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Open House: Wedding Décor DIYs

casasugar — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 05:04:35 -0700

As we skirt through wedding season, I've given you some DIY suggestions like wine glass candle lampshades and a DIY wedding book, but of course, I know there's plenty more to offer in that department. So for this Open House, I'd love to hear about any types of wedding décor you've seen DIY'd or that you've handmade for your own weddings.

Have you been to an entirely DIY wedding? Received any homemade goodie baskets? Did your friends arrange their own flowers at their weddings? Sew the tablecloths or napkins? Make their own candles? How about the invites? Were they handmade? I bet you've encountered some DIY wedding décor somewhere along the line. Tell me by commenting below! As always, check out IDoSugar for all of our wedding coverage.
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Wedding Planner: Make Your Own Stamps

casasugar — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 12:00:08 -0700

One place where I splurged when planning my wedding was designing and ordering custom postage stamps. Since I'd put so much time into designing my invitations, I didn't want to muck up the pretty envelopes with the pink, overly saccharine Love stamps that were my option from the USPS (plus the pink stamps would clash horribly with my celedon green envelopes). Instead, I decided to design postage stamps through Zazzle, which has partnered with the USPS to provide stamps to folks who are interested in designing them to mark special occasions or to just add a little bit of fun to a letter.

To see how to make your own stamps, just

Casa Quickie: Displaying Treasured Photos at Your Reception

casasugar — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 13:00:50 -0700

If you're looking for a more organic way to display photos at your wedding reception then steal this idea, which I found in wedding photographer Elizabeth Messina's portfolio. Just wrap a tree snugly with twine and clothespin photos to it. It would even look cuter with some custom clothespins.

For all of our wedding coverage, check out IDoSugar.
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Wedding Planner: The Things We Do For Love

casasugar — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 12:00:25 -0700

When I moved in with my fiancé, I had some artwork and furniture that he simply refused to have moved into our house, citing them as either too colorful or girly. And on his end, there was some furniture that was too dull and bachelor pad-esque for my tastes. So, to appease each other, we had to get rid of those items. Ah, the things we do for love. Take this Craigslist ad, for example. Here we have a bride-to-be who's in the same situation, and is forced to choose between her future husband and her taffeta lady wingback chair:

This Craigslist seller writes:

The time has come for me and my glorious purple taffeta chair to part ways. I'm moving in with my husband-to-be, and we agreed there's not room for all three of us. As much as I love this chair, I love him more. So, I hope there is someone out there that will appreciate this beauty. It's been lightly used, and is in good condition. No tears, or stains, although the fabric has a few snags. The frame is solid, the cushion is spry. It looks and sits like a fresh, young chair, and is a beautiful purple with a happy sheen. Sorry if the pictures are a little blurry, I may have been sobbing gently when I took them.

Anyone else out there have stories about furniture or artwork you had to give up when you moved in with your partner or husband? Anything you made your significant other get rid of? Tell me in the comments below.

How-To: Making Your Wedding a Little Greener

casasugar — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 06:30:30 -0700

Unfortunately, just because you're holding your wedding ceremony in the great outdoors that doesn't mean your celebration is good for the planet. If you want some ideas for cutting down on the environmental impact of your big day, take a look at my tips.

For a Greener Wedding

Who doesn't love flowers? You can keep your flowers eco by buying organic blooms or buying the flowers locally.
When considering where to hold your wedding, think about where most of your guests are located. Midwest? East Coast? The Southwest? Then, consider holding your ceremony there. It will cut down on travel expenses as well as the environmental cost of planes, trains, and automobiles.
You can now buy compostable cups, plates, and utensils for your shindig. This means that your guests' plates will end up enriching the soil instead of sitting in a landfill.
If guests are traveling from a long distance, ask them to offset the carbon produced from their travel. It's cheap, quick, and easy. In lieu of wedding favors, which are often thrown away or forgotten, you could also offset your entire wedding guest list's carbon output. You could have a message telling them about the carbon offset "gift" printed up on wildflower seed cards that are left on each guest's plate. Make sure the guests take the cards home and plant them.

For the rest of my tips, just

Would You Send Wedding Poster Invites?

casasugar — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 16:00:15 -0700

Unless Someone Like You, who designs and sells wedding poster invites like this one, says, "For my wedding I wanted something really different, so we sent out 11x17 posters in tubes instead of an invitation." She suggests you "frame and mat the poster with no glass, and set it out at the reception for friends and family to sign the mat with their blessings and best wishes." What do you think of this idea? Would you send your invites in poster form? To see all of our wedding coverage, check out IDoSugar.

Would You Send Wedding Poster Invites?

Absolutely! It's so unique and memorable!

Perhaps, if I decided to have an alterna-wedding.

I like the concept, but it's not for me.

No way! I'm a traditionalist.

Etsy Find: Hip Wedding Favors

casasugar — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 12:00:14 -0700

Since I'm trying to decide what type of wedding favors to have at my wedding this Summer, I had to tell all those other brides out there about these adorable Origami Wedding Favors ($25 for the first 25). Not only will they give your wedding guests something to do while making awkward small talk with your distant relatives, it'll also give them a pop quiz on your dating history. These cute little wedding favors hearken back to the days of playing "Fortune Teller" (also known as "Cootie Catcher" in some circles) on the bus ride home from grade school, only these Fortune Tellers are personalized with questions about you and your future husband.

The favors are made from 24-lb. ivory parchment paper, and are available in a variety of paper and ink colors. Are you as delighted by these favors as I am? For all of our wedding coverage, check out IDoSugar.

Wedding Planner: Advice From a Wedding Photographer

casasugar — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 09:15:39 -0700

Wedding photographer Jessamyn Harris is known for taking lovely, striking images of couples in love. I recently interviewed her about her business, and she provided all of those brides-to-be out there with valuable knowledge about what to look for when choosing a wedding photographer. Read on to find out all about Jessamyn's advice for hiring a wedding photographer, and if you're interested in hiring her, you can do so here.

CasaSugar: What's your favorite part about being a wedding photographer?

Jessamyn: Definitely the people I get to work with. I am really lucky to work with kind and creative clients who genuinely want a beautiful wedding because they love each other, and to whom artistic photography is a high priority. Combine that with gorgeous details to photograph, and it's a pretty nice setup. The best moments are when I really feel the connection between the bride and groom during the big and small moments of their wedding day, and of course when I know I got an amazing shot.

To see a gallery of Jessamyn's work, and to get her advice for choosing your own wedding photographer, just

DIY: Wine Glass Candle Lampshades

casasugar — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 15:00:22 -0700

In your blog travels, you may have come across the Dekoop Gorgeous Helen Wine Shades ($20), which tops off your wine glasses to make easy votive lamps for your parties. I couldn't get them off my mind for months when I first saw them; I thought they were so clever. Then, lucky me, I came across a DIY to make them. The project is fairly simple, and allows a lot of room for creativity. You can leave yours as plain vellum, or punch decorative holes in them, screen-print them, or even paint them! It's up to you, but regardless, this project is fabulous, inexpensive, and perfect for that wedding you're planning! And for all of our wedding coverage, check out IDoSugar.

Supplies:

8-1/2" x 11" sheets of vellum (one per lamp)
Scissors
Decorative bladed scissors
Decorative paper punch
Glue pen
Wine glasses
Tealights or a LED battery-operated tealight
Candle putty (floral clay)

Here's how, from Save On Crafts:

Download and print out this lampshade pattern.
Trace the pattern onto your vellum sheet. Cut out the shape with your regular scissors. If you want, you can use decorative bladed scissors along the bottom edge to add another element to the shade.
If you like, use a paper punch to punch holes evenly or haphazardly throughout the shade, as shown in the PDF.
Using the glue pen, apply a thin line of glue to one straight end. Wrap the other end over the glued end, and adhere together, forming the shade.
Secure the tealight with the candle putty, and set the lampshade on top of your glass. Fini!

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Wedding Planner: Vertallee Press

casasugar — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 11:00:06 -0700

When it came time to print my wedding invitations, which had been designed by a friend, I knew that I had to have letterpress invitations, budget be damned. Letterpress printing is printed with movable type, and the surface of the type is then inked and pressed against a smooth substance, such as a note card or envelope. Letterpress was the go-to source for printed matter for over 500 years, but since it is so time and process intensive, letterpress has become a specialized art and rather expensive as well. While I knew that in theory, I wasn't prepared for the price of letterpress invitations for my wedding. After frantic searching and re-evaluation of the budget, I stumbled upon Vertallee Letterpress, which basically saved my wedding budget (and life).

Owned by husband-and-wife team Kat and Brad Murph, this full-service letterpress and design firm operates out of a shop in Austin, TX. They roll out their designs on a tabletop Hohner letterpress as well as a Heidelberg. They're happy to design everything from wedding invitations to business cards, and are just as willing to work with other designers as well. They also provide finishing services such as scoring, die cutting, perforating, folding, and trimming.

Working with Kat and Brad was a dream — they answered all of my emails in a timely manner, were up front and on budget with estimates, and were just darn nice. Their work is stunning as well. Take a look at the gallery for some images of their work and press. You can also check out more of their cards and invitation work at their Etsy shop.

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Home Library: The DIY Wedding

casasugar — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 09:15:54 -0700

If, like me, you're a somewhat nontraditional bride who's looking for creative and budget-friendly ways to individualize her wedding, then I highly recommend checking out The DIY Wedding. Written by Kelly Bare, who intersperses tips, stories, and details from her own DIY wedding throughout the book, this is a great resource for any bride who wants to plan her nuptials on her own.

To find out more about this brilliant wedding planning resource, just