Welcome to my DIY Wedding & Reception

We are having a simple Justice of the Peace ceremony & later having the Big Reception! We have changed our minds and are now going for a Western style Wedding, but I'm leaving the beach theme wedding posts on here.
All ideas are Welcomed, as I'm kind of a DIY kind of person & can't see pouring tons of money into just one day of our lives, when we have so many years ahead of us (God Willing). We are both Christian. He's Latino & I'm a lil bit of everything, mostly white. We want to cultivate both of our customs into our reception. Please feel free to browse & leave a note of advice! Thanks!

A Walk in my Boots.....

The Big Day

We all want our Wedding Day to be Extra Special, that is just a given, but how do we get there? What are the steps to achieving our Dream Wedding & being able to afford it, without debt.
1st We need to think of where we are willing to Splurge our funds & where we would like to scrimp.
2nd How do we pull this off?
3rd What can we do ourselves, our friends & family do (Do NOT include jealous people!) & our fiancee do? Who do we know that may be in a business that could help us? Networking!!!
4th Where do we start?
I've been researching for about 11 months & I have a good grasp on things. I want to Share what I've learned & want more ideas, too. We can help each other!

Friday, August 10, 2012

Eco-Friendly DIY Weddings Ideas


 I thought it would be appropriate to include some "Green" ideas, as I have been trying to live more sustainable. I hope some of these ideas find their way to your wedding. 

Decor:  
Real potted plants & flowers could be used for altar/table decorations.
 Drift wood with or without floral touches added would make great centerpieces.
Old boots could be spray painted and used as unusual décor or add flowers and use as vases.  
Wash & dry soda/beer cans. Add some pebbles to bottom of can (weight). Cover cans with fabric (scraps are perfect) or ribbon or both and add flowers for a cool vase and unique to your wedding.  
Download and print pictures of your theme or use magazine cut outs/color book pages and glue to cardboard boxes to add 3 Dimensional décor to your wedding. The rest of the box could be painted or covered in an old sheet or something.
The cost of longer style garlands are…well, rather ridiculous. Why not make your own? I’m serious & it is easy, too! Take your old Christmas lights (or ask somebody for theirs) – ones that don’t work and cut off the lights and the plug pieces (or tuck them under and tie with wire). Hot glue flowers where the lights used to be and a few extras, too, along with some leaves. And wah-lah…instant (cheap) garland that can be used in place of streamers or added to an arch for a day wedding.
For the beach themed wedding you can take ½ gallon milk jugs (clean by alternating cold and water for at least 5 times) and cut near the milk jug handle (shovel shape). Add a pail of sand and you have a cute decoration! You can use the gallon size, too. These could also be great favor ideas for children and a way to keep them occupied. Hint. Hint.
Seating and Tables:
Pallets can be cut and add legs from chopped wood, old chairs/benches/ or use wood scraps. Make benches using half for seat and other half for back. Cover with old vinyl tablecloths or fabric (thrift stores/garage sales) or sand down to remove splinters.
Pallets could be made into tables using the same concept as the benches. This will save on rental costs and add a touch of “We did it” to the day. At the end of the day, they could be given as bridal party gifts or gifts to the parents.
Old Tires could be covered in fabric or vinyl and used as seating for children or adults (very laid back) or they could be used as décor.
Bouquets and Boutonnières:
Think out of the box on some of these ideas and you will see the possibility of wonderful they could be. For a beach theme, try a seashell bouquet (Google it). They are beautiful and there are a few good tutorials for some. There are Button bouquets that would be very original and could be used for a Victorian or Vintage theme and be impressive. Green theme or just original idea would be to use plastic water/soda bottles to make flowers (cut strips of plastic and glue to a center. Make stems with twigs or wooden dowels). These would definitely get people’s attention and may start a new trend that is healthy for the planet, too. Artificial flowers are a good alternative to cutting real flowers or try maple leaves or branches of maple leaves for a greener bouquet/boutonnière.
A very cool way to make a bridal bouquet handle would be to use a cardboard roll (toilet paper/paper towel) decorated with ribbon and fabric. Just slip the bouquet into one and you have a cute handle that won’t break the purse strings.
Favors:
Heirloom seed packets – make your own packet to include names & wedding date.
Plastic bottle brooms (Google this) – these are easy to make and very useful. I skipped the handle and use mine as a car broom (very effective!).
Plastic bottle coin purses – these are a little time consuming but very cute!

I hope these ideas get your brains churning and get you started in the right direction. If you need any help, please leave a comment and I’ll try to help, if I can. 

Thursday, August 9, 2012

Cherry Blossom Wedding Ideas


Making cherry blossom branches:
1)      Pink tissue paper or small pink flowers
2)      Twigs from your yard
3)      Hot glue gun & glue sticks
4)      Scissors
5)      Vase to put branches in.
Cut the tissue paper into flower petal shapes or assemble pink flowers into sections of 2 or 3 blossoms. Use your glue gun to hot glue flowers to twigs (best to use a photo of a real cherry blossom branch).  Arrange a few branches per vase. I suggest having several vases to use as table decorations.

Flower Girl basket:
Dollar Tree carries Cherry Blossom ribbon. Wrap the ribbon around the handle, of a wicker basket purchased from a thrift store, and weave the ribbon around the upper edge of the basket. Make a pink or green bow and add artificial (less expensive) small pink flower heads or pink rose petals to the inside of the basket.
Ring Bearer:
Tie a green ribbon to a Cherry Blossom branch. Attach real rings or fake ones securely to the ribbon. No pillow needed.
Bridal bouquet:
Make Cherry Blossom branches and add a few bright colors or some white flowers. Arrange the bouquet in a simple tied bouquet and finish it off with a ribbon of your choice.
Boutonnieres:
Make small Cherry Blossom branches as lapels and add a pin. Very simple but will make people oohh and aahh.  

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