Creative Wedding Centerpieces

Jen from Jen Martin Studios and I like to share stories and ideas from our events and she was kind enough to send pictures of these super cute DIY centerpieces at a wedding she shot recently.

I love the variety of design and style that weddings can encompass. I'm all about over the top elegance but a casual DIY affair can be just as gorgeous and fun and I think these super cute centerpieces are a great example of that:

These would also be super cute at a bridal or baby shower and I challenge my readers to put their own spin on this fun idea and share! Thanks Jen!

Glamorous Wedding Wishes

Here's a stunning guestbook alternative from Here Comes The Guide. It features a wedding wish tree: guests write a "wish" for the bride and groom on provided cards and hang them from the tree. It creates a fabulous focal point to the entrance of the reception or ceremony, and at the end of the night, the "wishes" can be packed up for the bride and groom to read together on their honeymoon.

Care to make your own? You'll need a few larger vases, glass vase beads (or rocks, or other sturdy material), branches, strings of beads, card, pens and a sign explaining to guests what it's all about. Having your maids write you a few wishes in advance to hang on the tree before the reception starts isn't a bad idea either.

Little Cakes for a Big Day

I love cupcakes! They're petite, they're cute, they're just downright fun! And for weddings, they make a cost effective alternative to the traditional cake: smaller price per cupcake, no cake cutting fee, etc. And with the growing trend, it's becoming easier to find elegant versions for your fete!
This fabulous pic is from Trophy Cupcakes in Seattle. And their cupcakes. are. amazing. Although, they're a bit tricky to use for weddings in Bellingham, WA (for my own wedding, they had to be picked up the day before by a wedding guest) they're worth the stop when you're in Seattle and to utilize for events in that area. They have an amazing attention to quality and detail and can be extremly elegant when topped with buttercream flowers.

Bella Cupcake Couture now offers fashion for your cupcakes! Paper wraps are available in many colors and styles to complement your event.

Little details go a long way. Like these cupcake picks made by Kimberly of Blue Ribbon Design. She used leftover letterpress paper scraps to make little flags for each cupcake. This little addition was affordable and made the cupcakes look cohesive and match the event. I love it!

I'm all about making things easy for guests. Another alternative to the cute flags is to label your cupcakes. These picks were made from leftover paper used in the wedding stationery and printed in matching fonts. They make it easy for guests to determine which flavor to pick-these cupcakes were two of six cake/cupcake/pie choices for guests-making the dessert line move a little faster.

This has nothing really to do with weddings. Although, I suppose it would be a great treat to send a stressed-out bride . . . Either way, it's delightful and I'm so glad I ran across it on the Soap Queen's blog! Saint Cupcake, in Portland OR now ships a fun and festive cupcake kit to you or a friend. Their interactive selection tool online lets you drag and click three cupcake flavors, three frosting choices and three sprinkle types into your cart to make a fun "make-your-own-cupcake" set-no baking required! Everything arrives ready-to-assemble and includes a frosting spreader for instant gratification.

If you're in Bellingham, you're in luck. Tasty cupcakes have been springing up all over the place so you won't have to travel far to treat yourself. One of the most prominent sources is the Bellingham Farmer's Market. Liz Kovaks, owner of Icing on the Cake in Ferndale, WA has become a regular vendor at the Saturday markets with her amazing cupcakes and she also handles special orders for weddings and events. And, only a few weeks ago in fact, Katie's Cupcakes opened in Fairhaven. Located on Harris St, near the Village Green they offer a selection of cupcake and cookie goodies.

Real Weddings: Erin & Steve

I got in contact with Erin after discovering her amazing DIY wedding invitations online last month. When I got her permission to post her creation, I asked her to let me know how her wedding turned out because I was certain if it was planned as creatively and detailed as the invites, it was sure to be amazing. I was right. Here are just a sampling of the fabulous pictures taken by Shelby and Rich at 927 Photography.

Erin, thank you for letting me share a few pics from your gorgeous wedding! And thanks for sharing that small world moment with me: if you're friends with K, who is an amazing woman herself for being able to date Ben, then you're a pretty fabulous person in my book! My sincerest congratulations to you and your new husband and best wishes for an amazing future together!

DIY: Silk-Flower Ring Pillow

This lovely ring bearer's pillow comes straight from the Martha Stewart Weddings site. Because this is a DIY project, it gives you the flexibility to create the pillow to match your event beautifully. The technique used to create the flower on the pillow can also be used to make the flower girl's bouquet making your little duo perfectly matched. And because you wouldn't need real flowers, both become strong enough to withstand anything little girls and boys can throw at them.

How-to:

Crisp fabric is recommended for this project. The Martha Stewart team utilized taffeta, silk dupion, and shantung for the pillow shown above. To beging this project you will need to cut out straight sided ovals with scalloped shears. Recommended oval measurements are 4"x 8" for this pillow. You will need to cut a minimum of 9 petals of this size to achieve the look of the pillow above.

For the Pillow:

Create a 6" ring pillow in fabric of your choice. Stuff it to desired thickness and finish the seam to enclose the stuffing.

For the Flower:

1. Gather the center of one petal and hold it firmly.

2. Gather the center of a second petal and lay it on the first at an angle; continue holding the center gathers in place.

3. Repeat with a third petal, positioning the stacked petals so they make a complete rosette with no gaps. (If you want a fuller effect, make the rosette with up to 5 petals.) Wrap floral wire tightly around petals at the center, and twist underneath to secure. Excess wire becomes a stem.

4. Make 2 more rosettes (for a showier flower like the bouquets, make 4 total).

5. Stack rosettes, slipping each wire stem between the petals of the rosettes beneath.

6. Twist stems together; cover with floral tape. Fluff petals. For the ring pillow, cut stem short, sew flower into place through wires at center, and tie on a ribbon, threading it through wire on top.

Need a Little Inspiration?

Join me and other local wedding designers and florists for Semiahmoo's Wedding Open House! The event will have venues at Semiahmoo staged for weddings offering you plenty of inspiration for your own big day. You will also get the opportunity to meet the designers and Semiahmoo staff, taste plenty of treats from Semiahmoo's catering menus and have a fabulous time! Admission is free-For more information, please visit the Semiahmoo website.

How Much Alcohol to Serve at Your Soiree

I'm recycling a post from the old blog for a few of my brides that have been asking for some basic bar service info:

The sky is the limit when it comes to your bar at your event. It’s perfectly acceptable to serve a full bar, or limited array of cocktails, keeping things simple with beer or wine, maybe only having a champagne toast or nixing the alcohol all together. Because of the variance in what you can offer at your drink station, it can get difficult to determine what to purchase and how much. This post is here to help you sort out some of those questions and make it a little easier for you to throw your bash!

The Basics

• Average out about 2 drinks per guest per hour
• One bottle of Champagne fills 6 glasses
• One bottle of wine fills 5 glasses
• One liter of alcohol can make 18 drinks
• A case of wine has 12 bottles of wine
• A case of beer has 24 cans or bottles
• A standard keg equals about 6 3/4 cases of beer or 165 12 oz. servings or 124 16 oz. (pint) servings
• One 740 ml bottle of alcohol equals 3/4 of a liter

***

The samples below are based on what an average crowd of 100 will drink during a 4 hour reception. Adjust more or less depending on your specific guest list and their preferences.

The Full Bar
This list of alcohol comes from the Wedding Channel website:

• Beer-2 cases
• White Wine-1 1/2 cases
• Red Wine-1 case
• Champage-1 1/2 cases
• Vodka-6 liters
• Gin-3 liters
• Sweet Vermouth-2 bottles
• Dry Vermouth-2 bottles
• Scotch-3 liters
• Bourbon-2 liters
• Whiskey-2 liters
• Rum-2 liters
• Tequila-1 liter
• Assorted Mixers: Grenadine, pineapple, orange and cranberry juices, Sprite/7up, Coke/Pepsi, club soda, peach nectar, etc.

Beer and Wine Bar

• Red Wine-3 cases
• White Wine-5 cases
• Beer-5 cases

Beer, Wine and Champagne/Signature Cocktail

• Red Wine-2 1/2 cases
• White Wine-3 1/2 cases
• Beer-3 cases
• Champagne-2 cases or 8 liters of alcohol type used in signature cocktail

Don’t forget the Non-Drinkers!
Some people don’t drink and that’s ok! Don’t make them feel like their only option at your event is water while everyone else indulges in expensive wines and cocktails. Offering assorted juices and sodas will give them options and make them feel like the special guest they are! My favorite takes on these are offering sodas and juices in bottles (Izze sparkling juices are at the top of my faves list). A more elegant look and a little more class-guests should also have the option of drinking from the bottle or being given a glass (for more formal events).

Cutting Costs
Alcohol is expensive and no doubt and it can be hard to integrate it into your event if your budget is tight. So before you go running for the “cash bar” or “no host bar” options (which goes way against the Emily Post wedding etiquette rules) consider getting creative.

• Champagne cocktails: No one will notice that you chose a more cost effective champagne when you blend it with mixers. Bellini’s, Blue Poms and Mimosas are delicious and more cost effective then cocktails mixed with hard liquor.
• Pre-mixed cocktails: Every time I’ve been to a party (or hosted a party) with sangria, it has been a huge hit! It’s perfect for summer weddings or holiday parties (mix with cranberry juice!) and you can control the servings a little easier. Plus, when it comes to sangria, the cheaper the wine you purchase for it, the better! You can also pre-mix champagne punches or other cocktails and have them in a pitcher ready at the drink table. A great option if your affair is more casual and you won’t have a bartender.
• Return policy?: Find out if the retailer you purchase your alcohol, beer and wine from has a return policy for unopened bottles or cases. Keep your receipt and any goods not used, you can take back. Perfect if you feel you need to buy a bit extra “just in case”!
• Affordably Elegant: Having a full bar from start to finish at your fete can be expensive! Cut the time your bar is open in half by passing glasses of champagne for cocktail hour. This limits guests to drinking only what is passed rather then giving them full bar access right away. Combine this with a paired wine during dinner and guests will feel like they are pampered while you save money on drinks! Liven up the party by opening the bar during the dancing-you can do a full bar or keep things affordable by offering beer and wine only for the rest of the evening.
• Cut out the champagne toast and let people toast you with the drink of their choice.
  

Safety First

Please play it safe when you serve alcohol at your parties!! Encourage guests to carpool, offer guest shuttle services if you’re hosting an out of town event near the hotel (or better yet, have your event at the hotel where everyone is staying!) offer cab #’s in your programs, HIRE A GOOD BARTENDER who will know how to mix drinks appropriately and cut people off when necessary and consider having your last call for drinks an hour before it officially ends so people can have time to sober up. Keeping your guests safe is essential to having a fun and successful event.

Worst Case Scenario

If you're going to forgo the event coordinator for your wedding, purchase a little "insurance" for yourself. The Worst Case Scenario Handbook offers a wedding edition complete with step-by-step instructions for how to survive even the worst situations.
Here's the full synopsis from Spoonsisters: "Lose your ring? Wedding bouquet make you sneeze? Band not show up? Months of precision planning can go awry in the time it takes to split a seam or drop a cake. Here’s an indispensable guide to help the bride and groom, and everyone else, survive the nuptials. Learn how to charm nightmare in-laws, survive the bachelor party, stop a disastrous toast, conceal wedding day blemishes, and make an emergency ring out of a gum wrapper. Appendix includes useful checklists and creative solutions to wedding disasters. Don’t let the bride and groom get married without it!"

Available at Spoonsisters.com

Tickets to Paradise Compliments of Erin

I came across these amazing invites online and the bride was kind enough to let me share them :) According to Erin's blog, she isn't terribly crafty but made them herself (could have fooled me! They are awesome!) and considering how custom and detailed they look, they came to only a little over $3 each. For a couple that enjoys travelling and is having a destination wedding in Hawaii next week, their stationery is the perfect compliment and offers guests an amazing and fun sneak peak at the festivities ahead!

The invitation's "inner envelope" is really a ticket jacket made to mimic those at the airport and inside, ticket invitations and travel information in a fun modern meets retro design that is only emphasized more when you see the very cool RSVPs.

Erin purchased vintage style Hawaii postcards online and had the print shop add the RSVP information on the back.

And to add the details, Erin added custom stamps to the outer envelope featuring a photo from either her parents' wedding or her fiance's parents' wedding.

Vendors Erin used:

Belgate Printing-Bellevue, WA

Scoring Board from More Then Ink-http://morethanink.com/hahg120crpvc.html

Custom Stamps from Stamps.com- http://www.stamps.com

Outer Envelopes (not shown, outer envelopes featured a cloud pattern) from Office Depot

Vintage Hawaiian Postards from Island Art Cards-http://www.islandartcards.com/shop/Hawaiian_Vintage_Postcards_Box_Sets.html

Ideas and Inspiration from the Hawaii message board on TheKnot.com

Thanks for sharing Erin and congratulations on your upcoming wedding! I wish you and your fiance all the best!

Welcome your guests

Welcome baskets and goodies seem to only be increasing in popularity but times are tough and not every bride has the money to put an elaborate basket together for her guests. My tip is to keep things simple. You can still put thoughtful touches in your guests' hotel rooms without spending tons of money doing it.

• Bedtime snack: Prepare little boxes or baskets of milk and cookies. Order the cookies from your favorite local bakery and get small cartons or bottles of milk. Ask the hotel to keep the milk cold and to deliver the goods in the evening when guests arrive.
• Rise and shine: If the hotel your guests are in has a coffee maker, provide local coffee or tea and a pair of mugs
• Fun in the sun: If you're in a warmer climate, provide a cute bag of sunscreen packets, bug repellant packets and flipflops

I also love this cute doorhanger idea from Martha Stewart. It's an easy way to welcome guests right when they check in with little details of your wedding weekend.
To make it you will need:

• Legal sized cardstock
• A ruler
• A craft knife
• 2 1/2" circle punch
• Bone folder
• Round label stickers

Martha's How-To:

"Print the word 'welcome' (or have your calligrapher script it) twice across the top of a legal-size sheet of card stock. With a ruler and craft knife, cut the card stock in half lengthwise; punch a hole in the bottom of each piece with a 2 1/2-inch circle punch. With a bone folder, crease each card-stock strip 4 inches from the top, and fold to form a pocket. Fasten sides with round label stickers."

Goodies in your Own Backyard

Well not literally, but Bellingham has some tasty treats if you know where to find them. Before you go to the grocery store and purchase a box of Russell Stover's for your valentine, check out these local vendors first!

Chocolate Necessities: Located on the Guide (take a right on Horton Rd and look for the awning with their name on the left) and at the Public Market on Cornwall, Chocolate Necessities offers up a full array of tasty treats. From truffles to barks they have everything your chocoholic lover might want for Valentine's Day. If you're also considering making your own goodies (like chocolate dipped strawberries or lava cakes) they have those chocolates available as well and let me tell you, getting good chocolate for your treats can make all the difference!

The Spice Hut: I was making a "chocolate basket" for a client and stopped here on a whim hoping they had hot chocolate mixes (like GOOD hot chocolate mixes). They didn't but they did have chocolate teas! That's right, CHOCOLATE tea! I made a cringing face at first but the guy who helped me said that with a little cream and sugar in your cup, it will taste like dessert. And after I smelled a few of them, I was certain he was right! It was heaven! And aside from the chocolate tea, they had over 170+ others to satisfy anyone's tastebuds and love of tea! Check them out on West Kellogg (near WCC)

Paper Dreams: I love Paper Dreams in Fairhaven! They offer fun cards and gifts for an occasion. They also offer up homemade fudge in a variety of flavors! They can literally be a one-stop-shop for your next occasion! If you are getting fudge, I would recommend getting a little for yourself as well! It's too good not to get any for you!!

Mt. Bakery: Offering fresh treats and sweets daily, there is bound to be something here that anyone will love! The offer creme brulees, chocolate mousses and tarts galore and even have individual sized desserts so you and your sweetie and each get your favorite! Find them on W Champion St downtown.

La Vie En Rose French Bakery: I have a tender spot in my heart for this place since we got our wedding cake here. And like Mt Bakery, they offer a plethora of Europpean inspired goodies to tempt your tastebuds. Location on Holly St, downtown, you can smell the tastiness when you walk inside.

Grace Cafe: Grafe is a more casual bakery/coffee shop located off of Sunset. But don't be fooled by their pies. Their pies are amazing and there are plenty to choose from! Buy by the slice or the whole pie, it's a good investment either way! Perfect warmed up wtih a scoop of vanilla ice cream!

Vendor Spotlight: Kerri Efendi Designs

I had the pleasure of meeting Kerri of Kerri Efendi Designs a few weeks ago and was able to discover her beautiful work. She is a vendor in Bellingham, WA specializing in couture stationery products-an area of the event industry that we have been seriously lacking in Bellingham. And if that wasn't good enough she fulfills many of my brides' wishes by being available locally, working with clients face-to-face, offering recycled paper products for the eco-chic, and oh, everything she makes is gorgeous! I could write about Kerri Efendi Designs for hours. But it's been a while since I've been able to post eye candy so I'll let Kerri's work speak for itself.