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 »
Our Wedding: Flower Girls!
Written by Sara on December 29, 2009 – 9:00 am -
This past week, J and I attended the 8th birthday party for Emma, a little girl that’s dear to our hearts. She’s the daughter of my academic adviser (and life mentor!), and she’s an absolute sweetheart. Emma has a little sister named Hannah, who’s also a complete cutie.
Prior to the party, I put together two identical little costume boxes for Emma and Hannah as combined birthday and Christmas gifts. Here’s a breakdown of my spending, for those of you who are curious:
- I picked up two red damask hatboxes from Hobby Lobby on a 50% sale, so I spent a total of $7.00 for two hatboxes. I also picked up a bow for $1.00.
- I also picked up two size 12 play dresses (the girls are both tiny, and I wanted the dresses to feel like dress-up, so I got a larger size) at Once Upon A Child, our secondhand children’s store here in town, for about $10.00 total.
- I also grabbed two pairs of sunglasses for $3.99 each, totaling $8.00.
- At the $1 Dollar Store, I grabbed a four-pack of necklaces for $1.00, two four-packs of headbands for $1.00 each, two lip gloss/chapstick packs for $1.00 each, and two picture frames for $1.00 each, totaling $7.00.
- At Walgreens, I printed 7 photos at $0.39 cents a piece, totaling roughly $3.00 with tax.
- At home, I grabbed six beaded bracelets that I never wear, and I threw those into the hatboxes as well. I also utilized tissue paper that I already had on hand. Price for these items: FREE.
TOTAL AMOUNT SPENT: $36.00 for two fun-filled costume boxes. Pretty good, I think!
After my shopping, I packed all of the items into the hatboxes, covered them up with tissue paper, and put bows on the top (I had one bow on hand).
A few weeks before the party, I had lunch with my mentor and asked him if he’d be willing to allow his daughters to serve as flower girls at our wedding. While we have a BEAUTIFUL newborn niece Harper that will certainly be a part of our special day, we wanted to also honor the other special girls in our life and have them walk down the aisle for us. He was honored that we asked, and he proceeded to give me a children’s book entitled “Lilly’s Big Day” by Kevin Henkes. My mentor gave me the idea to trace a scene from this book onto a paper card for each of the girls, cards which I would give them at Emma’s birthday party later that month.
I spent one entire Sunday tracing and coloring these cards, and making them special for Emma and Hannah, and the finished product was (in my opinion) spectacular. Sadly I didn’t snap a picture of these cards before I gave them to the girls, but the front of the card was a scene from “Lilly’s Big Day,” while the inside of the card read, “Will You Be Our Flower Girl?”. They were cute cards, and I was proud of them.
I tucked the cards inside the top section of these hatboxes, and the girls opened them together at Emma’s party. One of Emma’s dear friends read the card aloud to Hannah, who is still learning to read, and when she read, “Will You Be Our Flower Girl?” Hannah’s little heart melted. She turned to J and I with huge eyes full of excitement, and she said, “REALLY?!” We giggled and said yes, and she gave us a huge hug. Emma too was thrilled that we asked, and they both seem very, very excited to participate in our big day.
They’re such special girls, and we’re so happy that they’ve agreed to be a big part of our wedding day!
For more, check out our Wedding Party page!
Who are you asking to be part of your big day?
What creative ideas do you have for asking the special people in your life?
Tags: $1 Dollar Store, flower girls, Hobby Lobby, Kevin Henkes, Lilly's Big Day, Once Upon A Child, Walgreens
Posted in DIY, Fashion, Inspiration & Insight, Our Wedding | 1 Comment »
Our Wedding: DIY Progress
Written by Sara on December 15, 2009 – 9:00 am -Good morning, readers! I thought I’d give you all a taste of what DIY wedding projects I’ve been working on these past few weeks.
- Task Numero Uno for the past few weeks was to finish our Save the Date cards. I showed you the finalized product in an earlier post, and we just got proofs back from my father’s company last week. After a few more tweeks, we’ll be ready to print!
- I’ve also collected about 10 letter ‘G’s’ for our centerpieces at our reception. While I had hoped to have these letters crackle painted by now, I have been rather busy with work. Hopefully we’ll get these letters painted yet this month! I also need to get 3-4 more letters; I’ve bought out Hobby Lobby’s stock each time I’m there, so hopefully next time they’ll have enough!
- On another trip to Hobby Lobby, I purchased two notepads full of decorative paper. I plan to use this paper for my bachelorette party invitations as well as to adorn the inside flap of the envelopes we’ll be sending our Save the Date cards and our wedding invitations in. I also went to Michael’s Crafts and found little white doilies to adorn the inside flap of envelopes, too. So many choices!
- I also purchased four ivory flower pins that my mother and I are going to attempt to dye grey – these are for my bridesmaids to wear in their hair on our big day! We plan to purchase the dye soon, along with some test fabric.
- For our engagement shoot, we brought along hearts on sticks and mustaches on sticks, two DIY projects that were super easy and (I hope) turned out cute in our pictures! I’ll have a DIY project for you tomorrow, where I show you how to make them.
- I also purchased little bookmark-sized papers for our wishing tree, which will be at our reception space. I plan to dye these papers in tea, round the corners of them with my super awesome corner rounder punch, and use a hole punch to poke holes in them and tie a string of twine through them. I hope to put a stamp of some sort on the paper, too, but I have yet to find one I like that’s small enough.
That’s where I am so far in my DIY project list; here are my goals for December/January:
- Print the Save the Dates, adorn them with vellum paper and buttons and GET THEM OUT THE DOOR!
- Get started on designing our wedding invitations (I have the entire design concepted and the font chosen – all that I have to do is get J started on them!)
- Purchase fabric to make napkins for the wedding (my Mom is researching what type/weight of fabric is customary for cloth napkins); begin to sew napkins
- Order miniature flags (plain canvas) and stamps/iron-on templates for send-off flags
- Begin concepting wedding program ideas (I’m thinking of making fan programs)
Have a great Tuesday!
Tags: DIY, DIY wedding invitations, DIY wedding napkins, Hobby Lobby, Michael's Crafts, Save the Date
Posted in Adornments & Embellishments, Budget Weddings, DIY, Our Wedding | No Comments »
Our Wedding: Engagement Shoot!
Written by Sara on December 3, 2009 – 9:18 am -
Happy Thursday, everyone! One more day until the weekend - I hope that you’ve all had a relatively easy week; it’s so much harder to work after a long holiday weekend! Snow arrived in Sioux Falls last night…BRR!
Speaking of cold, that’s what J and I will be this Sunday – we’re taking our engagement photos! J and I plan to meet up with our photographers from Creative Kindling here in Sioux Falls at 12:30 p.m. on Sunday.
Remember the inspiration board I made for our engagement shoot? Well, to accomplish the vintage-inspired feel of these photos, we’ll be taking photos on some railroad tracks, (hopefully) in an old-fashioned diner, and all around downtown Sioux Falls. I’m also looking forward to the chance to lay down on the road – I really loved those pictures in my inspiration board!
We’re also planning to bring along some props. As you recall from an earlier post, my future sister-in-law Larissa and I went to Hobby Lobby here in town, where I purchased red foam and black foam. Last week I went to Michaels and purchased long, flat wooden sticks. After finding a suitable heart shape online, I cut out 2 hearts from the red foam and used tape to attach the hearts to the sticks. We’ll be bringing these hearts on sticks with us to our engagement shoot, as well as mustaches on sticks (I plan to make those tonight!). We’re also bringing a chalkboard and chalk with us – sounds fun, doesn’t it!?
Now for the fun part: what we’re wearing!
J will be donning brown shoes, a pair of navy slacks, and a white button-up shirt. For accessories, he’ll have a pair of navy suspenders (FUN!), a grey Kangol golf/Grandpa hat, and a striped pink and navy tie. I can’t wait to see the outfit all put together!
Here’s my dilemna, readers: I have this whimsical and fun dress to wear for our engagement shoot, but it’s geared more toward the summer season. I have this BEAUTIFUL royal blue coat with black buttons that I’ll wear for our outdoor shots to stay warm, but I still need to figure out how to “winterize” this dress!
The dress is from ModCloth, which, if you haven’t heard of them, silly you! When I purchased it, ModCloth called it the Gidget Dress:
Photo Courtesy of ModCloth.com
This dress is SUPER flattering on my figure, and makes me feel pretty and fun. I love the bow, too!
I plan to wear it either with black Mary Jane shoes or these fun black heels with a circular design on the strap that I bought from Shoe Carnival on Black Friday.
The question for you, dear readers, is this: How do I “winterize” this dress so that I stay warm during our photo session? I’m DEFINITELY planning to wear tights, but I need to know what color/texture to purchase.
I’d love to hear your thoughts!
How have you “winterized” out-of-season clothing?
What accessories should I wear with this dress?
Tags: Black Friday, Creative Kindling, Hobby Lobby, Kangol, Mary Jane, Michaels, ModCloth, Shoe Carnival, Sioux Falls
Posted in Beauty & Polish, Fashion, Our Wedding, Photography | 5 Comments »
Project Wednesday: My DIY List!
Written by Sara on November 18, 2009 – 1:20 pm -
Happy Wednesday, readers! I apologize for the later post today; the morning really got away from me.
For our first Project Wednesday post, I wanted to show you all a list I’ve been compiling since J and I first got engaged (and, if I’m being honest with myself, maybe even a little before that).
I’ve always known since I was a little girl that while I want to feel like a princess on my wedding day, I didn’t want my wedding to look like everyone else’s. As a creative person, I love to write and invent lives and histories for made-up (and sometimes real) characters, and I knew that I could expand this creative energy into planning a wedding.
So, my wedding planning strategy involved the following: find blog, read blog, email myself links. Eventually I converted this (LONG) threaded email into a DIY project list of sorts, and I’d like to give you all a taste of what I plan to craft for our wedding.
My future sister-in-law and lovely bridesmaid Larissa and I went shopping at Hobby Lobby last night (also with us was my adorable niece, Harper – such a doll!), and here are a few of our finds:
- 5 large letters (‘G’ for Gillis, my future last name!) to adorn the tables as part of our centerpieces. Larissa had the wonderful idea to paint these wooden letters using grey crackle paint – I can’t wait to tackle this project! We’ll need about 12-13 letters in total, and I can’t wait to keep collecting them!
- Colored foam. I purchased one sheet of red and one sheet of black to use for props for our photobooth (and our engagement photos, I think!). I am excited!
- Fancy paper books. I purchased two books full of fancy paper from Hobby Lobby for 50% off! I plan to use these papers to dress up the inside flaps of our envelopes and to make invitations for my bachelorette party and/or other stationery.
- Twine. I LOVE TWINE, and I can’t wait to figure out where we can put it to use!
- A corner rounder punch – basically, it’s a hole punch that doesn’t punch holes, but instead rounds the corners of stationery. Hello useful!
- Little cards for our wishing tree. For Larissa’s baby shower, I had her guests write down wishes for Mommy and Baby, and the end result (unbelievably warm and heartfelt notes) encouraged me to do a little research. Many blogs have mentioned couples having “wishing trees” near the guestbook area, and I just love the image of lots of hand-written well wishes hanging from twine on our wishing tree.
I’m SO excited to get started on these projects; now I need to finish gathering materials and get a move on!
What DIY projects did you tackle for your wedding?
I’d love to hear from you!
Tags: corner rounder hole punch, DIY, Hobby Lobby, wishing tree
Posted in DIY, Our Wedding | 1 Comment »