I met with the golf course manager today and finalized more details of the reception. So I now have use of the back patio! The bridal party will be taking photos on the greens while guests arrive to the patio and are served pink lemonade in mason jars.. I'm in love with the mason jars idea.. hot pink and white striped straws, mini sticker labels, tied with french lace... then i've had this paper cone picture in my idea book for quite awhile and didn't know how to incorporate it in... we can't throw rose petals or confetti at the church..and we're doing sparklers at night at the golf club... so we decided to make a variation on chex mix..kind of an herb popcorn, pretzel, maybe pecan mix.. served in sheet music cones w/ hot pink and light pink tissue... I can't afford appetizers like I thought..so one more thing to add to the list that homemade/another craft project! The cones were simple to make at least.. I printed sheet music off of google images and ran newsprint through my printer! Also, guests are going to be signing the "guestbook" by leaving their thumb print on a framed thumb print tree..another idea I've seen and loved.. something different.. photos of my framed tree idea soon... the last photo on here are the lavender bags.. which guests will fill in the outdoor front entrance...i finally got to use my stamp! ..that was fun : )

dessert table

I debated back and forth over including a candy buffet at the reception. My reasoning was I'd seen it too much.. But all in all if I can manage to make it look good..I'll be happy..I've seen many non-tacky dessert buffets on blogs that I do like..I think the main thing is keeping within the color scheme..otherwise it looks like a kids birthday party..I like the idea of giving the guests something extra to do.. So I'm calling it a dessert buffet instead of just candy...Pink and white themed...so far i've found some pink whoppers, pink heart marshmallows, rock candy swizzle sticks, cream filled horn pastries, white powdered donuts in mini pink cupcake liners, mini strawberry cake rolls, croquembouche made out of donut holes and powdered sugar, mini cupcakes.. I finally found and inexpensive apothecary jar ($10 at Ross!)..and 2 extra vases..the rest of the containers and cake stands I already had had.. the other thing I don't like besides circus color schemes.. is when ppl feel the need to label every single candy..like a embellished sign that says "pink jellybeans" around a glass container containing pink jellybeans.. i mean isn't it obvious? I'm all about labeling and signage.. I think labeling is more appropriate for some kind of unknown truffle or flavored cupcakes.. I'm planning on slight use of labeling so not to overdo it.. so photos above are from a rough mock-up of what my dessert table is going to look like.. keep in mind that the table cloths, coverings, flowers, will be different.. and the pink petals i used to get a visual of what pink would look like for the glassware.. I'm getting more silver scoops and also plan separate a heart measuring spoon kit I was given.. the spoons say "a dash of patience" "scoop of love" ..thought it would be fitting.. annd.. guest can either eat the dessert items on clear plates.. or take home candy in small mesh organza bags..

it's getting closer!

20 weekends...20 WEEKENDS!! to do all these projects and come up with enough money to do these projects... wow.. I haven't posted in a while but I have been working diligently on on wedding stuff..The groom and I finally went through all our music and made our playlist which we will discuss with the dj... it's a little bit of everything which i like..and i think the guests will like too.. a few surprises in store if we can get it together.. and we made our final decision on our first dance song..which i'm also keeping as a surprise..we've also been working on our dance lessons.. and we finalized our decision on the transportation for the bridal party from the church to reception.

save the dates are in the mail! hooray! got those mailed out today..

went to atwoods today also..which is now my new favorite store.. a farm supply store of all places!.. its nearby..i've passed it everyday for nearly two years now.. had no idea of all the neat things it had..really! i thought it was just horse feed and hardware..but they have a great selection of candy..rock candy, peppermint sticks, taffy (good things for a candy/dessert buffet)... great stuff for my "welcome to oklahoma" bags for out of town guests..the best selection of jerky..can't believe i've been missing out on this stuff and its been smack in front of my face the whole time.. they have the mason jars that i've been needing..and lots of em... and they have CORN SACKS!! yes corn sacks..why am i so excited over this? these sacks are burlap...about 2 yards for each sack..for a $1.49!!! for each sack! cheaper than the fabric store..sure they smell a little like corn i guess.. but well it's cheap! i've been needing burlap for some creative projects i've been working on like a monogrammed burlap table runner for the head table..etc.. will see how this works out..

you are cordially invited....

As it always happens.. I'm about to shut down my computer and go to bed..when I find a really great website and get stuck on it.. and pretty soon the light is shining through the curtains..the birds are chirping..and it's morning..

I started playing around on this website "just to see" what these invites would look like.. I had already planned to order my invites from the same company from where I originally wanted to order my save the dates (then decided to make my own.)

So on this site.. I made the invite and thought ..oooh that looks good..and then continued with the response card and menu..they didn't have a reception card so I used their clip art and made one on Word. I printed them on cardstock and used a round corner punch. There is a gem on the invite, which I am considering adding to the menu. I added the ribbon last minute..its the wrong shade..ivory not white..but i'll have to get some different ribbon.

Yes, I could have made this all on my own in photoshop, but even if it was working, this was still so much easier. I love it cause I can print them myself also, or send the file to a copy shop. I wanted the invitations done professionally because it would be one less thing for me to do and I had already found the design I wanted.... but I came across this design..it was exactly the same kind of design that I had been wanting.. black and white, plain and simple..yet elegant. ...and it was cheap!

This website hosts several templates that you edit on the site or can pull into photoshop..also they have a wide variety of clip art.. swirls, embellishments, trendy florals, monograms, etc. Many of the designs and clip art I can see being used for other events..not just weddings.. there is a 7 day trial on the site now..but it only lets you download two things.. The full subscription lasts for a year and you can download as much as you want! The two topiaries from the game board I made, were from this site. The website is www.weddingclipart.com ..the name sounds generic but the actual website title is one heart weddings... check out the clip art!

feelin crafty

I've seen these game boards around ..they even sell some at Michael's.. but I didn't like the design. Microsoft Word has a template if you want to download it.. but since my photoshop is broken ..I decided to recreate one in Word. I think it turned out pretty cute.. The game is bridal bingo..to be played at the bridal shower.. Each guest receives a board and a handful of candy.. The guests fill in each square the gifts they think the bride will receive. Then when the gift is open, and they have that square filled out..ex. towels.. Then they cover the space with a candy.. If they have five across they receive a prize.

one thing finally accomplished...

For 60 cards w/ envelopes from a popular invitations website it would have cost me roughly $100.00 including taxes and standard shipping. I originally wanted to order these but having a tight budget, we made the decision to make them ourselves.

Thomas and I created a similar design in photoshop last night.. added in the photo we edited taken by his dad in front of our old high school.. then today, we made a trip in the snow to fedex office..

We calculated that it would be cheaper to use 11 x 17 glossy paper and fit six on a page, than the 8.5 x 11 paper. Then we cut the cards at the store (snow still falling outside : ) ..and voila! Save the dates for $30..saving me a grand total of $60... I had wanted to get them done by this website because it would look professionally printed, designed, etc... but after much procrastinating and calculating.. we made them ourselves..saved some money that can be used for postage...and I think they turned out really nice..

more thrift shop finds!

The Everything Wedding Book

The Bridesmaid Guide

The Best Friend's Guide to Planning a Wedding : )

101 Uses for a Bridesmaid Dress

The last one is the absolute best!

#5 How about a taffeta hammock?

#14 Make your vacuum cleaner extra stylish!

#44 Create a line of Barbie Vegas Wear for your young cousins!

#101 Blow it up for a hot air balloon - and escape the wedding madness that seems to descend on every bride-to-be!

thrift shop finds!

Six elegant glasses for the the dessert buffet.. maybe a mini trifle in each one? Angel food cake, strawberries, and whipped cream? next, is the photo of the menu chalkboard I have yet to paint creamy white.. the frame is from a thrift shop..hobby lobby put in the chalkboard.. and the stand is from garden ridge.. i'll post a photo of the menu after I motivate myself to paint it...

blog hopping...

I found myself staying up all through the night flipping back and forth looking at these gorgeous inspiration photos from my new favorite blogs:

www.savethedate4cupcakes.com

www.twigandthistle.com/blog

www.imprintables.blogspot.com

www.ellybevents.com/blog

I especially like the dessert buffets on "savethedate4cupcakes" ..I love the creative use of candle holders, stacked plates, gift wrapped boxes, etc. to display neatly aligned and unique desserts and candy!

Resume Procrastination

I can see the floor of my bedroom again..hooray! It looks all neat and nice..but most of the wedding stuff got crammed back under the bed and behind doors... but at least this side of the bed is walkable space yet again and showcases my peony inspiration..along with some other flowers I picked up at Michael's yesterday..for no reason at all.. they were just saying buy me! buy me! I'm sure i'll think of a legitimate reason for them soon..or at least that's what i tell myself.. This photo album is the reason my printer is now on the blink.. I had this sudden moment of inspiration/revelation to use this album that i've never figured out what to use for (another random purchase) ..and print out every photo of wedding inspiration/ideas I had saved on my computer.. well i think my printer is on strike and refuses to print anything or acknowledge the driver exists on my computer.. but the album is very handy and its all nice and the images are in order of the events of the wedding..

Organization!

I think I'm a compulsive organizer.. I wasn't satisfied with the wedding planner book that I bought last year.. I thought it was perfect at the time..or I was just in "the moment" after being newly engaged and didn't care about what the book detailed so much..just in love with the cute design.. the book became too wordy..telling me info that was just plain common sense.. and provided info and organization for things not needed..so I began to rip out the pages of what I did like and in combination with martha stewart weddings templates.. i made this.

It's perfectly organized just how i like it..tabs and records for the budget, guest lists, etc. plus its a binder so I can hole punch all my receipts and notes..

This guest list template I found off of martha stewart weddings.. I had bought this cute little white photo box and wanted to write everyones addresses on tiny notecards like they do in the movies or atleast in "Father of the Bride." The cards became too mixed up.. so I made this.. that was our new year's eve..organizing and re-editing the dreaded guest list...

it's my lucky day

I went to Jo-Ann fabric store this week... and found these fabrics for a dollar each.. I was just about to walk out the door when I spotted these clearance fabric samples.. pretty nice for a dollar.... they are discontinued prints from companies such as waverly, tommy bahama, nautica, and ralph lauren.. The pintuck, toile, and beiges i'm going to use for more pillows on the benches outside the reception.. The light and dark blue prints i'm going to use for either the bedroom or couch for our apt.

Thomas and I stumbled upon the cutest little bakery and cafe yesterday. They feature an assortment of fresh baked cupcakes, desserts.. an a breakfast and lunch menu...annnd a soda shop....and the best part of all..they make macarons!! yes a place nearby that makes macarons! I talked with the owner and discussed the macarons for the dessert bar for the reception. Just had to post a pic of the sweetest little cupcake with its own cute box..