Monday, June 29, 2009

My Bouquets: Hydrangeas - white, light blue, and green!

The flowers at my wedding will be hydrangeas, which are basically a large clump of beautiful blooms at the end of a woody stem. They come in a huge variety of colors and species. They don't have the austerity of roses, nor the daintiness of a daffodil (although there are some rather paper-thin, petite-looking hydrangea varieties out there). What hydrangeas DO have working for them is size... it only takes a few stems to create a big, beautiful ball of color and texture. Perfect!

If you are considering making your own bouquets I recommend two things: 1) this website http://www.bridecraft.com/hydrangea-bridal-bouquet.html and 2) Xanax (you're gonna need it if you're doing your own flowers). :-)

I am obsessed with light blue hydrangeas (achieved by increasing the acidity of the soil in which they are planted), whose centers often melt into a pale green, a combination which soothes me. My bridesmaids will be carrying bouquets made of 4 or 5 stems of light blue hydrangeas. The flowers will look fabulous against their black dresses. I am using this as inspiration:



I have two junior bridesmaids, who will be carrying the light green variety. This distinction between bridesmaid and junior bridesmaid bouquets serves two purposes: 1) to add another subtle color to the mix in order to please the husband-to-be (who does not hold a lot of stock in the colorfulness of the light blue), and 2) to visually create a special role just for the junior bridesmaids.




My bouquet will be a gathering of white hydrangeas and dusty miller accents. Something like this (although leaving the stems exposed to allow for watering in between photos and the ceremony):




When the bouquets are put together, it will look something like this:

If using hydrangeas, keep in mind the time of year you are getting married. The growing season is typically in the summer, but can last as long as October if you live in a good climate - like Los Angeles!

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Save-the-Date Postcards

After searching for a wedding and reception venue, and confirming it was free on the date we had chosen, it was time to think about Save-the-Dates.

A photo had been taken of us at the dinner following our engagement in Las Vegas that we both really liked. One problem: during the hugs and congratulations we received upon arriving at the dinner (everyone knew Brian was going to propose and impressively kept it a secret from me!), a front section of my overly-sprayed hair was pushed up like a sun flare. NO ONE informed me of this. Unfortunately, the Sun Flare Hair was not only visible in the photo, but it bridged over to Brian’s head, causing a strange comb over look for Brian. Hmmm. Brian, in his ingenuity, downloaded a free trial version of Adobe Illustrator (or was it Photo Shop?) and was able to erase the Sun Flare Hair/Comb Over. Phew! (He also changed the background to a tropical getaway, but I thought the original setting was more suitable.)



The fixed version of the photo - minus Sun Flare Hair/Comb Over


Brian, who is a master at finding deals online, showed me this link from Vistaprint, which allows you to design a postcard with your own image. We were able to order 100 postcards for $14.98 (plus s/h), with a promotional discount! I printed out the address labels using Avery 5160 labels, ordered the stamps online, and sent out our Save-the-Dates!

Our guests have told us that they put the postcards on their fridges – even our friends who refuse to put anything on their fridges! Yes! An honorary place on the fridge. :-)

Costs for Project:
Trial version of photo enhancing software: Free
100 postcards from Vistaprint (with promo): $25.17
100 postcard stamps from USPS: $27.00
TOTAL: $52.17

Choosing the Date

When Brian and I got engaged in March 2009, I think we had slightly different timelines in mind regarding how soon the wedding would take place. He was most likely leaning toward the traditional twelve-month mark. I, on the other hand, was a little more anxious than that.

This is my engagement ring! Brian bought it online after much
consultation with close friends (girls who KNOW their diamonds).
I LOVE IT!

We had been dating for almost seven years and living together for over a year by the time Brian proposed, so I wasn’t terribly interested in a long engagement. I knew we could put the wedding together relatively quickly, considering my organizational skills (and the fact that I had been looking at wedding magazines and websites for quite a while). I was aiming for 2009 before the winter holidays. That meant October. Brian’s birthday is early- to mid-October, and we didn’t want to interfere with that. What would be a date that would be easy to remember? Sixteen… Brian’s hockey number. October 16, 2009, it is! It’s a Friday, so the venue and catering will be less expensive – always a plus! Also, out-of-town wedding guests will have Saturday and Sunday to continue the party and rest before traveling back home.

That meant we had 195 days to schedule, plan, and finalize everything. Let the games begin!

114 Days to Go! (A.K.A. My First Posting)

Welcome to my blog! I was going to wait to start the blog until after the wedding, but I am feeling a little restless, so let the blogging begin!

The purpose of this blog is to post the Do-It-Yourself (DIY) projects I am creating for my wedding. I have found inspiration from many sources, but especially from Martha Stewart's website. The lady may be too much of an overachiever, but she (and her staff) have fabulous ideas! My motto: why pay more for something I can make or do myself? I also LOVE Kate's Wedding blog.

I think my posts will focus on the projects I have made along with the costs (and possible headaches) associated with each project. Hopefully, other DIY brides can find some inspiration here! I predict my biggest challenge will be to fight laziness and keep up with the blogging.