Vicki and Mike's Wedding

DIY card box

2008-03-12T11:16:00.002-04:00

I couldn't use any old store bought white flower card box. So I made this one out of paper mache boxes, fabric, and gold ribbon. There's a slot in the top for the cards to go in and it's completely hollow inside.

The top is a fake pink hydrangea I cut up and hot glued.

pink cake

2008-01-14T10:46:00.000-05:00

Here is our wedding cake as it was in the reception hall. It tasted great and looked exactly like I wanted. The branches are faux cherry blossoms from the White Aisle.

Our baker was the Bake Shop in Ghent in Bath, Ohio. She did a great job.

DIY Invitations

2007-10-19T11:53:00.000-04:00

I spent a lot of time thinking about what invitations I wanted to make and here's what I came up with.
This is the outside. The band across had each invitee's name.

Take off the flap and it looked like this:

Here is a picture of the supplies ready to be assembled:

And another picture of the stacks with some of the tools I used:

The invitations were inspired by this picture but I made all the templates, designed the invitation, inserts, maps, etc.

I made about 68 invitations and they were a hit with guests.

We've got a cake

2007-06-28T15:22:00.000-04:00

This weekend Mike and I met our cake baker in person. My brother recommended The Bake Shop in Ghent and I am so tickled with them. Look at their shop!

It's set in a small village and when we got there Sunday morning, a couple was sitting on the front porch in rocking chairs. And we got free coffee and donuts. Unfortunately she didn't have any cupcakes to sample. But it's a good excuse to go back.

Nancy is the owner and she was so easy to work with. I think we're gonna have a great cake.

How we’re cutting costs and saving money

2007-06-02T16:46:00.000-04:00

There are lots of articles about how to cut costs for weddings. Number one on most lists is cut the guest list. For me, one of the reasons I’m having a wedding instead of eloping was to get my family together. That means I wasn’t about to cut the guest list.

Here are a few ways that we are keeping our wedding costs low.

Small bridal party We’re having one matron of honor and one best man. That’s all. This saves money on flowers, gifts, and on attire because we are not forced to buy matching outfits.

Décor The church we’re marrying in is beautiful, we don’t need to buy extra flowers or decorations. Our reception venue is also a unique building – an automobile museum. So we only need some simple centerpieces on the tables. That’s it.

Taking advantage of friends I don’t mean force your mom to cater the wedding, or ask your friend to take pictures. Chances are you know some people with talent or connections. For us, it started with my brother. He was able to get the museum with his employee discount for $250. And he carries some weight with the caterer.

I also sing in the church choir. So my friend is a great soloist and the organist offered to play for free.

We also have a friend of a friend who does wedding photography. Of course we’d never want him to work for free, but we are getting the Friends discount.

The important point here is we are not forcing people outside their comfort zones, they do these jobs and activities regardless of us and our wedding.

Invitations I work for a publishing company and can get a discount on their selection. Of course, I didn’t like their selection so I’m using a combination of printing it myself and using VistaPrint. If you join their members club, you get discounts all the time. As in 100 postcards with your design (for RSVPs) for free.

Looking around my blog you might realize I’m a DIY kind of person. For some this might be a matter of saving money. For me, it’s really a matter of not being able to find things I like. I can’t stand all that white lace the Wedding Industry pushes. So I customize everything myself.

Oh, and for the record, we're looking at 150 people and we're gonna spend less than $10,000.

End of March status

2007-04-04T12:51:00.000-04:00

Done:
Ceremony site booked
Reception site booked and paid
Dress ordered and paid deposit
Caterer reserved with a deposit
Matron of Honor asked and accepted!

To do in April:
Cake baker: set up appointments
Florist: set up appointment
DJ:call, get quotes
Men's attire: yeah right
MOH's attire: we'll start looking
Invitations: mock ups
Music: Finalize with Mimi and reserve musicians
Ceremony readings: meet with Fr. Jim and choose readers
Catering: call and see what next step is
~~Photographer: meet and sign contract~~

MORE PICTURES COMING SOON

several cakes on table

2007-03-02T15:20:00.000-05:00

This picture came from Mrshs's Knot profile. I really like the idea of having several cakes at different levels instead of one tall cake that might fall over!!!

guest book

2007-02-28T19:44:00.000-05:00

Finished the outside of the guest book. Still working on the inside pages. The detail with the ribbon and charm mirror the details on the dress I'm leaning towards.

wedding colors

2007-02-27T17:51:00.000-05:00

I've planned to use pink and brown as the colors all along, but for the last couple months I've been thinking of adding a darker, more sophisticated pink. At the store I found some cardstock with "The" color, called Deep Racy Raspberry.

So here's my color scheme:

8 months

2007-02-06T20:54:00.000-05:00

Eight months until I get married!

I thought I would be farther along with things. I guess I'm not Superwoman. Who knew! :)

Done
Ceremony and reception sites reserved and paid for
More than half the budget saved and earning interest

Priorities this month
Buy dress
Choose Maid of honor
~~Make final decision on caterer and reserve date~~
Make contact with potential photographer
Create some invitation mock ups
Start on the table numbers
Look at cake bakers
Look at florists
Meet with Fr. Jim to discuss details

a couple more dresses

2007-01-29T20:52:00.000-05:00

Went shopping with some of the girls and we liked these two dressees.
This first dress is a Davinci dress. Here's a link to the model in the dress.

This next dress I think I liked best. The thing stopping me from buying it right away is they'd have to add straps, and I don't think they will be as nice as a dress with built in straps.

So now i'm thinking about the one dress we saw in Minerva. If only I could swap the bottom of that dress for the dress above!

PS. I look like i'm uncomfortable because, well, I am!

Card box instructions

2007-01-10T18:11:00.000-05:00

A little reminder of how to put the card box together. From the book "Simply beautiful weddings" by heidi boyd

more dress trials

2007-01-10T18:06:00.000-05:00

Went shopping after Christmas.
Tried on this dress at a boutique in Pennsylvania.

Then I tried on another dress in Minerva, Ohio. A Maggie Sottero dress. Everyone else really liked me in this one. The sash was very flattering on me. I liked it from the waist up.

prettiest pink cake (card box)

2006-12-20T21:19:00.000-05:00

I saw the Winter 2007 issue of Martha Stewart Weddings and had to buy it because of this cake:

(The magazine looks a lot better than this scan.)

The picture is a real cake with frosting, but I'm going to steal the idea for my card box. It is a light pink with gold ribbon. I'm really in love with this picture. :)

final save the dates

2006-12-08T13:45:00.000-05:00

Here's what they look like printed out and hanging on my fridge. My ink was starting to go, so the last sheet looks a little redder.

Save the date concepts

2006-12-06T20:12:00.000-05:00

Help me choose which save the date picture to send out as magnets.

A.

B.

C.

D.

Leave me a comment if you have an opinion.

Floral garland

2006-12-06T12:31:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure where this would go, but I like the concept of a floral garland.

I found this picture at Smooshie's Knottie profile

Guest book content idea

2006-12-05T10:40:00.000-05:00

Guest books from The Guestbook Store are really cute and creative. I'd like to do something like this for my guest book, but personalized and with a pretty cover.

Red berries and flowers bouquet

2006-11-30T12:41:00.000-05:00

This pretty bouquet came from mrskellykelley's Knot profile.

Berries and cream bouquet

2006-11-27T10:34:00.000-05:00

This is an interesting bouquet found at the Knot in the 2007 October Weddings bio.

Boutonnieres

2006-11-25T17:32:00.000-05:00

Boutonnieres made from suit-like fabric. I really like the overall feel.
From Martha Stewart Weddings Fall 2006

fall bouquet

2006-11-08T08:53:00.000-05:00

Found this nice bouquet at the
Green Brown Bio on The Knot.

pretty cherry blossom invitations

2006-10-19T20:25:00.000-04:00

I found these invitations on the Long Island DIY wedding forum. They were made by Maiko

Card box inspiration

2006-10-15T16:13:00.000-04:00

From the Fall 2006 issue of Elegant Bride www.brides.com

casablanca dress

2006-10-12T10:35:00.000-04:00

I saw this dress in the Fall 2006 issue of Elegant Bride and thought it was pretty. Casablanca is sold at the small bridal shop we went to Cuyahoga Falls, so I'll have to look into it. Couldn't find it on their site though.

Me in a wedding dress

2006-09-27T08:31:00.000-04:00

I tried on some more dresses at David's Bridal and a local place in Cuyahoga Falls. Liked one at the local place. Took this picture at David's. Still don't think we've found "the one."

Wrapped Invitations

2006-09-21T08:46:00.000-04:00

Another invitation idea from The Artful Bride:Wedding Invitations by Laura McFadden and April Paffrath.

Flowery placemat

2006-09-16T17:12:00.000-04:00

This flower placemat came from the book Beautiful Wedding Receptions by Donna Kooler.

I might use this in my card box design.

we might have a reception site

2006-09-13T13:43:00.000-04:00

My brother told me last week that he can get the Crawford Auto-aviation museum at no charge for our reception. The museum is part of the Western Reserve Historical Society and he is the site manager at one of their properties, Hale Farm

So, we're going to look at it sometime soon just to make sure, but we are most likely going to go with that. But ---- they don't open until 6pm, so we're gonna have to serve a meal instead of hors d'oeuvres like we thought. I still think it's doable.

Wanted: Maid of Honor

2006-09-06T09:09:00.000-04:00

Wanted: One Maid of Honor

Responsibilities:
Walk down the church aisle
Stand next to me at the altar
Hold my bouquet during the ceremony
Sign marriage license
Straighten my veil, help me up if i trip -- any grooming i may need

Optional Tasks:
Dance with my brother (the best man)
Split cost of dress
Help address invitations

Pink tablescape

2006-08-31T11:53:00.000-04:00

Nice tablescape from Weddings: the essential guide to organizing the perfect day by Alison Price

Pink prettiness

2006-08-23T20:45:00.000-04:00

Note to self: Pink ink on pink paper = cute
(image scanned from The Perfect Wedding Details by Maria McBride-Mellinger

Potential Monograms

2006-08-16T12:05:00.000-04:00

Potential Monograms
Originally uploaded by vreitz.

I forgot to post the monograms I got from Creative Montage

I think they are pretty neat, but nothing jumped out as "The One," so i think I might make some of my own in photoshop.

Anyone out there have an opinion? Leave me a comment.

Ribbon on invitations

2006-08-14T18:20:00.000-04:00

I like the ribbon in this picture from Wedding Invitations, Announcements, Place Cards, and More
by Bette Matthews.

centerpieces with pink candles

2006-08-09T19:36:00.000-04:00

Another simple, pretty centerpiece.

pink hydrangeas

2006-08-07T21:34:00.000-04:00

How can you not be in love with this bouquet?

Picture scanned from Wedding Inspirations by Margaret Caselton.

First dress outing

2006-08-03T06:38:00.000-04:00

I went dress shopping with my mom yesterday for the first time! We started out at an actual bridal salon where I tried on about 6 dresses. All of them were about 4 and 5 times my budget! But I really liked the three that are pictured above. On the left is my favorite so far, from Paloma Blanca. It was actually a pearl color and it looked better on me than it does in the pic. The middle is also Paloma Blanca and would come with straps. The sales woman liked it the best on me and I liked the rouging at the tummy. The last one was Mikaella and the sash was tied differently than in the pic. But alas, the cost for these is $2,200, $2,000 and $1250. I plan to spend about $500!

We went to a consignment bridal store after that and as my mom said, "nothing there looked modern." Guess we spoiled ourselves!

I thought I would have a miserable time, but it was actually pretty fun. Although now I worry i won't find a dress like the one i tried on and I will convince myself that $2,200 isn't too much!

Custom monograms

2006-07-27T08:41:00.000-04:00

Last night I ordered some custom monograms from Creative Montage. You get 5 monograms for $15, and right now they have an offer to get a sixth one free! They say it takes about 2 weeks to get your jpgs. I'm so excited!

I'm just swimming with ideas to use them: invitations, RSVP cards, thank you notes, address labels. Can't wait!

over the arm flowers

2006-07-24T21:01:00.000-04:00

I don't know why but I like this "bouquet" from the book Wedding Inspirations by Margaret Caselton. There are lots of pretty things in this book and I may scan in some more pics.

Envelopes

2006-07-12T20:51:00.000-04:00

I like the labels on the envelope in this picture. I'm not sure where it came from. I found the picture on Wedding Bee

random ceremony pictures

2006-07-10T19:49:00.000-04:00

I scanned these pictures from the book The perfect wedding reception by Maria McBride-Mellinger.

Wedding organizer

2006-06-29T22:06:00.000-04:00

Wedding organizer
Originally uploaded by vreitz.

This is a picture of the bag I'm using to organize my wedding planner, notebook, and files.

I took a black bag I got for free at a trade show and sewed pink felt on, then a flower design i had stitched long ago. Added some beads and ribbons and there you go!

Hair barrettes

2006-06-29T22:00:00.000-04:00

I have no idea how I might do my hair, but these barrettes from Laurent Olivier are a neat idea.
I found the link from Something old, Something New

Apples for placecard holders

2006-06-28T18:58:00.000-04:00

If we have a table with placecards, I like this idea.

Hors d'oeuvres and cocktail reception

2006-06-26T11:40:00.000-04:00

Wtih a 1:30 ceremony, we are seriously thinking about a hors d'oeuvres and cocktail reception. I also like the idea of food stations.

I found these two articles for future reference:
Hors d'oeuvres and food stations
Tips for a cocktail reception

Gorgeous ribbon, silk invitations

2006-06-22T12:44:00.000-04:00

The invitations at Alia Designs are absolutely stunning. And of course, not cheap!

I found the site via WeddingBee.

Tablescape inspiration

2006-06-22T12:36:00.000-04:00

Got to love this placecard table by LMD Floral Events

I found the link via WeddingBee.

Wedding Fund

2006-06-19T09:53:00.000-04:00

We opened a joint savings account this weekend! Our goal is $8,000

June 17 - add $100 Balance $100
June 30 - interest $.11 Balance $100.11
July 21 - deposit $1,255 Balance $1,355.11
July 31 - interest $1.75 Balance $1,356.86
Aug 10 - deposit $20.00 Balance $1,376.86
Aug 17 - deposit $550.27 Balance $1,927.13
Aug 30 - deposit $973.00 Balance $2,900.13
Aug 30 - interest $6.47 Balance $2,906.60
Sept 15 - interest $5.23 Balance $2,911.83
Sept 21 - deposit $500 Balance $3,411.83
Sept 30 - interest $6.64 Balance $3,418.47
Oct 1 - deposit $300 Balance $3,718.47
Oct 5 - FIRST CHECK! deposit for museum $250 Balance $3,468.47
Oct 16 - deposit $400 Balance $3,868.47
Oct 23 - deposit $150 Balance $4,018.47
Oct 31 - interest $15.10 Balance $4,033.57
Nov 14 - checks totaling $884.58 Balance $3,148.99
Nov 15 - deposit $500 Balance $3,648.99
Nov 30 - interest $14.79 Balance $3,663.78
Dec 4 - deposit $125 Balance $3,788.78
Dec 15 - deposit $805.58 Balance $4,594.36
Dec 30 - interest $16.25 Balance $4,610.71
Jan 12 - deposit $500 and $400 Balance $5,510.71
Jan 31 - interest $20.45 Balance $5,531.16
Feb 20 - Second Check- deposit for caterer $300 Balance $5,231.06
Feb 28 - deposit $700 Balance $5,931.06
Feb 28 - interest $20.70 Balance $5,951.76
Mar 1 - deposit $20 Balance $5,971.76
March 5 - Mike pointed out that I shouldn't subtract the money we've paid in deposits, since they do count towards our goal. So I'm going to make this look less like my check ledger and just show our additions!
March 5 - Balance $6,521.76
March 16 - deposit $350 Balance $6,871.76
March 30 - interest $20.70 Balance $6,896.98
April 23 - deposit $338 Balance $7,234.98
Apr 30 - interest $25.22 Balance $7,260.20
May 15 - deposit $600 Balance $7,860.20
May 18 - deposit $250 Balance $8,110.20 -- WE DID IT! Let's go for $10,000!
May 25 - deposit $250 Balance $8,360.20
May 31 - interest $26.47 Balance $8,386.67
June 1 - deposit $250 Balance $8,636.67
June 8 - deposit $250 Balance $8,886.67
June 15 - deposit $250 Balance $9,136.67
June 22 - deposit $250 Balance $9,386.67
June 29 - deposit $250 Balance $9,636.67
July 6 - deposit $250, deposit $85 Balance $10,002.20 -- WE REALLY DID IT!

GOAL ACCOMPLISHED

Official: Oct 6, 2007

2006-06-16T12:51:00.000-04:00

Mike and I met with Fr. Jim last night. We are scheduled to be married at 1:30, Oct 6, 2007. He wrote it in the church calendar. in PEN.

So now the frantic search for a reception site begins. And figuring out what the heck to serve, and how to fill the gap between service and reception, blah blah. I'd rather be making pretty things. :)

Table numbers

2006-06-12T21:11:00.000-04:00

Mike and I are thinking of doing something similar to this picture for our table numbers. I don't think we have pictures of us from each year like this picture.

This picture came from TossedRice at the Knot. On her Bio page are also some great engagement pictures. Really pretty.

Cookie buffet

2006-06-05T19:47:00.000-04:00

Mike and I both liked this idea for a cookie buffet from Martha Stewart Weddings. The idea is you have family cookie recipes and guests can choose their cookies then take them home in goodie bags.

Brown program with pink ribbon

2006-06-05T19:08:00.000-04:00

I think this is so classy!

another simple program idea

2006-06-05T19:07:00.000-04:00

This one wouldn't be too hard to duplicate.

Pink-ribbon programs

2006-06-05T19:05:00.000-04:00

I don't know where these came from originally. I bet that ribbon would be too expensive, but it's cute.

Monogrammed classy programs

2006-06-05T15:33:00.000-04:00

I really like the monogram design on these programs.
Check out the artist's other DIY projects.

Pink ranunculus with green viburnum

2006-06-01T22:36:00.000-04:00

I found this photo at The Wedding Guide A hand-tied bouquet of full-bodied pink ranunculus, Dreamland tulips, China pink hyacinth and vibrant green viburnum.

Reception table idea

2006-06-01T22:19:00.000-04:00

I fell in love with this table from Martha Stewart Weddings even before I got engaged.

wedding

Favorite bouquet - pink

2006-06-01T22:04:00.000-04:00

I think this is my favorite bouquet so far. Scanned from Martha Stewart Weddings.
The caption reads: "The oversize bouquet of sculpted dahlias and feathery astilbe will bend gracefully over the arm. Silk shantung covers the stems, crystals dangle from a free-form bow.

wedding

Cake table dressed up in pink

2006-06-01T18:48:00.000-04:00

I think this is a gorgeous table!

I am not sure where the picture originated from, but I found it at Claire's bio at the knot.

wedding

Cake jewelry

2006-06-01T18:42:00.000-04:00

This cake was one of the first things Mike and I decided on.

You can buy the vines that climb the side of the cake at Cake-Jewelry.com but I am thinking about making them myself.

wedding

First Post

2006-06-01T10:42:00.000-04:00

My plan for this blog is to post pictures of wedding ideas. We want to get married On Oct 6, 2007, but have yet to meet with the priest and reserve the church.