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Wedding Invitation Trend: Lace

December 21st, 2009

Hi everyone! I hope you are all staying warm, but enjoying all the snow (if you’re in the DC area or further north!).  And if you got married in this area yesterday, I hope everything went ok – do people postpone their wedding if a blizzard hits?

Anyway, on a very un-Christmas and un-snow like theme, this week I want to share about a trend I’ve been seeing lately that I think is fabulous – lace! I’m seeing it a lot on invitations at the moment, and was recently asked by a potential client to design her wedding invitations with lace in them.  They will still have some changes to them (the colors and motif), but here’s a sneaky peak for you!

This is one of the prototypes - since i'm still playing around with colors and ribbon sizes, I haven't actually sewn the ribbon and lace together yet (hence why you see it all raggedy at the side). The camera isn't doing total justice to the invitation, but it's deep purple with orange. I'm also going to play with deep red and a paisley print.

This is one of the prototypes - since i'm still playing around with colors and ribbon sizes, I haven't actually sewn the ribbon and lace together yet (hence why you see it all raggedy at the side). The camera isn't doing total justice to the invitation, but it's deep purple with orange. I'm also going to play with deep red and a paisley print. The ring is from the jewelery making section at Michael's.

And for good measure, here’s some other lace inspired invitations for your inspiration:

I love this! I dont know where they got the lace from (I looked at my local fabric store but couldnt find it that wide), but I love the mixture of laces, ribbon, fonts, and paper in this one by Dionne Lashell.

I love this! I don't know where they got the lace from (I looked at my local fabric store but couldn't find it that wide), but I love the mixture of laces, ribbon, fonts, and paper in this one by Dionne Lashell.

This one looks simple and sweet - I love the way shes tied the ribbon!

This one looks simple and sweet - I love the way she's tied the ribbon!

This one doesnt have any real lace on it, but a lace print is letterpressed onto the invitation.

This one doesn't have any real lace on it, but a lace print is letterpressed onto the invitation.

This one also has letterpressed lace rather than real lace.

This one also has letterpressed lace rather than real lace.

This handmade lace invitation is also beautiful - I love the criss cross effect with the thin ribbon.

This handmade lace invitation is also beautiful - I love the criss-cross effect with the thin ribbon.

This lace invitation also incorporates suede paper. I could only imagine how much that costs!

This lace invitation also incorporates suede paper. I could only imagine how much that costs!

I’m off to NYC this week and am hoping to stop by M&J Trimmings to see what they have in the way of lace and ribbons – they quite possibly have one of the largest selections in the world, so if you’re needing trimmings and are in NYC, go check it out!

Are you using lace in your wedding? How will you be incorporating it? Link to pictures if you can!!

by auschick | posted in Design Ideas | 3 Comments »

The joining of two flames

December 6th, 2009

Gt and I wanted to incorporate an unity candle ceremony within our wedding as a symbol of love and union. For those who never witnessed a unity candle ceremony, here is a brief description. In the ceremony, close family members (for our wedding, it was GT’s and my mother) will light two taper candles, which represents the bride and groom as individuals. The couple will then each take a taper candle and light the larger candle together to symbolize the love and loyalty to one another created by the union of two hearts. The gesture of this ceremony is very sweet.

Our Unity Candle Ceremony

Our Unity Candle Ceremony

After a bit of shopping around, we realized that these candles were quite an expense for such a short ceremony. Also the majority of candle sets out there were white or ivory. I really wanted a unity candle that matched our color theme and flowers, which was green. So, I decided that I’ll just put together our own set. At the time (about February or March) Crate and Barrel was having a clearance of all their holiday goodies. On the website, I was able to find the tall center candle, which has a texture etched into the pillar with some glitter.

Flicker Pillar Candle from Crate and Barrel

Flicker Pillar Candle from Crate and Barrel

The rest of the supplies (plain ivory taper candles and glass candle holders) I bought from Michael’s. (Tip: most bridal magazines have a 20% off coupon for Michaels with their advertisement). I decorated the candles by tying some bows with ribbon on each. Unfortunately, I don’t have a photograph of the candle set close up. I spent about $15 for everything including the ribbon, which I also used for other things.

In addition, we had bought a few more of the green pillars in different sizes to put on the place-card table. After the ceremony, the unity candle was moved to the place-card table along with the other pillars. It was to reflect the light of love that will continue to glow throughout our lives.

At the place card table

At the place card table

Are you thinking about having an unity candle ceremony? Or if you’re married, did you have one?

by Mel | posted in Budget, Ceremony | 1 Comment »

Back to nature placecards

November 29th, 2009

photo from enrim iconz

photo from enrim iconz

When I was planning our wedding, I’ve been seeing so many images of using fruit as placecard holders. I absolutely loved the idea.  However, we ended up using something that was more suited with our table names. I wanted to share with you all some images that really inspired me. You can do so much with fruit as a design element in a wedding.

photo from country living

photo from country living

It’s very easy to do-it-yourself without spending a lot of money.

photo from kelley photo & design

photo from kelley photo & design

Use seasonal fruits or vegetables to reflect the time of the year.

By saipua

By saipua

However, if you don’t want to deal with the hassle as a bride or groom. Many florists offer the service. This is my favorite amongst the bunch {from Saipua}.

by Mel | posted in Design Ideas, Reception | 2 Comments »

Surviving the Big Day

October 21st, 2009

One thing that is for certain on the day of your wedding is that you can’t plan for the unexpected. However, you can do your best to try! That’s why I think having a bride or bridesmaid ‘survival kit’ is critical for the big day. Having a nail file if someone breaks a nail, or a sewing kit if a button pops off a dress, or some bobby pins in case a piece of hair falls out of place can help make the day go a lot smoother.  You can buy them pre-made or make them yourself. They make great gifts for the bridesmaids or bride. I got one of my friends a bride survival kit as an additional gift for her bridal shower. I also know a maid of honor who made a big basket with a bunch of day of essentials that the bride and bridesmaids all shared while they were getting ready together.

Source: www.msandmrs.com The bridesmaid's survival kit

Source: www.msandmrs.com -The bridesmaid's survival kit

Source: www.paper-source.com The bride's survival kit

Source: www.paper-source.com -The bride's survival kit

Some of the essentials I think should be in a wedding survival kit include:

-Sewing Kit                                                         -Safety Pins                                                         -Bobby Pins       

-Band-Aids                                                          -Shout Wipes or Tide Pens                           -Travel Deodorant

-Breath mints                                                     -Tissues                                                                -Hairspray          

- Nail Files                                                            -Clear Nail Polish                                              -Pain Reliever

 

Source: www.organize.com This bridesmaid's travel survival kit would be great for destination weddings!

Source: www.organize.com -This bridesmaid's travel survival kit would be great for destination weddings!

There are also kits for grooms too!

by Caitlin | posted in Accessories, Beauty | 5 Comments »

My Placecards

September 6th, 2009
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Museum of Modern Art Placecard

The wedding has come and gone. It was absolutely magical and amazing. I will have to post a detailed entry once we get our photographs back from our photographer. As promised, I am posting about our placecards today. The placecards has the same tree design as our invitations, programs, and some other elements. And rather than simply numbering our tables, we decided to bring in our architecture backgrounds and the history of New York City to our wedding. We named each of the tables after a renowned building in New York City. To reflect these table names, we designed a city silhouette cutout.  The cut-lines were printed on the backside so that it is not visible.

Placecard Table of skyscrapers

Placecard Table of skyscrapers

I have to admit these are very tedious to make but completely worth it. I loved the way it came out on the table. Placecards are one of those things where you can get very creative. There are no rules.

Did you have something different for your placecards?

by Mel | posted in Design Ideas, Reception | 3 Comments »

Martha Stewart has just added a new DIY Wedding section to their site! It’s complete with photos, downloadable templates, and instructions.  I’m lovin’ it! (Click the images to get the instructions)

Take Your Seat - what a cute escort card idea!

Take Your Seat - what a cute escort card idea!

Getting marred on the beach?

Getting marred on the beach?

As someone who has had to try and fit 200 escort cards onto a small table without getting them all jumbled up, this accordion idea is *awesome*.

As someone who has had to try and fit 200 escort cards onto a small table without getting them all jumbled up (3 times now), this accordion idea is *awesome*.

This envelope guest book is really easy and so cute!

This envelope guest book is really easy and so cute!

If youre into sewing, heres a guest book quilt!

If you're into sewing, here's a guest book quilt!

I love this! They cut the numbers out with a punch. If you have a Cricut (or have been wanting one) this could be your excuse to get one!

I love this! They cut the numbers out with a punch. If you have a Cricut (or have been wanting one) this could be your excuse to get one!

Postcard with itsy bitsy envelope

Postcard with itsy bitsy envelope

Ok, doilies do take me back to church bake sales and tea at my great grandmothers house, but these are gorgeous! Would look great with a black and white theme, or even with a bold pink or green card.

Ok, doilies do take me back to church bake sales and tea at my great grandmother's house, but these are gorgeous! I think these would look great with a black and white theme, or even with a bold pink or green card.

Rather than having ushers hand out programs, a program has been hung on each chair.

Rather than having ushers hand out programs, a program has been hung on each chair.

Cute favor boxes! If you have time, making these from scratch could save a lot of money!

Cute favor boxes! Unfortunately, they don't have a template for the boxes, but they do have one for the tags, and instructions on tying the rope.

And heres a template for sending out info to your bridesmaids

And here's a template for sending out info to your bridesmaids

What’s your favorite template/idea in the Martha Stewart Wedding DIY section? And has anyone found some templates for making small favor boxes?

by auschick | posted in Design Ideas, Favors | 1 Comment »

I’m an avid collector of wedding programs.  And I’m anal about them.  So many couples just do a folded sheet of 8 1/2 x 11 paper (A4), but I’m a unique sort of person and love programs that think outside the square.

Since I collect wedding programs, I used what I had as a starting point for inspiration.  Then I took to looking online (there are some amazing program designs on Flickr).

The problem with programs is that often the program isn’t completely finalized until a week before the wedding.  If you want to DIY your programs, try and do as much as you can before the ceremony is finalized (e.g., cover page), or you know, be organized and have your ceremony set in stone three weeks before your big day!

When creating programs, I aim to make them as easy to assemble as possible.  Easy, for me, means no ribbon, embossing, or fiddly cutting.  Sometimes though, it’s inevitable.  Here’s some examples of programs I’ve DIY’d over the last few years:

Jenn's Programs

1) Jenn's Programs

2) Steph's programs

2) Steph's programs

3) My Programs

3) My Programs

Inside program

Inside program

Jen's Programs

4) Jen's Programs

Of these, the simplest to put together was #1.  I printed directly onto off-white cardstock for the cover (2 on each 8 1/2 x 11 page), and white cardstock for the inside page.  The pages were cut to size with a paper trimmer, folded, and stapled once with a booklet stapler.  The finished size is 4 1/4 x 4 1/4.

#2 replicated the style of Steph’s wedding invitation.  In this one, I used blue carstock for the cover, attached the ribbon with tape, and covered it with a square of printed linen paper.  To save money, the inside was printed in black and white on linen paper.  The finished size is 4 x 4.

My programs (#3) were fairly simple to put together.  I cut the brown paper a few weeks before the wedding, attaching the photo and band in the same way as my invitations.  I used chunky Fastenater staples in lime green (almost impossible to find!), but then found that they wouldn’t go through all the sheets of paper. In the end, I faked it.  I stapled the front cover only, then used regular staples to staple the back section, then taped the two sections together with double sided tape.  No one noticed :-) .  I didn’t want to use regular wedding terms, so wrote “who’s who” (instead of participants/bridal party/helpers) and “amazing friends” (instead of “thank you”).  I printed the pages on 11 x 17 sheets of metallic champaign colored paper (I think I got 3 to a page). We included engagement pictures of us on some of the pages, and the metallic paper made the images really pop!  We had 100 guests, so I made about 75 programs.

Jen’s programs (#4) were a little last minute.  She already had some marquee cut cardstock (white) that she wanted me to use for them.  I used the cardstock for the back cover and printed the program onto leftover linen paper from Steph’s programs!  I used a small hole punch to make the holes for the ribbon, which I tied into a knot.

Later this week, I’ll share with you some programs that I’ve receieved (and love!).  I’d love to see some of your favorites!

by auschick | posted in Ceremony, Design Ideas | 3 Comments »

"pencil us in" save the date

"pencil us in" save the date

I was asked what our “theme” was for our wedding. We don’t really have a theme. At the end of the day, we just want people to say that the wedding reflected who we are. So, I guess the theme is us!

The first impression of our wedding is the save the date. Both GT and I come from architecture backgrounds. So with that in mind, we thought to send out pencils but not just regular pencils, carpenter pencils!
They were fun and simple (also inexpensive).  The tags we printed ourselves by using MS Word and making a table to give you equal rectangles. We wanted a handmade look to it, so we used a handwriting font and hand-traced the rectangular outline with a black marker.   As for ordering the pencils, we were able to find a website site that would allow an order of less than 1000.
Over all we spent about $140 on the pencils and card-stock for the tags– which made 250 save the dates.  Fortunately, I had left over black ribbon in my closet, so no cost on ribbon.  However, mailing them were just a bit difficult since we found out that you can’t just throw them in a regular envelope.

by Mel | posted in Budget, Design Ideas, Wedding Themes | 3 Comments »

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.

by auschick | posted in Green Wedding, News | No Comments »

DIY Thank You Cards

June 1st, 2009

While Miss Manners says that your guests have one year to give the Bride and Groom their wedding gift, you on the other hand, do not have one year to give them a thank you card.  Generally, six weeks after receiving the gift is acceptable.  While I *did* have good intentions, my procrastination meant that mine went out about three months after our wedding.  Oh well…

But this is not to say that you should do as I did!

In my attempt to get my thank you cards out really quickly, I decided to DIY my thank you cards shortly after making my invitations – that’s right, *before* my wedding.  The goal was to write in the cards as gifts came in so we could send them out as quickly as possible.  In the end, we decided to send out some wedding photos with our thank you cards, so we waited to send them until after the wedding. Since a lot of the cards were written in though (many of our friends sent our gifts to us prior to the wedding), it saved a lot of writing time later on.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I made my thank you cards match my invitations – this saved a lot of design time.  Here’s the finished product:

Our Thank You Cards (Version 1). Engagement photo by Laura Kay Photography.

I purchased the 8 1/2 x 11 brown cardstock and matching brown envelopes at the same time as ordering the paper for my invitations.  I cut the cardstock in half, width-wise, with a paper trimmer.  I had a paper scoring blade on my trimmer, so used that to cleanly fold all the paper in half.

I did the fronts of the thank you card in two batches – for those guests that gave us a gift prior to our wedding, I used an engagement picture on the front (photoshopped “thanks!” onto it).  Shortly after the wedding, I had our photographer send me one of our wedding pictures so that I could get it printed and added to our thank you cards.

Inside the Thank You Cards

I had some leftover off white linen paper from making another friend’s wedding programs a few years ago, so used that for the inside. I think I just glued it down with a glue stick.

Since the envelopes were brown, I got some sheets of Avery sticker paper (8 1/2 x 11 sticker) and fed it through my printer to make Martha Stewart wrap around labels.  This time, since I wasn’t using green wrapping paper, I made the background of the label lime green in MS Word, and changed my font color to white.  They were  a breeze to print, super easy to stick on, and I just cut them all up with my paper trimmer.  Yep, I shoulda done it that way for my invites! (You live, you learn!).

Now, if DIYing your Thank  You cards seems like complete overkill, I guess you could just buy some regular ones from Target.  But that’s no fun, is it? ;-)

For your interest, here’s the cost breakdown for 100 cards:

  • Brown cards – 10c each (50 sheets cost $10.99)
  • Envelops (A2) – 26c each (100 cost $26)
  • White Linen paper – free (I had it laying around)
  • Photo (mini from MPix) – 8c each (13 sheets of 8 cost $8.19)
  • White cardstock (leftover from invitations, I think we got 15 to a sheet) – 3c each (7 sheets at 50c each cost $3.50)
  • Green handmade paper – 6c each (1 sheet cost around $5 and I got about 80 strips from each one)
  • TOTAL: each card: 53c, total cost: $58 approx + tax, shipping and double sided tape (I used up all the green hand made paper for my wedding, so *my* cost was 53c per card – I factored in the cost of 2 sheets into the grand total).

by auschick | posted in Design Ideas, Etiquette | 2 Comments »

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