snichols34's Black Wedding Blog - Wedding By Color

Market Place - Items for sale!

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 18:45:00 PST

More items for sale: picture #1 - black white flocked damask accent lamp. Uses a 25W bulb (included). Measures 11.5" tall by 6" diameter. $5 + shipping. picture #2 - (also of the lamp listed above). Two candlestick pomander displays. Each is on a black ornate candlestick with gold accents. Topped with a pomander of silk red ranunculus flowers and wire "bling" criss-crossed over it. This "bling" can be cut off easily if it does not go with your decor. Candlesticks, with flower pomanders, measure 21" tall and 19" tall with both being 6" diameter at the widest point. $20 for the set + shipping. picture #3 & #4 - two large dark red silk hydrangea wreaths, measuring 23" at the longest point. Both wreaths have a black/white scroll pattern ribbon at the top to hang. Attached are a "J" inital & an "S" inital in white wood. These can be removed (if you request, I will do it for you before shipping). Great for the church front doors. $15 each + shipping. picture #5 - approximately 1,000 dark red silk rose petals. $5 + shipping. Two tassel ties, one dark red, one black. Each have a 6" tassel with 28" total length ties. I used these on a candelabra to accent and tie tulle decorations. $3 each + shipping. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or would like to inquire about shipping!

Market Place - Black White Damask Table Squares for Sale

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 18:29:00 PST

Ladies, this will be the first of several items to be listed for sale. Like most WBC brides, I have tons of items that I no longer need post-wedding! I'm not sure if any of you can use them, but its worth a try. :) I have: -18 approximately 36" square black white table squares. These are cotton, handmade squares made of Michael Miller's Dandy Damask pattern. There is one square with a faded red wine stain on the corner. Not overly noticeable but I want any buyers to be informed, especially if you are buying the set. These squares are $10 each + shipping. The photo was taken on a 120" round table. - 2 approximately 12" x 112" long black white table runners. Also made of the Dandy Damask pattern. They are $10 each + shipping as well. If you are interested in several of these, please let me know & I will figure out how much shipping will be to your area.

Our Wedding Day - Just some quick pictures...

Tue, 13 Jul 2010 08:56:00 PST

I've gotten a few photos sent by friends of the wedding & wanted to share what I had. Everything went very well & was more lovely than I could have imagined. I'll post more as I have them! :)

Wedding Countdown - Its TODAY!!

Sat, 10 Jul 2010 03:12:00 PST

Expecting a whirlwind, fabulous day!!

Three days left! - I can be calm... I can be calm...

Wed, 07 Jul 2010 08:05:00 PST

Months & months of planning... finally coming down to the actual event. I can't believe how excited I am!! Also very worried I might forget something - like to bring my dress?? LOL. I'll post pics as soon as I have them!

Wedding Gift Registry - The Mystery Gifts

Mon, 28 Jun 2010 11:36:00 PST

Has anyone else gotten mystery gifts? These seem to be gifts that are ordered off one of the places we've registered, sent to us, but without a note or any indication of who its from. YIKES. I'm hoping that these people send a card or something letting me know they'd sent us something. I hate not knowing who to thank.

Wedding Ceremony - Finally an officiant!!

Fri, 25 Jun 2010 08:25:00 PST

Two weeks out & finally a replacement officiant!! HAPPY DANCE!!

Tux Frustration! - My Bridezilla Moment

Thu, 24 Jun 2010 09:57:00 PST

At the end of May, I brought my son in to have his measurements done for his tux. FH had already has his done a couple weeks before. The gentleman that usually helped us (the manager) was not working that day, so the asst. manager took care of us. After she measured, she told me they were going to change over to a new computer system & she would let the manager key everything in the next day. No problem! Two weeks later, I went into the store to pay for the balance of the tux & found it wasn't even entered into the system. She (the same asst manager) told me she would set the papers on the manager's desk for him to enter in the following day since again, he was not working that day. A week later, I returned & still the tux was not entered in system. Then I waited 45 minutes while the same asst. manager attempted to call the manager on his day off (he did not answer), and try to learn how to key the tux in herself. It did not work. I was assured it would be entered in no more than two days later. So Tuesday I'd hit my limit. I decided I would call them every day until I got the manager. And every day I called I got some snotty clerk that could not be bothered & was highly annoyed that needed to speak to the manager. OMG! I finally got him today. Still it was not in the system. He explained that it kept being kicked out because the jacket and pants were such an odd size combination (my son is very tall). Personally I didn't care. I asked if it could not be called in, entered manually - whatever!! We are just about 2 weeks away from the wedding!! He informed me it would be done today & he would call me back. Fortunately for him, he did. I had already decided I was going back into the store tomorrow, the following day, for however many days it took. We had gone to a "more reputable" tux rental place so that this kind of stuff would not happen. Um, yeah. NOT HAPPY, despite the fact it was finally entered & paid for. Should there be a problem with pick up & fit when it comes in, someone may be injured & it won't be me.

Wedding Flowers - Costco/Sam's Club flowers?

Tue, 22 Jun 2010 08:03:00 PST

Is / has anyone ordered bulk flowers from Costco or Sam's Club? I'm looking for just red roses in bulk & wow Costco has some great prices on 100. My florist is handling the difficult stuff but she can't beat their prices for simple roses to use in the centerpieces. I realize some of you may not have access to those stores - but really I think any "retail warehouse" offers something like that. Just wondering what the opinions/experiences were.

Ask a Question - Help! I have no idea what to do with my hair...

Mon, 21 Jun 2010 10:32:00 PST

I have huge hair. Its a curly thick long mess most of the time (OK the profile pic I actually spent time taming it). And I'm used to it like that, as odd as that sounds. I've discussed the possiblities with my hairstylist, and she told me too things. You want to feel like "you" and you need to consider that you will get hot (it is a July wedding in the south, after all). I KNOW I'll get hot - which means, wear it up. But to feel like "me" I rarely wear it up. GAHHHHH!! I have a fabulous hair flower, and a veil (though I'm not 100% sold about wearing that). And very large chandelier earrings. I do know I want curls/waves either way. I think I go back & forth about this daily. Ugh. Opinions please!!

Wedding Dress - Lacing a Corset Back Gown

Sat, 19 Jun 2010 08:10:00 PST

I wasn't sure how to answer when my MOH asked me what the "right" way to lace a corset back dress was. So I looked it up! :) Here's what I found out.... Making it easy! Take two large safety pins and pin them through the ends of the lacing. This will keep the lacing cord sturdy at the end and make it easier to put through the loops. This is a professional secret! Line up the lacings so that they are even. If you are wearing the modesty piece in the gown, have someone snap it inside the gown. if the gown has an inner elastic waist band, attach the band and adjust for comfort and make sure it hits at the waist line. Start lacing the gown at the TOP of the bodice. Have the person wearing the gown put their hands at their waistline and push back toward the lacing, but not enough to distort the fit of the top. This will make the gown stay in place and your waist look smaller. Lace the gown and tighten the laces as you lace it down. Make sure you don't twist the cord and that it lays flat. When you get to the end of the lacing, tie it securely in a bow or a knot. Tie a small bow if you are wearing it outside trailing down the gown. Remove the safety pins from the ends. If you don't want the excess to show, tie it in a knot or using the ends with the safety pins relace it ACROSS both of the last bottom laces and tuck it inside the dress. There is a space in between the lacing and the modesty piece at the bottom where you can tuck it in. Remove the safety pins.

Wedding Countdown - 3 weeks left!

Sat, 19 Jun 2010 07:45:00 PST

Scary & exciting at the same time! RSVPs are due today, and to my surprise, we've actually gotten responses from almost everyone. I thought for sure I'd have to hunt most people down. And some wedding gifts are arriving too. THAT is REALLY exciting! LOL. I particularly like the money gifts. :) But now of course the wedding nightmares have started. I know thats just me trying to work things out in my head, make sure I've remembered everything. I'm not looking forward to the fact they will probably get worse as we get even closer. Still we have not found someone to replace our double booked officiant. REALLY trying not to freak about this, but we have some leads and are waiting to hear back from them. And we found out the monthly $1 Family Nights our venue holds in the summer just so happens to fall on the night of our rehearsal. That means the museum will be open, and probably flooded with people, as is the usual case for $1 nights. Fun, fun. FH runs the planetarium & will need to run 3 shows that night - ok, so how do we have our rehearsal? He & I sat down and went over his list of shows - he's going to change the times, shorten the shows that night & close the planetarium at 6:30 so we can use it. Fortunately that worked out, but the parking situation will be crazy - so I'm sending out overflow parking maps in advance to those coming to the rehearsal. Mostly I'm just trying to streamline, organize everything at this point. I HAD to have a wedding in a location (the planetarium) that no one has had one before. Yup, lets make it hard with no previous examples to go by. Yeesh. Deep breaths, deep breaths...

Wedding Photography - How to look good in a photograph

Fri, 18 Jun 2010 09:10:00 PST

I found this really informative, especially since I'll need all the help I can get with endless photography!! :)

Digital Cameras: User's Guide: How To Look Good In A Photograph

Bridesmaids - The bargain dress is finally done!

Thu, 17 Jun 2010 18:00:00 PST

I got my daughter's jr. bridesmaid dress from Ebay for $15. I liked that price a LOT more than the $100+ in Davids Bridal. So I figured I'd do the alterations myself. Um, yeah.... She's just shy of 10 & very tall so I had gotten a prom dress for her. Needless to say... ahem.... the bust was not necessary. :) I literally had to take the entire dress apart (its lined!), remove the boning, the trim, the zipper, pull the entire dress up so the waist would hit properly, take in the sides, then put the entire thing back together. And then there was shortening the hem & adding straps (with bling!). GAHHHHHHHH. My mother warned me when I decided to do take this project on ... and I hate to say it but she was right. I have to admit it though looks pretty cute & my daughter loves it. I think she even liked the endless fittings & standing still while I pinned everything. So with all my work, I think I probably could have bought the $100+ dress, justified it & saved myself a lot of work. I still think she needs a little petticoat under it even though it has tulle currently. Dress - $15 Straps with bling - $3 Endless quality time with the sewing machine - $$$$ The big grin on her face while we worked on it - priceless!

Wedding Dress - black crinoline!

Mon, 14 Jun 2010 11:38:00 PST

Yeah so I couldn't really find a black crinoline photo.. I thought seriously about dying my crinoline - but after much research, I decided I would avoid the hassle. Then I had to figure out which color - did I want red or black? Well, there is already red on my dress & I was worried it would be a different shade so I ordered black. Pretty reasonable on bridalpetticoats.com & it came in 2 days! My shoes are silver, the dress has a red sash & the black crinoline I think will be a great touch. :) Less than a month now!! I think everything is pretty much ready to go....

DIY Wedding - Wedding Flair!

Wed, 09 Jun 2010 14:56:00 PST

My buttons I had made to give out at the reception finally came today! I designed these in Photoshop & had them made up at Zazzle.com. I have to admit, of all the projects I've done, this is the one I loved the most. They will be placed by the bar in a pretty bowl for guests to pick up. I think the reason they were so much fun is that each one (mostly) has some sort of meaning. We are having the wedding at a science museum & it has some animals on display there also. Most of these sayings have something to do with the venue, since most of the guests are people that work there or previously worked there (like me!) I think these will be really popular - I'll have to stash some for myself! :)

DIY Wedding - Problems along the way...

Mon, 07 Jun 2010 10:23:00 PST

Thankfully I've gotten most everything done by now. Because if I hadn't, I'm pretty sure I'd either be completely gray by now or bald from pulling all my hair out. Problem one arose when my FH decided to wash my silver tray (aluminium) that I was using for my entry candle arrangement. He did it with my permission, but neither of us expected it would turn black when washed. No more shine, no matter what we did. So out I went to find another one. And of course, I couldn't find anything I liked. I wound up getting a white square dinner plate - and you know, I think I like it better! :) Problem two is a bit more pressing & no solution for it YET. Our officiant had already commited to another event & did not realize it until about two weeks ago. Greeeaaaaattttttt. We are still looking around for someone to marry us, and oddly I know it will all work out. But meantime, this does not help my nerves. Problem three involves the photographers & lighting. The ceremony is in a planetarium, and the room will not be completely dark, more of a sunset feel. However they were REALLY worried about not having enough light. We are putting in a LARGE candelabra, but not much other than that. I told them repeatedly I thought the candelabra, with the dim lighting would be enough. They didn't believe me until I rented the candelabra, set it up in the planetarium & let them take trial photos. Hmmmmmm... seems I was right.... yeesh.... My shower is this weekend - at least that will be a welcome distraction!

Wedding Decoration - This is too cute!

Wed, 02 Jun 2010 08:14:00 PST

Well, I don't have a beach themed wedding but I think this fruit display is adorable! This was set up by a friend for her daughter's prom party. The theme was "under the sea". Those are real goldfish in the glasses! I think this is a similar idea to some of the cake stands I've seen on WBC. So cute!

Wedding Makeup - Major faux-pas

Fri, 28 May 2010 14:56:00 PST

Last night I had my makeup trial. The place I am using is basically a mobile salon so I wound up driving almost an hour to one of the ladies' homes. And she was very nice. I was having a really good time, though I noticed when her boss, who seemed about the same age but much more serious, arrived - the mood quickly changed. So its about dinner time & I'm STARVING & tired & really just ready to get out of there. The makeup looked really good - very thick which I'm not used to & very dramatic, which I imagine will work well in low lighting. I get ready to leave, pay the girl in cash, and needed change. They broke a $20 for me & I looked at the money & just blanked out & put it in my purse, not realizing I still owed like $5 more. Then it starts to sink in that - duh, I still owed her another $5 - and I pull the money back out & paid her but I'm all flustered now. I notice the attitude in the room is gradually getting cooler but again, I'm flustered, hungry & just not thinking (and not making any sense in my opinion). And as I'm almost all the way home I realize that the reason the room got chillier was because I FORGOT TO TIP THEM. OMG. SOOOOOOOO stupid. And of course I've beat myself up about it every since I realized that. I did send them an email immediately after I got home, apologizing for forgetting & I appreciated what they did & if they were both working the wedding, I'd be happy to add that tip in with the total for the wedding day. Of course I've gotten no response & still feel like a total a$$ & really hoping they don't do something horrible like cancel. But I do know they look at email like once a day & even if they do cancel, then we'll all make do - and I have another lady that may be available last minute. Still doesn't stop me from feeling like a heel. Trying to take deep breaths about it & just put it in the back of my head but there is something here that makes me not trust them. Perhaps since they've given the impression that I was a huge hassle on several occasions - mostly because I am using them for just makeup and not the normal makeup AND hair. I had already booked a hairstylist when I came across these ladies & I don't feel like I could break that obligation. Should I be concerned about this? Or is wedding paranoia setting in?

Honeymoon - Booked!

Fri, 28 May 2010 14:12:00 PST

We aren't going on our honeymoon until late September thanks to some crazy work / personal schedules. It was a huge debate over a bunch of different places - and it came down to Cancun or Disney World. And we just could NOT decide. But then Disney was nice enough to offer a free dining plan with resort reservations for this time! This trip will allow us to stay several days longer than we would have been able to afford to go to Cancun & almost $1000 cheaper. Oh yeah. And I have to say I'm really excited! Neither of us has been in several years & I know there are tons of books / websites that offer "Disney for Adults" tips. The worst part is my kids will be SOOOOOO jealous. LOL. But they will be getting their "amusement park fix" this summer at Busch Gardens in VA, so I think they'll be OK with it after I bribe them with potential gifts - haha!

Wedding Rings And Jewelry - Cute clutch!

Wed, 26 May 2010 07:06:00 PST

My super cute (and inexpensive) clutch! And its a dead on color match for the ribbon on my dress! I got it on Ebay from stargloryfashions - they are a chinese company that sells inexpensive, but good quality purses/clutches. Since they ship from China be sure to give them plenty of time - they say 14 days on their store, which I understand is the norm. Mine took almost a month, but I have time before the wedding so it wasn't a huge deal. And the seller communication is great - he answered my questions quickly. I also got my BMs black satin clutches (a different design) and my Jr. BM (my daughter) a cute little white purse.

Wedding Reception - ideas for the addition of cocktail tables

Tue, 25 May 2010 08:47:00 PST

Now that we are adding cocktail tables to the reception my mind went into overdrive trying to find a simple, smaller centerpiece for them similar to the larger table centerpieces. And I didn't want to spend yet more money since I've allocated it for other things. Its amazing what kind of stuff you can find laying around the house if you really look. The third photo is the centerpiece layout at this moment. I'm thinking I will put a single red rose in the "vase" (actually an old pimento cheese glass container! LOL) - the larger centerpieces (pic #4) have several roses in the vase. I like the white ribbon wrapped around the vase but it doesn't stand out as much as I'd like. So that will get a second smaller black satin ribbon wrapped around the center. And the votives - since the damask print table squares are WAY too big for the cocktail tables - I'm going to print some vellum damask print votive wraps. I still have several table squares that I think I will fold up & use as ties for the tablecloth to give the tables that "martini glass" look. The major plus I also found with the new cocktail table addition is I have more petals to use on the other larger table centerpieces! Wohoo! Funny how thing work themselves out....

Wedding Decoration - The finished bubbles! Thanks ladies!

Mon, 24 May 2010 17:04:00 PST

As I mentioned in a previous post, a coworker of my FH had given us 98 or so bell shaped bubbles that were left over from her son's wedding. I had no idea how to decorate them to make them fit with the damask theme. Some lovely WBC brides told me to use curling ribbon - which I did & added some leftover favor tags. I put them on a black tray and am going to add a little sign (currently shown as the picture frame with nothing in it). I think they came out very well. We are affectionately calling them "party bells"! :) thanks for the ideas ladies!!

Wedding Reception - So much for my being ahead..

Mon, 24 May 2010 11:39:00 PST

Friday I finally got the opportunity to discuss exact set up for our reception area with the caterer & event coordinator. I am very familiar with the room, since I used to work there & have seen several events - all with the same (or similar) table arrangements. Buffet goes here, tables go here, etc, etc. Once I had discussed the different tables (food, cake, bar, fruit/cheese) with the caterer , suddenly the 14 tables I had anticipated & room for a dance floor made everything VERY cramped. GAH! OK, so now what.... Well, we did come up with a different arrangement to accommodate everyone & I actually like it better - it lends to the flow of the room more efficiently. We will only use 9 tables, add another chair to each table, and add 5 cocktail tables around the dance floor. The problem comes in with - oops - I had already planned out 14 centerpieces (& created them, minus the flowers). I can still use 9 of them, but they are too big for cocktail tables. Back to the drawing board. Fortunately, I was able to go through my "wedding supplies closet" and find a bunch of little things to use for the cocktail tables - and still coordinate with the larger tables. And I'll use the extra centerpieces in some other areas (entry way, gift table, bar). The new smaller centerpieces are kinda cute - and I spent zero money on them, thanks to the "leftovers" of other projects. Overall not a major set back, but it did leave me scrambling since I thought I had crossed centerpieces off my "to do" list. I am hoping to have photos tomorrow!!

Ask a Question - Bubbles - how to decorate?

Wed, 19 May 2010 16:49:00 PST

I had just started to think about what exactly I was going to put together for a "send off" & my FH brought these home. A lady he works with gave us something like 98 of these little bell shaped bubbles. They were leftover from her son's wedding & just sitting in her basement. They don't exactly match our theme but they don't clash either, and I'm not one to turn down something free. So here's my dilemma ladies - I'd like to add a little something to them to make them more in line with the rest of the wedding. I am using black & white damask with red accents. I have seen the most awesome ideas here on WBC, so I turn to you all for advice... Maybe ribbon through the little loops? I think I have some extra favor tags around too....

Wedding Reception - Table centerpieces trial run

Sun, 16 May 2010 13:04:00 PST

Just some photos of the table centerpieces - mostly for my own knowledge, but I'm pretty happy with how they look. These are taken at the actual venue - please ignore the "classroom" chairs in the background, they will be gone. The last photo is of the table with one chair - each table will have 6 chairs total, so I'm not sure its an accurate representation. But it will help those setting up the room. The room will be dark too, since our reception is at night. There is a blazing sun coming through the windows to the right in these photos.

DIY Wedding - Chair decorations

Sat, 15 May 2010 11:17:00 PST

I had previously posted about these months ago - I had a general idea of what they would look like but I hadn't worked out the details. Today I rented an actual chair that we will be using to be sure all of these little tissue paper flowers fit like I wanted them to. And here are the photos of the finished project! Here's how it was done: 1. Tissue paper flowers were made from 5 pieces of tissue paper cut 5" x 10". They were then folded, accordion style (the long way). A piece of floral wire, about 4" long was then wrapped around the center so that it bound the middle of the paper but left a bit to work with. Then the paper ends were rounded, and the layers were fluffed. That part takes some time, since you don't want to rip them too badly. After I fluffed the layers, I put a single crystal center in with glue to hide the wire & just to add some bling. These are very similar to the giant Martha Stewart pom-poms, just a smaller version. I glued some leftover silk hydrangea leaves onto the bottom to make it look more like a flower. 2. Then I (after measuring the chair back at the rental store) cut a piece of 11 1/2" ribbon - this is 1.5" grosgrain in red, and stuck a piece of self adhesive round velcro on each end, so that when it wraps around the chair back, it fastens. 3. I then took the wire on the flower & wrapped it tightly around one end of the ribbon. This I found works best because it hides the "seam" which its attached to the chair. The tighter the fit, the less the flower will droop. Now that I have a chair for the weekend, I am trying out each one (I made 90) to be sure it fits the way I want. I will not be decorating the chairs, since I will be busy with other things the day of the wedding, so I wanted to make this as simple as possible. The velcro works really well because it leaves no marks on the chair, and its easy to take them back off. I bought almost everything (except the wire, which I had, and the leaves, which were left over from another project) in bulk or on Ebay. So total I believe the breakdown on these were about $.52 each. Tomorrow we are going to the venue to do table mock set ups - I can't wait to see how they look! I'll post pictures! :)

DIY Wedding - Cute card box!

Thu, 13 May 2010 10:01:00 PST

The finished card box/trunk. I just added the little tag to it & the paper flower. I just love it! :)

DIY Wedding - Ceremony Programs - check!

Wed, 12 May 2010 10:27:00 PST

The days are flying by! 58 days doesn't seem like enough time to finish everything... but at least these are done. These are our ceremony programs. The cover is made of black linen cardstock that I stamped with a white "N". Then I cut a piece of red satin ribbon & tied a little bow, pulling the loops longer than the "tail". Then I put this little golf pencil (with eraser of course!) on the bow & tied the loops over it. When they open the program, it will have our little kissing tree, which I modified some after getting one from a website that you type in your names & it creates it for you (if anyone knows of this website - its totally slipped my mind - please remind me!). Under it is a short Irish blessing, which we (FH & I) think is really great. It will be read during the ceremony as well. The following pages (not pictured) are the ceremony outline & the wedding party/family listing. The pencil is for the last page - a word search to keep guests busy while they wait. My son is crazy for word searches so I made one on a site called Puzzlemaker.com. You enter the words & it makes up a word search, complete with solution (which I have printed out for those that MUST solve it). They have other puzzles also. Pretty cool.

DIY Wedding - Monogram Plaque

Wed, 12 May 2010 10:15:00 PST

Well ladies, here's another DIY project I've finished up (check!). This is a wooden sign from Michaels that I've painted black with a monogram N. This will be wired to the center of a very large white candelabra (the photo shows one in brass, ours will be white). This candelabra is the "centerpiece" of our ceremony, with two large floral arrangements on pedestals on either side. Not the most professional of paint jobs but the guests will be a good distance away & won't be able to see the imperfections. :) Sorry about my poor plant in the background, but the plaque sat up well leaning against it for the photo. I think the total cost on this plaque was about $6.