favors

Dec272010

The Actual Reception Location

Seeing as it’s now less than 3 weeks from our wedding reception, my folks called us outside Saturday afternoon to start discussing the logistics and layout of the tents, tables, food, drinks, etc. I’d posted pictures on here not long ago of the yard where the party was going to be held… well that’s totally changed! Rather than party in the big open yard with bad lighting and trenches where dad pulled all the trees out, we’re having it in the yard between their house and ours.

Dad decided to hang a few more light strands around the yard to increase the lighting. It’s a gorgeous area with tons of plants and natural beauty already in place. AKA zero need for additional décor! The strung lights cast plenty of light, but there will also be several spot lights around the yard. Over by the tents, there will be more lights. Good thing my father is so crafty as there are electrical outlets all over the yard perfect for additional lighting.

He’s also going to buy mulch to even out the ground so no one else trips like I did a few weeks ago. I’ve been checking the weather and it is going to be the perfect Miami “winter” with a high of 73* and a low of 53*. So much for my idea of wearing a cute dress! More like a cute sweater with a pair of jeans and maybe boots.

The plant house in the middle of the area

The large tree surrounded by seating, the appetizer/ drinks tent

The food tent

The whole area taken from the area where the seating tents will be located

We still need to make the favors. I bought 100 sheets of origami paper to make the candy dishes and 7lbs of candy. Also need to…
* organize the guest book canvas boards and markers
* make the flags for the centerpieces
* order the food!
* make sure we can borrow tents and chairs from Cathy’s family or else find a place to rent
* buy the centerpieces (6″ plants) and plant sleeves [or maybe make them]
* find table cloths
* clean our house!
* and probably several other things

Dec182010

Chocolate Favors!

OK, so favors. They’re not necessary, but I still think they’re adorable. No, i’m not talking about some little trinket our guests will throw in a drawer, stick on a shelf or throw away… I’m talking about food! More specifically, chocolate Kisses!

Yep, I decided on Kisses bc they’re a lot bigger than M&Ms and they come wrapped. I don’t really want to be touching food people are going to be eating.

Here’s my next choice… the packaging. Do I buy the 2x2x2 boxes and decorate them, or make boxes? Tonight at the bookstore, I was flipping through one of Martha Stewart’s big books of crafts and found a super cute origami candy dish.

So of course, I had to rip a piece of paper out of my little notebook and make one…

Background removed in PhotoShop

I was digging around online to find out the size of standard origami paper, which seems to come in a huge variety of sizes, and found the image below. It’s made of felt sewn together in 4 spots and might just be easier to make. If I find a rotary cutter and a thick mat, I can cut big felt pieces down to size.

Another option, made of felt

The thing with the paper dishes, is I’d buy a bunch of 12×12 scrapbook paper and cut them all down to 6×6. I’m fairly sure it could work.

The other option is to buy some 2x2x2 cardboard boxes and twine to tie them shut. The paper and felt boxes have that personal DIY touch, whereas the boxes have none. Hmm… What to do? What to do?

What would you do?

Dec082010

January Reception on my Mind.. Among Other Things

We’re closing in on the January reception pretty quickly. As of today, we’re about 5 weeks out.

Over the weekend, I started a list of things I want to price check, such as the disposable plates, cups and flatware, the paper lanterns, string lights, and favors. Good thing is, the Christmas clearance sales will be a few weeks prior so I’ll be able to pick up a few dozen twinkle lights for dirt cheap.

Tonight I was debating between Hershey’s Kisses and M&Ms. They’re both chocolate, so chances are it’ll come down to price. I found both on Amazon, free shipping and no tax, so that’s an option if we can’t find them locally. Also, the containers – 2” square, cones, or organza bags – was researched and all can be found on eBay for a song! While the cones are adorable, they’ll only work if I end up with M&Ms as the Kisses will only fit 3 or 4 at most. The 2” boxes max out at 11 Kisses, but I don’t know about the bags. I want favors to have enough chocolate, but not too much.

Hey, at least they’re delicious favors and not something that’ll get thrown in a drawer or stuck on a shelf to collect dust.

We also need to decide on the food, desserts, music, and everything else. Dad has a good rental place for tables and chairs that he uses for a lot of events here. The music is most likely going to be iPod music for background noise.

Food? We’re thinking Pollo Tropical, a bunch of desserts both homemade and store-bought, Publix cake is a given. Umm, yeah I don’t know what else. I know it’ll all work out in the end.

I’m really excited about this party as there are a lot of family members that we haven’t seen in AGES coming in for it, but I also cannot wait for it to be over. I kinda feel like it’s keeping me tied here.

Steve wants to stay for a while so we can pay off/ down our debt, but the job market is horrendous here. For me. He has a job. I wish my aunt had enough work for me to make 40 hours every week instead of every 2 weeks.

I recently updated my LinkedIn profile to denote that I’m doing a nationwide search, not that I think it’ll help. We’ll see. I also started look at alternative options like Teach for America and AmeriCorps. If nothing else, I can do all my research for my yarn store while we’re still living here.

Not having the best day. Sorry for ending this post on kinda a downer note.

Oct052010

October 5 TMW Post

Tweet: 10 fingers. 2 hands. No more extra appendages needed to count. Eep! #wedding

Tweet: at this time next Sunday, I will be forever legally tied to Steve. I don’t think it’s sunk in yet.

Tweet: Feeling very bridal today (t-minus 7 days!) & yep, that’s my dress hanging in the background 😀 http://twitpic.com/2ucmz1

Ok so we’re in the home stretch here folks! My wedding is 5 days away. F-I-V-E D-A-Y-S!! We have a whole slew of countdown tweets. This week has been a bit surreal in terms of the countdown to my wedding. I still have a few things left to do, some of which have been done by the time this entry posts.

Stuff favors with goodies… CHECK!
Spray cake topper with gloss… CHECK!
Pack up cake plates, cake topper, favors, guest canvas & markers, napkins,
Finish addressing and embossing envelopes
Weave in all ends & attach veil to comb… CHECK (see below)
Create packing list… CHECK
Charge all electronics
PACK… [I predict Thursday night for this one]
Book show tickets
Make dinner reservations
… I’m sure there’s stuff missing and I only have 3 days to complete it all since we’re leaving on Friday!

I’m leaving you with a few pictures of my last minute stuff. By the next time I post, I will be MARRIED to my love! There might not be a true post next Tuesday as I will still be in Vegas, but I’ll have my netbook with me to send in a brief update and some pictures!

Also, you lucky folks get to see me around here for 3 more months. That’s right; I will be chronicling the planning of our reception in January for the next few months.

Tweet: My night: Fringe, IMing w/my [best friend] & weaving in the ends of my veil & attaching it to a comb. http://twitpic.com/2ui53k

Tweet: Tadaaaaaaa! #iknitmyweddingveil #itsfinallydone! http://twitpic.com/2uiodu

Tweet: #cheesy cake plate & favor hang tags.. #lastminutestuff #wedding http://twitpic.com/2uro11

Sep282010

September 28 TMW Post

Oh what a bad blogger I am! As you saw in my last post, I have a new job. To say the very least, things are very busy around here. I still need to finish printing and embossing the invitations. The plan is for them to go out while we’re in Vegas so hopefully folks are receiving them before we’re back. This also means that I need to crazy update our website since the link is on every single piece in the invite suite.

Umm oops.

And now, onto my weekly post:

Tweet: It’s so close that it’s a milk expiration date! #101010 #wedding http://twitpic.com/2rz2ac

Well, here we are less than 2 weeks away from our Vegas Vows and there is quite a bit going on. Because we’re having a separate reception back in Miami in January, I only have to worry about coordinating the handful of guests coming to Vegas. At this point, the is my younger brother D, his fantastic girlfriend C, my friend K will be there for another 10-10-10 wedding and hopefully can stop by, Steve’s friend S and his girlfriend. The fab @GlamWife and former TMW bride lives in Vegas and hopefully we’ll be able to meet up during our 5 days in the desert.

So there it is, we have 5 confirmed guests after sending out numerous emails, texts and Facebook messages. One of our friends responded to tell me something came up and they can’t fly out. Another has about 10k in med school apps and interview fees and can’t make it. Totally understandable. There are still a few people that just don’t respond to anything.

Tweet: Foregoing Grand Canyon, seeing @Zumanity & @xBurlesque, lots of sightseeing & hopefully lunch/ dinner w/@GlamWife!

Last night we booked our Zumanity tickets and, while they are pricey, we have pretty damn amazing seats! Like second row on the right side of the stage amazing. I also ordered our water bottle favors. I’m actually going to keep that under wraps since there are a few guests that read this. They’ll be stuffed with some goodies – also keeping under wraps – and shipped to Vegas in advance. Even though we have 5 guests, plus the 2 of us, I ordered 12. I figured we can give them to vendors or our parents.

Steve and I opted not to do the Grand Canyon day trip. We’re going to spend the day in Vegas enjoying our day after the wedding glow wandering around, hanging by the pool and just enjoying ourselves. My brother and his girlfriend (who celebrated their 2 year anniversary yesterday!) are still going to the Grand Canyon.

Tweet: wow. i knew it would be busy, but wow… http://bit.ly/bbTDqy #101010 wedding in Vegas

If you don’t feel like clicking the link, here’s the text that has me worried:

IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING OCTOBER 10, 2010

We expect the Marriage License Bureau to be very busy October 7-10, 2010. If you plan to obtain a marriage license on one of those days, we encourage you to:

Complete the Online Pre-Application form. This will save time when you arrive to obtain your license.
Be sure to have proper identification.
If possible, come to the Marriage License Bureau one or two days before your wedding. If you must come on October 10, arrive a minimum of 4 hours before your ceremony is scheduled to be sure you are not rushed on your special day.
Dress for the weather as you may be waiting in line outside. Temperatures can reach the mid-90s in October.

This just freaks me out. We are getting married on THE most popular date of the entire year in the wedding capital of the world. Yep, we’re crazy. According to the LV Courts website, the wait for a marriage license can be several hours, like exceeding 4 hours, whereas it’s normally an hour at most. I’ve already told Steve that I plan on getting us up and out of the hotel by 8am on Saturday, taking the bus Gold line to the court house and hopefully be out of there by 10am. The only other thing we need to do is be at the hotel for our Retro Bakery cake and cupcakes delivery around 6pm or so. I need to check on the time as the date gets closer so we’re at the hotel.

Tweet: 2 weeks from today I’ll be waking up in Vegas on my wedding day #101010

I posted this Sunday morning… And then all day long I had Katy Perry’s “Waking up in Vegas” running through my head.

Sep072010

{Potential} Vegas Favors

source: DiscountMugs.com

I am back to contemplating personalized water bottle for Vegas favors. I got a coupon via email from DiscountMugs.com for 16% off. Yeah, totally random number, right? Anyhow, for 25 polycarbonate water bottles, with personalization, free shipping, and the discount, they’ll be $3.76 a piece. Locally I’ve seen plain bottles for $4 and up. Even though there are 25 people coming to Vegas, more bottles won’t go to waste with family, friends, and vendors to dole them out to and besides, 25 is cheaper than 10. =)

I know not everyone gives a crap about personalized wedding favors. My thinking is by making the personalization something very simple, like just our names, the date and city, it’ll be appreciated. Plus, doesn’t everyone love water bottles? No? Well I do!

I’m thinking the above bottles with this personalization, in black, as close to the bottom of the bottle as I can have them print it:

Whatcha think of the design? I’d love to be able to get these for the Miami reception as well. Only problem? 200 bottles costs upwards of $400 and that’s really not in the budget in any way shape or form…

Aug222010

Busy Week in Review

Hello friends!

There is so much going on these days… and by so much, I mean wedding/ reception DIY projects, uploading listings to my etsy site, revamping my website, tweaking my business cards (and trying to find the money to pay for them), making jewelry, browsing online for jewelry findings, etc etc etc.

So yeah, DIY projects: I’m trying to make jewelry to wear for the wedding, but the beads I have at home are slightly lacking. I’ve been scouring several websites (Beadaholique, Fire Mountain Gems) for new beads, Swarovski pearls, and findings for both my personal jewelry and also for stuff to post to Etsy.

Personal Picture

Also, I’m now contemplating these adorable favors, alligator cookie cutters! Or rather, buying these and making them into favors for Vegas. I am currently obsessed with baking and, well, I am a Gator for life. Perfect, eh? After posting them on Twitter, my friend suggested mini alligator candy molds. That might make it as Miami favors: little chocolates. Although, the be fair, Steve has already said he wants to do M&M’s for the Miami favors.

Image source

I did a test run with the canvas boards I bought. Using BIC-MarkIt markers and drawing right on the untreated (by me) canvas was perfect. It looks like I’ll be taking an 8×10 canvas board with the bag of markers to Vegas. I feel so good knowing that at least this part has been resolved. And since it’s 8×10, it’s easy to frame.. yay!

Personal photo

Right now my Etsy site only has 2 items posted. It will, eventually, have a lot more. I’m kinda bummed that Etsy changed up their site design since now my profile, with a whole lot more information than before, only shows a few lines. Boo!

Wanna see my full profile? I thought so…

Hello and Welcome!

I am a graphic designer and recent bride.

As a designer, I thrive on unique and creative to market my business. I create custom business cards (both standard 3.5″x2″ and square 2″x2″ or 2.25″x2.25″), print and web logos, letterhead, and just about anything else you can dream up.

As a recent bride, I struggled to find the perfect paper products for our wedding and decided to create my own. Our package included announcement cards, reception invitations and RSVP cards, along with Photo upload cards. Check out all the sample images in this shop to get an idea of what I can make for you.

Also, I was never truly satisfied with the necklace, bracelet and earring sets I found online, and so I made my own. I have several individual pieces and sets available for purchase. I use all sorts of materials and can easily get whatever your vision requires.

Along with the paper products, I designed several stamps, cupcake flags, water bottle logos, favor bag logos for iron-on transfers, and much more.

Do you have a specific vision for your wedding or special event?
Does your business need branding or re-branding?
Custom orders are always welcome.

Cheers!
Becca

You’d be intrigued to buy from me, right? What other design products would you want to see posted?

Aug132010

Flowers and Favors

With t-minus 56 days until we leave for Vegas and 58 days until the wedding, it’s probably time to start working on stuff to take, right? Yeah, me too. This weekend I’m planning on working on my bouquet and the welcome bags… and hopefully embossing all the envelopes for the reception.

Bouquet

This is my initial mock-up thrown together sometime last year and was for the bridesmaids when we were still having a bridal party. Since I purchased enough for 3 bridesmaids and my own, larger bouquet, I have quite a few to work with to make mine a lot fuller. This bouquet is wrapped with a royal blue ribbon then overwrapped with a translucent white ribbon with silver stars. I might switch it up to the orange and blue ribbons. Or even just the blue ribbon and use the orange to hang my memory lockets from. My what?

This one has orange/ red orchids, white miniature calla lilies, grass “filler” and stephanotis flowers. So basically my bouquet meaning is love, beauty, magnificent beauty, and marital happiness. There’s lots of beauty here apparently. I also have tulips, but have no idea how they will match.

Personal picture

Guest bags

I am planning on buying 14″x16″ canvas totes from Cheap Totes and using the iron-on transfer paper I already purchased, putting the graphic below onto it to stuff with goodies for our Vegas attendees. Since I don’t have the bags yet… well or a printer for that matter… umm, OK not much I can do with this project.

In the bags, I’m planning on putting aluminum water bottle, deck of cards, candy, chips, gum, aspirin, transportation maps… what else do you suggest?

Actually, do you have a good printer recommendation for me? It needs to have wifi capabilities since I have a very mobile laptop. If I can buy one this weekend, then I’ll be working on printing this stuff.

The bag: source

Personal picture

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