Gorgeous Wedding Decor!
We did it! We got hitched! And it only took us 9 years!
But 9 years later, and we have a home and a family, and the wedding budget was small. So, I’m here to share a few things we did to throw a gorgeous wedding, but on a budget!
First, if you are a planner like me, buy an actual planner and skip hiring one. I used a basic wedding planner from Amazon and tracked everything myself. It’s definitely doable!
Next, buy what you can, don’t rent, and resell when you are done. It was actually cheaper to buy tablecloths and runners than it was to rent them!
Third, pick a venue you like, but if you find a budget friendly option, don’t worry if it needs a little boost to get wedding gorgeous! I used Rent My Wedding and transformed our very inexpensive, albeit dated and bland venue to a gorgeous spot, on a budget!
Before:
Blah, drab, dated. But cheap. Enter Rent My Wedding.
We used white drape walls and uplighting to make the glow. We also added the custom monogram behind our table. It all turned our venue into our rustic glam dream spot!
The whole rental process was super simple too. It can all be chosen and rented online, and customer service is super helpful! Everything is shipped right to you. The directions made it all very easy to assemble and decorate. Then you pack in back up and ship back with the included labels. We even a scheduled a shipping pick up! Boom. We highly recommend Rent My Wedding!
Xx,
Jess
Thinking Spring and Weddings
So, not only have I been super busy with the new job and projects around home, but I am also planning our wedding for September 8. I didn’t tell you? 🙂
The groundhog may say there’s more winter, but I think if I keep imagining beautiful flowers like this, spring will be here before I know it.
These are also some of the wedding colors and style, so stay tuned for more ideas in that area too! Anyone else ready for spring!? Stay tuned for more projects around here as well!
Wedding Date And Location Set!
Its official! We finally set a date and picked a location! Are you ready? Our wedding will be August 28th, 2010, in Negril Jamaica at the Couples resort! Yay!
After meeting with a travel agent last week we were almost immediately sold on Negril and the Couples resort. We are now so excited that we wish we could push the date ahead! How did we decide? Well, the travel agent loves Negril and told us how amazing and gorgeous it is. And, who wouldn’t be sold by a few of these pictures!? :
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1395/1489692121_6520c4957b.jpg
So, what do you think? These aren’t exact pictures of the Couples resort, just the Negril area. But, to check out our exact resort, go here: http://www.couples.com/13cn/index.html
The trip includes everything imaginable, from flights, to drinks and food, to sports and massages. The wedding itself, with a planner, is even free!
My question for all of you is, what colors should we use for the wedding? I want something more tropical than we had planned before. I am thinking a teal and yellow or berry pink… or? Help!
Wax Seals
When we first got engaged I happened to find a W stamp and some silver wax on sale. Of course I snagged it, but we have yet to use it. Although I’m not technically a “W” yet, we decided to test out the seal on our thank you’s from our engagement party. They turned out pretty cool!
Our supplies and our blank thank you notes:
Tony melted the wax for me. We did a few practice runs, but he started to get it down pat.
He said it worked best to slowly swirl the wax stick around while on fire, then as it drips to move the wax into a larger circle. I then stamped the wax with the seal, and viola!
Simple, but fun and a very cute touch. We thought we should make this our signature for all of our cards from now on. And, it was fun to do together!
Our Engagement Party!
We finally had it! It’s all over, even the cleaning up! It all went great, and we also wanted to thank everybody for coming and for the great gifts and cards! And, I have a few pictures to share!
The above is the general view of the backyard before the party. The picture doesn’t really do it justice. It was really nice, relaxing, and cozy. It was impressive for those who had seen our backyard a few months ago when we moved in!
The above is the table before all of the food. The vintage table clothe came from Fred and Ethels. The vintage letters are always hanging in our bedroom, and of course we had to have a big diamond! Isn’t that silverware bucket cute? My mom found us that. We also had some big dice (of course!) on the other end.
There were antique Ball jars scattered on the table tops and even in the grass that held candles for lighting up the night.
I love all of the paper lanterns. These were so easy, they had batteries! And, they were only a couple of dollars at the dollar store! They set a nice mood.
And at night everything glowed!
I hope some of these simple, but fun ideas help you with your next party. I loved them so much that I will use some of them for our casual BBQs and bonfires!
Engagement Pictures
It has been a few months now since we got engaged and we still haven’t taken engagement pictures. We didn’t set an exact date and we didn’t throw the party since it was winter, so we decided to put it off for a while. But, now that we are finally having the party we thought it was about time to make the official announcement. We plan to have a few shots done professionally, but that will still wait a bit longer. We set up our tripod and camera timer the other night and had fun snapping a bunch of shots. We thought we would show off the one we picked to go in the local paper:
Now our announcement is also official to all of you out there in blog world as well!
Here’s the whole little fam:
More Party Ideas
It is still raining here in Illinois, and I am still tired from a busy weekend of graduation parties. So, we have no progress, no news, no excitement. But, I have seen a few more party ideas that are inspiring me to be a bit more creative when planning for the upcoming engagement party…
I love when details in party decor match or have the same vibe. We are going with a lot of red for the party, so not only is this bowl of drinks our color, but it just feels like our style. We are working on a similar idea.
Ki at Junk Camp made this condiment holder with vintage industrial light cages. I would love to be able to find enough things to make on of these in time for the party. Isn’t that adorable!?
Silverware in cans would mean less plastic garbage and an easier way to carry them all outside. I was also thinking about using our vintage picnic basket.
Galvanized buckets have a charm to them. These bottles are even pretty!
These last two vintage inspired photos by photographer Philip Harvey are just so pretty. I love the bright colored chairs under the trees. This will be more what our space will look like. The beach scene makes me want to some how hang a canopy over the tables…
Wedding Decisions and Last Minute Changes
Well, it’s getting to be that time… the time when we need to start making actual decisions and booking things for the wedding. We had a plan. Small church wedding, outdoor reception, simple, vintage, black and white, and elegant. I had a book full of clippings and notes. And what happens? We get a new, completely opposite idea and are making some last minute changes.
We are now contemplating the idea of a destination wedding. A beach, sand, sun, bright colors. We are meeting with a travel agent and looking at the possibilities. It doesn’t sound like what I (thought) I had always wanted. But, oh, how it does sound amazing. Maybe it sounds so perfect because it’s what WE want and not what I had imagined as a little girl. Well…we are pretty serious, although not yet booked, about the idea of a tropical getaway wedding with the closest of family and friends.
So, in my new planning stages I have been searching for new inspiration. I don’t like themes, and cheesey matchy-matchy decor, but would like to have bright, elegant flowers…not sure what else? 🙂 I thought I would share a bit with you:
This peach and teal combo looks so fresh and beach-y.
These centerpieces look beachy and summery, but not too frilly.
Lilies are my favorite flower, and they work well for an island escape wedding.
Red and yellow would be a bright, fun combo of color.
As would teal and yellow!
Yup, I’d have to do this. Or write my new name for the first time in sand. Aw.
Any tropical ideas for us? Suggestions? I will keep you all updated on what we decide!
Engagement Party Decor
We are finally ready to throw the long awaited engagement party!! We have been patiently (or not so much) waiting for good weather and a finished yard in order to throw an outdoor fest. We now seem to have both (or as good as its going to get). So, bring on the party!
I have a few simple ideas swirling around in my head, but for some fun inspiration I put together a few photos I’ve spotted.
This idea is so simple and cute. Although the picture is more fall decor it could easily be summer-y with some sand or shells in the jars!
This scene is so pretty. We already picked up some red paper lanterns that are perfect to go under our trees around the fire because they are battery operated.
These vintage letters would look neat in our yard showing our initials or wedding date.
I love the colors of this space. We hope to use some random candle-light as this photo does.
Are you all in the mood for some outdoor time yet? We will keep you updated with our party pictures- the party is on the 20th of June…
I’m A {Wedding} Geek
Yup, its true. I’m a geek. I love to plan, and organize, and make lists, and check things off…
So, planning for the wedding is no different. I decided to put the wedding planning ideas onto paper and stay organized. There are so many thoughts bouncing around in my head right now, this was the only way to keep sane!
I checked into wedding planners. But, they seemed like a crazy waste of money, as they can be upwards of $50! Some are very cute, and yes, it is a great way to keep the memories of the process, and even pass the information along to other brides-to-be, but…
I decided (after very little debate) to make my own. I got a thin, white three-ring binder and put tabs in it. I labeled the tabs into categories I thought would be most helpful. These tabs have changed a few times, but I think I finally have it. I also bought some cute post-it notes and sticky tabs to make notes and mark things. I have scoured the blog world for ideas and inspiration, and have used these resources to put the information into the planner. Everything will be at my fingertips. I even found printable versions of budgets and timelines to keep the planner organized. Other images in the planner have come from various bridal magazines. As we get closer to the big day we won’t miss a single detail with my geeky planning skills and my beautiful, new, handmade, planner.
These are the tabs I have used so far:
- Guest List
- Budget
- Resources
- Dress Ideas
- Brides Maids
- Tuxes
- Invitations
- Music
- Food
- Reception Ideas
- Gifts
- Day Of
These tabs could be different for everyone, but since I am doing almost everything myself, I had to keep many different categories. I am also splitting some of the categories down further into sub-categories, such as Reception Ideas. There will be tabs for things such as cakes, flowers and tables. I also inserted to clear pocket pouches in the binder, one for contracts and one for reciepts. This way the items in the pockets do not need holes punched in them.
If any of you other planning brides-to-be out there need any help getting organized, or have helpful hints, feel free to send me a message!
All of my materials, magazines, and books spread out on the floor to work!
My Planner! I simply printed up this simple, but pretty cover on the computer, printed it, and inserted into the binder pocket.
The inside of the planner. This is a budget page. You can see the tabs as well as some post-it notes.
One of the images in the planner. I simply love this suit, the vintage pinstripes, and the bow tie! It is even in our colors. The boutonierre can be made with Martha Stewart's help. We might be reproducing the whole picture!
P.S. My materials for this planner all came from Wal-Mart. They are very inexpensive, and have a pretty good selection. Yes, there are beautiful papers online, but I was to impatient to wait for something to come in the mail. The black and white damask post-its are adoarable and affordable there. That print is also available in many other supplies!
Make Mine Eclectic 
