Centerpieces

For our centerpieces on the tables at the reception I wanted something not on Pinterest. Not that Pinterest is bad, I just didn't want to have the same reception as everyone else. Then I was stuck. It's kind of hard to think of these things on your own. Jordan had beta fish in cool vases. Jaime had cornocopias of flowers (she got married right around Thanksgiving). Brooke (who also got married right after Christmas) had ornaments. The bar had been set! I thought of something but I Googled it just to see what it would look like. There weren't many options on Google but it looked like it could work. So it was settled. We would have books as centerpieces.

I wanted thick, hardback books that had red covers. In order to save money we went to every thrift store around us. We nearly cleaned out all the red covered hardback books! But we found some pretty good finds. Plus, if you're like me and love the smell of old books it was great. It took us some time to do this but we bought about 4 or 5 books for each table.

Now came for the set up. We placed 2 table runners on the table over a white tablecloth. One was wider and was red. The other went on top of the red and was the gold color. We found square and circle mirrors at the dollar store and also battery powered candles (off-white and darker red.) We placed the candles wrapped with a band of ribbon on the mirrors and gave each table two candle and mirror combos. We then sorted the books in size order so it was easy to put them on the tables in nice stacks. We then plopped a Harry Potter book or Lord of the Rings book in the pile because these are our favorites! Now, our centerpieces were personalized.

To top it all off, we put 4 framed (gold frames from Target, Wal-Mart and the dollar store, not too hard to find them) pictures of us on each table. Three of the pictures were from when we were little and one of the both of us. And voila, beautiful centerpieces!

When deciding centerpieces think of the theme your wedding has or stick with the wedding colors. Pictures are always and easy go to and they're also fun. There are a lot of things you can do with pictures. Pinterest is a pretty good place to look for ideas of things to do with pictures or anything else, really. Think of something that fits both your personalities even if it's subtle.  If your venue allows candles, those create a wonderful glow to the room and can be more pleasing than regular lights. Battery powered candles work great too. Flowers are also a simple and elegant option. Flowers are especially welcome at spring and summer weddings. Centerpieces should enhance the overall feel of the reception hall and the wedding itself.

DIY S'Mores Wedding Favors...again

Remember how I said I'd post pictures of the wedding favors and I never did? Well...I'm sorry! Please forgive me. Let's try this post again!

Since we got married in the winter I wanted a wedding favor that somehow related to it. I found some ideas on Pinterest and the one I loved the most was S'mores in a box. It was quite simple. We ordered boxes that opened like a match box only bigger. *Finding deals online was a HUGE saver for the wedding in almost all the decorating part! We bought a bag of mini marshmallows, graham crackers, some full sized Hershey bars, toothpicks, thread and matches (I will tell you how we waterproofed matches in another post.)

My mom and I popped in a movie and got to work. We found that the name brand Honey Maid was far better at breaking into the quarters where the perforation was compared to generic. Plus they taste better. We cut them with a knife, carefully, and one by one. There was still a lot of breakage. Good thing those are tasty!
Then we cut the Hershey's bar up. Each box was to receive two graham cracker sections and two chocolate sections. The chocolate bar cut easily if we also did it carefully, not going to fast or applying too much pressure. There was some breakage. Good thing those are tastier!

Then we stuck 3 marshmallows on a toothpick. There was no breakage there. It was quite easy.
Next we tied 2-3 matches together with thick thread (twine would've worked too) and stuck them in the box.
The box lid just slid right over the other box.

We printed off witty labels that said our names, the wedding date and things like S'more happiness or S'more fun. The labels came with a link to the company's website where you could put the design you wanted and print them right.

And ta da! S'mores in a box!

Wedding receptions!

We've been sharing a lot about Jasmine's fantastic wedding reception, but she's not the only member of our family tying the knot. Our cousin, who happens to be just 8 days younger than Jasmine, got married last month! Jasmine and I were able to attend. If you're looking for wedding reception inspiration, check out these fun ideas!

The ceremony

(sorry, no pictures allowed inside)

The happy couple!

My son, always the bridesman.
(This is amazingly clear of snow. Some people had to hike up other stairs
that were so full, their high snow boots also filled with snow!)

The luncheon

Hosted by the groom's parents, the luncheon was held in their church building. 

Friends and family provided soup, salad, rolls and desserts.

Tablescape, table of honor

Lots of Valentine candy to match the very, very varied color scheme!

My kids with my aunt, the lovely mother of the bride

My grandparents with my kids. This picture is true life.

The reception

The reception was held in an event room at the local library. They also coordinated with a decorator through the library, which was weird for the Wayward Girls (we seriously asked three times when we needed to be there to help set up), but also really nice.

The entrance: guestbook, a vintage suitcase for cards, along with some other cool vintage touches. 

The picture of the couple is from a photo session they did in advance (along with her bridals?).

Table centerpieces: fresh flowers, engagement photos, books, birdcage, ceramic birds . . .
(My youngest under the white flowers)

The receiving line and backdrop (Jasmine isn't a part of it, she's just chatting)

FOOD!

It's what you really want to see, isn't it?

A rainbow of lemonades to match the wedding colors!

Lemonade, blue raspberry (with blackberries?), pink, peach (with blueberries) and water 

My son made sure our whole table stayed topped off with the color of their choice.

Some of the cupcake spread--friends and family provided 600 cupcakes! 

Also to eat: pre-plated cream cheese chicken salad on croissants, chocolate drizzled strawberries, and cucumber/mozzarella/tomato toothpicks drizzled with dressing. Yum!

The wedding cake: white cake layered with raspberry filling, with an ivory and white lace stencil pattern on fondant.

The groom's cake: Chocolate mustache cake!

Fun!

A friend set up a professional photo booth in a side room and provided props, a backdrop, lights and a photographer (her husband) for a fun photobooth. My kids loved it!

It was a lot of fun!

Jasmine's Wedding!

Happy New Year from the Wayward Girls! We were SO happy to be all together for Christmas and for Jasmine's wedding. She was a GORGEOUS bride and they made a beautiful, happy couple.

Her wedding was so perfect. Jasmine was married in the Raleigh, North Carolina Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. According to our beliefs, the marriage ceremony sealed Jasmine and her husband and their future children together forever. This means that if they are faithful to our covenants to God and each other, their family relationships will continue beyond this life. Our family was so happy that Jasmine and her husband made this choice. The ceremony was beautiful, and although pictures are not permitted inside the temple, I will always remember it. It was also special that all four girls have been married in the Raleigh temple.

Here are some pictures I captured from that day (and a few that other people captured from that day):

Since the wedding all the Wayward Girls have gotten sick in one way or another or are on their honeymoon =) We will be taking the rest of the week off to recover from illness, vacation and the wedding. Thank you for your support of Wayward Girls' Crafts in 2012! We look forward to more crafting in 2013!

Over Sized Playing Card Post Card

The Wayward Girls are very excited for Jasmine's upcoming nuptials. Now we can plan a wedding with the help (or hindrance, depending on how you look at it) of Pinterest. To congratulate Jasmine, I made her a fun post card.

I bought these Heidi Swapp playing cards a long time ago--maybe 5 years ago? I fell in love with them but could never scrap with them because I loved them too much. Makes tons of sense, huh? Anyways, it was time to finally use them for a card for the new queen of diamonds.

 

This craft was very easy. All I did was write my message on an index card and tape it on the back. Addressed it, added a stamp and it was good to go! Note: this message was a recreation, since I didn't take a picture of the back of the card before sending it.

Jasmine was surprised and happy with her card. What more can you ask for?

If you're looking for some over sized playing cards, Amazon has some here

Blogger Absence Apology

Dear Wayward Girls' Crafts Readers,
 I am so sorry I have been absent for the past couple of weeks. Here's my excuse for totally forgetting to blog two weeks ago: It was a busy week of work and helping my dear sister, Brooke, move into a new home and helping her pack and move and unpack and having to pack for my own vacation and please imagine me saying this all in one breath. So, it's ALL Brooke's fault for that week's post. Ok, not really, I could've prepared something but I really had no time to craft so I guess I'll take SOME of the blame...but most of it can go on Brooke.
Now as for last week, I was out of town visiting a special someone. This turned out to be quite a good trip. A special shout out to Jordan for providing many miles of traveling entertainment! I greatly appreciate it. I'm sure Becca liked spending time with her best fwiend evay as well. I got to see my cousins, old roommates, lots of Bison (quick trip to Yellowstone...well it wasn't quick but you know what I mean), and then on Wednesday of last week, I found this weird thing...and then that special someone was on one knee...and then I said YES!! And now...

I'M ENGAGED! which means, get prepared for a WHOLE lot of wedding related posts. I will be getting married December 28th of this year!

Oh and did I mention it's my BIRTHDAY! Yay! What a happy day it is to announce my engagement to you all on my birthday!

Families

Sorry it's been a busy day! For Christmas I made these for Jaime and Brooke (this Christmas Jordan will get one) the past couple of years. We believe in eternal families that start through marriage. Here's more on what we believe.
Here's how to do it!

You need is an 8x10 wedding portrait, a picture frame and a piece of translucent paper. For Jaime, her wedding colors were pink so I chose pink translucent paper but I couldn't find Brooke's color in time for Christmas. Adding color is a cute touch of the wedding. Easy beezy! I chose cute a candid of the bride and groom for both sisters. Also, I chose photos where they are standing somewhat apart so the line in the Family Proclamation doesn't end up cutting through either of them (especially their face!) All you need to do is print the Family Proclamation on the translucent paper. Then layer the pictures and put them in the frame. Bada bing bada boom, there you have it! Simple and beautiful.

Is a Vintage Wedding for You: the quiz

Skip to the quiz

Over the weekend, we attended a wedding reception. It was very nice. They went with a vintage theme.

It was in a backyard, and the trees were decorated with picture frames hung by ribbons, a little like this photo by Matthew Morgan from another vintage-themed wedding:

The centerpieces were beautiful roses and moss arranged with fine china teacups, which could be a gorgeous centerpiece any time:

Vintage wedding themes are really popular right now. It really worked for this couple. (Well, the bride, at least. I didn't really know the groom.) This theme can create a classic, timeless feel for your wedding.

Ooooor not. A wedding should be about the couple and who they really are, not what they think is popular right now. So how can you tell if a vintage wedding is for you?

I made you a handy little quiz. Ta-DA!

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Is a Vintage Wedding for You?

1.) Do you now or have you ever owned any of the following: a pillbox hat, kitten heels, real pearls, saddle shoes, a hat with a veil or feathers, a tea-length ball gown dress, etc.?
a. Are you joking? No! Not since the '80s.
b. Are you joking? You just described basically my whole wardrobe.
c. Huh?

2.) If yes to #1, did you own it because your parents gave it to you/it's part of a costume/you thought it was funny/you are a very ironic hipster?
a. *hanging head in shame* Yes
b. No! Don't be ridiculous!
c. But it was hilarious. You have no sense of humor. (What's a hipster?)

3.) If no to #1, do you know what those things are?
a. I thought you were making them up.
b. Of course. I just haven't gotten around to them yet.
c. Does a micro mini = tea length? Kitten heels = leopard print? (And what's a hipster?)

4.) How long have you wanted to have a vintage wedding?
a. Maybe a yearish? Maybe two?
b. Four or five years and/or pretty much all my life.
c. Ever since I saw these gorgeous wedding pictures on this one website, like last week.

5.) Is there a difference between something that's vintage style and just plain vintage?
a. Not . . . really. Is this a trick question? I mean, I can see you've used the word "style" there, but don't trip me up in these semantics!
b. Of course. Is this a real question?
c. Vintage style looks good, and vintage is when wine was made.

6.) Do you consider leg warmers "vintage"?
a. Uh . . . I guess so. Sure.
b. Are you joking?
c. Yeah. Definitely not vintage style.

7.) Is your gown vintage or vintage style?
a. Not really. But I'm sure it will be. It's a classic.
b. One or the other.
c. Ugh, no. My wedding dress is HOTTT.

8.) Have you swooned over a certain royal wedding?
a. Prince William and Kate Middleton? Of course! It's inspiring my wedding!
b. Prince Rainier and Grace Kelly? Of course! It inspired my life!
c. Snooki got married?

9.) Will the rest of the wedding party be wearing vintage clothes or a vintage style?
a. That's a little much--I mean, not everybody wants to wear that.
b. Yes, and they're going to look AMAZING.
c. Do Bump Its count?

10.) Do you really want a vintage wedding?
a. Duh. Have you seen how cool they look?
b. Duh. I can't imagine having any other kind.
c. Duh. It's the hottest thing this year.

Scoring
Mostly A's: Well. Maybe. I think you should find a theme that fits your own style better.

Mostly B's: Definitely. How could you not?

Mostly C's: Whoa. No. Step away from the vintage! And while we're at it, put down the hairspray and fake tanner!

What do you think? Do you want (or did you have) a vintage wedding? Who are vintage weddings best for?