This is danibanani09's Green Wedding!

While looking for a gift for my best friend's college graduation I came across this really neat website where you can make a guest book. Rather than guests just signing their names, they each get a page to fill out that will go into the book. We had a photobooth scrapbook at our wedding where everyone put their photobooth pictures into an album and wrote us messages. The guests LOVED it, and we had a blast looking through it after the wedding. I cherish it so much, versus our traditional guest book that half the guests forgot to sign and isn't very interesting to look at. Had we not had the photobooth scrapbook, this is definitely something I would have done at my wedding. Just wanted to share for anyone interested!

http://www.guestbookstore.com/wedding.html

Several people had asked me about selling some of my wedding items. Sorry I am just now getting around to it, but half of the stuff was still at my mom's house after the wedding and she just got it to me recently. I will list what I have for sale below. Prices will not include shipping, as I have not brought anything to the post office to see how much it would be. I promise to charge you for shipping only exactly what I pay for it. I have included pictures of the items as they are now, and also pictures of the items at the wedding so you can see how they were used. Email me if interested.

1. Damask table runners (Dandy Damask pattern by Michael Miller)
I have 7 of these runners, did have 8 but somehow one got lost. They are 82" long x 14" wide. The lime green ribbon was put on using stitch witchery because when we attempted to sew on the ribbon it made it pucker up. This is good news for those of you who want to take the green ribbon off, as it is already loose in some places and will probably come off very easily. For anyone who wants the green, you could either replace it all or just re-iron the areas that are coming loose. I am asking $70 for these runners, plus the cost of shipping which shouldn't be much.

2. Damask table squares (Dandy Damask pattern by Michael Miller)
I have 13 of these table squares, each measuring 12" x 12". Same thing applies as above in regards to the green ribbon. $40 for all 13, plus shipping. We used these for the 4 seater tables, but they could also be used for accenting a candy buffett, or whatever else you might think of.

3. I have several pieces of scrap dandy damask fabric that was left over from making the runners and table squares. I have 3 pieces that are 60" x 14" and a few other random pieces. Make me an offer, will probably sell it cheap if you're buying the runners or table squares


4. *******SOLD*******Damask gift bags and gifts cards $10 + shipping
I used these bags to put some of my bridesmaid's gifts into. They measure 8.5" x 6" when lying flat. There are 5 of the bags and 9 of the cards. I'm basically only charging for the bags since I bought the cards for $1 :)

4. Chandelier $25 + shipping
Our florist put flowers all over it and we hung it from our arch (see pics). Shipping will probably be a little more because it's metal.

5. Card Box $20
Please look carefully at the pics, as there are a couple small sections that are yellowed from the sun (it was in my car for a few days after the wedding, we live in FL). If you have an evening wedding, I assure you this WILL NOT show. This card box has been sitting in my living room since the wedding and I don't notice the slight discoloration at all (and I am very detail oriented!). You will see it only if it is in bright lighting.

6. *******SOLD******* Damask cut out Frames $30 plus shipping
There are three of these, two 4"x6" and one 5"x7". We used one for the appletini fountain, one for the photobooth directions, and one for the bar. These are very nice quality frames. Goes well with damask pattern without actually being a printed damask.

7. Chargers
I have 2 black plastic chargers. They look very nice and you can only tell they are plastic if you pick them up. As you can see in the pic we used them on our sweetheart table, I think they really added a little something. $5 + shipping for both.

these are a few of the professional pictures. I still can't believe our wedding is over :(
It was too much fun! I want to have a wedding every year!

www.curtissmithphotography.com

I have these pictures of me making the aisle runner and the chocolate lollipop favors. The wedding is over, but I'm still proud of all my hard work and wanted to show how everything turned out. The aisle runner was a pain in the neck to paint but was worth every second! I wouldn't recommend anyone make chocolate lollipop favors. They turned out great and everyone loved them, but WHAT A MESS!

Well I know I haven't been on here in forever... the wedding planning got so stressful there at the end that I just never had a free second to log on. Just thought I would share some pictures with you guys!

Everything went great for the most part. The things that didn't go as planned, well I did my best to cope. The florist walked in to where I was getting ready just a few hours before the wedding to deliver the bouquets for me and my 7 bridesmaids. Theirs looked beautiful, just how I had asked them to be. Mine, however, was a complete floral disaster. I had asked for white peonies and green orchids. She comes in with this tiny little bouquet (smaller than the bridesmaids') of green hydrangeas and green orchids. She proceeds to tell me that "the farmer froze the peonies and I didn't want to call you and freak you out so I just made this". ARE YOU KIDDING? In what world would a bride rather get a surprise bouquet verus talking it over with the florist and deciding on something else. I was livid. To make it worse she had no other flowers with her for me to choose from other than my centerpieces and the ceremony flowers. She ended up stealing white roses from my toss bouquet and some of the hanging amaranthus from the ceremony, and the end result was beautiful (although still not what I wanted). I know she gave me a "discount", but still. I didn't spend $5,000 on flowers to have a dinky bouquet that paled in comparison to the bridesmaid's. I never dreamed I'd have to deal with something like that on the day of the wedding. So, learn from my nightmare and tell your florist beforehand ot consult with you for everything no matter what!!!

The photobooth was a hit. People are still talking about it! The only drawback was that people loved it so much they spent more time inside of it than on the dance floor! Everyone loved the scrapbook idea. I thought people would be annoyed at having to take time to cut the pictures, tape them down and write a message. I have never been more wrong about anything. Our scrapbook was completely filled before the night was even over. Nobody knew, but the photobooth company gave us a CD with every picture that was taken inside the booth. Everyone was shocked when I posted their "candid" pictures on facebook! While it was very expensive to do, this is one thing I will never regret spending money on!

The centerpieces were SO awesome. While I still hate the florist for what she did with my bouquet, I have to admit the centerpieces were just how I had asked. My pictures don't do them any justice whatsoever. I'm hoping the professional pictures will.

The cake was wonderful, the crystal cake topper was not exactly what I had envisioned but it still looked great. I was in the reception area a few hours before the wedding arranging all of the crystals and I was just running out of time. Everyone was ready except for me!

The appletini fountain was a hit, and it looked so awesome! My 14 year old sister/bridesmaid had one too many of those. Actually, a lot of people had one too many.... That plus the free beer and wine turned into quite the little party!

My mom begged Joey not to wear his mohawk during the ceremony. He put it up right before the reception, and we also changed out of our formal shoes and into our Converse! The DJ announced Joey and I to "livin on a prayer" by Bon Jovi. We had planned it months ago, and it couldn't have been any cooler! There are a lot of rockers in my family so they in particular were going crazy. My aunt a few days ago said to me "I don't know what kind of music you're supposed to announce the bride and groom to, but all I know is I felt like I was more at a concert than a wedding!"

We did our first dance to Adam Sandler's "I want to grow old with you". Everyone thought it was adorable. We've been together for 11 years, and all we wanted on our wedding day was to have a good time and show people that we don't take ourselves too seriously. At the same time, I had very high expectations for the way I wanted things to look, and the feedback I got from everyone was amazing. In the end, all of the hardwork, the slaving over chocolate heart lollipop favors, painstakingly making our aisle runner, cutting a million invitations, menus, and table numbers... it all worked out in the end and I am so proud of how our wedding turned out. For any of you that are discouraged by the amount of time and effort you are having to put in, just try to sit back and savor it, because I promise it will be over and you'll be wishing you could get all those moments back!

I have a lot of damask stuff that I don't need anymore. I'm thinking of selling some of it, so if you look through my blog and see anything you are interested in just let me know!

We met with the photographer last weekend to do our "pre-wedding" photos. I think they're technically called engagement photos, but 4 years after our engagement and 3 weeks before the wedding I think they are anything but. Anyways, they turned out really great! I am a terrible model so it's a good thing our photographer knows what the hell he's doing. We are supposed to choose one to have enlarged for our reception. It's been difficult because I love them all. My friends are no help because they all have a different favorite. I just wanted to see what you all thought!

www.curtissmithphotography.com

We sent out our invitations in the middle of January. I am just now getting around to posting this but I think it's worth telling you all about! I agonized over whether or not to spend the extra money to make our own photo stamps on stamps. com. At first I wanted to, then when I realized how much extra it was going to cost I decided against it. When I went to the post office to buy stamps for the invitations and reply cards I couldn't believe how ugly they were. I didn't spend all that money on beautiful envelopes and calligraphy to put some terrible peach heart stamp on the front. I looked at a couple different places (zazzle.com, stamps. com) and went with stamps.com because it was a tiny bit cheaper. And, quite frankly, I didn't like that the Zazzle stamps say "zazzle.com" on them. I have to tell you, since we've been getting the reply cards back and talking with our guests, so many of them have commented on the stamps. Of course there are always people who don't notice, but for the most part it really just adds that extra something and pulls it all together. We went with the chandelier graphic that matches all of our other stuff and added the green border. Well anyway, all of that was just to tell those of you considering these stamps that it does make a difference. Your guests WILL notice them. The stamps definitely weren't in my original budget, but I am a freak about details and this is one thing that I'm glad I splurged on.

We met with the florist last weekend to make all the final decisions about the flowers, everything from the ceremony, the bouquets, the centerpieces, etc. I went through and told her everything we wanted, and when she came back with the estimate I about fell over. $5,000! And that was supposed to be a DISCOUNT because we know them. It was double what we had budgeted. It totally sucks, but there isn't really anything I can cut back on without sacrificing what I want. Part of the problem is that we are using a lot of cymbidium orchids which are pricey. There aren't too many flowers in the right shade of green though. Also, with seven bridesmaids at $75 per bouquet I can understand why it's so much. And the centerpieces are absolutely beautiful, tall and elaborate with hanging candles, crystals, etc. Did anyone else spend this much on flowers? I mean, I see the point of view of those who think "they're just going to get thrown away!". But at the same time, I think the flowers are so important for the look I want to achieve. For me to change anything would be pretty upsetting because it's what I've had my heart set on. Why oh why must I have such expensive taste???

***UPDATE: I did end up making all the wedding invitations, and I got so many compliments it was just ridiculous. Not a single person knew that I made them myself (until I told them of course). It took me hours and hours to get them all perfect, but they turned out so amazing! After all the sweat and tears I can say overall that I am glad I made the decision to do them myself, rather than buy ordinary, overpriced, mass produced invitations. ****

I am starting to feel a little overwhelmed with all the DIY projects I have left. And now added to the list are the invitations. We had previously chosen some online, but after a while we decided they just weren't really "us". We looked everywhere for something that we both liked and came to the conclusion that we'd have to make our own if we were ever going to agree on anything. These are not going to be any cheaper than buying invitations from a company, and will obviously be more work for me. That's the sacrifice I guess I have to make to keep everyone happy! I want them to have an elegant/vintage feel without being too boring, and he wants them to have a bit of a modern/edgy look (he's a total punk rocker lol). This is what we came up with. I am ordering black linen cardstock (awesome quality, but expensive) for the backing and white cardstock to print on. I'm also getting matching black linen A7 and A2 envelopes for the rsvp card and the invitation. This is a mock invite we did, I just wanted to know what everyone thinks. At first I really liked it, but you know how after you stare at something for a while you start to hate it? That's how I'm starting to feel about these invitations. FH really likes them though. I can't emphasize enough what a rough draft this is. The corners are going to be slightly more rounded, I just didn't have the right corner cutter until today. Also, this is printed on copy paper and very hastily cut and glued on black construction paper. Obviously the cardstock we will actually be using will be 1,000 times better. I love the little Swarovski crystal, but I think I'm going to get the clear ones instead of the multicolored.

So, if you got this invitation in the mail, would you like it???

Even though it's going to cost me an arm and a leg, I'm thinking of hiring a professional to do calligraphy for the envelopes. One of my bridesmaids has really nice handwriting and had said she would do all the addressing. I hate to say it but she is just so unreliable due to her busy schedule, so I really don't want to leave such a big project in her hands.

I am probably nuts for doing this, but I've decided to make my own wedding invitations. I was looking on etsy.com at invitations that other people have made, and know I can make them myself just as good if not better. I had previously picked out an invitation from a company in Georgia, and while I did like them they just didn't "wow" me. Up until now the invitations haven't been something that I've given too much though about, but now all of a sudden I want them to be perfect. It's the first glimpse people will get of the wedding so I guess they are a pretty important aspect. ANYWAYS, all of that was to ask this: I wanted to use black linen envelopes, and was going to order them on paperandmore.com. Then it dawned on me, how will I write on them? Silver metallic pen? Is that tacky? I was just wondering if anyone else had black envelopes for their invites and what they are writing on them with. I love black envelopes because I think they look so classy. Is silver ink going to make it look cheap?