What NOT to do: Get Drunk!

I've decided to start a new feature that I'm really excited about: What NOT to do. These posts will discuss all sorts of things (behaviors, ideas, etc.) that I and pretty much the rest of the free world should not do at their wedding.

Let's kick this off with an obvious one: get tee-totaling, stumbling, mumbling trashed. I know this is a no-brainer, but it happens a lot, google images has 199,000 photos for this title. No one wants to see or be the bride passed out in a corner, plus you won't remember the evening and you'll look terrible in your pictures, like these lovely ladies:

The dilemma is many brides want to have a drink or two to celebrate the big without going overboard and becoming a youtube sensation. I'm not a big drinker and I plan to only have two drinks (if that), because I am sure I will spend the majority of the time talking and thanking my guests. Do you plan on drinking at your wedding? Or do you have a funny "drunk bride" story?

The Best Christmas Present Ever!

It's here! It's here!

The new issue of Martha Stewart Weddings is on Newstands now! I just found it at a local grocery store; it's not even listed on her website yet. I haven't had the chance to pour through it yet, but be expecting lots of Good Things on the blog soon!

http://www.marthastewartweddings.com/

Link Love: DIY Bride

You've probably seen the book, but did you know there was a fabulous blog to go along with it?

Check out http://www.diybride.com/ for inspiration, how-to's and great wedding advice.

Here's an excerpt from a post from several months ago that for some reason really stuck with me:

http://www.diybride.com/index.php?option=com_wordpress&Itemid=1&p=330

As the recipient of many, many, many wedding and shower favors, I feel the need to speak up about the bad ones. Don’t get me wrong here - I’m not being ungrateful for the sentiment of thanks that a favor represents. What I’m talking about is when the favor is poorly executed or that feels so much like an afterthought that it’s offensive (i.e. “Thanks for coming. Here’s an after dinner mint for your trouble.”). Some favors are just way overdone. Some have dubious legal origins. Some are just destined to end up in the garbage.
My Top 10:
1. Jordan almonds (especially wrapped in tulle). I know these have long been traditional wedding favors because of the bitter-sweet symbolism. I can dig that. However, the truth about Jordan almonds is they’re horrible. I have never, ever in my life heard of anyone saying “Oh man, I just got the worst craving for Jordan almonds.” The teeth-shattering pastel-colored coating isn’t tasty. The almonds are merely “eh”. Why bother when there are 10 million other sweet treats that are far more yummy? Plus, lots of people are allergic to tree nuts.
2. CD favors. I get the appeal. You have the music. They’re easy DIY projects. You wanna share your favorite looooove songs. Rock on. However, the legal foo surrounding unauthorized distribution of music is troublesome. But what really bugs me is crappy song selection. Sure, you love these songs but it’s unlikely that your 100+ guests will share your exact taste in music. Of the 6+ wedding favor CDs I’ve received, I’ve only kept 1. The others got a one-way pass to Garbage Can City, baby. That’s a lot of work, money and materials to just be thrown away.
3. Spoons with chocolate. There are two types of these. The first is spoons dipped in melted chocolate. The other, is a Hershey’s kiss placed in the bowl of the spoon, wrapped in tulle with a cutesy poem. About the dipped spoons: I guess they’re ok for the guests that drink coffee and want chocolate in it. For the rest of us, sucking on plastic spoons to get some chocolate isn’t all that interesting or appetizing. About the Kiss spoons: Just give me the candy. Don’t put more unused plastic products into the universe and, pleasefortheloveofjeebus, stop it with the cutesy poems!
4. Bubbles. They’re waaaaaay overdone, messy, and not all that fun. Can you think of any better way to thank your guests? No? Just skip the favors, then.
5. Seeds and plants. I want to love these. Truly, I do. For green or garden weddings, I think they’d be awesome. Why don’t I ever want to see them again? Like many guests, I will never plant the seeds and I will likely kill the plants. You just wasted a couple of dollars and perfectly good seeds/plants.
6. Framed pictures of the bride and groom. I’m not sure what to think of couples that do this. Narcissistic? Overbought on their engagement shot package and trying to find ways to get rid of the extras? For guests that know you REALLY well (re: your immediate circle of friends and family), this is probably ok. For the rest of us, what the heck are we supposed to do with your picture because it’s sure not going to be displayed in our home or office?
7. Scented candles. I loves me some candle-y goodness (Illumination$ is my friend in a big way) but, like most people, I’m pretty particular about the scents I like. (Lavender, I kid you not, makes me hostile.) Sitting in a reception hall with 150+ highly scented candles (of any flavor) is nauseating and I’m not all that sensitive to that kind of stuff. If you’re gonna do candles, go unscented. Gracias.
8. Bath salts/bath bombs/handmade soaps. Completely inappropriate for a wedding favor and kind of offensive. (Not to mention the scent-factor.) Toiletries are best suited as personal gifts or as shower favors unless your wedding guests are particularly stinky and need a really big hint to wash themselves.
9. Lottery tickets. Ugh! A waste of paper and your hard-earned dollars.
10. Edibles of poor quality. I adore edible favors. They’re one of the best favors you can give - if the quality is good. If you’re going to make edibles, please use ingredients that are at least of passable quality. If you’re giving pre-made goodies, give stuff that’s actually tasty. Your local supermarket likely has fresh, quality ingredients and goodies if you can’t afford artisanal products. Always check expiration dates. And, please, be sure to taste your favors before you decide to give them away. In recent years I’ve received waxy, bland chocolate truffles, cookies that were sickeningly salty and infused olive oil that was rancid. Ewwwww! A little quality control goes a long way.

Merry Christmas!

This is how I will be spending the next 24 hours......

Design-It-Yourself (and have someone else do the dirty work)

That's right, I designed our invitations and response card using Microsoft Word and then printed locally in black thermography for an amazing $115 for 200 invitations and $100 for 200 response cards. The invitations will be printed on 100lb white linen cardstock in a 5x7 inches size with a 5 1/8 x 7 1/8 inches 80lb Astrobrights terra green backer layer. The response card will be 5 1/2 x 4 1/4 printed on the white linen cardstock as well.

This is definitely my easiest DIY to date, all you have to do is determine your wording, sizing, font (I used Century Gothic and Feel Script) and start typing!

REVIEW

COST: Super cheap! I saved over 50%!!

TIME: Varies, my design was basic and it took less than an hour

DIFFICULTY: Low, but it depends on your design

Has anyone else partially DIY-ed their invitation suite? Was it cost-effective for you?

As always, if you want my template or need help with yours, leave a comment.

The Inartistic Save The Dates

I can breath a sigh of relief....my STD's are gone (come on...you know you're laughing).

That's right, I mailed them all yesterday! Our photographer created these great Save The Date cards using one of our engagement pictures. I was originally going to create my own STD, but these were just so inexpensive(about $2.00 a piece with envelopes)! I couldn't have bought the paper and had them printed for that amount, so this was a no-brainer.

Anyways, I'm super thrilled with them and would love to post them, but there are copyright rules and Mr. Inartistic likes his privacy. They really are great, they have a gorgeous sheen, almost like glitter, to them. Plus, I'm still loving the fact that these are my Christmas cards too.

For the envelopes, I used the wrap-around labels and sealed them with a silver Martha Stewart snowflake sticker from Michael's.

Is anyone else doing photo STDs?

The Inartistic Ready and Labeled

I've completed another DIY project, this time the previously mentioned wrap-around labels from Martha. All in all, it was kinda simple, but slightly expensive.

The first step is to design your labels (I used Microsoft Publisher). For the return address the font is Feel Script by Veer and the address font is Arial. I chose these because I love Feel Script and I thought the simplicity of Arial looked good next to the Christmas Tree picture. I found the Christmas Tree picture on google images (can't remember where it's from). It was originally black, but I changed it to white.


The measurements of the label are 2 inches by 6.5 inches (it's for a 4x6 envelope). You can set the size of the label by going to File, Page Setup and Layout. Then selecting Custom and entering your dimensions. You can also select the number of labels to print on each page, I did four.

The next step is to do a mail merge. Simply go to Tools, Mail and Merge Catalog Wizard and follow the instructions.

Now, you're ready to print. I used the Avery 5353 labels from Staples. They are pricey at $34.99 for 100 sheets. It is basically an 8 1/2 x 11 sticker, so you design your label and then print it on the sheet and cut it out yourself. I was very happy with these labels, they even have the perforated back to make peeling easier.

I don't have a nice printer, so I took mine to a local print shop and had them do the dirty work (which explains my lack of photos--I didn't want them to think I was crazy!). They printed all 100 labels and even cut them out for me for only $16. I know, I'm lazy, but after completing another cost-time-laziness analysis, I decided it was worth it. Plus, since the professionals were doing all the grunt work, every single label was perfect!

Here's a DI-Don't for you:
Don't buy these labels. I bought these online because they were the right dimensions and cheaper, but I didn't completely read the description. Since they were designed to be used with a postage meter machine, Avery does not provide a template. Also, they are not on a standard size piece of paper which makes printing nearly impossible.

REVIEW

COST: Slightly expensive for the labels

TIME: Medium, the main time is spent designing the labels

DIFFICULTY: Medium, you gotta have some computer skills for this one

Has anyone else tried this Good Things? Or have you found another creative way to use labels?

P.S. If you want my template or want me to help you (for free), leave a comment!

Link Love: Grace Ormonde Wedding Style

My absolute FAVORITE wedding magazine is Grace Ormonde Wedding Style (sorry, Martha)! Well her website, http://www.weddingstylemagazine.com/ is just as good. Seriously, her decor and tabletops are A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! So, go check it out and prepare to be impressed.

Here's a preview:

Good Things: Ready and Labeled

I've been in love with this Good Things for quite awhile. It's a perfectly beautiful alternative to the ultra expensive calligraphy.

Here's the info:

One sure way to address for success? Create sleek, wrap-around labels. If calligraphy is too costly or your penmanship isn't perfect, this is a handsome, appropriate option that's easy to do.

Folded Label How-ToUsing our

template, type return addresses on left side of document and addresses on right; print. Run page through a sticker machine. With a bone folder, crease where indicated; cut out using a utility knife and ruler. Trim short edges with pinking shears. Adhere labels to envelopes, positioning folds so return addresses are on back.

How to Use This Editable PDF: General Tips

1. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader software to open this PDF file. You can download it

here.
2. You will not be able to save a version of the file that contains your changes. You can, however, save a copy of the template itself, which will let you open and modify it again so you can do your work in several sessions.
3. Because you cannot save a copy of what you've typed, proofread carefully on screen before printing it out.
4. To change the words, highlight the entire line of text, and then retype. You will notice that the type shifts position on your screen when you do this, but don't worry -- it will print out in the proper position.

The Return Address

1. When you change the topmost return address, the software will automatically change all the others on the page.
2. Use all lower case when typing the return address.
3. Spell out the state name.
4. Place a space between each number of the ZIP Code.

The Recipient's Address

1. Use an ampersand for the word "and."
2. Press the "Caps Lock" key when you type the street address, and the city and state.
3. Spell out the state name.
4. Type a space between each number of the ZIP Code.

Link Love: Retail Me Not

I love coupons! And I love http://www.retailmenot.com/!

This website is dedicated providing online coupon codes for over 20,000 stores. Simply type in the website name and viola! You have coupon codes!

Here is the direct link to some wedding related coupons:

http://www.retailmenot.com/view/mygatsby.com

http://www.retailmenot.com/view/save-on-crafts.com

http://www.retailmenot.com/view/beau-coup.com

http://www.retailmenot.com/view/theknot.com

I'm still here!

Sorry, it's been awhile since my last post, but I had a death in the family....and I will be back with a vengeance really really soon!

I'm sorry for making you look at those butts for so long!

For your butt

Get your mind out of the gutter! I’m talking about chairs obviously!

Before my marathon planning session, I had budgeted for chair covers and ties at our reception (my venue already has chairs). This was going to cost me $975 for basic (black or white) polyester linens, shipping, taxes and labor. I’m not known for being cheap or frugal (actually, I’m known for being the exact opposite) but this cost stuck with me throughout the process as ridiculous. I just couldn’t see spending more on chairs linens than I did for invitations and I always thought that money could be better spent elsewhere, like an additional food item or better liquor! But I just swallowed my feelings and agreed on the chair covers because I thought I had to have them and renting prettier chairs was out of my budget.

Then, I returned to the reception venue with my fabulous planner and my new reception venue coordinator (my original coordinator doesn’t work there anymore). After seeing the chairs, my planner thought the venue’s retro black chairs, white retro barstools and white gladiator chairs were perfect for the lounge-y theme I envisioned.

Here are some pictures of the chairs (I couldn’t find any pictures of the white barstools, but they are the same as the black chairs only taller and white!):

What do you think? Are these chairs acceptable? What kind of chairs are you using?

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Linens N Things

I recently met with my wedding planner, reception venue coordinator and caterer for a three hour marathon planning session, which finally provided me with a clear picture of the reception!

One of the first things we decided on was linens. My reception venue works with BBJ Linen. I highly recommend checking out their selection and website, they have thousands of gorgeous, modern, traditional and even thematic choices and tons of inspirational photos.

We decided to go with two different linen choices: the Black Floral Silhouette and Black Classic. Each linen will go to the floor.

The Floral Silhouette will be used on the Hi-boy tables with a Lime Lamour Chair Tie wrapped around the table leg a la this photo:

Additionally, there will be three regular (60 inch round) tables covered with the Floral Silhouette and Lime Lamour Chair Tie used as a table runner scattered amongst the regular tables to add some interest.
The remainder of the regular tables will be covered in a black cost-effective polyester with a Lime Lamour table runner. According to my wedding planner, who has worked with Preston Bailey, table runners are the NEXT BIG THING! You heard it here first!

My cake table will be covered with White Classic and a Silver Sparkle overlay.

The Groom’s cake (we’re southern…it’s required by law or something) will have a simple black polyester linen without the Lime Lamour table runner because it would probably clash with his golf themed cake.

What do you think of our linen selection? What are you planning to use? What do you think is the next big thing in wedding table linens?

All photos from bbj linen.

FORE! The Groom

Please forgive me for the horrible title, but I couldn’t resist. My hubs-to-be is a huge, huge, really big golfer, so when deciding on a groom’s cake, a golf-themed cake was the obvious choice. Here are a few inspiration photos we are taking to the baker:

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I’m leaning towards a golf bag and he is leaning towards a huge golf ball on the green. I know that “officially” I am supposed to decide on the groom’s cake design, but it really is his cake, so he can have the final word.

Is anyone else bucking tradition and letting others make decisions concerning your wedding?

Link Love: Style Me Pretty

It’s time for another Link Love, this one is for Style Me Pretty: The Ultimate Wedding Blog. Let me assure you that the “ultimate” in the name is well-deserved. The website is full of gorgeous photos, it’s sorta like wedding porn!

The style of the weddings featured are usually classically beautiful with a twist; think Martha Stewart meets Grace Ormonde. Here is an excerpt from one of my fave posts (zebra+wedding=theinartisticbrideinlove):

http://www.stylemepretty.com/2008/12/02/zebra-inspired-wedding-by-caplan-miller-events-ii/

Okay, I admit it. Add a little zebra into a chic, sophisticated palette and voila. I am in love. Then throw in touches of coral, green and a bit of orange. Well, it’s pretty great to say the least.
If you know anything about the girls of Caplan Miller Events, you know that they approach each event with a modern sensibility paired against a timeless style. Every detail is thoughtfully executed, every element designed to compliment the whole.
I have so many more pictures and details from this gorgeous event on the way, but in the meantime, definitely check out Caplan Miller’s galleries for hours upon hours of inspiration!

Candle Craziness

We are planning to use lots of candlelight throughout our reception, on all the tables, and maybe even one like this:

The next step was deciding on the candles themselves. I, of course, spent way too much time thinking about this and wound up with a list of requirements for the candles:

• be available in a variety of sizes
• not drip excessively
• last for at least 5 hours
• not stink
• not smell too strong
• not be vanilla scented
• be white, not ivory
• be cheap

After receiving several recommendations from family, friends and some florists, I went to Michael's and purchased their white clean linen scented pillar candles to test. And....they meet all the requirements, they are quality candles with a very very light, clean scent and are super affordable (especially if you use a coupon!).

If you're in the market for candles, this bride-to-be recommends Michaels!

Do you over analyze small details too?

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Happy Thanksgiving Wedding Crowd!

I want to take this opportunity to give thanks to the people in my life: my fiance, my mother, my sister, the rest of my family, my pets: Ruby, Pearl, Peanut Butter & Jelly, all my friends and coworkers and of course my readers! I love you all, you make my life worth living!

I want MORE candy!

Here is a follow-up to my earlier post about bags for the candy bar.....

First, I realize that I left some product information out.

I used Color Box pigment ink pad in black ($3), Stamp n Stuff embossing powder in clear ($4) and a Marvy Heat embossing tool ($19.99-I think), all products came from Michael's.

Additionally, I just learned from exploring at Michael's that there are pigment ink pens! This is SO much easier than the tiny paintbrush I mentioned earlier. Plus, the Micron .45mm black pen was reasonably priced at $2.99!

Lastly, after looking way too much at these bags, I decided they were missing something. So, I added a lime green ribbon looped through two holes to each bag. This will allow guests to tie the bag closed and it adds a pop of color!

For this, I used some chartreuse thin ribbon (50 cents for 10 yards) and a McGill 1/4 inch round hole punch ($5.99) from Michael's. It was very simple, I just punched two holes about 3/4 inch apart on the center of bag about 1/2 inch from the top of the bag and then threaded the ribbon through leaving the loose ends on the front of the bag.

Do you constantly add to your DIY to-do list too?

Link Love: Ugly Sheet Cake

Need a humorous break from wedding planning? Well, roll on over to http://uglysheetcake.blogspot.com/
It's a collection of the ugliest and most disgusting cakes ever...seriously the dark humor is too funny!

Here's an excerpt from one of my favorite posts:

http://uglysheetcake.blogspot.com/2008/03/nerd-alert.html

i can only imagine the binge drinkin rockin rollin key swappin scene that happened at this party. its nearly as exciting as my friend's Dora/The Little Mermaid party for her 2 year old a month ago.

I want Candy!

We are having a candy bar at our wedding because my fiance is a huge candy freak, specifically m&m's. I ordered some bags from http://www.papermart.com/ (read review here) and they definitely needed to be beautified. The above picture is the end result--and I am so proud, I'm becoming crafty!!



INSTRUCTIONS

SUPPLIES

• Paper Bags
• Paper Cutter
• Border Punch
• Stamp Pigment Ink
• Embossing Powder
• Embossing Tool
  Tiny paintbrush (only required if you're a OCD perfectionist)

1. I cut off about an inch from the top of the bag to get rid of the ugly number 2, using the paper cutter.
2. Next, I used a border punch to add some interest to edge of the bags. I used the border punch pictured below by Fiskars from Michael's. I hate, hate, hate this thing! It broke very shortly after using and I had to reassemble it myself multiple times (it's missing a piece in the pic above). On the positive side, it is easy to line the paper up and get straight cuts.
3. Next up is stamping. I used my logo stamp and black pigment ink. It's important to make sure you use pigment ink because dye-based ink dries too quickly for embossing. I had a really difficult time getting the stamp perfectly even and accurate throughout the logo, so I ended up using a tiny paintbrush dipped in the ink to perfect the stamped design. But as you can see below, many of the bags were beyond repair.
4. Pour embossing powder on the stamped bag. I used clear powder, because even if a few sprinkles are left on the bag no one will know because they dry clear. Be sure to pour a lot of powder, think heaping mounds like the picture below. TIP: let the powder sit for a few minutes before dusting off the excess.
5. Pour the remaining/excess powder onto the next bag or back into the container.
6. Using your embossing tool, heat and melt the powder on the bag. It's really easy to tell when it's finished, the design will be shiny and raised.

That's it! You've embossed some gorgeous candy bar bags!

REVIEW

Cost: Ultra cheap!

Difficulty: Medium, there is definitely a learning curve

Time: a lot, but not as much as you think! I averaged about 15 minutes for 10 bags. My advice is to break it up into groups of 10 and do a little at a time.

Have you used embossing for any of you wedding techniques? What sort of bag/container are you using for your candy bar?

Stamp of Approval

I just received my two custom stamps from http://impressrubberstamps.com/ and I am one satisfied customer! I ordered a custom 2 x 3 wood block stamp with my address in the lovely Feel script and a 5 x 5 wood block stamp for our logo. It was super easy to order, all I had to do was email a pdf (Thank you cute pdf) with the designs on it and 2 weeks later I had my two stamps. The quality seems to be good (but I don't know anything about stamps); I was worried about the complexity of our logo, but it stamps clearly. Plus, I thought the prices seemed reasonable!

Additionally, I feel very Martha right now. This was originally a Good Thing that I fell in love with awhile ago.

Are you planning on using stamps for any of your wedding projects? Or do you simply have a vendor to recommend? If so, leave a comment!

P.S. Don't you love the super cheesy pic at the top?