This fall wedding was beautiful, lots of high impact details, easy DIY projects and personalized focal points. I thought it would be nice to share some of the tips and ideas that we used to make the wedding a hit!
The bride and groom are a relaxed, beach going couple, and so wanted to focus on a natural, almost rustic design theme for the ceremony location and the reception. As a young couple starting out, they also had a goal of not using credit cards or incurring any dept for the wedding! Wow!
It is important to pay close attention to all the details and have them coordinate with each other. For instance, we had the catering staff wear French bistro style aprons, sewn by the mother of the bride, in fabric to match the color theme. We used inexpensive green and white seersucker, which tied in with the JCrew seersucker dresses worn by the bridesmaids, the green monogram and the green in the invitations!
We used galvanized pots for all the center pieces, to tie in with the theme, I made a "memory board" using a chalk board with a galvanized frame. I have to tell you that it was a lucky find for $3.99 at the second hand store! So, for the board, we used the brides photos, event tickets, post cards and mementos. We hung the frame at the guest registry table.
Speaking of registry table, in lew of a guest book, we made a registry "tree"! Plenty of web sites will sell this type of thing, of course we had to make our own! With a large oak branch, I hot glued acorns to the limbs, set it with Plaster of Paris in a galvanized pot and finished with moss. The bride cut out leaf shaped cards for messages to be tied to the "tree" with twine.
Our most dramatic detail had to be the giant chandelier hung above the wedding party table. A very old driftwood plank (found on the brides family property) made the perfect rustic chandelier! Add heavy rope for hanging, pillar candles and voila, lots of high drama at very little cost.
Note the cake stand- a slice of a tree! I had to make sure it would accommodate the cake, that meant finding someone to cut a piece of trunk at least 24" in diameter. This being the South and chain saws in just about every garage, Mr. Dale (the father of the bride) was able get what we needed! I did scrub it and top with a coat of high gloss white paint - no dirt on the cake table thank-you!
OK, one more detail! Since we had lots of driftwood available, painting it a high gloss white and stuffing the fire box with it seemed like the thing to do. The white against the black fireplace really added some pop. Of course, it was for display only!
Here we are waiting for the guests to arrive. From left to right is yours truly, my niece Jessica, my SIL (sister-in-law) Wendy and sister Caroline. We have a lot of fun working together and thought we looked pretty smart in our coordinating "uniforms"!
Even if "rustic and natural" is not your wedding style, I hope these ideas will spark your imagination! Also, consider what resources do you have? What people in your "network" have the skills ( sewing, painting, baking, organizing) and time to donate?
Not only will you save money by creating your our own wedding details, those details will have personal meaning and the people who helped you will have the memory of a special contribution- and that can be priceless!
Look for my next post where I will show pictures and share ideas from the wedding ceremony!
This sofa is one of my favorite finds, $50.00 from the second hand shop, it was covered in peach faux velvet and had a small tear in the back. I had a slip cover made using white canvas from Wal-Mart, and the one piece seat cushion has a slip cover of leopard ultra-suede, fabric that was also found at the second hand shop for $5.00! One day I will have "real drapes", but for now there are panels sewn from $1.00 per yard fabric from, where else, Wal-Mart.
My little man Theodore, showing of his latest Lego creation!
