Break-a-Way Toss Bouquet

Today's project was inspired by both my desire to do something different than a usual bouquet toss, and by a bride who had come up with this fun and unexpected idea and posted her project online to inspire other brides.

I made a 'Break-a-way' toss bouquet, that when thrown will break into 5 smaller bouquets for the girls to catch. Each one is hand tied of purple silk carnations and has a fortune attached to it's ribbon:

a. You will marry your best friend
b. You will be the next to marry
c. You will marry the man of your dreams
d. You will find your true love this year
e. You will fall in love when you least expect it

I used three carnations in each bouquet, and satin ribbon wrapped around the stems to hold them together. A hot glue gun came in handy for securing the ribbon ends, which were wound tightly so the flowers are going nowhere!

For the fortune, I used a length of the same ribbon we'll be making belly bands for the invitations out of. I printed the text on plain white paper and used hot glue to attach it to the green invitation ribbon. I also added an ivory shimmer card stock flower (found at Michael's, Brides.com table confetti) for effect.

Held together, the bouquet looks like a large, round bridal bouquet. Once tossed, it falls into the individual pieces and offers a fun surprise. Another easy, DIY project!

New Buttons

My dress, being a store sample (and a heck of a deal at that!) arrived missing some of the fabric-covered buttons from the back. A very unique feature of the gown is the cafe colored sash, which is connected in the back by buttons in the same color. So, there are ivory buttons, and cafe buttons.

(<--- what the dress should look like with the correct buttons, not my actual dress)

Unfortunately, 6 of the 8 missing buttons are of the cafe colored variety, and extremely difficult to find and replace. I contacted the gown manufacturer about purchasing replacement buttons and they said that because the gown was discontinued, they no longer carry the cafe colored buttons.

My bridesmaids and I shopped around at a locally owned fabric store that has a large bridal fabrics and notions section. Of course, they did not have any cafe colored buttons, but did have a package of ivory buttons that exactly matched the ones on my dress. This took care of the missing ivory ones, but not colored ones.

One option was to have a local seamstress cover 6 of the buttons with the cafe silk taffeta, probably at a cost of $5.00-$6.00 a piece, and more time to find the fabric for it. Another option was to simply use the ivory buttons on the sash, and hope that the contrast would be acceptable.

Then I thought about school projects from 3rd grade: using tea to create 'old paper' from the days of Columbus. 'Why can't I just dye the buttons using tea?'

Since the package of buttons had extras, I decided to start with 3. Worst case scenario, it wouldn't work and I'd simply use ivory buttons. Best case scenario, I'd die 3 more and sew them on!

I used plain old black pekoe tea and boiling water. Throughout the die process, I stirred the buttons (which floated at first!) occasionally to make sure that the color would distribute evenly.

They only needed about 10 minutes in the tea, and while the color doesn't exactly match the taffeta is definitely close and looks great. Once I get the dress cleaned and the buttons sewn on I will post again!

DIY Pocket Fold Invitations

Another budget-friendly way to personalize a wedding is with DIY invitations. After looking through catalogs and finding most options to be overpriced, boring, and expected I turned to other brides for inspiration.

The pocketfold invitation trend is growing in popularity, and with due reason! It is especially appealing to brides like myself who don't like opening beautiful wedding invitations and having the inserts fall out onto the floor or table. Pocketfold invitations are sleek, organized, and being new to the wedding scene; unique. I liked the idea of doing them, rather than hiring a printing company, for the simple fact that they would then be both highly personalized, and purchased at less than 1/2 of the cost to buy them commercially.

My future Mother-in-Law and I began at a paper supply store, where we pulled samples and unanimously decided that metallic card stock (despite being more expensive) was the way to go to create a professional, elegant, and beautiful invitation.

I turned to www.cardsandpockets.com, who offer inserts and the actual pocket fold in the curious metallic line. They send us samples of the colors, and with little debate, Dave and I chose square sand folders, emerald mats (precut), opal invitation page and R.S.V.P. card, caramel directions insert, and galvanized attractions insert. The emerald provides a pop of color, and the carmel and galvanized exactly match the graphics we are using.

The emerald mats came precut to fit the square pocketfold, and I am using a paper cutter to cut the rest from 8.5 x 11 to size as follows:

R.S.V.P. : 4 x 5
Direcitions: 5 x 5
Attractions: 6 x 5

Each insert is one inch taller than the last, leaving just enough room for the title.

We downloaded paint.net (a free paint program) which allowed us to crop out a blue Colorado Columbine from a photo Dave took. I had to zoom in about 400 times, and go around the exterior of the Columbine to erase erroneous pixels. Once that was done, we saved it and now it's used like a stamp on the invitation. (Photo to right: before removing extra pixels).

We then downloaded the Aramis font from 1001fonts.com, worded the invitation, and started putting it all together! Dave used Google Maps to create a fantastic map for our guests.

I used acid-free glue tape from Staples to glue the mat and invitation together. The text will be printed onto the invitation at Kinkos. Unfortunately, we bought a nice printer for this project and were told it could handle card stock, however all it does is jam up the rollers. This of course, adds somewhat to my budget for this and has put me over, so I've made accommodations elsewhere (like making my crinoline, below).

At Micheal's I found table confetti from Brides.com that is ivory shimmer card stock flowers. I paired them with sheer green ribbon to create the belly bands; something we weren't originally going to do however we felt that something was missing from the outside.

Our invitations, which would have cost over $10.00 each to do professionally, cost less than $5.50 each and that includes postage. A bit over my budget, but definitely reasonable considering the beautiful result!

Dyed Crinoline

The initial vision of my dress included a colored sash; now that I have the dress and the sash is such a muted, earthy tone I wanted to find some other way to add a pop of color. I was quickly inspired by brides who had dyed the crinoline under their dress: not only is it unexpected, but it's a fun way to surprise people while spinning on the dance floor or picking up the skirt.

If done right, the color won't show through the dress, and will only appear when it pops out underneath.

My dress definitely needs a crinoline to fill out the skirt properly, however they are ridiculously overpriced (as with most things in the bridal industry!) To purchase one new I was looking at $45.00 or more, which is not something I could justify considering that I could *potentially* destroy it (and/or the washing machine, other clothing, etc.) in the dye process. Not only that, but my lingerie budget for the wedding needs to go towards a good strapless bustier.

A few years ago I had purchased several dress patterns from a local fabric store that was closing, and among those I had a pattern for a bridal crinoline that was part of an evening wear collection.

I went shopping for fabric, and purchased 6 yards of ivory dress lining ($2.00 / yard on clearance at JoAnns), and 10 yards of light green sparkle tulle ($.89 cents/yard). I purchased thread ($1.75) and bias tape for the drawstring ($1.25) The total cost, including the pattern (which was $1.00 several years ago), totaled about $24.00. Some of the lining and thread will be used in other projects for the wedding, further lowering the actual cost of my colorful slip!

The pattern I had only gave instructions for an un-lined, tulle-free slip. Since that defeated the point of having green tulle, I had to get creative. One option was to cut two of the crinoline pattern, sew them together, and put the tulle in between the two layers. However, not wanting the same pleated skirt lining the crinoline, I pulled a generic skirt from another pattern to make the lining out of. This way, the interior of the slip fits like a regular 3-panel skirt (so that the tulle adds the bulk, not the fabric) and the exterior is pleated to make room for the tulle.

I began by tracing and cutting the pieces of both patterns, including an extra yoke (1st / top tier) of the crinoline pattern to sew to the lining.

I sewed the lining together first, attaching the lining portion of the yoke to the top. The lining pattern had to be modified slightly to fit properly with the crinoline pattern.

The third (bottom) tier of the crinoline had so much fabric! I almost shortened this, thinking it was way too much, but once I started sewing it became obvious that doing so would have been a mistake.

Adding pleats to each tier was the most time-consuming part of the project. I could have done smaller pleats, but again i wanted the fullness to come from the tulle - not the fabric.

Once both the exterior and the lining of the crinoline were constructed, I sewed them together at the top (waistline). I then closed the back of each piece, sewing the seam only 3/4 up from the hem. I finished the remaining 1/4 to the top by inverting the raw edges of each and sewing them together as one piece.

Almost there! I put the drawstring into the top, and sewed a straight line underneath it to seal it into a pocket. The only thing left to do was to sew in the tulle!


The tulle was a bit of a task as well, since keeping it folded and straight was somewhat difficult.

On it's own, it looks so full! However the weight of my dress compacts it.


The green doesn't even show through the lining fabric, which is great because then I know for sure that it won't show through the dress.

To the left: before the hem. To the right, after the hemming and addition of a bit more tulle.














To the right: the dress with the crinoline underneath. It fills it out just enough to keep the skirt from falling flat, but doesn't get too poofy which is exactly what I was going for! It also balances out the bottom vs. the top, and smooths out the waist/hip area (my dress needs to be cleaned and pressed, so you can't tell by looking at this picture!).

Another added benefit of the crinoline is that is will help the train and the bustle lay properly, which it would not have before.

My only concern is that the added fabric will be hot - this I know and accept. I would rather a little extra fabric than a frumpy skirt! :)

DIY Cardbox

I don't know what reminded me that we needed a card box, but once I remembered I quickly ruled out the usual 'birdcage box' and also decided that a basket wasn't going to cut it. I've heard stories of strangers grabbing handfuls of cards out of open card boxes at weddings and making off with what usually has cash, checks, and gift cards in it. Although our venue only hosts one wedding per day, we have no control over any other events (such as a rehearsal dinner or meeting) and to be on the safe side I've made an enclosed card box.

At Michael's we found cardboard hat boxes that happen to be in ivory. I found some fake leaves that reminded me of aspens and have a shimmery look to them (like our invitations!), and decided that those paired with the same green ribbon I'm using to make the invitations would make for an inexpensive, unique, and tasteful card box.

I started by measuring out the center of the top of the box and then cutting a slit in the lid.

I used hot glue to attach the ribbon around the rim of the lid.

Then I carefully placed the leaves on the front of the box and glued them in place.

The whole project took less than 20 minutes, and cost about $10.00 (which is much less than buying a birdcage card box would have been!).

It will be placed on one of the taffeta runners and of course, have some river rocks scattered around it. I think Dave is doing to look at it and raise his eyebrows (it's kind of girly) but I asked for his input last week and he had no clue :)

The other thing I considered, knowing that Dave would like it, would be to get my hands on one of those little tabletop size tents they use to display tent models at REI - and then putting a slit in it for the cards to pass through. However, they are impossible to get ahold of (the store doesn't sell them, just uses them for display purposes) and that might be getting a little on the kitschy side. If I *happen* to find one, I may use it instead and make it a surprise for Dave.

Our Venue

I figured I better put up some information on our venue, not just because we love it but also because I get a lot of questions about it from Colorado brides looking for just such a place.

Dave and I are getting married at the Wild Basin Lodge in Allenspark, CO. After spending several weekends (and a lot of money on $4.00/gallon gas) in Aspen and Breckenridge only to be disappointed by both the people and the outrageous prices, we considered the Estes Park area for our mountain wedding.

We knew that we wanted a quiet, outdoor wedding with a fantastic view. We also knew that we wanted a unique venue and vendors who were laid back and friendly (unlike the impersonal, money-driven folks at the large ski resorts!). Not wanting to justify a huge budget, but still wanting a memorable and elegant event with fantastic food, we stumbled on Wild Basin.

One of the most unique aspects of our venue is that they offer all-inclusive pricing that still leaves room for personalization. Included in a per head fee is a cocktail/appetizer hour, soft drinks, a champagne toast, salad and the dinner entree, linens, dance floor, cake cutting, staff, the bartender, and venue rental. It saves a lot of time and effort not having to contact individual vendors about linens and a dance floor!

Wild Basin offers two ceremony sites, each unique in their own way. It was an easy decision for Dave and I to choose the meadow site, which is tucked away behind the lodge and requires a short stroll across the river on a winding path to access.

We chose the lower room for our reception, which has a wrap-around deck on the river and a large, open feel.

After our ceremony at 3.45, our guests will go to the lodge for appetizers on the deck. Dave and I will enter the reception just before dinner, and everyone will enjoy a meal of Mint rubbed trout or Beef tenderloins in mushroom sauce with mashed red potatoes and seasonal veggies. After dinner we will start the festivities with cake, dancing, and a slide show, allowing guests to mingle and catch the sunset from the patio.

We attended a tasting in October and have been more than impressed with both the food and the staff, who pride themselves on being named repeatedly on being a Knot.com pick for 'Best Place to have a Reception.' Despite all of the wonderful amenities, personalization, and touches that they offer, Wild Basin Lodge is surprisingly affordable and when comparing costs will be thousands less than we would have spent elsewhere.

It's so exciting to be just 5 months out and start seeing things come together. We have such wonderful support from our friends and families and I can't wait to have everybody together for this elegant and rustic event.

Center Pieces

Ahhh, yes. Centerpieces! The foundation for tying Dave and Chris to the reception hall: the decor element that will turn our beautiful mountain venue into our wedding.

Sorry Knot ladies - I changed the first photo to the actual centerpiece hoping that it would eliminate confusion.

We wanted something simple, elegant, and rustic. I loved the idea of pairing outdoor elements with glass and mirrors, and knew that the centerpieces would involve only a few flowers, the mirrors from my Matron of Honor's wedding, and lots of river rocks. Previously I had seen photos of 'submerged' flower centerpieces and fell in love with the idea. Not only would I save money by eliminating large bouquets on each table, but because the flowers inside the centerpiece would be underwater they would not wilt in the July heat. While out shopping for bridesmaid dresses on Saturday, we went to Micheal's Craft store to find vases and candles. We easily decided on 7" square cube vases, one for each table, at a cost of $11.99 each. I am currently searching ads for brides who have used them before and want to sell them, hoping to save money on what is the most expensive element of our centerpieces! Last week I found several yards of champagne taffeta with embroidered flowers on it at JoAnn fabrics. I bought six yards of it to create table runners; something I definitely would not have done were it not a ridiculous price! Normally selling for $22.00/yard, I got all 6 yards for less than $18.00. The 6 yards is enough to create 12 runners, which I think will add elegance and depth to the plain ivory table cloths that Wild Basin is providing for us.

This same taffeta fabric goes perfectly with the bedding set Dave and I have registered for, and after the wedding (assuming it's still in good shape, which most of it should be) a few yards of it will be turned in to pillow shams. Sounds like a deal to me, especially considering the cost of purchasing pillow shams new!

Theresa brought over the mirrors she used in her wedding (does this count as my 'something borrowed?) and we brought home some real flowers, tea light candles, and floating candles.

The result? A stunning centerpiece that ties together our rustic, elegant mountain wedding. Theresa and Kirstin both said "wow! This looks like you brought the river inside." The candles reflect light off of both the water and the mirrors, and in both daylight and dark the result is beautiful. The flowers in the vase are a combination of real and fake Irises and Hydrangeas.

At our tasting in October they brought out color samples of the napkins they offer. We tentatively decided on a brown center napkin (to be replaced by the taffeta runners) and green napkins for each place setting. Now that our centerpieces have been created, we all unanimously decided that the place setting napkin should be brown (see photo). Although this is not a brown wedding, it is an earthy color and it allows the flowers in the vase to pop. It looks great against the table runner and really lends a cohesive look to the whole table.

Against my original plan I bought simple, ivory linen card stock menu cards on clearance ($5.00 for 60 of them at Michaels). They look fantastic tucked into the napkin, and even though they really are just more garbage at the end of the night (unfortunately), I like the idea of letting our guests know what they will be served. The food at our venue is fantastic, and I love adding the menu cards to make it feel just that much more gourmet. I was really impressed with the menu cards at Dave and Laurens wedding and liked having that to look at and talk about with the other guests at our table.

So they aren't a complete waste, the reverse will have information on it for our guests to upload their digital photos of our wedding at home to a shared account on snapfish.com.

We lit all the candles last night and let them burn until they died on their own. Assuming that our candles will be lit around 5pm, they should last until 9pm or so - I may look for higher-quality candles or have a friend on 'candle' duty so that we have a candle-lit room once the sun goes behind the mountains.

I picked up a bunch of fake hydrangeas and irises (again, on clearance! I never pay full price for anything. . . ) and you can't tell looking at them under water that they are fake. At the wedding we won't have to worry about real flowers dying overnight or in transport, which is a huge relief.

We'll need about 8 center pieces, and each one will be prepared before the wedding. Inside the vase there will be all 11 candles (6 tea lights and 5 floaties), 4 mirrors (yes, that is 4 separate mirrors in the photo!), the table runner, 3 pounds of river rocks (2 for in the vase and one pound to scatter on the table), 8 menu cards, 8 photography cards (the Sharber's are giving us business cards with one of our favorite engagement photos printed on the front and information for our guests about how/and when to view our wedding album online after the event), and a few random flowers. Whomever gets put on 'reception decorating duty' will just have to unpack everything onto the table and then somebody can follow and fill each vase with water.

I calculated the cost of the centerpeices (assuming I have to pay full price for the vases and candles, although I think I can get them cheaper) and found out that I'm looking at $27.00/table. Not bad! I think I can get it down to $20.00, which is a total of $80-$100 for the entire reception hall. Most floral centerpeices average $50.00/table or more, so I think we're doing pretty good!

Bridesmaid Gowns

On Saturday I had my bridesmaids join me for an entire day of wedding planning. We had several decisions to make, first and foremost being their attire.

Our day started at d'Anneli bridals, where Theresa and Kirstin were given free reign to pull dresses off the rack that they liked. I didn't want to be the bride with exacting specifications, and to be honest I didn't have much clue about where to go with the bridesmaid dresses in regards to our wedding.

After about 30 minutes of searching and trying on dresses, we were all getting weary of seeing the same thing in a different color: a-line, satin, tea length, sash bridesmaid dresses (which make up about 80% of the dresses available. The rest are absolutely ridiculous or inappropriate!).

To the right, an example of the type of dress we saw 100's of---->

We went into it knowing that we would avoid strapless dresses, and probably floor-length as well. I was worried that floor-length gowns would be a problem for my sister to walk in; but was also not resigned to tea-length imagining that Chandra's dress would simply be shorter if that is what it came to.

Noticing our frustration, our consultant (with good intentions) brought one out that we all laughed at on the hanger. It looked a bit dowdy and was a complete 180 from the dresses we had been trying on. In looking through the racks I remember passing it by because it really wasn't what I was thinking of in my mind. However, because this one was a bit different, we decided to bite and threw it over Theresa's head.

Our reaction to it was both instant, and unanimous. Not only was the dress stunning on, but it was universally flattering on both Theresa and Kirstin. I can only imagine (after having tried it on myself as well) that this will also be a good choice for my sister. It is floor length, which is how Theresa and Kirstin will wear it. Chandra's will be tea length (so she doesn't trip on the hem).

This dress is seperates, so the top and the skirt can be paired with other things in the future. The skirt is made of silk dupioni, and the top is made of silk with a lace overlay(which is hard to see in this photo) and a sash to match the skirt.

The caveat? A nearly $400 price tag. However, we knew it was very likely that we would be making the bridesmaid dresses. As if it were a sign, just a week before I had found a beautiful, purple polyester dupioni that would be ideal for the skirt. It has the same texture as the silk version, without that price tag! It is a gorgeous, dark grey purple and will look beautiful against our mountian backdrop.

Cost to purchase dress in bridal salon: $370 + alterations
Cost to make it at home: <$50.00 + time
Not only that, but the designer of this dress doesn't offer it in a purple that we would all agree on, especially considering the price-tag! When we got home, we pulled out all of the fabric samples I have collected during the planning process, and oooh'd and ahhh'd over the purple dupioni paired with ivory lace over a champagne satin. The sash on my dress is champagne, and having that showing through the lace will tie the entire wedding party together. Carina's dress will have a purple sash made out of the dupioni.

Photos: Theresa in fabric samples! Please excuse the complete lack of shape, we're looking at colors here :) Also, my dress from the back with the champagne sash.