Interactive Photo Wall
My dad built the matching legs of the stand using three pieces of wood on each side. The bottom piece that rests on the floor is about three feet long. Attached to the center are two long poles (rectangular, not round) that are about 4.5 feet long. These are held together by two screws, one near the top and one two feet from the ground. When loose, they allow the plywood to slide inbetween the two poles. Then we tighten the screws, pinching the plywood between the two poles. This allows the board to be somewhat adjustable. We'll be adding an additional piece along the bottom to help stabalize the board and keep it from bowing.
Once we had the wall-papered board, it was time to decorate. We took the two frames and screwed them on from the back making sure they were level and covered the holes nicely. Then we gathered old family photos from both sides and scanned and printed them on matte photo paper (glossy photo paper reflected the flash too much). The older the better. IKEA has wall decals that look like vintage photo frames. They're really just stickers, but that will make it much easier for transporting, because we won't have to worry about them falling off or taking too much time to set up.
For photos, we plan to set up a small tripod with a digital camera set to the appropriate distance to keep everything in frame. All the photos will be posted on our website, so guests can dowload them or upload their own. We've also been collecting vintage-looking props like beaded purses and hats. We'll see how crafty I get on this one.
The top two photos are the inspiration pictures from Modern Bride, and the pictures below that are of the board Justin and I made.
Aisle Runner
The hardest part was making the design. I created it in Microsoft Word by downloading two additional fonts (Heather and Chopan Script) from www.dafont.com. Then I used the text box funciton of Word (hint: make the settings for the text "no fill" and "no outline"). After I had it laid out nicely, I did a "print screen" and pasted it into a new doc. Then I cropped the edges so only the graphic remained. This was necessary so that all of the text appeared as one graphic, and not each word as individual ones. Then I copied it again and pasted it into Excel so that I could print it over multiple pages (hint: zoom out and then click/drag/expand the graphic to fit on to nine pages - 3 x 3 - for a standard runner size). Print.
After all the pages printed, I cut the edges down and taped them together. I then taped all nine sheets to my table and taped my aisle runner over the pages after determining where I wanted the graphic to be. I chose to put mine about ten feet from the front of the aisle so that it will show in some of the pictures. I traced the outline of the graphic with a mechanical pencil, then untaped everything and removed the white paper and replaced it with wax paper so that the paint wouldn't soak through to the table. Working from the center of the graphic out, and using a flat brush, I painted the Y in orange. After it dried, I painted in the rest of the lettering in brown using a smaller, finer brush. Let it dry completely before rolling it back up.
Favors
Canned Goods: Applebutter, Strawberry Jam, and Maple Syrup. A few years ago I started learning how to can while making a cookbook of family recipes. My apple butter has been, by far, my greatest success. I thought that a little jar of homemade apple butter would be a nice personal touch to the wedding, and it would go along with my fall theme. Plus, my parents have a couple of apple trees, so my only cost will be the jars. For some variety, I am also making some strawberry jam and maple syrup. The guests will be able to choose which homemade goodie that want to take with them.
Below are pictures from this spring's maple-syrup venture. My grandparents have tapped trees and canned syrup every year since long before I was born, and my parents did so also when I was kid. My dad has been thinking about getting back into it for awhile now, and the wedding offered a good incentive to do just that. He tapped 30 maples trees in the woods surrounding their home in Wisconsin. That time of year, you can't go five miles through the country without seeing a scattering of bright blue sap bags hanging from the trees. When the bags are full, the sap is collected and brought to the syrup shack, where it is boiled down. It takes over 40 gallons of sap to make just one gallon of syrup. After reaching the syrup stage, it is brought into the house and heated again. We then pour the syrup through a filter and into a coffee pot (a trick my grandma always uses). This makes pouring the syrup into the hot jars MUCH easier than using a ladle. Lids are placed on the jars and tightened, and the whole jar is submerged into a hot water bath for ten minutes. After they are removed and left to cool, all that's left to do listen for the "popping" noises of the jars sealing, letting you know you had a successful canning.
This summer, I stopped by the local strawberry farm near my parents' house and picked up a few flats of the sweetest strawberries you've ever tasted. These I made into jam following the instructions on the box of fruit pectin and canning them using a hot water bath. Now all that's left is the applebutter in September...
Dying my Crinoline Orange
I love the look of brightly colored crinolines peeking out from under the white dress. It's that unexpected "Pop" of color that makes it so much fun. I had never dyed anything before, but everything that I read said that it was really easy to do, so I gave it a try. I found my crinoline (David's Bridal style 9603) at the Good Will Wedding Fair, so I wouldn't have felt too terrible if I had ruined it. Fortunately, I love the way mine turned out! So much in fact, that I decided to dye my flowergirls' crinolines (Sophias Style Boutique Kids Bouffant Half Tea Length Petticoate Slipas) as well. Even though they look like different shades in the pictures, both the girls' criniolines and mine are the same color. Here are step-by-step instructions for dying your own crinoline:
Step One (things to get): You'll need two bottles of RIT tangerine (or color of choice) dye, salt, disposable gloves, paper towels, three garbage bags, bleach, detergent, a crinioline made out of dyable material, and a washing machine.
Step Two (prep the area): Cut three holes in one garbage bag for your head and arms. You'll want to wear old clothes, but by wearing a garbage-bag apron, you'll keep most of the splatter off of you. Lay the other two bags on the floor beneath where you will hang your crinoline to dry. Put on gloves.
Step Three (adding dye): Fill washing machine with hot water and dip crinoline in water to get it wet. Remove crinoline from water. Shake the bottles of dye well and pour into hot water. Add two cups of salt. Let the machine fill with water and agentate for about ten seconds to mix well.
Step Four (adding crinoline): Put the wet crinoline into the washing machine. I "dressed the agetator" by putting the crinoline around it, as if the agetator were a person. This made tangling less of a problem than if you just stuff it in around the agetator. You'll have to stop the machine every five to ten minutes to untangle the crinoline (this prevents getting a tye-dye effect). Once the agentation cylce is done, reset the machine to go through a second cyle. You need the double time to let the color set in. Let the machine finish and rinse with cold water.
Step Five (washing). RIT recommends washing again with warm water if you use a dark or bright dye. My crinoline was definately brighter before the second wash, but I didn't want to risk having any orange rub off on my wedding gown. Mine is brighter than it looks in the last few pictures; about the color of the two smaller crinolines in the last picture.
Step Six (drying): I put my crinoline in the dryer for ten minutes, and then I hung it up to finish drying. The dryer can shrink the material a little bit, but it was big on me to start, so I didn't mind risking it. It looks great, with very few wrinkles and no tye-dye effect.
Step Seven (cleaning): Clean up spills immediately with a paper towel. After you remove the crinoline for the last time, run a clean cycle through the washing machine with a cup of bleach.
All in all, I'm very pleased with my first DIY wedding project!
Rye Arrangements
I found this picture on The Knot and immediately knew that I wanted to do something like it for the wedding. Our church has a covered walkway leading to the main doors, with eight supporting pillars. I plan on putting one arrangement next to each pillar. Because the reception will be held at an old mansion with few markings on the outside, I think I'm going to make an extra one with a post sign in it that says "Wedding." This will help guests know which manor to go to.
To start, I bought nine plastic flower pots and spray painted them brown, inside and out. It took a couple of coats to get a nice even layer, and I ended up using about 2 1/2 cans of spray paint. My grandpa and uncle had planted a few patches of rye this year that they said I could have, and my dad agreed to cut it down and dry it for me (the picture shows ornamental grass, but I think rye will tie in better with my fall theme). My grandpa also came up with the idea of adding a few cattails, and I think they go really well with the overall look. The last three photos are of my mock-up. The pots will be waited with gravel and a burlap bag will go around the base of the rye to keep everything together. I'll use a bit more rye and will tie the bundles together with thick chocolate ribbon. I think I'll add spanish moss around the edges, too.
Fall Wreaths
Aisle Decorations
I saw these pew decorations when I first started wedding planning and knew that I wanted to try and make them myself. They had a "practical elegance" to them that seems to have become an underlying theme to the wedding. As it turned out, they also were cheap and simple to make. All you need is a craft mat, a hole punch, scissors or a paper cutter, cheap paper (for templates/experiments), thick paper (for the actual cones), ribbons, hot glue, and fake flowers (I wouldnt' recommend real flowers, as any water from the stems will seep through the paper). First, make a template out of the cheap paper to make sure you line the holes up correctly. Cut the paper into a perfect square and add three sets of two holes: one set at the top for hanging ribbon to go through and two sets that will overlap each other when you form the cone. Thread the ribbon through overlapping sets and secure with a bow. Then add a drop of hot glue at the top and bottom corners of the overlapping edge to help keep it in place. Add the ribbon at the top and tie into a loop. Finally, add your favorite flowers.
Dressing Room Door Signs
These signs were very easy to make and pretty inexpensive to boot. I got the blank wood signs, complete with string, from the Dollar Store. Then I spray painted them white, let them dry, and put scrap booking stickers on them. Wuhlah!
Popcorn Bar
Wine Box Ceremony
The idea is that you get a bottle of wine, two glasses, and wooden box. Each person takes some time to write down their feelings about why they are getting married, reasons they fell in love, what they love about the other person, and any other generally mushy stuff that strikes their fancy. This is basically a love letter. The other person is not allowed to read the letter. They seal the letters in individual envelops and write the other person's name on the outside. Then the letters, wine, glasses, and any other lovey things (pictures, etc) go into the box. The box is sealed (this could be done during the ceremony with priest, family, and bridal party sealing the box) and stored in a safe place.
If the couple hits a rocky patch in their marriage, they are to open the box, drink the wine, and read the letters. If they don't hit any rough spots, they get to open the box on a pre-determined anniversary, like 5 years or 25 years, and drink the wine in celebration. Alternatively, you can open the box each year on your anniverary, read the letters drink the wine, then write new letters and replace the wine with a new bottle. Save the letters and over the years you'll end up with a nice collection of letters expressing your love.
Flip-Flop Basket
