Joy: Our Wedding – DIY Projects: Final List
Written by Sara on July 7, 2011 – 9:00 am -{Click here to catch up on our wedding recaps:
Hair appointments; Picking up flowers; Getting ready; The Gown; Our First Look, Girls & Guys Attire, More Photos, Jitters and Communion, Ceremony Decor; Our DIY Ceremony Programs, Prayers, Readings and Music, Walking Down the Aisle, More Ceremony Shots, The Getaway Car, Reception Table Centerpieces, Wishing Tree & Photo Displays, Photos From Our DIY Photobooth!, Analysis of our iPod Wedding, Our Honeymoon, List of Wedding Vendors and List of Etsy Sellers}
Hi everyone! I can’t believe that I’m finally to the end of my list of wedding recap posts – it was certainly an adventure to plan our wedding, but it was even more of an adventure to try to recap it in a meaningful way for all of you who care to stop by my little section of the Internet. Lots of thanks and love to all of you for your support and encouragement throughout the planning, execution and recap process!
Here’s a final list of the DIY projects that we took on and completed for the wedding, along with links and/or pictures:
- Flower Hairpieces – Bridesmaids
- Garter & Throw-Away Garter
- Bunting: Cake Table – Reception
- Burlap Table Runner/Table Squares – Reception
- Placecards – Head Table at Reception
- Rehearsal Dinner Invitations
- Napkins – Wedding Reception
- Rice Krispie Wedding Cake
- Photobooth Wall
Tags: DIY projects, wedding DIY projects
Posted in Adornments & Embellishments, Beauty & Polish, Budget Weddings, Cakes & Cuisine, Decor, DIY, Eco-Chic, Fashion, Flowers, Inspiration & Insight, Music & Entertainment, Our Wedding, Personal, Photography, Stationery, Vintage Beauties, Wedding Recap, Weddings | 1 Comment »
Joy: Our Wedding – List of Vendors
Written by Sara on May 18, 2011 – 2:31 pm -
{Click here to catch up on our wedding recaps:
Hair appointments; Picking up flowers; Getting ready; The Gown; Our First Look, Girls & Guys Attire, More Photos, Jitters and Communion, Ceremony Decor; Our DIY Ceremony Programs, Prayers, Readings and Music, Walking Down the Aisle, More Ceremony Shots, The Getaway Car, Reception Table Centerpieces, Wishing Tree & Photo Displays, Photos From Our DIY Photobooth!, Analysis of our iPod Wedding and Our Honeymoon}
I’m finally nearing the end of my wedding recaps, which is fitting, since Jordan and I have been married almost one year already! I can hardly believe that ten months have already passed by; what a blessing it is to have someone by my side each and every day. While our first year of marriage hasn’t been a walk in the park, this year (so far) has been full of blessings.
I wanted to share with you today a list of the vendors that we used throughout planning our wedding, so that any of you local SD brides will have all of these resources in one place! Also, stay tuned for a full list of Etsy vendors that we used – that’s the next post that I’ll write! Also coming up is a final list of the DIY projects that we completed for the wedding, so if you don’t see something listed below (i.e. the boutonnieres or my garters), don’t fret, because it was either purchased from Etsy or DIY!
Materials for Invitations:
Cards & Pockets (ordered online)
Sioux Falls Rubber Stamp, Sioux Falls, SD
Map of Sioux Falls – Wedding Invitations:
Designed by a friend of the bride
Printing:
Brown & Saenger, Sioux Falls, SD
Wedding Rings:
Sara’s Engagement Ring and Wedding Band: Riddle’s Jewelry, Sioux Falls, SD
Jordan’s Wedding Band: Helzberg Diamonds, Sioux Falls, SD
Photographers:
Creative Kindling, Brandon, SD
Florist:
The Flower Shop, Sioux Falls, SD
Sheet Cakes (Remember, we DIYed the Rice Krispie Cake):
HyVee on Sycamore Avenue, Sioux Falls, SD
Manzanita Branches – Wishing Tree:
Save-on-crafts.com (ordered online)
White Shutters – Photo Display:
Purchased from a seller at Benson’s Flea Market (Sioux Falls, SD)
Fabric – Wedding Napkins:
Hancock Fabrics, Sioux Falls, SD
Classic Car:
Borrowed for the day from a friend of the family
Hair and Nails on the Wedding Day:
Hair: Salon Ne-Zhoni, Sioux Falls, SD
Sara’s Manicure: VIP Nails, Sioux Falls, SD
Sara’s Pedicure: Radiance Day Spa, Sioux Falls, SD
Wedding Gown:
Purchased from Happily Ever After, Sioux City, IA (gown was by Alfred Angelo, and has since been discontinued)
Veil:
Purchased from French Door Bridal in Sioux Falls, SD (veil was by Signature Bridal)
Tuxedos:
Rented from Evelyn’s Floral and Formalware in Sioux Falls, SD, a business which has since closed its doors (the tuxedo was by Calvin Klein)
Groomsmen/Ushers Gifts:
Flasks – Brown & Saenger, Sioux Falls, SD
Socks – Express (ordered online)
Ceremony Helpers Gifts:
Wine purchased from HyVee Wine & Spirits, Louise Avenue, Sioux Falls, SD
Bridesmaids Dresses:
The Dessy Group, ordered online from www.bridesmaids.com
Ceremony Site:
Augustana College Chapel of Reconciliation, Sioux Falls, SD
Organist:
Kyle Quanbeck, Sioux Falls, SD
Vocalist:
Sister of the Groom
Catering, Reception Site:
Washington Pavilion, Sioux Falls, SD
Wedding Weekend Accommodations (Guests):
Holiday Inn City Centre (Downtown), Sioux Falls, SD
Wedding Night Accommodations (Jordan and Sara):
ClubHouse Hotel & Suites, Sioux Falls, SD
I also wanted to make sure that I made a list of places that I shopped for a variety of materials for all kinds of projects:
Hobby Lobby, Sioux Falls, SD
Michaels, Sioux Falls, SD
IKEA, Minneapolis, MN (votive candles)
I think that’s it! In terms of whether or not I would use these same vendors again if I were to do it all over again, the answer is a resounding yes. I was so pleased with all of our vendors, despite some last-minute stress from HyVee regarding our cakes. But, everything couldn’t have been more perfect, and we think back fondly on our wedding day and all of the vendors that made it happen for us. Cards & Pockets is a fabulous online resource for those of you who plan to DIY invitations in the future, and I couldn’t recommend the ladies at Happily Ever After in Sioux City, IA, any higher. The Flower Shop did an extraordinary job realizing my vision for the flowers, and the staff at the Augie Chapel and the Washington Pavilion couldn’t have been more helpful. Brown & Saenger also played a huge role in pulling off our wedding in terms of satisfying all of our printing needs, and our day wouldn’t have been chronicled in such a meaningful way without Creative Kindling. We couldn’t have been more blessed!
If you have any questions, please let me know!
[Photo by Creative Kindling]
Tags: Alfred Angelo, Augustana College, Benson's Flea Market, Brown & Saenger, Cards & Pockets, Chapel of Reconciliation, ClubHouse Hotel & Suites, Creative Kindling, Evelyn's Floral and Formalware, Express, French Door Bridal, Hancock Fabrics, Happily Ever After, Helzberg Diamonds, Hobby Lobby, Holiday Inn City Centre, HyVee, IA, IKEA, Michaels, Radiance Day Spa, Riddle's Jewelry, Salon Ne-Zhoni, Save-on-crafts.com, SD, Signature Bridal, Sioux City, Sioux Falls, Sioux Falls Rubber Stamp, The Dessy Group, The Flower Shop, VIP Nails, Washington Pavilion
Posted in Adornments & Embellishments, Beauty & Polish, Budget Weddings, Cakes & Cuisine, Decor, DIY, Eco-Chic, Fashion, Flowers, Honeymoon, Inspiration & Insight, Music & Entertainment, Our Wedding, Personal, Photography, Stationery, Venues, Vintage Beauties, Wedding Recap | 1 Comment »
WE’RE FEATURED: A Practical Wedding!
Written by Sara on April 14, 2011 – 7:13 am -
Hello readers! Just a little note from me to tell y’all that we’ve been FEATURED on A Practical Wedding today! Jordan and I are so excited to share our wedding with Meg’s wonderfully smart and sassy readers – it’s a great community over there! Feel free to head on over and check it out.
Lots of love (and promises of more wedding recaps soon), Sara
[Photo by Creative Kindling]
Posted in Adornments & Embellishments, Beauty & Polish, Budget Weddings, Cakes & Cuisine, Decor, DIY, Eco-Chic, Fashion, Flowers, Honeymoon, Inspiration & Insight, Music & Entertainment, Our Wedding, Personal, Photography, Stationery, Venues, Vintage Beauties, Weddings | 2 Comments »
Joy: Our Wedding – Food & The Cakes!
Written by Sara on January 16, 2011 – 2:09 pm -
{Click here to catch up on our wedding recaps:
Hair appointments; Picking up flowers; Getting ready; The Gown; Our First Look, Girls & Guys Attire, More Photos, Jitters and Communion, Ceremony Decor; Our DIY Ceremony Programs, Prayers, Readings and Music, Walking Down the Aisle, More Ceremony Shots, The Getaway Car, Reception Table Centerpieces, Wishing Tree & Photo Displays and Photos From Our DIY Photobooth!}
The food at our reception was super yummy! The Washington Pavilion has an adorable little cafe inside of it called Leonardo’s, and they catered our reception for us. We requested a taco bar with beef and chicken, and all the taco fixin’s we could ever want – and they delivered! We couldn’t have been more pleased with the delicious spread.
While the taco bar was outstanding, one of my favorite parts of our wedding reception were our wedding cakes! After seeing inspiration for an awesome rice-krispie tiered cake online, my parents and I agreed to try and tackle making our own! My parents took the brunt of the work on themselves in the few days before the wedding, and I couldn’t have been happier with the finished product!
We also ordered three half sheet cakes from HyVee, a local bakery inside a grocery store. We ordered red velvet (my favorite), vanilla, and strawberry (Jordan’s favorite). I’m sad to say that I didn’t even get a chance to have a piece that evening, but I heard wonderful things about how it tasted! Many thanks to my aunts for cutting the cake for us.
And now, for the pictures!
We also had a bunch of fun cutting the cake together, using a cake knife from my great-grandmother Sophie!
Up next: A look at our iPod wedding dance!
[All photos by Creative Kindling]
Tags: Catering, DIY Wedding Cake, HyVee, Leonardo's Cafe, Rice-Krispie Wedding Cake, Taco Bar, Washington Pavilion, Wedding Reception Food
Posted in Budget Weddings, Cakes & Cuisine, DIY, Inspiration & Insight, Our Wedding, Personal, Photography, Venues, Wedding Recap, Weddings | 1 Comment »
18 Days Out…
Written by Sara on June 29, 2010 – 3:14 pm -
…and I’m feeling fine!
That’s right, readers – dare I say that my obsessive need to work ahead has paid off…here are the projects we have left:
- Cut squares of fabric for the tables. When we’ll get it done: this weekend.
- Sew a lining into the flower girl dresses. When we’ll get it done: this weekend.
- Gather (and print, if necessary) a few pictures of Jordan and I for a photo feature. When we’ll get it done: by Friday.
- Wrangle and frame few more wedding pictures of our relatives. When we’ll get it done: this weekend, hopefully.
- Practice making our DIY tiered surprise wedding cake. When we’ll get it done: this weekend, hopefully.
- Print and mail gift-opening invites. When we’ll get it done: this needs to happen ASAP!
- Fold napkins. When we’ll get it done: first round tomorrow, second and final round hopefully next week.
- Reception playlist. When we’ll get it done: probably next weekend; it’s about 70% done right now.
- Silhouettes (of Jordan and I) for frames. When we’ll get it done: next weekend; we just need to format and print.
- Finalize pew decor. When we’ll get it done: tonight.
- Purchase gifts for our parents and our ceremony helpers. When we’ll get it done: next Friday (payday!).
- Tie baker’s twine on the programs. When we’ll get it done: Probably the week of the wedding…eek.
- Take photos of decor, pack up decor items in boxes according to tables. When we’ll get it done: next weekend. BIG project, but I hope to have lots of help.
- Get our marriage license. When we’ll get this done: the Wednesday of the wedding week.
I have my hair trial and my final make-up trial on Thursday and my final gown fitting on Saturday. We also are having our premarital counseling session with my uncle, our officiant, on Saturday. We also turn in our guaranteed guest count to the Pavilion on Saturday. My wedding week beauty treatments are all scheduled, with the exception of a manicure appointment…truthfully, I may just paint my own nails!
Things are coming together really nicely – I hope that I’m not forgetting anything!?
[Photo: www.free-flow-coaching.com]
Tags: DIY wedding, Wedding zen
Posted in Budget Weddings, Cakes & Cuisine, Decor, DIY, Fashion, Music & Entertainment, Our Wedding, Personal, Stationery, Weddings | 2 Comments »
What We’ve Been Up To…
Written by Sara on June 16, 2010 – 2:52 pm -Hello readers! Again, I apologize for not posting much these past few weeks; it’s been a whirlwind to say the least. With only one month to go until the wedding (!!), Jordan and I have been hard at work finishing up last-minute details with our families and friends.
Here’s what we’ve been doing:
- Last week, I spent the evening building our photo booth with the great help of my future father-in-law. The photo booth turned out wonderfully; I can’t wait to see how it looks in our wedding photos! I hope to provide a full tutorial for you all at some point, so stay tuned…
- Made a list of must-have photos for our photographers, and met with our lovely photogs to discuss our wedding day. I’m SO excited that we’ve chosen such wonderful and supportive photographers; they will be so great to have with us on our wedding day, and I know that Kara will help to keep me relaxed.
- Started tanning! While I’m definitely not a fan of how bad tanning beds are for my skin, I do need to build up a base tan of sorts before heading off to Jamaica. So, I’ve stared tanning a few times per week!
- Started the napkins process! With the great help of my bridesmaid Serena and her mother, we’re making headway with the DIY napkins project! We’re about halfway through the project, and I plan to bring the last batch of fabric over to Serena’s home this week for cutting.
- Mailed our rehearsal dinner invitations. They turned out wonderfully, and we’re so excited for our Italian-themed rehearsal dinner!
- Ordered 3 one-half sheet cakes for our wedding reception. We ordered 1/2 sheet of red velvet (my favorite!), one half sheet of strawberry (Jordan’s favorite) and one half sheet of vanilla cake from a local bakery. I’m glad to have that completed!
- Set up a final meeting with our on-site reception coordinator and our florist to cover last-minute details. Both of these appointments are next week, and I’m excited to finalize all of the details!
- Set up a meeting to visit the chapel where our ceremony will take place. I’m visiting my alma mater, Augustana College, this week to set up decorations around the chapel to see what they look like. I’m excited to see how/if the pew bows will attach to the pews…frankly, that’s all I’m concerned about. I know that everything else will look great!
- Finalized gifts for the groomsmen and ushers; everything should be done next week, so I can wrap the gifts!
- Secured a classic car to transport Jordan and I from the ceremony to the reception!
- Got the guys measured for tuxes! Only a few of our guys have yet to do this, and they’re under strict instructions to do so ASAP.
- Finalized our wedding ceremony script. Yes!
- Trying to wrangle wedding pictures of our relatives; I only need a few more pictures, and we’ll be set!
I think that’s it!
Here’s what we have left:
- Our reception playlist. We’ve started working on it, but Jordan’s school quarter ends this Friday, so Jordan will have a lot more time to devote to finalizing our playlist starting next week. This is his pet project, and I’m excited to help with this process as much as I can.
- Getting a few more props for the photo booth, as well as finding/purchasing baskets for the day’s needs, a few picture frames, and a few props for our wedding photos on the wedding day.
- Figuring out what camera to use for the photo booth.
- Print the wedding programs. We’re waiting for the final OK from our officiant, and as soon as we have that, we’re good to go!
- Cutting table squares and a table runner for the reception; we are purchasing the fabric today, so it won’t be too long before this project is off our list.
- Sew a lining into our flower girl dresses. Again, the fabric for this has been purchased, so hopefully we can finalize this project soon.
- Purchase a gift for my personal attendant and our parents, as well as gifts for our hosts & hostesses and our ceremony reader.
- Gift-opening preparation and invitations.
- Bring my engagement ring and wedding band into the jeweler to be soldered and plated.
- Premarital counseling session with my uncle, our officiant, to discuss our personality inventory.
- Discuss our DIY tiered wedding cake with my mother, and maybe practice making a cake.
- Final wedding gown fitting; I’m so excited for this part!
- Final hair and make-up trial, as well as week-of beauty treatments; again, SO excited!
- Wrap gifts and box up ceremony/reception decor.
- Marriage license.
- Meet with our travel agent to finalize details for our honeymoon, and pack for our honeymoon.
- GET MARRIED!
Surprisingly, my stress level is rather low; while I know that there’s still more things to do, I feel remarkably calm heading into the final month before the wedding.
How are you handling wedding stress?
Tags: wedding timeline, wedding to-do list
Posted in Adornments & Embellishments, Beauty & Polish, Budget Weddings, Cakes & Cuisine, Decor, DIY, Fashion, Flowers, Honeymoon, Inspiration & Insight, Music & Entertainment, Our Wedding, Personal, Photography, Stationery, Venues, Weddings | Comments Off
APW’s Meg on Morning Weddings
Written by Sara on September 16, 2009 – 9:51 am -Hi all – happy Wednesday!
Today on A Practical Wedding, Meg answered a question that I posed to her via email a few days ago. As you all know from an earlier post, I’m lobbying hard for a Saturday morning/mid-day wedding. Meg, a newlywed who was married on a Sunday morning in August, had wonderful advice to offer!
I felt that the cons that Meg offered (a very early, rushed wedding day morning) were absolutely right-on. That’s something I’ve wondered about, especially since J and I are open to taking photos with each other before the ceremony. If we were to have a morning ceremony, that would be nearly impossible. However, Meg also makes another wonderful point: if you do decide to have the photographers click away before the ceremony, that means less time spent in formal (and boring) group shots – yes!
As I read through Meg’s list of the great things about morning weddings, I found myself nodding my head along with her the entire time. With the sunlight streaming through the windows of our reception venue, I feel like Vintage would resemble a dreamland, which is exactly how I want to feel on my wedding day: like I’m living in a dreamland. I also love the smells and sounds of morning – dew, birds chirping, wonderful stillness.
What Meg offered about drinking and dancing really struck me; if J and I lead the way, why wouldn’t our families and friends get up and dance with us? Furthermore, if we offer a mimosa bar or morning cocktails, why wouldn’t our guests follow suit and imbibe? I think that’s such an important point to make in the argument for a morning wedding, one that I may try to use!
While I love the idea of the freedom we’ll have after the wedding subsides, it also scares me a little. I’m one of those people who would ask, “What the heck are you going to do for the rest of the day?!” But, as some members of Team Practical commented on Meg’s post, you can choose to relax in the comfort of your hotel room and eat dinner with your new husband (like Meg did), or you can choose to don some fun duds and head out for pizza and beer with your best pals.
I also think it makes sense for J and I to do a morning/mid-day wedding because of the venue we’ve chosen. Because we’re having our reception at Vintage, which is housed on the grounds of the Ultimate Golf Academy in Sioux Falls, there’s SO much to do outside, and I would hate for darkness to arrive too early for our guests to take advantage of the driving range or the mini-golf course.
Plus, the best part for me: brunch! I just LOVE breakfast foods like french toast and coffee cake, and I would love to eat comfort food at my wedding. Or, alternatively, if we had a later morning wedding, we could absolutely serve lunch (think finger sandwiches!).
What do you think, readers? Have you ever attended a morning wedding? If so, what was it like?
Tags: A Practical Wedding, Morning weddings, Ultimate Golf Academy, Vintage
Posted in Cakes & Cuisine, Inspiration & Insight, Our Wedding, Venues | 1 Comment »
Confession: My Ideal Wedding
Written by Sara on September 10, 2009 – 12:59 pm -J and I have significantly different ideas about what kind of wedding we hope to have. While he wants to be married in the afternoon and proceed on to a fun-filled wedding reception full of food, mini-golf and dancing at Vintage, a reception venue we both love, I want the exact opposite: I want to be married in the morning, and I want to serve brunch at our wedding reception. I want to feel like I’m attending a fancy tea party.
Maybe it’s because I think breakfast food will be cheaper (which could be totally wrong), or maybe it’s because I don’t want our wedding guests singing Neil Diamond songs as they raise their 11th can of beer in the air…but the more I think about it, everything about having a “conventional” wedding reception just makes me want to elope, so we can avoid drunken speeches, wedding favors and the need to provide our guests with midnight snacks.
To offer a little clarification, my ideal wedding day involves the following:
- Morning wedding ceremony (of no more than 85 guests) in the Chapel of Reconciliation on the college campus of my alma mater, Augustana College, followed by a cocktail hour at an air-conditioned location where sunshine can stream through the windows [as of now, I can't stand the idea of getting married in July without air conditioning!].
- Brunch feast, including french toast, pancakes, waffles, omlettes, egg bakes, coffee cakes, finger sandwiches, fruit, muffins, a wedding cake bar, Mimosas, champagne, tea, coffee, juice, etc, with yard games and mini-golf to follow.
The problems with this scenario: When do we take pictures? Do we have a wedding dance? If so, will our guests feel strange dancing in the middle of the day? Will we? [J has already shared his concern over dancing in the daytime.]
The main problem: J is not a fan of this wedding day plan at all. While a small, intimate wedding shapes my ideal day, his wish list includes entertaining around 150 guests who enjoy themselves by dancing their hearts out until the wee morning hours.
I know that my disdain for conventional wedding receptions stems from my need to buck tradition in favor of saving money. Truthfully, as I receive more and more outrageous quotes from vendors, I feel extremely uncomfortable with spending large amounts of our money on one day in our lives. Luckily, J’s parents (my future in-laws) have offered to help us self-cater the wedding to cut costs, but given that receptions often amount to one half of a couple’s wedding budget, I can’t imagine spending such obscene amounts of money on one part of our day.
Furthermore, as an extremely light drinker myself, I have felt very opposed to consuming large amounts of alcohol at wedding receptions in the name of love and celebration, and I fear feeling uncomfortable at my own wedding reception if our guests chose to over-indulge. My assumption in this situation is that by having a morning event and by serving only champagne and Mimosas, widespread drunkenness can be avoided (for the most part.)
I have been tirelessly imagining ways to bridge the gap between J and my wedding ideas, but the only solution I came up with is to have an early afternoon wedding (2 p.m.) and then serve “brinner” (as Scrubs fans know to be brunch at dinner time). However, serving breakfast for dinner for a wedding reception sounds even more strange than a morning wedding.
I feel extremely excited about the prospect of having a bridal shower (tea party theme!), a bachelorette party (morning at the spa, anyone?), and a gift-opening event (the conventional approach to this one is brunch, which I love!). However, I’m not excited about the prospect of the wedding reception itself, mostly because I don’t see how to incorporate my love of a tea party’s simplicity and elegance into the evening.
Readers: do you have insight to share?
I would love to hear from you.
[Top photo: 100 Layer Cake; bottom two photos: Google]
Tags: 100 Layer Cake, Augustana College, Chapel of Reconciliation, mimosa, Neil Diamond, Scrubs
Posted in Budget Weddings, Cakes & Cuisine, Our Wedding | 3 Comments »