Do It Yourself

Here are some super cute Do It Yourself ideas for the reception, or just in general!!!

Flower Fairy Lights - found on Vintage Glam Weddings

What you’ll need:

- Fairy lights (Christmas lights)
- Vellum paper in your wedding colors
- Scissors

Here’s my simplified version of the project:
Step 1: Cut 5 inch squares of vellum paper. Fold paper square in half diagonally to form a triangle.
Step 2: Fold the left and right corners up to meet at the center, forming a diamond shape. Fold in half to form a small triangle.
Step 3: Cut curves along the open edges to form a heart-shaped top and create the petal effect (see my photo below). You can also try cutting different shapes to create different flowers. I drew a heart on my triangle to illustrate how big the heart is. Don’t mind my drawing skills.


Step 4: Snip the tip of the bottom of the triangle - remember to cut small enough that it won’t fall off the lights but wide enough so you can pass through each fairy light.


Although it is unlikely that these tiny lights will catch on fire, you don’t want to worry about that on your wedding day! Use LED fairy lights instead of standard ones. AT Disclaimer:“While vellum paper is a lot less flammable than ordinary paper, don’t leave the lights on unattended.”

Felt Fortune Cookie Favor - found on Martha Stewart

Step 1. Using fabric shears, cut a 4 1/2-inch-diameter circle from a piece of felt. Cut a piece of matching ribbon slightly shorter than 4 1/2 inches. Using wire cutters, cut a piece of floral wire slightly shorter than the length of ribbon.

Step 2. Using craft glue, affix the wire to the middle of the felt circle. Glue ribbon on top, covering the wire. Let dry 30 minutes.
Step 3. Fold the felt circle in half, using the wire as a guide, so ribbon is inside cookie. Next, angle the sides toward each other, bending the wire at its halfway point and forming a fortune-cookie shape, as shown.
Step 4. Assemble the fortune cookies. Carefully peel back one flap of the felt cookie, and insert a paper fortune and a few candies. Fold the flap back over to close cookie around contents.

Beaded Wire Letter - found on Martha Stewart

What you need:
-16 gauge wire
-beads (use color beads to match your wedding colors!)
-ribbon

So...it's been awhile

So...I guess it has been awhile since I last wrote. The end of Christmas break went by rather quickly, and I spent much of it traveling. And since getting back to school life has been even crazier, and I have had zero time to blog...and no computer to blog on! ha ha! My laptop broke before Thanksgiving break, and I finally took it in to get looked at and they said it was a broken mother-board, which is pretty freakin-expensive. So, I had to work myself up to forking over the money for a new laptop. I tried doing the whole college thing without one, but could not do it anymore. EVERYTHING involves computers now! So, I finally went to Walmart and bought the cheapest computer I could find (I did not really plan buying a new computer into my wedding budget, so cheap was the way to go). But I was lucky, and they had a crazy awesome deal on this Compaq (owned by HP).
Well, mine is a little different then the one on the website - no webcam, etc - but for $398 it's great. Anyway, even though I may have not written in awhile, does not mean that I have not been keeping up on my wedding plans! :) Here is what Brent and I have been up to:

• My mom and I found all the bridesmaid dresses!! We went on a wild goose chase, but were able to get all of them (at varying prices). They were originally $180, but we got the price down to $133/girl
• We have asked my niece, Mary Jane, and nephew, Zeke...and Brent's niece, Julia, and nephew Levi, to all be in the wedding. We will be sending all four down the aisle. It will be so cute!
• 
  
• Brent and I finalized our Honeymoon Plans. We have an 8-person condo (ha ha - a little big, but that's ok) at the Sheraton Vistana Resort in Orlando FL, from Sunday June 28th to the following Sunday. Check it out!
• Mrs. Boersma's friends are throwing me a Wedding Shower and it will be held on February 7th, when Melissa, Brent's sister-in-law will be in town. It will be fun that she can be there!!! So, Brent and I are started making our registry list of things that we will need.
• The Guest Lists are being finalized as we speak. This is a difficult one!! It is hard to keep numbers under 200.
• I asked my cousin Sean to play a song (piano) and sing at the wedding, and he said yes! Sean is an awesome piano player and writes his own music. Check out this jingle he wrote for snickers... (I am thinking about having him sing "Marry Me" by Ed Cash, but that is still in the works)
  

• AND, a new theme is in the works! Although, I really like the Pink/Black/White damask look it is getting kind of pricey. We would have had to buy a table runner and cake plate for each table, and can not find very reasonable prices. So check out the new idea!

So, I still want to keep black and different shades of pink, but now I am going for more of an outdoorsy, love-bird look. My mom and I have found some REALLY cute ideas for table decs, favors, invites. Check out all these links... (I know it's a lot...I will break them down in future entries)

Invitations
DIY Impress Rubber Stamps
Vintage Perch
Swirls & Swallows
Two Birds
Love Birds
Sittin in a tree
DIY Martha Stewart
Whimsical Bird

Ceremony
Curly Willow Forest down the Aisle

Reception
Bird Place Cards
Wall Dec for entry way
Bird Cage Letter Holder
Balloon Ceiling
Chic Pearls

Table Decorations
Branch & Birdies Centerpiece
How to Make Bird Centerpiece
Inexpensive Vases
Crystal Flower Stems
Nests
Branches
Birds Nest Centerpiece

Favor Ideas
Blooming Bird Flower Card
Bird's Nest with Candies
Little Bird Boxes
Little Bird Boxes 2

Cakes
Cute Cake Topper
Forest Cake
Love Bird Cake Toppers
Sugar Birds and More Cake Ideas

Extras
Love Bird Stuff
Pretty Bird Necklace
Love Bird Garter Set
Birds Galore

So, what do you think of the new theme?? I hope you like it!

Flower Girls

Brent and I are lucky to have 6 beautiful nephews and nieces...and one more on the way! We would LOVE to have every single one of them take part in our wedding, however, due to young ages some of them will not be able to participate. :( We have not finalized what we will be doing for the ring bearer(s), but we have decided that we will be having two flowergirls. We are so excited to have both Mary Jane and Julia walk down the aisle. They will be super cute...and if one gets freaked out, it won't be a big deal, because there will be a back-up.

And while out today my mom and I found the CUTEST skirt for the girls to wear down the aisle. My color scheme is Black, White and a brighter Pink. I will be in all white, my bridesmaids will be in all black...so obviously that leaves the flower girls to be in Pink! :) Check out the adorable skirt we bought at Gymboree:

It is definately not your traditional flower girl option, but I fell in love immediately! And how could I turn it down when the description of this "very berry tulle skirt" was "Our flouncy skirt looks great as she dances center stage. Satin waist and lining add shimmer and shine"? How great is that? Oh, and the price was quite nice as well...

We also thought that the skirt would look great with a white top with black polka dots, or a top that is slightly lighter pink. I'm stoked! They are going to look fabulous! :)

Invitation Websites

There are also websites that specialize in photo invitations - which is one the latest trends. I found some cute photo invitations at Rexcraft:

There are even Websites that sell ALL RECYCLED Invitations - often called "Naturally Ever After". How cool is that? One example of a NEA retailer is Invitations by Dawn and this is my favorite invitation on the site (except it isn't black & pink):

Wedding Paper Divas also has some fun new designs on the market!! They would not let me save the pics though, so you will have to check them out yourself!

Another option that people do not always consider is Target. My mom and I saw some cute invitations that we would have to print off on our computer, but they were a great price!

Any suggestions on where to purchase my invites?? :)

More on Invitations

I have found that there are 100s of stores and websites that sell wedding invitations! Almost every other page in wedding magazines has advertisements for invitation makers. So, if you are interested here are just a few of the places that I have found: (click on picture to enlarge)

From these advertisements, I have discovered that I have three options, 1) I can make my own invitations, 2) I can find a local shop and order/buy invitiations there, and 3) I can order invitations off-line and have them sent to me home.

Handmade Invitations

Archiver's Online has many supplies and ideas for you to make invitiations on your own. It also walks you through the steps of creating your own invitations: Select your colors, Select the size and style of invitations, Decide on specific pieces, Make a sample of each, Do the math, Gather supplies and Start Creating! Although, I am not sure whether or not I would want to put the time into handmaking each invitation here are a few samples from their website that I think are really cute!

Buy Locally
When I googled searched "Wedding Invitations in Wheaton" about 10 different locations popped up! So I know that there are plenty of options...but I don't have time to visit all of them. This is where word of mouth comes in handy. Luckily, my friend and bridesmaid, Caitlin Lautz, gave me a business card for Julie Detmer Ink located in Glen Ellyn the other day. Lautz was in her store and said she had a lot of really cute options, so I checked out her work online. Here are some of cute options off her website:

Order Online

Another easy, yet riskier option, is to order off-line. The only reason why I say it is risky is because you do not get to see the invitations in person before they are printed. However, it might be worth the risk since it would save time and energy spent making my own invitations or driving all around stores looking at invites. So, I tried it out and visited Now & Forever. Here are my favs off this website:

Check out my next entry for more cute invitations I found online...

She's Got "The Look"

While in September's Bride back in September, Meg from Meg Jewelry was hosting a trunk show. She covered me in pearls, and crystals, and swooed me with her lovely jewelry. She also placed a beautiful birdcage veil on my head. So when I found out she was going to be at The Left Bank, a jewelry store in Chicago, during my Christmas break I was stoked! My mom and I thought it would be fun to go check out her veils again now that I have a better idea of what "Look" I am going for.

I was so excited that Meg remembered me from 3 months ago, and she was ready to put something together. Luckily I came prepared. I showed her the following collages that I had put together to show her what I am going for. Check out "The Look" I am going for...

After reading through many bridal magazines I cut out images that I invisioned on my wedding day. After reviewing the pics we came to the conclusion that "My Look" seems Retro-Vintage-Glamour. And we went from there.

After trying on a couple different styles I found a look that I like. :) The Look would actually be a combination of the following veils...

(Picture this veil facing the other way, so the netting is covering my eyes.)

What I love about this veil: The silk flowers, and the pearls crystals in the center of the pearls. Also there are tiny crystals all along the netting giving it a slight shimmer

What I dislike about this veil: I don't like that it is so small. It is perfect for the reception, however I would like my veil to be a little bigger

What I like about this veil: I love how the netting is all around the top of my head. I also love that it covers my face on a slant (not straight across the front)

What I dislike about this veil: I don't like that it is so plain. I would prefer something snazzy on it (but not gaudy) like the silk flowers.

SOLUTION: Put them together. :) Meg said that I could get the veil with the silk flowers for the front of my face, and then have a detachable back that would surround my head, and that I would be able to take off for the reception. She showed me what it would look like, but I forgot to take a picture. Woops!

Even though I LOVED the look, I decided to wait to make any purchases. I figure I will look around a little bit longer, so if you see any similar veils let me know!

Oh yeah...Meg also put some B-E-A-Utiful earrings on me. I love the single drop pearl. This specific earring has swarvoski crystals around the pearl, which is great too, however, I think that I may be able to find similar earrings for a little less. Since I may be purchasing 2 veils (ha ha) I may need to cut down my shoe and jewelry budget. Let me know if you find any pretty earrings or a bracelet that will go with my dress.

The Wedding Binder

So, I just spent, literally, 5 hours organizing my "Wedding Binder." I do not know if other brides are like me, but I am super organized and like to have all my information in one place, and neatly organized and categorized, so I put together a binder. My binder has all the contracts I have signed, fun ideas I have found in magazines and information about potential vendors. It is HUGE, and needed some cleaning up, and reorganizing. Now that I have a better idea about what my wedding/reception is going to be like, I was able to throw out a ton of articles that I had in my binder about outdoor weddings and stuff. I also took some of the magazine cut-outs and put together collages, so that I can help vendors visualize the theme I am going for. Check it out...


I'm tired, and have a busy day with my mom tomorrow. We are going to a wedding jewelry/veil trunk show in Chicago, and then we are going to go to the mall to see if there are anymore bridesmaid dress options. I better make up my mind soon...or I'll go crazy. Night!!!

Oh My Goodness - PERFECT

I know I already bought my wedding dress...but that does not stop me from drooling over other bride's dresses. Check out "Hanging with Marie Labbancz" - a photography blog. She posted pics of an absolutely awesome dress by Monique Lhuillier. Totally out of my price range, but still...I love how it goes from long to short in one night!

How does everyone feel about the bride changing into a new dress half way through the reception? I love my dress, but I also love to dance, and I don't know how "moveable" my dress is going to be. I may have to go pick up a white Charlotte Russe or H&M dress for the reception. OOOOOO or check out this cute dress my mom found at J-Crew:

If Only...

(Sigh) What an amazing night! I can finally say that I have knocked one of the items off of my "Bucket List" - to go see a Celine Dion concert! It was incredible! My parents and I may have been sitting in THE LAST row of the United Center, but it was worth it. She has the most amazing voice I have ever heard, and as much as I try, I will never be able to hit the notes she does.

So, why write about this on my "Wedding" Blog? Well, during the concert I could not help but think what if Celine Dion sang during my wedding ceremony? How cool would that be?!? I would be in heaven. Anyone have any bright ideas to get Celine to visit Holland, MI at the end of June? If only...

More Bridesmaid Dresses

I just can't seem to make up my mind about what to do for Bridesmaid Dresses. Right when I think I have it all figured out, I start to doubt myself and think I see something I like better. Well, once again I think I have found a dress that I like better than all the rest.

Yesterday, while in Macy's I saw some really cute black dresses, so I decided to try some on. I found one that would look really chic for my girls to wear! And they would DEFINITELY be able to wear one of these out again. It is a Ralph Lauren dress, and was $180, however if you open a Macy's card you could get between 20-40% off the dress (depending on the deals going on). That could cut the price down to about $110. I also think it would look great on ANY body type, because it has a sheer top that would cover the chest.

Here is another dress, Calvin Klein, that was very similar, that I liked...but I think I like the Ralph Lauren a little better.

Ladies - if any of you are reading this...what do you think?!? I would like to have a dress picked out in the next month if possible.