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Archive for ‘DIY wedding planning’

November 9th, 2011

DIY wedding reception candy bar

At my wedding we decided to do a candy bar for the reception. The wedding was in the fall, in a large backyard and we had it at 1:10 pm in the afternoon, so the obvious choice was a sweet buffet to remedy everyone’s afternoon dip in sugar levels.

The hardest part was not going broke trying to accumulate apothecary jars! Yes, Hobby Lobby does frequently mark them 50% off, and I did pick up several at those prices. However, the absolute best deals I found on the jars actually happened to be Home Goods; dollar for dollar the best price was when I could buy one there. There was a large Home Goods not too far from where I lived, and I frequented it more often than I did my college classes.

Which honestly was setting the bar low, so perhaps not the particular analogy I should have used…

Once I had accumulated all my jars (over a period of about 5 months) I worked on the list of goodies and sweets I would fill them up with. Hubs and I did a black and white themed wedding, which lended to both the modern and vintage feel we were going for, so I stuck with edibles that were either black or white, or both.  We also chose to do an accent of bright green for some details (mostly because I didn’t want to do black and white flowers for the girls, so I threw green in since it would go well with the backyard and their bouquets) which gave me some more options for the sweets.

I was very OCD about leaving green as an accent color, not a third color.

For the candy buffet I chose things that were easy to eat with your hands, like pre-wrapped candy and chocolate, twisted vines, Oreos, and taffy.  I also used up some of the table’s real estate with two long trays of cake pops. The majority of the candy was bought online and at party supply stores. The cake pops were made by my sweet friend (and bridesmaid) Katie. I bought little plastic tongs and scoops at the party supply store for things that might require handling, to keep it sanitary.

Since we were having cupcakes for cake, and I was on a budget, I opted not to use plates or forks for the reception. Instead I made these colorful candy buffet treat bags so guests could fill them with treats and then take them back to their seats to enjoy. They also served as good to-go baggies at the end of the reception.  To keep them from blowing away I used one of the large Anchor Hocking jars with a lid to store them in and placed them at one end of the candy bar.

I used black and white ribbon from Hobby Lobby to loop around the jars and where they came together I placed the curved placard signage describing the candy for each particular jar.  I found the template online and just used a script font to add some charm, the labels were printed on cardstock and then hand-cut; double-sided tape was used to affix them to the jars and ribbon.

You could also freehand (or stencil) a shape for the labels and then copy it onto card stock for duplication.

I used the same damask black and white runner I used on my guest tables for the candy buffet and it added some nice dimension to the table, and it helped tie things together.

To accessorize I painted some wooden initials (B for Bianca & T for Thomas) that were set in the middle of the bar. I also used some tall skinny green vases on either end of the buffet and filled them with fresh flowers that were left over from the table centerpieces (there was no waste here!).  If you don’t want to use flowers, I think little picture frames would look nice too.  Above the candy bar I hung tissue paper pom poms for a whimsical touch.

Those pom poms were almost the death of me. My BFF and I got married 3 weeks apart and we both used poms in our weddings, so to save money we made them by hand and made enough to share.  I won’t go deep into the story, but let’s just say Martha has a corner on those poms – creating them out of tissue paper in dimensions that were practially impossible to get our hands on…but nonetheless we prevailed and the poms were perfect.

Not only was the candy bar a big hit with our guests, it also served as the perfect backdrop for our end-of-the-day toasts.

If I had to do it all over again, the only thing I would change would be to set aside some of my favorite sweets from the buffet so I could have a chance to enjoy them before they were all gone!

Categorycrafts & creations, DIY wedding planning | Comment7 Comments »

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September 12th, 2011

wedding farewell toss idea

When I was planning my wedding I wanted to include several elements that were unique and had a touch of handmade, since I love crafting.  When I was considering what we would do for our farewell toss, I knew I didn’t want to go traditional with rice. On top of that, hubs nixed the bubble idea (even though I thought they would make for whimsical photos).  Sparklers were out since we had a daytime wedding, and rose petals were too romantic for me. So I got to thinking…and I came up with mini marshmallows!

 Who doesn’t love mini things?

Hint: not me!

They were so easy to make. I used clear cellophane bags and filled them with a scoop (about 2 handfuls worth) of the mini marshmallows.  Then I folded the tops over and secured them with customized labels that I printed out onto sticker paper and then punched out with a square punch.  Then I piled them all inside a white bucket and they were placed right by the exit for guests to grab.

The marshmallows were great because they were soft (so I wouldn’t mind getting pelted with them), they were mini (and anyone who knows me knows I love mini things), they were white (and therefore coordinated with our black & white color scheme), and they went perfect with our candy bar motif.

Plus they were an inexpensive for anyone trying to operate on a wedding budget, like us!

Did I mention they were an awesome snack on our way out to the getaway car?

Categorycrafts & creations, DIY wedding planning | Comment7 Comments »

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April 27th, 2011

diy wedding centerpieces

For our wedding we opted to rent centerpieces instead of buying them.  We only had 10 tables to decorate so it was quite economical to rent versus purchase; it also meant we didn’t have to wonder what we’d do with 30 mason jars or 10 big manzanita branches!

Because we were doing an outdoor wedding, I wanted the centerpieces to coordinate with that theme.  We also used the motif of a tree in our Save the Date announcements, so adding elements of that into our decor was important to us.

I knew from the beginning I wanted to use manzanita branches; manzanita branches are popular as decoration, due to their unique shape, color, and strength when dried.  The branches come in two color options: sandblasted (kinda white-ish) and a darker, cherrywood-like color.  Since our colors were black and white, I went with the sandblasted version.  Next we considered several options on how to arrange them: standing up in a vase, nestled among river rock (to give the appearance of an actual tree growing) or a more simple version with the branch laying on its side. Ultimately I decided having the branch lay on its side was the look I liked best – it allowed guests to converse across the table without any obstructions and it was more simplistic – which is what we like.

To add some vintage charm to the modern bare branch, I decided to nestle 3 small Mason jars around the branch, each with a single crystal tied around the neck of the jar.   Then, black ribbon was tied around the opening of the jar, followed by a thinner white ribbon layered on top. Inside each jar we placed a single, bright green spider mum head – to tie in our accent color of bright green.

A variation of this could be to tie the crystals to the branch itself, or to attach the spider mums to the branch.  You could also print small photos and punch them out with a square punch and hang them from the branch with ribbon (I considered that at one time).  On each table we added a single black and white damask table runner in satin to tie the whole centerpiece together nicely. I bought the table runners wholesale (and the tablecloths too) at Table Cloths Factory; they were less expensive than renting, and we were able to re-sell the runners for full value.

 

Where to buy the branches:  as I mentioned earlier, I rented mine (from HighFire Designs in the Dallas area), but you could also buy them.  I purchased 2 single branches for some decor on our candy buffet at TJMaxx Home Goods store for about $8 each.  There are a lot of online retailers where you can purchase manzanita branches online, but the best deal might be looking for them at craft and decor stores, the summer months are the best time to search fro them.  Combined with the eye catching damask runners, the result is a simple, elegant, vintage and modern centerpiece that won’t break the bank.  It’s also pretty easy on the eyes too…don’t you think?

CategoryDIY wedding planning | Comment6 Comments »

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March 19th, 2011

diy wedding ceremony yard sign

I’m a crafty girl; I attribute this to growing up with a crafty mother. Our kitchen counter was always 50% dedicated to crafting and 50% dedicated to cooking.  There was never a shortage of ribbons, sequins or hot glue sticks.  Fittingly, when I got engaged and began planning our wedding, I knew it would have several handmade elements to it.

I had seen many yardage signs on different websites and since we were having a backyard wedding I wanted to incorporate them somehow. I decided to make my own for many reasons, one being the whole project cost about $10.

 

My DIY yard sign from our wedding on 10-10-10

Supplies:

  • 3 –  1 x 2 x 36″ wooden strips/stakes (you can also use a lawn stake for a yard sale sign since it’s pre-cut, but it might be too short for the height you want) For this project I had 3 signs – you want enough stakes to have one per sign.
  • 2 – 2 x 4 x 8′ wooden boards
  • box of nails – at least 3 inches long
  • hammer
  • can of white spray paint – matte
  • 1 small bottle of black tempera paint + paintbrush
  • table saw (I had a friend who had one and let me use it)

Directions:

  • Take your 3 wooden stakes and make two cuts on one end of them, so that you make them into arrow heads that can be hammered into the ground.  Set aside.

  • The 2 x 4 x 8 boards should be cut in half (you can have the hardware store do this for you) and then, similar to the wooden stakes, cut two angled cuts to make an arrow shape (see shape in finished product picture). Or, if you want you can also add cuts on the other end to give the arrow a tail, like the picture below.

image source

  • Lay out all the pieces and spray paint them white, making sure to get even coverage on all the sides and front and back.
  • If you want a more weathered look, use fine grain sandpaper to sand the edges lightly.
  • Determine where you will put the signs so you can arrange the lettering in the correct direction.
  • Once dry, write your lettering on the arrows lightly with a pencil. (Remember, use caution to write the lettering in the correct side of the arrow, so it will point in the right direction!)
  • When you have it just right, use black tempera paint and a fine-bristled paint brush to paint the lettering black. Let dry completely.

image source

  • When all the components are dry, lay the arrows letter-side down and place the stake on top, making sure to keep the arrow near the top, with just a little bit of the stake coming out the top.
  • Use your hammer and nails to affix the arrow placards to the stake. Make sure your nails are shorter than the thickness of both the arrow and the stake, but longer than the thickness of the stake so they can hold both pieces together.
  • You’re done! Simple use a rubber mallet to pound the signs into the ground around your wedding site!

One thing I want to note: IF YOU DO NOT HAVE ACCESS TO A TABLE SAW, then you can still create your own wedding yard signs! Simply paint the board and then letter your sign and add an arrow, just like this picture:

image source

I used a duo sign where the backyard separated (ceremony to the left, reception to the right). I had a single sign pointing to the restrooms and one in the front yard pointing to the back yard that simply said, “Wedding.”

The signs turned out great and my MIL ended up stenciling the lettering and my mom’s husband ended up painting the lettering black. In a DIY wedding, having plenty of enthusiastic helpers on hand is crucial! I could not have pulled it all off (and maintained my sanity) without them!

Categorycrafts & creations, DIY wedding planning | Comment4 Comments »

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