DIY Weekend

This weekend my mom, aunt and cousins came up for a visit to find a mother of the bride dress, bridesmaid shoes for my little cousin and to CRAFT ourselves silly. Mission accomplished on all fronts!



I thought I'd share some of the DIY crafts we completed so far:

Here are our out-of-town guest bags for guests staying in one of our hotels

The pomanders turned out so nice! These little ones will be part of our altar decorations.

These larger flower pomanders will decorate our pews.

Headbands for our flower girls - that's my knee not a bald head like my mom thought in the photo.

Flower girl headband propped on a Kleenex box.

Not only did my family get all of this done, they took more stuff with them. I have the best family in the world and I'm so glad they are going to be a part of our special day.

Wedding Wednesday - Coming to America

Does this really need an explanation?

I guess this is sorta cheating because it's not really a wedding, but this is the part of Coming to America when Eddie Murphy's Prince Akeem first meets his bride (Vanessa Bell Calloway). Who among us has not belted out She's Your Queen to Be?



We all know he eventually marries his true love, Lisa McDowell, in spite of his adventures in Queens, their parents and the rats. If you didn't already know that, shame on you.

Invitations Update

Those invite reply cards are trickling in!!! Thanks, everyone!

People are even using our website - how 'bout that? Keep up the good work.

Invitations - Check!

Invitation by Bella Figura

We finally got our invites out the door!

These invites have so many parts - maps, travel info, reply cards - and they are tied together with pale aqua belly bands.

Belly Band - a thin paper strip that holds all of the invitation components together. This is another term I didn't know before this wedding.

Our wedding colors were solidified after I saw the invitation set by Bella Figure pictured above. It is printed in letter pressed red ink and wrapped with a bright aqua band. I loved it, but I didn't love the price.

Our invites - pardon the weird lighting, but you get the idea.

Many thanks to Reaves Engraving in Laurinburg, NC (featured in every bride's must-have book Bridal Bargains and close to my hometown) for the amazing and FAST job.

Wedding Wednesday - Muppets Take Manhattan

FI's favorite wedding scene is from The Muppets Take Manhattan. Before you judge (and I judged at first), hear him out:

It's an emotional rollercoaster for a little kid. They all go their separate ways and then when they all come back together, Kermit has amnesia. Then at the wedding Kermit remembers - well, Miss Piggy beat it into him - and everything worked out.

"Somebody's getting maaaaaarried!"

"Because you share a love so big, I now pronounce you frog and pig."

If you don't know what this means, check the clips below.

And right now, FI is giggling because he's so tickled with that scene. This is one of the many, many reasons I love him so. He's so not too cool for school. Or the Muppets.

DIY – Paper Pomanders

First Photo: oncewed.com, Laurie Canotto

Second and Third Photo: vintageglamblog.com, Amanda

FI and I have been affected by the economy like so many others – we got notice that his work term will end in November after 8 years on his job. We still have a wedding budget and are doing better than many others, but we’re looking for ways to cut dollars.

Our plan is to cut our wedding spending overall to make sure we still have funds after the ceremony. One idea is for me – crafty me – to handle the ceremony décor. And since I’m allergic to everything, including flowers, I’m looking at making some version of a paper / ribbon pomander to hang on the pews.

What’s a pomander? A flower ball. Don’t worry, I didn’t know what that was before this wedding.

Tell me what you think?

Inspiration Boards

FI and are getting married on Saint Simon’s Island in Georgia. This “Golden Isle” is rich and history and just one of our favorite places to be. Also, FI’s parents live there so we get the benefits of a destination wedding with the inside scoop of a local.

Since we are getting married, everyone assumes we’re going to have sea shells and sand dollars and turquoise and pink. Not so much.

And not that there’s anything wrong with that. We decided to go in a less-expected beachy direction, focusing on color and texture to give the wedding an island feel without being to kitschy. Our colors, pale aqua and coral red, help us do that. What do you think?

Photo 1 - Martha Stewart Weddings

Photo 2 - mood board created by the bride, featuring photos from theknot.com, Hayley and Jason's wedding