggestion is to play with them. Hold your pen at a slight angle and draw squiggly lines so you can start to get a feel for the flow of the ink. There are different nibs that come with your kit. What is a nib you ask? Well, the nib is the tip of your calligraphy pen. The thicker the nib the thicker the line you will end up with.
Now that you have started to get the hang of your calligraphy pen you can begin to experiment with lettering. Most letters you will need to use at least two strokes to complete the letter. For example here is step one of the letter ‘a’. Your basically drawing what looks like a ‘c’.
Then you are going to add the back and the tail end of your ‘a’.
One more example is the letter ‘g’. Again you are drawing a ‘c’ using your second sheet of paper as your straight edge.
Now you will add the side and bottom of the ‘g’. With calligraphy the fancier the better!
When doing a full name you can see here that due to the straight edge you are not able to add on the bottom of the ‘J’. This just gives you the opportunity to focus on how you would like to add to your letters.
step 1: 
step 2: 
Lastly when doing mailing addresses you can do two different things. One, you can center the address on the envelope. Secondly, you could stagger the address on the envelope. These are two very different looks and my suggestion is to try both out and see what works for you. Enjoy!
DIY Details We Love
This week Style Me Pretty is featuring amazing DIY projects from their readers… a bride can find herself in heaven (and a bit overwhelmed!) at all the gorgeousness going on over there. Here are some of my favorite projects they’ve featured:
Chalkboard Wedding Decor Details
I think everyone appreciates chalkboard. I’m not sure why – it must hearken back to our elementary school days when getting called to write on the chalkboard was fun (at least it was for me!). I love the way chalkboard has been utilized at weddings and thought I’d give you a bit of chalkboard inspiration.
The obvious is chalkboard-turned-menu. I love how this couple used an old surf board as their surface to paint. Since chalkboard paint can go on virtually any clean surface, you can make anything your chalkboard menu. You can do a traditional bistro-style chalkboard menu, or maybe hang chalkboard tiles from clothes line strung between two trees. There are a million opportunities here to be creative and the best part: it is super expensive and easy to do!
In my search for this post I came across this fun and innovative chalkboard vinyl wall decals from Spell It Out Designs on etsy.com. To say I love these vintage / Victorian-inspired chalk frames would be an understatement! Vinyl is easily removable from any surface and leaves no trace that it has been there. While it is great for using on the walls, doors, or windows of your venue you should inquire first whether your location will allow you to do it. If they do, great! You can use these again as menu cards, place card displays, wedding signs (“wedding this way!”), inscribe a quote, thank you, note. Leave it blank and allow your guests to leave you messages! The possibilities are endless. And if you can’t put it on a wall, simply build a surface to put it on.
I’m also totally loving these chalkboard plant stakes used instead as a place card. These are from Crossroads Cottage, but you can easily make them yourself with a little time and energy. They’d be perfect for a smaller wedding! I also love them used in the tablescape design, tucked into a floral arrangement. They would also look perfect tucked into your stationary hors d’oeuvre display, or if you can, on your passed hors d’oeuvre trays.
This isn’t done often enough, probably because it isn’t that simple, but I love the look of these giant chalkboard seatting arrangement displays from a fete event. The key is to have a wedding planner who not only has gorgeous handwriting, but write in a straight line!
This fun and thoughtful idea comes from a wedding featured on one of our favorite blogs, OnceWed. The bride got the idea from Wonderful Graffiti to have a word search at the reception to entertain guests. If anything, it is just pure beauty, and makes for a great photo op. I’m sure her guests had a fabulous time using it, too!
Last but not least, why not add a chalk board (or dry erase board) to your wedding’s photo booth? You never know what message might turn up! Just be sure to have something handy to wipe all the chalk that is bound to rub off on everyone’s black clothing. This is where we tell you that the dry erase board might be a better idea!
Wedding Invitation / Save the Date Labels
So when I was getting ready to send out my save the dates I didn’t want to do them all by hand. I felt that I wanted to save that little something special for the invitations themselves. So I created a template using photoshop and incorporated my colors. These wrap around labels were not only used for my save the dates but when wrapped around the opposite side they make for the perfect return labels for your RSVP’s.
So once you have your template printed out your handy dandy paper cutter comes in to save the day. . .
and now you are left with your labels, I suggest folding them in half so you know exactly where to place the label on your envelope.
all you have to do now is apply your adhesive and put on your envelope
and here is your finished result!
Church Bubbles
) I have seen bubbles a million times and its always the same thing. . .wedding cake design or doves on top but you should know me better by now I want more! So I found an AMAZING deal on the knot for bubble wands (which can also be purchased at Michaels). On top there was a heart and although I got the wands to match my color it still wasn’t personal enough so here is where the monogram I mentioned comes into play. . . TAGS! I took some left over paper from my invitations and table numbers and put a mat behind the monogram and then for a hole punch and went to Michaels and got a heart hole punch. . . (I know how cute and for only 5.99) to attach the ribbon onto the bubble wands. Here is the outcome. . .
DIY Card Box
Here is the perfect project to get your fiance involved in the planning process! So here I am for the past year doing project after project after project and I really didn’t think that my wonderful fiance had the slightest idea how much work I have been doing. I knew I wanted to do this for a while but me and power tools . . . well lets just say that we don’t really get along too well. To begin you will need 4 large picture frames, brackets with screws, hot glue gun, pillow stuffing, and a Styrofoam board. First step here is to pre-drill your picture frames and then use the brackets to attach them. Here is my amazing fiance Eric working on the frames.
You are going to need to do top brackets and bottom brackets. Not only will this hold the box together but it will serve as supports for the top and bottom of your card box. Here is what you should end up with. . .
Next step is to cut down your Styrofoam board to fit the top and bottom of the box. I of course had to take it one step further and make the top fancy by using fabric to cover it (here is where your hot glue gun comes into play) and then I proceeded to stuff it to give it a pillow appearance. Don’t forget to cut a slot in the top! Here is the finished product. . .
I am so happy with the result! We inserted 4 of our engagement pictures (taken by the wonderful Carla Ten Eyck) into the frames you cant make it any more personalized than that! I think that after joining in on this project my fiance has a new found respect for all of my hard work. Good luck ladies )
Decor Idea: Hanging Light Bulb Vases
I came across this DIY project on Craftershock.com and instantly fell in love. What a fabulous vintage detail to add to your outdoor summer soiree or garden party. I can see them hanging from trees or stringed lights. I love them so much I’m trying to figure out how I can incorporate them in an event of my own! The idea is to find used light bulbs that you can in turn recycle into these hanging vases.
Here is how to make them, courtesy of Craftershock.com
Step 1: Using fine-tooth metal saw, gently saw the bottom of light bulb. Pull out the filaments.
Step 2: Using a hand held drill place metal against some scrap wood and poke two holes opposite from each other.
Step 3: Lace thin wire through the holes and tie off at desired length. Fill with lovely blooms.
Monogramed Favor Boxes
When your special day is winding down and coming to an end its time to thank your guests for sharing in your special day. I obviously wanted to personalize this but on a budget you have to be cautious of how you can accomplish this. So I ordered 1/2 pint Chinese to go boxes. It was something like $30 for 200 boxes. Now that you have these very plain and simple boxes its time to make it personal. I have incorporated my monogram in many places throughout the wedding so when this presented itself it seemed like another great opportunity (FYI: if you plan on using monograms just remember your fiances last name should not be used on anything prior to the ceremony. Think of it like this its not your last name yet so you cant use it) . So I designed the template using photoshop and made it into stickers! I made the stickers 2 1/2 inches by 2 1/2 inches and printed it out on photo paper. . .
Once you have your monogram labels printed you are going to cut all of them out. I cant tell you how helpful this paper cutter from Michael’s has been!
Now you will need to take your cut out monogram and make it into a sticker. I purchased an 5″ Xyron creative station to accomplish this. It doesn’t get any easier all you have to do it turn the handle and there you have it. . . stickers!
This is what comes out on the other end 
Your final step is to adhere your sticker to you white chinese box.
Perfect!! 
Church Door Decorations
While looking through some wedding pictures I saw the bride and grooms name in flowers hanging on a church door. Well . . . of course I thought to myself DIY!!! Remember our tissue paper pomanders? This project is similar and can really add to your special day.
Here is what you will need:
- Tissue Paper
- Scissors
- Stapler
- Paper mache letters
- Hot glue gun
First step will be to create your tissue paper flowers. Begin by using 6 pieces of tissue paper and fold paper back and forth. You will then fold the paper in half add your staple to keep it together and round the edges.
From here you will just open your flower by separating one layer of tissue paper from another. (tip: switch back and forth between the sides as you open the flower to give it a round natural look)
Once you have all of your flowers you will now use your hot glue gun to attach your tissue paper flowers to your paper mache letters.
Here is the finished products:
and there you have it yet another DIY project completed!
Table Numbers
If you are looking to personalize your table numbers then this is a project for you! I know in most places they have a plastic card with a simple black number on it being held by a wire fixture. Why not put your personal stamp on this necessity? You can use several different programs to design a template for yourself. I have become familiar with photoshop and so this is what I have used to create pretty much everything for my wedding. The table number is actually going to be three sided and it will not just have your table numbers included. You can put whatever you would like on the other 2 sides such as a favorite place you are your fiance share, a picture, basically the options are limitless! I have chosen to put my menu on one side and then translate love through different languages on the last side.
So here are the templates that I designed:
So once you have printed your template you are going to take card stock mats and tape your ribbon on top. Now you are going tape your template on to the mat right on top of the ribbon. The final step is to tie your bow :0) Here are some pictures of the final product. . .
How To Remember On Your Day
We have all lost someone we have loved at one point or another. These are people that you wanted to spend your special day with. There are many ways to honor those who you have lost on your special day. You can do this by putting out a picture or lighting a candle. I decided to combine these two things for those special people in my life. Here are the instructions for you to remember that someone special on your day.
Here is what you will need:
- Vellum (Michaels $.50 a sheet)
- Glass vase (Michaels $1.99)
- Ribbon
- Double sided tape
- Computer and printer
- Candle
First you will have to design a template that will be printed on your vellum. I used photoshop to create my template this can be a difficult program to use at times but once you become familiar with it you will love it. I also chose to do a black and white photo and I will bring in the color later with my ribbon. Here was the template design that I came up with. . . .
and here it is after you print your template on the vellum
I purchased this paper cutter and it is beyond worth it! So now you have to cut out your template.
So now you have your cut out template
and your vase
time to begin assembly. . .
First you will want to position your vellum
and then use your double sided tape to secure your template
To hide your seam you can use some of your ribbon and the tape will work to secure this as well.
Now to finish it off you will use your ribbon on the top and bottom of the vase. I have chosen to incorporate both of my wedding colors and on the vase and I love the layered look that it produced.
and there you have it your finished product. . .
Here is one in color and black and white. . .
DIY Tissue Paper Pomanders
I have always been quite the crafty person and some have found this skill to be pretty useless. Well needless to say that I am the one laughing now. The smallest craft that you may undertake can make the world of difference in an event and especially in a wedding! Once me and my fiance decided on our color scheme I undertook my first project. . . the tissue paper pomanders. I learned how to make tissue paper flowers back in elementary school for our parade floats. When I saw a real pomander I thought they were beautiful but the price was way out of my range. So I combined these two things together and it is a huge cost saver! Here are the instructions:
What you will need:
Tissue Paper
Floral Wire
Styrofoam Ball
Ribbon
**All of these items can be found at pretty much any craft store**
First thing you will need to do is cut down your pieces of tissue paper. This is totally up to you but do bear in mind the bigger the piece of paper that your using the bigger your flower will be. (One quick hint would be to fold the paper until you get the size your looking for and then just cut along your folded lines)
Your paper will end up looking similar to this.
Next step will be to do an accordion fold. You will fold one way then flip and fold the other. When you are finished it should look like this. . .
While the tissue paper is still folded you will need to fold it in half. The general purpose in this is to find the center of your flower.
To give the flower a more realistic look you can draw a curved line on the top. As you do more of these you will not have to use this line. Now all you have to do is cut along your guide.
Now you will need to take the wire and wrap it around your tissue paper. After you have done that twist the wire together. Now make sure you wrap the wire tight around the tissue paper otherwise your flower will not be very sturdy. Then you will need to spread open the two sides to prepare for the opening of the flower.
Now you are able to begin separating the layers. To make sure you flower is rounded I suggest altering sides as you work. It should begin to look like this. . .
Now you are done with the hard part. You will need to make 45-50 flowers per pomander. Once you have completed all of your flowers you will be able to start putting them into your Styrofoam ball. First step here will be to insert your ribbon into the ball. I used a piece of wire to make sure that it was secure.
Take your flowers and insert the wire into the ball. . . continue until your ball is filled.
And there you have it tissue paper pomanders!
Holiday Centerpiece: Carnations
Elisabeth from BLUSH floral design posted a fabulous purple centerpiece on her blog and I wanted to share. I just love these carnations in varying shades of purple. Believe it or not, carnations in bulk (like these) can look so gorgeous. The key is to use a lot and make your centerpiece very full. I agree with Elisabeth, too, that with these flowers the you can use the container to dictate the style of the arrangement. You can use square chunky vases, tall cylinders, old candy jars or medicine bottles, or mint julep cups. Although, I really love the antiqued vessels she used. And the sequin balls? Gorgeous! They’ll sparkle too in candlelight and are a touch of necessary glamour.
If you’re too busy for arrangements this season, give Elisabeth a call. Blush is offering holiday inspired arrangements at a really fabulous price. Get all the details here!
Holiday Party Decor: Outdoor Lighting
Bright twinkling lights against a snowy backdrop is probably one of my favorite things during the holidays. I love to decorate for Christmas, especially outside. If you are planning a holiday get together this year, consider the outside of your home when designing your parties theme. It is the first thing your guests will see as they arrive to your home and the last impression they’ll be left with when they leave. It just makes your event extra special and romantic.
I think variations on the usual outdoor decor is needed, so I did a bit of research to find some unique outdoor lighting ideas and a few new takes on some old ones.
First, I love these icicles that are hung from trees. Martha Stewart has a tutorial on how you can create these beautiful centerpieces to your yard. They seem super easy to make (especially if you enlist your fiancee / husband to do all the work) and the effect is really fabulous. Can you imagine what they would look like after a snowfall? These would work well year round too. I can see them used in a night time wedding as a variation on the ever popular chinese lanterns.
These shooting stars are super dramatic. I can see them scattered through out your backyard — it would be so unexpected! I love lights strung in layers, especially from tree to tree or object to object. It’s almost like creating a canopy of lights. Click here for a tutorial on how to make them.
I love these but they are a bit hard to make. They certainly would be fabulous for cocktail party, scattered and grouped along your sidewalk and on your front porch. They remind me of the outdoor luminaries (which we’ll talk about below), except made with snow instead of white paper bags. But they are so much fun! Martha has a tutorial on how to make these, too. You could vary the shapes depending on what type of “molds” you could find. I bet festive cake molds would work well.
Wrapping your lamp post in evergreen garland isn’t new, but adding this orb lights instead of the traditional string of lights makes this extra special. They look like little snow balls!
Consider lining your steps or walkway with cylinder vases like these, filled with something fun. Cranberries, crystals, ornaments, strands of beads, even popcorn would look gorgeous in these. I think varying pillar candle heights would also create lots of dimension.
Paper bag luminaries are so popular and for a reason — they have a big impact and they are easy to make. All you need are white paper bags, some tea lights, and a little sand which are all available en mass at your local craft store. I love these because of the festive cut outs, which can be achieved with a simple craft punch (or if you are super artistic, an x-acto knife).
I LOVE the big, vintage christmas lights. And what better way to display them then wrapped around an old bicycle. Some other ideas with a similar theme: an old vintage mail box or sleigh.
I love lights wrapped around these rustic grape vine balls. You can find them virtually anywhere and at all different price points. They would look so pretty lining your walkway, in your flower boxes, hanging from a tree, in a flower pot / urn, or grouped together in a sturdy bush.
I hope that I’ve inspired you all to rethink your outdoor holiday decor and make it part of your next holiday soiree!
The Wedding Salon 08 in NYC — Wanna Join Us?
I’m going to be taking the train into the city this Wednesday to attend The Wedding Salon in NYC to network and meet some vendors. Plus, I love to see what the latest trends are in luxury weddings! I have a few extra tickets and wanted to know if any of our CT friends wanted to head to the city with me and bask in all that is luxury and wedding! Please shoot me an email or leave a comment and I’ll get in touch. The event starts at 3 p.m. and goes on until 8. It is only a few blocks from Grand Central too.
Reinventing the Guestbook: Platters, Quilts, Canvas and “Wish Jars”
I was thinking yesterday about the traditional wedding guestbook. I want to ask all my married readers: what did you do with your guestbook after the wedding? My guess is you need a super-sized swifter to lift all the dust off. Most couples file their guestbook away somewhere and never open it again, which is unfortunate, especially for those who spend good money and thought on custom designed covers and binding. So why should you purchase something that will serve little-to-no purpose after your wedding? Sure, it is a keepsake, but what is so great about a bunch of signatures? Nothing. Does that mean you should give up your guestbook? No, not at all! What it means is you should think outside the box, reinvent what the guestbook is at your wedding, and figure out what purpose it will serve after.
Some of my favorites are items that guests sign: platters, a canvas engagement photograph, a quilt made for the couple. These are all reusable items that won’t be gathering dust somewhere or stuffed in an old shoe box. Some of my favorite platters are featured below. I’ve never had a thing for gimmicks or themes, so I wouldn’t recommend your standard platter with a bride and groom in the center. To me, that won’t translate well while entertaining for thanksgiving dinner. However, a platter with your married monogram, initials, or an excerpt from your vows is extremely beautiful!
Be sure to click on the thumbnail to see the full-sized version!
Platter #1: Serendipity Crafts | Platter #2: Say Anything Ceramics
I’ve also seen a bride and groom ask married couples to send in a photograph from their wedding with the R.S.V.P card. At the wedding, the photographs were displayed on card stock which was removable from a book or hung on a tree. The couples left beautiful messages and words of wisdom next to their wedding photograph, and it was used as a keepsake for the bride and groom. Here is an example from Room Service Home:
Be sure to click on the thumbnail to see the full-sized version!
Another idea which has become really popular over the years is to have a “Wish Jar.” This is what I prefer best, because if you’re craftly like me, you can take all those wishes from your wedding guests and display them. You can have them mounted and framed in a fun collage or you decoupage them on canvas , using glazes and paints to infuse some personality. Another idea? Place them in your wedding scrapbook! What is great about the Wish Jar is you can customize the jar and use it in your home for décor or as something functional. Also, don’t get hung up on the word “jar.” As long as you can place a card in it and remove the card with ease, you’re good to go. So vintage jewelry boxes or hat boxes made a unique spin on the “jar”, as do bird cases, ice buckets, and glass bowls. You can also have fun designing the wish cards where your guests will write words of wisdom! You can tie in the design of your invitations, place cards and menu cards, or go for something completely unique. Here are some ideas for your “jar”:
Be sure to click on the thumbnail to see the full-sized version!
1: Birdcage from Anthropologie Home | 2: Crate & Barrel | 3&4 Pottery Barn
Having a fall inspired wedding? What about a pumpkin for your collector, or even some fun hollowed out gourdes.
Be sure to click on the thumbnail to see the full-sized version!
Image from Better Homes and Gardens, but thanks to Jamie for posting it on her blog.
Something… blue?
We’ve all seen a really cool yet simple idea and thought, “Why didn’t I think of that!”
This isn’t one of those ideas.
Most brides indulge in the tradition of something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue. Well, if you’re having difficulty finding your “something blue” the folks at Betty Beauty: Color for the Hair Down There (yes, really) has launched a new product called Bridal Blue. Shall I continue?
The BRIDAL betty in Malibu blue is “just what the blushing bride needs for her special day!” Each BRIDAL betty kit also comes with a free (as if we’d pay for it) stencil shape in a heart or kiss which presumably adds an additional bit of “flare” for the hair down there. Immediately after I saw this product all I could think about was that Sex in the City episode where Samantha dyed her hair down there and fondly referred to herself as “Bozo the Bush.”
I had a difficult time trying to choose where to file this point for the archives. I’ve decided that “DIY” is the most appropriate.
New Feature: Polls
The Connecticut Wedding Blog has a new feature: user polls! We’ll be asking a variety of questions aimed at our brides and readers. Please feel free to chime in by voting on the featured poll, located in the right sidebar. A full list of currently running polls can be found on our poll archive page! If you’d like to suggest a poll, feel free to email me.
Brown & Green Bridal Shower: The Nitty Gritty
I love weddings and I equally love to plan smaller, more casual and intimate affairs. When our clients approached us with their décor ideas for a brown and green shower, we ran with it and really made every penny go as far as we could. With a little preparation, creativity, and persistence, you can come up with equally beautiful and affordable tablescapes for your next event. I wanted to share with you where we purchased all of our vases, crafting items & supplies. I also wanted to give you a step-by-step tutorial on how we pulled all these small details together which I’ll follow up with tomorrow.
But first, our shopping list:
8 chunky square votive candle holders
$1.97 ea, Wal-Mart
5 Tall, thin vases
$1 ea, The Dollar Store
3 Tall and chunky mosaic vases
$1 ea, The Dollar Store
4 round, traditional vases (not pictured)
1 ea, The Dollar Store
4 packages (two per pack) of 7 inch & 9 inch tissue “bells” (for the kitschy factor!)
$1 ea, The Dollar Store
6 packages of tissue paper in brown, green & hot pink (8 sheets per pack)
$2.29, Wal-Mart
3 packages of stick-on crystal embellishments
$2.29 ea, Martha Stewart Crafts
3 Rolls of ribbon (thick brown, brown/white polka dot, thin green)
$2.97 ea, Wal-Mart
1 Roll of cooking twine
Free, because we don’t cook!
80 stems of fresh assorted mini gerbera daisies
$79.80 (with overnight international shipping!) farmstogo.com
Grand Total: $135 (give or take some cents)
Items used but already owned by us:
Stampin’ Up! Engagement Stamp Set with rubber stamps and ink pads
Cardstock for tags
Hole puncher
Floral wire
Wire Cutter
Circular paper cutter
Fabric glue
Tealights
Not bad, right? The key to beautiful and affordable décor is to shop around for the best bargain. I recommend looking in the stores we’ve mentioned, plus places like Home Goods, The Christmas Tree Shops, Ocean State Job Lot, Big Lots, Marshalls, TJ Maxx, Target, Michaels, Joann Fabrics, and your local discount store. These are all wonderful resources and you can sometimes find the “find of a lifetime!”
Shopping for discounted flowers can also be really difficult. To be sure that you order the correct amount of flowers, do a trial run of your centerpiece beforehand. It’s always good to have some extra blooms on hand, as the shipping process tends to eliminate a few beauties from the bunch. Also, if you are ordering the flowers yourself, make sure they are delivered no more than two days before your event (unless otherwise specified by the floral company). You want to make sure that the flowers you’ve chosen are at the peak of their blooming cycle and are as fresh as can be (no one likes half-dead flowers!) If your floral budget is limited you can do what we did – tie the blooms together to mimic a bouquet. I think it’s just as elegant as a lush and full arrangement.
Tomorrow I’ll provide you with some tutorials on how to take all the ingredients we’ve purchased and turn them into our décor!
Part of the Brown & Green Shower series
- Brown & Green Bridal Shower
- Brown & Green Bridal Shower: The Nitty Gritty
Brown & Green Bridal Shower
This weekend I was super busy with an awesome event, where I got to really exercise my creativity and frugality for a relaxed and casual bridal shower. It was a lot of fun and we were able to do ALL the décor for under $200! Tomorrow I’ll give you the details on how we kept costs so low, and where you can get all these amazing items. Check out our pictures below, and be sure to click on the thumbnails for a larger version!
The Tablescapes
All the tables were adorned with a variety of chunky vases filled with white and yellow Gerbera Daisies that we hand wrapped in twine to give an elegant bouquet effect.
The Details
The yard was adorned with tissue paper “pom-poms” (or tissue flowers, if you prefer) that we hand made. They were all jeweled with small crystals for an added bit of bling, which ended up looking like dew on the petals! All the vessels were wrapped in ribbon in brown, brown & white polka dot, and green. We also made the brides monogram and incorperated it into the tablescapes with some twine and ribbon. I especially love the “mr. & mrs.” we created out of card stock and stamps from Stampin’ Up!
Part of the Brown & Green Shower series
- Brown & Green Bridal Shower
- Brown & Green Bridal Shower: The Nitty Gritty
