BIG FAT CAKE » BLOG » Archive for the ‘Green Wedding’ Category

During the month of February, Sew, Mama, Sew! shared various sewn wedding (or “love”) related items. Very inspiring to any brides out there who love to sew! Here’s a sampling of my favorite projects:

For the crazy bride - or one with a small guest count! - I love these hand sewn envelopes. Personally, I'd figure out a way to do it with my machine! I'd probably also either do the card/invite/note on paper, or use a screen printer to put the invite onto the fabric.

Sewn postcards use t-shirt transfers for the message. These could work as (elaborate) save the dates.

Some instructions on sewing cards (which you could adapt for invitations)

A tutorial is provided for sewing gorgeous flowers and boutonnieres.

I'm loving these gorgeous fabric cones for putting favors, candy, etc in.

A beautiful way of displaying flowers at an outdoor wedding.

Learn how to sew a cute bag for your flower girl - make it in fabric that matches your dress, your bridesmaids dresses, or something else!

I love this! Steal all your fiance's ugly t-shirts and turn them into wedding decorations that make people ooh and ahh :)

Instructions on making gorgeous table runners and napkins - but make sure to check with your caterer before you start to see whether linens are included in your package.

from Masa Li Li

My hubby and I were a bit disappointed that we didn’t get to take many photos together on our wedding day due to the rain. So there was a suggestion for us to take some “hun sha” photos in Taiwan since we were there for a few months. So when we arrived, GT’s relatives sent us a few studios’ websites. Masa Lili, which was one of them, was supposedly one of the best. Unfortunately, everything is in chinese but the photos are beautiful.

from Masa Li Li

Last week, I went with GT and his cousins to Masa Li Li. The service is absolutely like nothing I’ve ever seen in the States. The studio provides all the outfits for the bride (wedding gowns and evening gowns), hair, makeup, accessories, and props, as well as outfits for the groom (if needed). The package also includes albums, framed prints, as well as little printed cards for the bride and groom to pass out to family and friends. These cards can vary in size and shape as the couple chooses.

from Masa Li Li

I realize what the unique thing is about taking these photos in Taiwan is the backdrop. Within one day, we will be able to access the sea shore, the forest, the botanical gardens, and an old estate (now a historical landmark for tourists). That is basically our agenda tomorrow.

from Masa Li Li

After we agreed on the terms a few days later, we returned to the studio to pick out my outfits and discuss with the photographer what we wanted. They have an amazing collection of dresses, which range from traditional qi paos to edgy evening wear. I had a great time trying out all the different dresses. The assistant also helps you pick and choose the right dresses for the environments/backdrops the couple had discussed with the photographer. All the components that make for a special picture is well thought out.  For a similar service and product, we are only paying a fraction of the price in the States.

from Masa Li Li

So tomorrow is going to be the shoot. I will follow up with another post about the day. To be continued…

“Green” Bridesmaid Gifts

December 9th, 2009

I know bride-to-be’s are always looking for new and creative ideas for bridesmaids gifts. One of my friends told me about these personalized water bottles, and I immediately thought they would make great gifts for bridesmaids. I have a few SIGG water bottles and just love them. Now that SIGG has teamed up with Cafe Press, you can personalize them for each bridesmaid, add your own photos, or even add phrases or sayings on to the bottle.  Plus, if you’re having a green wedding these would be perfect since they’re eco-friendly and reusable! Check out the website: http://www.cafepress.com/designer/sigg/?src=hph2

Source: mysigg.com

Source: mysigg.com

Source: mysigg.com

Source: mysigg.com

Source: mysigg.com

Source: mysigg.com

Going Green with Garters

November 25th, 2009

For me, the wedding garter toss tradition is always a little too cheesy and maybe even becoming out dated. The groom digging through the layers of the bride’s dress to finally find the garter and then proceeding to do a terrible imitation of a Chippendale routine before flinging it into a crowd of overzealous groomsmen and single male guests at times seems awkward and forced. However, if the bride was wearing one of these garters I think my opinion of the garter toss could easily be swayed.

Source:www.juliannesmith.com

Source:www.juliannesmith.com

Source:www.juliannesmith.com

Source:www.juliannesmith.com

Source:www.juliannesmith.com

Source:www.juliannesmith.com

Source:www.juliannesmith.com

Source:www.juliannesmith.com

These garters are from www.juliannesmith.com and are the cutest ones I’ve ever seen. Normally, I feel like garters are often way too gaudy but these aren’t at all. They’re simple yet personal.  Julianne is based out of Washington, D.C. and all of the garters are handmade. They are environmentally friendly and made from recycled plastic bottles. If you’re planning on going  green with your wedding, then these are perfect! One of my bride-to-be friends is planning on ordering her wedding garter from here. She’s very conscious about the environment so these eco-friendly garters are ideal. She’s getting it customized with her wedding colors and embroidered with her wedding date.  It’s going to be just adorable!

 

Are you planning to wear a garter and do the garter toss at your wedding?

DIY Ideas: Wedding Flowers

September 21st, 2009

If you’re trying to save money by doing things yourself, wedding flowers can be a bit of a tricky area – let’s face it – you want to be as un-stressed as possible in the days leading up to your wedding, and making your bouquets and floral arrangements probably shouldn’t be high on your personal agenda the day before you say “I do”.  Sure, you could get a friend to make them for you, but if you want them over and done with weeks in advance, here are a couple of unique ideas:

These origami Kusadama flowers were used as centerpieces in this beautiful wedding.

Origami Kusudama flowers. Photo by EmilyKuPhoto.com.

Origami Kusadama flowers were used as centerpieces in this beautiful wedding.  WikiHow and FoldingTree have great tutorials for Kusudama flowers.

These poppy bouteniers could look lovely on some of your special guests.  Click the image for the tutorial.

These fabric poppy boutonnieres could look lovely on some of your special guests and family members. Click the image for the tutorial.

These beautiful flowers are sewn from Cotton Jersey fabric. The book or kit may be purchased from PurlSoho.com.

These beautiful flowers are sewn from Cotton Jersey fabric. The book or kit may be purchased from PurlSoho.com (click the image).

These cute felt flowers would work great at a Bridal Shower or a wedding. Click the image for the tutorial.

These cute felt flowers would work great at a Bridal Shower or a wedding (though maybe not in a coke can ;-) ). Click the image for the tutorial.

I think these paper flowers are really cute! Click the picture to see the instructions for a similar flower tutorial that you could adapt (or to buy these from the seller).

I think these paper flowers are really cute! Click the picture to see the instructions for a similar flower tutorial that you could adapt (or to buy these from the seller).

Once Wed provides a great tutorial for making these little fabric bouteniers, that could also work well as centerpieces. (click the image for the tutorial)

Once Wed provides a great tutorial for making these little fabric boutonnieres, that could also work well as centerpieces. (click the image for the tutorial)

Of course, Martha brings us these gorgeous bouteneirs made from crepe paper. Click the image for all her flower tutorials.

Of course, Martha brings us these gorgeous boutonnieres made from crepe paper. Click the image for all her flower tutorials.

Ok, so not strictly a diy flower project, but these paper covered vases are way cute! Click the image for the instructions.

Ok, so not strictly a diy flower project, but these paper covered vases are way cute! Click the image for the instructions.

Im drooling over these! Here are some wedding invitations with floral fabric sewn onto them. Click the image for the free tutorial!

I'm drooling over these! Ok, so they're not a floral arrangement per se, but here are some wedding invitations with floral fabric *sewn* onto them. Click the image for the free tutorial!

So the great thing about these flowers? You can keep them for a long time! Will you be incorporating faux flowers in your wedding? I’d love to hear and see what you come up with!

One of my favorite DIY wedding blogs, DIY Bride, is having a DIY contest.  If you’ve got a great “green” craft, you could be in the running to win some great prizes :-) .  Entries close on June 12th, and will be posted at DIY Bride on June 15.  If you send something in, I’d love to see a picture of what you come up with!

I’ve been racking my brain for what I could submit, but I must admit: I’m not very green with my DIY.

When Scott and I married in 2004, there wasn’t much material available to give suggestions on how to plan a Green wedding. These days, tons of helpful links show up if you Google “green wedding ideas.” I haven’t come close to exhausting Green wedding ideas but wanted to share a book I recently bought for my Kindle, The Green Bride Guide. I looked through a bunch of books and thought this one would be good to read. The author also has her own website that shows weddings that have used ideas from the book.

The Green Bride Guide
I like the fact that many brides want to incorporate Green ideas not just because of cost, but because they believe in a cause. Everyday we should encourage each other to be good stewards of the Earth we live in.  I hope this day causes people not think of Green ideas not just today, but throughout the year. If you have good Green ideas, please share!