Shhh...Can you keep a secret?

As I previously mentioned, I used latex flowers....and I am SOOOO very happy that I did! The results were beautiful, as you can see below. Plus, they were stress free: my family and I arranged all them one afternoon; we delivered them to the reception venue a few days before the wedding and on the day of the wedding, my family simply poured some water in the vases and set some candles around.....VIOLA!!

What do you think???

RELATED POSTS:

http://theinartisticbride.blogspot.com/2008/11/holy-sticker-shock.html

Did you know? Napkins: The Finished Product

Drumroll please...........................
Here THEY are, my napkins! I love them! What do you think?

I ordered the napkins from my local BCD Promos (http://bcdpromos.com/default.aspx) supplier. BCD has great selection, it's almost too many choices, and the best prices I could find. Plus, they are super reliable.

I decided to do 2-ply beverage and dinner napkins in white with black printing. You might have noticed that the proofs I posted earlier included our accent color, chartreuse, and the actual photos above are monochromatic. Well, the 2 color printing was almost double the cost, and since these were pricy napkins anyway, I had to say no. I honestly think they turned out better in just black and white, what do you think?

The day after the wedding, I told my husband (heehee...it still gives me the giggles to say that) that I was surprised that no one said anything to me about the napkins because I was so in love with them. He laughed and said that people were coming up to him all night and saying how much they loved the napkins. Also, my aunts and mother said the same thing and they kept telling everyone that there were several types so try to see them all.

OVERALL REVIEW
COST: Expensive! 9 different designs=9 different setup expenses.

TIME: Just a few hours, could probably be done in one night.
DIFFICULTY: Not too bad, the worst part was coming up with the different sayings.

RELATED POSTS

http://theinartisticbride.blogspot.com/2009/05/did-you-know-napkins-setup.html

http://theinartisticbride.blogspot.com/2009/01/did-you-know-napkins.html

Did you know? Napkins: The Setup

As I previously mentioned, I was working on the Did you know? napkins. Well, here's the skinny on the design and setup.

The hardest part was putting together all the facts for our napkins, I decided to do 9 designs, 4 for dinner napkins and 5 for cocktail napkins. I really wanted to keep the facts fun and lighthearted. As you can see from the images of the setup files below, I think I achieved my goal!

I am not a computer genius, so I typically use Microsoft Publisher for design projects and this was no exception. I used my previously created logo and simply typed the text below using my two wedding fonts: Feel Script and Century Gothic. It was a pretty easy process.

The next step was to convert the files to a vector based file. To do this, I downloaded the free trial of Adobe Illustrator from www.adobe.com and copied and pasted my designs from Publisher into Illustrator. Then, I followed these great instructions I found on www.weddingbee.com for vectorizing. By doing this work myself, I saved a $75 setup fee. It was definitely worth the time (about an hour).

I'll follow up soon with some pictures of the finished product! In the meantime, check out the images from the files I used for printing.

I'm married and I'm back!

I'm so sorry.....I know I am a bad blogger!!!! But I promise to be back and better than ever!!!

Here's a sampling of things to come:
-More on planning a wedding while you are also drawing unemployment!
-How to handle being out of town the week of the wedding...I honestly hope no one ever needs this post
-Programs
-Did you know? napkins
-Bridesmaids & Bridal cover-ups
-Flowers
-Centerpieces
-More on invitations
-Wedding Day Timeline
-Reception Layouts
-Candy Bar
-Ceremony Reading Selections
-Other invitations.....rehearsal dinner, teas, etc.


And plenty others to come...including pictures of the event too!

Stay tuned......PLEASE!!

Recession Depression: Photographer

Sorry for the delay...this blogger says sheepishly! But I'm back now!

I've handled another downsized wedding problem and with great results! I talked to my photographer and was able to downsize the cost without downsizing the services. How? Well, my package included a few thousand in albums/pictures/framing. The photographer is going to allow me to pay for those items after the wedding and at my own pace. This is great news! I'm continually surprised at how great people can be!

Recession Depression: Reception Venue

Alright, I've already handled the biggest stressor...the reception venue.

I was very fortunate to get it in writing that I reserved the right to make any changes to the production--thanks Mom! Hard to believe, huh? Well, I booked the venue almost 2 years in advance, so Mom made sure that I was allowed to edit the contract.

So, today I notified the venue that I may need to evoke my right to make changes. I simply explained my situation and that I hoped to retain the original contract, but was unsure at this point. The only area to be hit will be the alcohol. If I remove the drinks, this will reduce the cost by over $6000! Plus, it will also mean that the reception venue is paid completely.

I'm really sad about possibly losing the alcohol, because let's face it: free drinks make guests stay longer and have more fun! But, oh well. I guess a dry wedding is better than bankruptcy...

Recession Depression

I was recently laid off at my job, I've been unemployed for almost a month, with little hope on the horizon. This is extremely stressful because I am paying for the wedding with little help from my mother, who will be covering the cost of the catering. Now with just over 90 days until the wedding, I'm faced with a dilemma, if I want to cancel with any of my vendors, it has to be done in the next 48 hours (90 days before the wedding).

I can see everything I've hoped, planned, budgeted and in some cases paid deposits for going rapidly down the drain. What do I do? Do I forfeit my deposits and do without? Do I try to renegotiate?

Right now, I am weighing all my options. Before Friday, I have to decide on the reception venue, photographer and band.

Stay tuned....

The Inartistic Invitations: Part 2

I've finally finished covering the Bloom Envelopes with the Chartreuse Silk Shantung ribbon.....it was a lot of work. I am so glad I chose the bow-tie that I did because it could have been much worse.

I decided to use a modified Martha Stewart Winged Bow. It's pretty easy, but time consuming, the tricky part is getting everything symmetrical and straightening out the knot.

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Cut a bunch of ribbon, I used approximately 18 inches.

2. Center the ribbon under the envelope.

3. Cross left tail over right one.

4. Knot ribbon by threading left tail behind right one, under, and up through the hole; make sure ribbon is not twisted or bunched.

5. Pull evenly on tails until ribbon has tightened into a clean, smooth knot.

6. Repeat Step 4 & Step 5

7. Fold ends of ribbon under twice and trim if necessary to ensure the bow is symmetrical.

The Inartistic Bride's Etsy Store

I've got big....no, HUGE news! Due the popularity of the Crystal Beaded Toothpicks featured on this blog, I have decided to sell them on Etsy.com!

Please check out my shop! I will be taking requests for colors, styles, etc.

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6751003

RELATED:
http://theinartisticbride.blogspot.com/2008/10/crystal-beaded-toothpicks.html

The Inartistic Invitations: Part 1

The invitations are in and I have been working diligently to get them assembled...which explains the lack of posting.

But, sorry excuses aside, here they are for your review!

Since the invitations are such a big project, I'm going to cover these in a series of posts.

The first step was putting together the RSVP cards. I had to put the stamps on the envelopes and place the cards under the envelope flap. These steps were easy; the most difficult part was placing the stamp on straight. I am using the Forever Stamps, I know they are not the prettiest things, but with a few months before I even mail out the invites, I didn't want to risk postage prices increasing and having to add 1cent stamps at the last minute.

Next, I had to place the invitations on the terra green backer cards. This was slightly difficult and time consuming. I used the Michael's brand glue stick and rolled it over the the edges to create a square and then diagonally across the invitation. It was kinda hard to center the invitation perfectly on the backer card, but after the first few it got easier. Luckily, the glue stick doesn't dry immediately so you can re-adjust the invitation.

I also had to place the RSVP cards and invitations into the bloom envelope and fold the envelope closed. I placed the RSVP card under the invitation and then folded the bloom envelope closed like you would fold a box closed, i.e., one side of each flap on the bottom and one side on the top. I was a little worried about putting the RSVP card under the invitation...would people see it? But I really wanted people to see the invitation upon opening the bloom envelope, so I put it on top and hoped that people would find it.

Next up....the Ribbons!

OVERALL REVIEW

COST: As I mentioned before, these invitations were well-priced.

TIME: So far, it's been a lot of work! The steps I mentioned above took several nights.

DIFFICULTY: These steps were very simple, just time-consuming.

RELATED POSTS:

http://theinartisticbride.blogspot.com/2008/12/design-it-yourself-and-have-someone.html

http://theinartisticbride.blogspot.com/2008/11/bloom-envelopes.html

Did you know...? Napkins

The Winter 2009 issue of InStyle Weddings is on the shelves and my wonderful fiance brought me a copy. As usual, it delivers inspiration.

I instantly fell in love with the cocktail napkins from Christina Moore & John Ducey's wedding featured on page 307. The napkins had various funny little-known facts about the couple.

For example, "Christina has worn glasses since age 6. John wore corrective shoes when he was 6. Nerds find nerds." "Christina was crowned an Acteen Princess. John received a perfect attendance award. No, they did not "peak" in high school."

The picture isn't posted on the InStyle website yet and my scanner is broken, so here is a picture of the picture:





I loved this idea so much that I immediately began planning ours. I plan to have 10 different facts printed on the napkins....more to come!

What NOT to do: Slouch

No one...I mean no one, not even models (see below) look good when slouching.

Sorry, Monique Lhuiller, but this model just ruins it for me. Her bad posture makes her look unhealthy, gives her a stomach pooch and most importantly destroys the lines of the gown.

That is why I am already striving to have good posture like the picture below.

Link Love: Cake Wrecks

I've found a new website to obsess over.....http://www.cakewrecks.blogspot.com/

It is too funny! This blog is a collection of terrible "professional" cakes. Think misspelled words, tacky colors and just plain ugly.

Here's an excerpt:

http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com/2008/09/i-think-ive-just-been-punkd.html

If you guys thought the first wedding disaster cake was bad, hold on to your pantaloons.Alright, let's set the scene: here's what the bride asked for, only in all white with minor green accents.Now, I would tell you to take a moment to prepare yourselves for the horror you're about to witness, but frankly no amount of time would be adequate. So just go ahead and scroll down now.I'll give you a moment.[whistling]Back in your seat now? Good. Because believe it or not, there's more. Aw yeah.1) The top tier still had the Springform pan under it.2) The cake "base" is a metal sign.3) I swear I am not making this up.Ok, so the bottom levels are covered with a fondant lumpier than the Bearded Lady's thighs, and the top tier is the wrong shape and isn't even iced completely. I see all that, and yet you know what the funniest bit to me is? Those green lines up the sides, which I can only assume are attempts at "ribbons": not only are they as unlike ribbons as icing can possibly get, but they don't even line up! Somehow that last bit of lunacy just sends me over the edge.(This post is also the first in a new category: Missed Marks. Because nothing is quite so wrecktastic as when you see what it was supposed to look like.)Now like you, I'm sure, I was highly skeptical about this being a "professional" cake. However, the e-mail came from the bride herself, and she seemed outraged enough to be telling the truth. (Yes, a replacement cake was procured at the eleventh hour.) I can only assume the icing and generic tips in the photo were purchased to try and "fix" the cake after it was picked up. In fact, Vicky C., if you're reading this, you might want to chime in on the Comments section now, just to back me up here.[crickets chirping]Vicky? Er, Vicky, c'mon now, this isn't funny.[crickets still chirping]Seriously, Vicky: tell the people I'm telling the truth. Vicky? Er...Vicky?Vicky?!?UPDATE: YES!! Vicky the bride has spoken!!! Check the Comments section for her assurances of this cake's validity. (You'll have to scroll waaaay down; you guys are certainly letting your voices be heard on this one, aren't you?)

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!