A Few Ceremony Details...

Our ceremony was...beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. Here are a few of the details.

We decided a day or two that we needed more candles in the church. My mom and sister bought out Wal-mart's supply of candle holders and candles. They looked so beautiful, and no one would have guessed they were a last minute idea!


We took Communion together during the ceremony. This was one of my favorite moments. We had a friend sing one of our favorite worship songs, "Because of Who You Are". It was absolutely beautiful. This was such a reverant time.



Check out the beautiful aisle runner, made by Super-Crafty Sister!

The aisle looked SOOOO beautiful.

And our homemade programs turned out so well! I can't wait to share the details of these with you...

Stay tuned! More to come!

I Am Not a Crafty Bride

I am not crafty. But my family is! So when I was home this weekend, my family decided to attempt to make the invitations I had recently posted about. Mom and I drove around to craft stores trying to find the right paper and accessories to make it. Before I go any further, as a reminder, here is the inspiration photo:

Mom and I bought a piece of red paper measuring 18x18. (It was the biggest piece Michaels had!) When it comes to craftiness, I am an "eye-baller". I don't measure. My first instinct was to just start folding! But I knew that wasn't right. So Mom and I got out a ruler and one of her quilting measuring tools and tried to measure.

But...um...math is not my forte. Hers either. We knew we were supposed to measure. But measure what?? We weren't sure. The giggling began. Enter super-crafty Sister! She showed up to save the day. But keep this in mind - she had been at a Relay for Life the whole night before which equals no sleep. Luckily, she can still do math in her sleepy state. :)

And this is where the silliness began. I, knowing I have no crafty skills, decided my role would be that of cheerleader. Here I am, waving a scrap of paper, chanting "Go Sister! Go Sister!"

Mom and I then said something about making a "belly band" for the invitations. Sister didn't know what that was. Mom decided she should demonstrate.

Much more giggling by me and Mom. And Sister? This was her sleepy reaction. Hehe.

But despite our distracting laughter and antics, Sister figured out the measurements! When folded, it is 5x7, which makes it easy to fit in envelopes! Great job, Sister!

At that point, we decided to leave the craftiness to her. Mom and I supervised. We watched Sister measure, cut, design, etc. As time went on, we strayed from the original inspiration photo, and created a pretty unique invitation. It is still inspired by that one, but...better! :)

Here is Mom, showing off the real belly band! (As I am reading Weddingbee, trying to get some inspiration and ideas...)

And this is the finished product! Well, as finished as the first mock-up could be. Obviously there will be a different design on the front square (not just our names written in pencil!) And there will be writing on the invitation, and possibly a stamp, but you get the idea...

I love them! Thanks everyone for encouaging me to try to make them!

Now we just have to figure out how to do this in the most cost-effective manner. Such as, where can we get the best deal on the paper? Do we print, and then cut? Or cut, then print? This is definately a learning process, so I will keep you all informed as I learn the step-by-step process of creating my own invitations!

Did you make your own invitations? Do you have any suggestions on the most cost-effective way to make them?

Will You Be My Bridesmaid?

I am a lucky girl. I will have seven wonderful women standing up with me on the day I marry the love of my life. I wanted to find a creative/meaningful way to ask them to be my bridesmaids. I searched high and low on the internet and found some great ideas.

There were bridesmaid gift sets:

There were bridesmaid cookies! (How cute are these???)

And there were more cards out there than I ever imagined. But I wanted to make the gifts myself. So I came up with...a bridesmaid survival kit!

What does every bridesmaid need? Band-aids, for those inevitable blisters. A nail file for those last minute nail crises. Bobby pins, for the hair do that just can't quite survive the wind. Mentos, for some fresh breath. Safety pins, for those unfortunate dress incidents. Kleenex, for those unexpected tears. And chocolate kisses, to remind them that no matter how crazy I get, I really do love them. :)

I tried to get creative with some of the items...

And I found these beautiful bags on clearance at Bath & Body Works! (Only $5 each!)

And so, the survival kits were created. I put a little note in each one that read:

It's hard to believe that in just a little while,

Nate and I will be walking down the aisle,

You've stood right beside me through thick and thin,

And I want you to be there when I marry him,

Nothing would give me more joy and pride,

Than to have you there, by my side.

Will you be my Maid of Honor/Bridesmaid?

I wish I could take credit for the poem, but I found it online. :) And I am happy to say that the bridesmaid's kits had a 100% acceptance rate!

How did you ask your bridesmaids/maid of honor to be part of your special day?