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 »
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 »
Showcase Friday: Our DIY Wedding Invitations!
Written by Sara on June 4, 2010 – 9:00 am -
Dear readers, I don’t even know where to begin with this post, except to say that Jordan and I are SO excited to share our DIY wedding invitations with you today! This post is rather lengthy, but for you budget-brides out there, I wanted to give you an extensive look into what it takes to DIY your own wedding invitation suite.
A note on our inspiration
It was quite a challenge to try and explain to Jordan (or anyone, really) what “vintage” means to me, and how exactly I envision us capturing that feel in our wedding invitations. So, I frequented many a web site, from Etsy to super awesome stationery sites to simple Google searches of random objects (mason jars, for instance).
Jordan and I began the design process with the idea that we would utilize Adobe Photo Shop brushes. Since little touches of birds, nature and aviary motifs will appear throughout our wedding, we felt it was important to include a bird in our wedding invitations. We found a Photo Shop brush of a tree, and we started working with that.
However, with each draft of the invitation, we began to hate the look and the feel of it more and more. It didn’t look elegant, it didn’t look lovely, and it didn’t look vintage. So, much to my chagrin (seriously, I was stressed!), we scrapped that idea and started over, a mere month-and-a-half before we wanted to start the printing process.
However, in re-conceptualizing our DIY wedding invitations, I remembered an art class that I took in middle school, where we carved images into a wood block, and then used that wood block to stamp with ink. (I’m sure this was a Mother’s or Father’s Day project from way back when.)
So, I started to try and tell Jordan about what I envisioned based on this look. Then I saw a few invitations around the web utilizing different fonts and a woodblock/boxed layout, and after brainstorming with Jordan, we downloaded a variety of fonts (which is over-simplifying the process – I was very picky about what fonts I wanted to use, and Jordan just would not let me go with Feel Script, no matter how badly I wanted to shell out the money for it – and he was right in the end…) and we got to work bringing together all of our inspiration into one invitation suite.
A note on the design process
Jordan and I used Adobe Fireworks to design our invitations. Jordan is very familiar with this program, and I found it to be a rather intuitive program myself after playing with it for 20 minutes or so.
Since Jordan and I are living 45 miles apart right now, we designed our entire invitation suite on the weekends we were able to be together. For us, the process worked like this:
1. Sara tells Jordan in advance, “We need to work on this part of our invitation suite this weekend.”
2. Sara sends Jordan links of what she’s found that she likes (“I like this overall look, but with this wording and this graphic and this font.”)
3. Jordan comes home, sits on the couch and designs away, making sure Sara doesn’t look over his shoulder until the project is near completion (it drove him nuts!).
4. Sara edits, says what she’d like changed, and Jordan makes the changes.
5. When Sara and Jordan are both satisfied with the design, they PDF the file and send it to their right-hand person to print a proof.
6. After final proof approval, the document goes to the printer, and a few days later, the final product arrives at Sara’s house.
Multiply this by 5 pieces (there are 5 items in our invitation suite), and you have approximately 24 weekends (6 months!) of design work that we spent working to complete this invitation suite. It was definitely a labor of love; there’s no other way to describe it.
A note on invitation wording
It was important to Jordan and I that we acknowledge the contributions that our parents have made to our lives and to making our wedding happen, so we included them in our invitation wording. In determining the other parts of the wording for our invitation, we spent quite a bit of time (probably two weeks) changing words and tweaking the look of the invitation.
Here’s what we ended up with:
Sara’s parents and
Jordan’s parents
Invite you to celebrate the wedding of their children
Sara Jo and
Jordan Wayne
(Ceremony Details)
(When/Where)
Dinner, Dancing & Merriment to immediately follow
at the Washington Pavilion
A note on the details
First, I spent about 8 – 10 hours of time gluing little doilies (see above picture) inside both the mailing envelopes and the RSVP envelopes (a la Holly) – what a project (!!), but I’m SO happy with how well they turned out. (Everyone thought I was nuts, but I was having a great time!)
I then stamped our return address on each of these envelopes, proceeded to freak out when the ink I used wouldn’t dry, and then our envelopes were miraculously saved by a can of hairspray. Moving on…(I just can’t talk about those darn envelopes anymore!)
Next, once everything was printed, we glued the invitation matte directly to the pocketfold, and then glued the wedding invitation on top of the matte, to create a layered look (again, see above picture).
I knew that I wanted our invitation suite to have a few components to it. While the majority of our guests are from South Dakota (and are rather localized to Sioux Falls, where the wedding will be held), I still wanted to provide guests with a map to help them navigate their way to each location. Thanks to a wonderful classmate of mine, we had a lovely hand-drawn map to showcase to our guests. We placed the map on its end in the right-side pocket of the pocketfold.
For our RSVP card, we wanted to make sure that our guests knew to expect an offbeat, relaxed wedding from the moment they received their invitation. So, we utilized the following check box system, as seen on A $2000 Wedding:
- Gladly Attend
- Regretfully Decline
- Regretfully Attend
- Enthusiastically Decline
- I’m in the wedding, so I have to come
- Other ____________________________
Since Jordan and I are coordinating the music for the wedding dance ourselves, we also wanted feedback from our guests to see what would get them out on the dance floor. Our “Request a Song” card was so much fun to design, and Jordan even made the record player graphic himself!
These two cards were tied together with the RSVP envelope using baker’s twine, which is a special type of yarn that blends two colors (our’s was yellow and white) together. This little package was then placed in the pocketfold in front of the wedding map.
A note on the construction and presentation of the invite
I owe a lot to the lovely Holly at Nothing But Bonfires for introducing us to a company without which our invitations would have lacked cohesion: Cards & Pockets. We ordered nearly everything for our DIY invites from Cards & Pockets … from the pocketfolds in which each piece of our invitation suite was placed to the envelopes that carried our invitations to their destination, we found Cards & Pockets to be the best value for our money. And the quality of the materials? Couldn’t have asked for a better product or better customer service along the way. [No, this is not a sponsored/paid post; I just love the company!]
A note on printing
Jordan and I feel extremely blessed to have had the help and support of one of my father’s business colleagues throughout the DIY invitation design and printing process. From our first initial idea to our final proof, having a person to walk us through the process, telling us what worked and what didn’t, was absolutely invaluable.
While I understand that what’s right for us might not be right for everyone, I would encourage readers who are looking to DIY their own invitations to get them printed by a professional (but local!) printing company. All we supplied was the paper (we chose a partially recycled natural ivory linen cardstock), and the printers and our right-hand person handled the printing and the cutting gratis (yes, we were extremely lucky).
A note on the materials used
Materials:
From Cards & Pockets:
- Perfetto pocketfolds in “Smoke” (We ordered a sample of one, loved it, and then ordered 90 for our invitations)
- 5.75 inch square invitation mattes in “Lemonade” (Again, we ordered a color swatch, then ordered 90 mattes for our invitations)
- 90 6.5 inch square envelopes in “Lemonade” (to hold the invitation; we scrapped the inner envelope, because I think it’s wasteful and frivolous (no offense))
- 90 RSVP envelopes in “Lemonade” (while we initally thought about designing postcards, I loved these little envelopes, so we went with them)
From Etsy:
- Customized stickers from Maxim Creative Invites on Etsy (we ordered two different designs of stickers, one which we used to close the pocketfold and the other which we used to close the envelope)
- Yellow baker’s twine from Whisker Graphics on Etsy (we used this adorable twine to tie a bow around our RSVP package)
- Return address stamp from Love to Create Stamps on Etsy (we used this stamp as a return address and as the “deliver to” address on our RSVP envelopes)
From around town:
- Partially recycled natural ivory linen cardstock (we printed everything on this stock; we probably utilized 250-300 sheets for invitations for our entire guest list)
- Doilies + glue sticks + glue lines + ink pads from Michael’s craft store
- $0.61 cent wedding cake stamp, plus 2 $0.10 cent clock/nautical stamps, per invite, purchased at our local post office (I really wanted stamps with one of our engagement photos on it, but I couldn’t justify the cost)
- $0.44 cent “Love” stamp for our RSVP cards; we chose the stamp with the King and Queen on it!
A note on final cost
After calculating cost for everything ordered, including postage, it seems that the cost for each invitation suite was $3.74.
Here’s the breakdown:
Pocketfolds: $0.98 per invitation
Invitation Mattes: $0.18 per invitation
Natural Ivory Linen Cardstock: $8.00 per ream, $0.09 per invitation
Mailing Envelopes: $0.17 per invitation
RSVP Envelopes: $0.12 per invitation
Stickers: $0.47 per invitation
Address stamp: $0.08 per invitation (includes RSVP envelope)
Doilies: $0.14 per invitation (includes RSVP envelope)
Glue/Glue Lines/Double-stick Tape: $0.22 per invitation (includes all construction)
Baker’s Twine: $0.04 per invitation
Postage: $0.81 per invitation
Postage: $0.44 per RSVP card
TOTAL: $3.74 per invitation
What do you think of our DIY wedding invitations?
[All photos taken by my soon-to-be father-in-law, Steve!]
Tags: $2000 Wedding, Adobe Fireworks, Adobe Photo Shop, baker's twine, Cards & Pockets, DIY envelope liners, DIY layered wedding invitations, DIY Request a Song card, DIY RSVP card, DIY vintage wedding invitations, DIY wedding invitations, Etsy, Feel Script, Google, invitation wording, Love to Create Stamps on Etsy, Maxim Creative Invites on Etsy, Michael's Crafts, Nothing But Bonfires, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Washington Pavilion, Whisker Graphics on Etsy, woodblock invitations
Posted in Budget Weddings, DIY, Eco-Chic, Inspiration & Insight, Music & Entertainment, Our Wedding, Stationery, Vintage Beauties | 7 Comments »
Green Monday: Our Green Wedding Pledge, Part II
Written by Sara on March 15, 2010 – 9:10 am -Hi readers! As you recall, J and I have made a commitment to ensuring that we make choices for our wedding with the environment in mind. I thought it might be wise to take another look at what we’ve pledged to do, and see how we’re doing (as we’re about four months out from our wedding day!).
1. We will inquire about and utilize recycled paper materials as much as we are able. I have already contacted a graphic designer at my father’s company (where our stationery will be printed) to investigate what our options are for recycled paper. Update: ALL of the paper products we’ve used thus far have been made of at least partially recycled materials!
2. We will inquire about and utilize locally grown or organic food as much as our budget allows. I have already contacted our event coordinator at the Washington Pavilion, where our wedding reception will be held, about our caterers using locally grown or organic food. While we are on a very strict budget for our entire wedding planning, I am hopeful that our caterers will come back with a competitive quote. Update: We inquired, and we’ve realized that unfortunately, given the extremely low demand for organic and/or local food in our area, we won’t be able to provide organic or locally grown food for our guests. We do feel excited that we asked, because maybe our asking will help another couple in the future!
3. We will incorporate plantable paper in at least one way throughout our wedding stationery. I love the symbolism behind the paper (just like our love is blooming, so will our guests’ flowers!), and it reinforces the purpose of renewable goods. Update: We’re thinking about utilizing this paper for our ceremony programs!
4. We will incorporate locally grown flowers as much as possible. My Mom and I have discussed the possibility of planting a wildflower garden in our backyard this summer from which we would take flowers for our reception decor. We also have beautiful peonies that bloom in our yard that we’re going to attempt to keep alive through the heat of summer. Last, as one of my dear friends mentioned to me in the past few weeks, sunflowers grow wild EVERYWHERE in South Dakota, and it wouldn’t be difficult at all to pick some, dress them up with ribbon and give them to my bridesmaids to carry. Update: See this post for some exciting news on locally grown, organic flowers!
5. While at this point I don’t believe we’ll be incorporating wedding favors, if we do decide to give our guests favors, they will be locally grown or locally handmade. I firmly believe in investing in the local economy! Update: We are offering our guests favors of sorts, and we used recycled paper for them! Click here to see our cootie catcher trivia favors!
6. We are utilizing my mother’s birdhouse collection as our reception decor, and are therefore eliminating extraneous waste or costs associated with renting/purchasing and then inevitably disposing of centerpieces. Update: We still plan to use my mother’s birdhouse collection; we’re so excited!
7. We are supporting handmade goods by purchasing wedding accessories from Etsy. Update: Thus far, we’ve purchased my hair fascinator, gifts for my bridesmaids, our flower girl dresses, our guestbook, a prop for our photobooth, a stamp for our wedding stationery needs from Etsy. Whew!
8. My Mom and I plan to make handmade napkins and handmade bout’s for our wedding day. By sewing our own napkins we A) cut down on rental costs at our reception venue, and B) eliminate waste that would be created by using paper napkins. By making bout’s for our guys out of fabric and/or non-floral material, we will again cut down on waste and will utilize renewable goods to accomplish the same effect as floral bout’s. Update: We still plan to do this, and have begun purchasing supplies for both the napkins and the bout’s!
9. Jordan and I plan to build a photobooth to provide our guests with endless merriment at our wedding reception. I originally hoped to build our photobooth using found materials, and while that might still be possible, I am thinking of other ways to make our photobooth project green. As a start, we will be reusing our engagement session props for our photobooth (2 hearts on sticks, 2 mustaches on sticks, chalkboard + chalk). We also will be using a digital camera and tripod that Jordan’s family already owns, therefore cutting down on the waste that would be created if we utilized disposable cameras! Update: We’re still planning to do this, and can’t wait to get going on this project once the weather is warmer!
10. Last, I have a dream of being married by candlelight. I’m dreaming of an evening wedding (maybe 6:00 or 7:00), and being surrounded by candles. However, the candles we will utilize will be either soy or beeswax (lead-free, long-burning, made from renewable resources, not petroleum/paraffin). Update: While we’ve since decided not to get married by candlelight, due to the sheer number of candles we’d need to make this possible, we have purchased 7 eco-friendly candles to use as a tribute to our grandparents that have passed away.
So, as you can see, we’re doing rather well with our commitment to having an eco-friendly wedding!
How are you making your wedding green?
Tags: Etsy, Washington Pavilion
Posted in Budget Weddings, DIY, Eco-Chic, Inspiration & Insight, Our Wedding | 4 Comments »
Green Friday: Our Green Wedding Pledge
Written by Sara on January 15, 2010 – 9:00 am -
Happy Friday, readers! I am SO anxious for the weekend, even if I still have two shifts of work left. I may not have told you all that in December, I began working at Gymboree, the kids’ clothing store, here in our local mall. It’s a fun job, and is especially a nice break from the day-to-day office setting of my full-time job!
As I mentioned last week, today I’m ready to share with you all what Jordan and I are committed to doing to ensure that our wedding is “greener” than the average wedding affair. While I realize that we could be making more sacrifices that we are, Jordan and I feel comfortable with the choices we’re making thus far in our planning.
So, here’s our green wedding pledge:
1. We will inquire about and utilize recycled paper materials as much as we are able. I have already contacted a graphic designer at my father’s company (where our stationery will be printed) to investigate what our options are for recycled paper.
2. We will inquire about and utilize locally grown or organic food as much as our budget allows. I have already contacted our event coordinator at the Washington Pavilion, where our wedding reception will be held, about our caterers using locally grown or organic food. While we are on a very strict budget for our entire wedding planning, I am hopeful that our caterers will come back with a competitive quote.
3. We will incorporate plantable paper in at least one way throughout our wedding stationery. I love the symbolism behind the paper (just like our love is blooming, so will our guests’ flowers!), and it reinforces the purpose of renewable goods.
4. We will incorporate locally grown flowers as much as possible. My Mom and I have discussed the possibility of planting a wildflower garden in our backyard this summer from which we would take flowers for our reception decor. We also have beautiful peonies that bloom in our yard that we’re going to attempt to keep alive through the heat of summer. Last, as one of my dear friends mentioned to me in the past few weeks, sunflowers grow wild EVERYWHERE in South Dakota, and it wouldn’t be difficult at all to pick some, dress them up with ribbon and give them to my bridesmaids to carry.
5. While at this point I don’t believe we’ll be incorporating wedding favors, if we do decide to give our guests favors, they will be locally grown or locally handmade. I firmly believe in investing in the local economy!
6. We are utilizing my mother’s birdhouse collection as our reception decor, and are therefore eliminating extraneous waste or costs associated with renting/purchasing and then inevitably disposing of centerpieces.
7. We are supporting handmade goods by purchasing wedding accessories from Etsy. In the coming months, my veil and fascinator will be purchased via Tessa Kim’s shop on Etsy. In addition to those accessories, I also hope to purchase our guest book (remember this stump-inspired beauty?), jewelry for my bridesmaids, our cake topper, tutus for our flower girls, and monogrammed cuff links for our groomsmen from Etsy.
8. My Mom and I plan to make handmade napkins and handmade bout’s for our wedding day. By sewing our own napkins we A) cut down on rental costs at our reception venue, and B) eliminate waste that would be created by using paper napkins. By making bout’s for our guys out of fabric and/or non-floral material, we will again cut down on waste and will utilize renewable goods to accomplish the same effect as floral bout’s.
9. Jordan and I plan to build a photobooth to provide our guests with endless merriment at our wedding reception. I originally hoped to build our photobooth using found materials, and while that might still be possible, I am thinking of other ways to make our photobooth project green. As a start, we will be reusing our engagement session props for our photobooth (2 hearts on sticks, 2 mustaches on sticks, chalkboard + chalk). We also will be using a digital camera and tripod that Jordan’s family already owns, therefore cutting down on the waste that would be created if we utilized disposable cameras!
10. Last, I have a dream of being married by candlelight. I’m dreaming of an evening wedding (maybe 6:00 or 7:00), and being surrounded by candles. However, the candles we will utilize will be either soy or beeswax (lead-free, long-burning, made from renewable resources, not petroleum/paraffin).
How are YOU making your wedding green?
I’d love to hear from you!
[Photo via Dream Green Weddings by Caroline Ghetes]
Tags: Caroline Ghetes, Dream Green Weddings, Etsy, green wedding, Gymboree, Tessa Kim, Washington Pavilion
Posted in Adornments & Embellishments, Beauty & Polish, Budget Weddings, DIY, Eco-Chic, Flowers, Inspiration & Insight, Our Wedding | No Comments »
Two Weddings
Written by Sara on October 30, 2009 – 9:28 am -
Happy Halloween, everyone! (Yes, I know it’s Oct. 30, but I can’t help it – I’ve been in the Halloween spirit ever since I stumbled upon a viewing of “Hocus Pocus” on ABC Family last week). While this post has nothing to do with the spooks and scares of Halloween, I wanted to share with you readers the fruit of a solid 20-minute brainstorming session I had last night.
Like many, many individuals throughout the United States, J and I are learning that no one is exempt from the forces of an unpredictable economy. While I feel fortunate to have a full time job that I enjoy with coworkers that are successful and smart people, J has recently lost one of his part-time jobs due to budget cuts. Life has been very difficult for J these past few weeks, since he loved his job (he was a sports blogger covering high school sports for the state of South Dakota). However, J and I feel fortunate that he still has another part time job (working with kids with behavioral health issues), since we realize that so many Americans are without employment and have been for quite some time.
Still, it’s been hard to be excited about planning a wedding when J and my lives are now marked by financial uncertainty. However, as I sat in our living room last night, I instantly became inspired by an unconventional thought: what if, in my mind, I think of our wedding as not one, but two weddings?
I know, that sounds a little backward, right? I mean, one wedding will be expensive enough. Let me explain: Of course, J and I will only have one wedding, but until we’re sure of our financial situation (i.e. until J secures employment), I’ll be planning for both A) the wedding we’re currently planning now (church ceremony, reception at the Washington Pavilion, 80-100 guests) AND B) a much smaller (40 people max), more intimate wedding and reception with family and close friends only.
Make sense? Let me tell you about wedding #2:
- I imagine the ceremony being held in the Law Library of the Old Courthouse Museum in Sioux Falls (the space can hold between 40 and 50 people).
- For the ceremony, we would invite our parents and siblings, our grandmothers, and our wedding party, along with a few other close family members and friends. Depending on our budget, we may be able to invite more of our family and friends to the reception, but I feel comfortable with the small number at the ceremony.
- We could still have bachelor and bachelorette parties and a rehearsal and rehearsal dinner, no matter which wedding we choose/are able to have.
- There’s no reason that I couldn’t wear a wedding gown, or that J couldn’t wear a tux – it’s still our wedding, no matter how big or small it is, or where it takes place! We also could still exchange rings and have a meaningful wedding ceremony that reflects who we are as individuals and as a couple.
- We could still have save-the-dates, wedding invitations, programs, menus, and a guest book. In fact, since we would be making less copies of everything, we may be able to afford letterpress, a luxury that I just can’t seem to let go of!
- We could still have our chosen team of photographers from Creative Kindling, Kara & Aaron Hansen. Regardless of the scale of the wedding, we’ll still want to remember the day!
- We could still have a reception (depending on money), and we could even have a dance if we wanted to! Or, I love the idea of a mini-dance; I know that I want to dance with Jordan for the first time as husband and wife, and I know that I want to dance with my father and I’m sure Jordan and his mother would like a turn on the dance floor. We could even still hear speeches from our honor attendants, and then throw the bouquet/garter!
- We could still decorate the ceremony space in the Law Library (with pomander balls on the chairs, birdcages, flowers, etc.). We could also still have centerpieces at the reception tables (fewer people = fewer centerpieces = less money spent!), as well as a bouquet for me and bout’s for the guys.
- We could still have a cake! (Smaller cake = less money spent!)
- We could still have ceremony music. I want to walk with my father to the tune of a trumpet cantata, and trumpet players don’t need much room. I also would LOVE for J’s sister Larissa to sing a hymn or a song for us a capella.
Here’s a list of things I feel we might have to sacrifice or do differently:
- I’m not sure that I could still have a bridal shower. To me, it seems silly to ask the 40 people we’re inviting to our wedding to purchase a gift for a small bridal shower and then turn around and purchase a wedding gift as well. Maybe there’s an alternative to a bridal shower that I can host or have my mother host? I just don’t want to sacrifice some girl time with the women in my family and in J’s family. Any ideas, readers?
- My gut reaction is that we should still register for gifts (because our family and friends will probably still want to give us wedding gifts, no matter the scale of our wedding), but I feel strange registering for a lot of items. Maybe we just scale down our registry, not eliminate it altogether?
- A gift-opening brunch. Again, I’m not sure if we will need one if we’ll be having such a small wedding, but at the same time, I don’t want to sacrifice more time to spend with our families. Maybe we just have a brunch the morning after to celebrate our first day as a married couple? Other ideas?
I would LOVE to know what you all think about this two-wedding plan; feel free to email me at sara.eiesland@gmail.com, or comment on this post! Have a relaxing weekend, everyone!
Tags: Halloween, Hocus Pocus, Old Courthouse Museum, Washington Pavilion
Posted in Budget Weddings, Our Wedding, Venues | 1 Comment »
Latest Musings
Written by Sara on October 19, 2009 – 9:49 am -Good Monday morning to you all!
First of all, I can’t even believe that this template is FREE for download, but click over here at Ruffled for a free printable notecard & envelope template; this is too gorgeous not to use! (Can anyone say invitations for a rehearsal dinner or a gift-opening brunch?!) Plus, the template is designed in our wedding colors!
J and I have been seriously fighting against the Wedding Industrial Complex (WIC) lately, and that has caused some pretty hefty friction in our relationship as well. I know that it’s “normal” for couples to bump heads while planning a wedding, but I think that I have really been sucked into the WIC lately.
While J and I stated at the beginning that we wanted our wedding to be cost-effective (i.e. we didn’t want to go into debt for one day in our lives), I realized that I’ve been operating under the assumption that “everything would work itself out” in terms of finances, and if a snapshot of our last week is any evidence of that (to summarize: life changes quickly), I realize that I am seriously wrong.
That being said, J and I haven’t spent one dime…yet. (Well, that’s not entirely true; I purchased 12 brooches (mostly gold) from an antique store in Lincoln, NE, this summer for a measly $30.o0 (a steal, really!)). So, in spirit of what J and I originally envisioned for our wedding day, today marks the day that I’m rethinking a lot of things.
First off, the guest list. While from the beginning I said that I wanted a small wedding, the guest list has sort of ballooned into a 150+ party, and J and I have serious issues about footing the bill to accommodate that many guests. While we love all of our family and friends, we desperately want to pare down the guest list and only invite those family members and friends who have watched us grow in love and who we couldn’t imagine being without on such an important day.
So, our new target number: no more than 80 guests. I’m expecting the process of cutting down the list to be rather painful, but liberating at the same time.
Second, the venue: I emailed my contact at the Washington Pavilion in Sioux Falls this morning to gauge the availability (and pricing structure) of a smaller space within the museum. The Pavilion is full of beautiful, historical spaces, and I very much would like to take advantage of all they have to offer (staffed bar, indoor venue, free parking, etc). J and I also plan to get a quote for renting a tent that can accommodate 80 people, for price comparisons. Since my Dad’s company would be able to provide us with chairs and tables at minimal or no cost, we would certainly save funds there by not having to rent them from a third-party.
Third, the dress: After many, many conversations about the importance of the dress to me, I hope that J is finally beginning to understand that for me, the wedding gown embodies all that I’ve been waiting my life for. I’ve never worn a garter (not even to Prom) intentionally because I wanted to save that for my wedding day. I’ve had two Prom dresses that were both found on clearance, and while these dresses were beautiful, I feel like I’ve been waiting my whole life to have a gown that makes me feel like a princess. I am beginning to understand that spending ridiculous amounts of money on a gown I’ll wear once is very, very silly and rather selfish in the grand scheme of things, but at the same time, I’m recognizing that my desire to feel like a bride on my wedding day is valid and deserved. So, the quest for an affordable but beautiful vintage-inspired gown continues next weekend, as I head to Sioux City’s Happily Ever After salon with my Mom and…my Dad! I’m very excited that he’s coming along.
Last, pre-marital counseling: Especially after this past week’s struggles, J and I are realizing the importance and utter necessity of pre-marital counseling. While we try very hard to communicate with each other in an open and clear manner, we are both very stubborn and passionate individuals, which makes coming to terms with a decision very difficult. We’re very anxious to begin this process, and plan to begin investigating what opportunities are available to us.
I hope that my renewed vision and focus on creating the wedding of our dreams on an affordable budget will prove fruitful in our discussions with our families and in my discussions with J.
Tags: Happily Ever After, Ruffled, Washington Pavilion, Wedding Industrial Complex
Posted in Budget Weddings, Downloads, Inspiration & Insight, Our Wedding | No Comments »
Recent Happenings: Part II
Written by Sara on October 13, 2009 – 10:01 am -
Hello everyone!
I believe that I am reaching the stage in my wedding planning when I don’t want to be overwhelmed by wedding inspiration. I know this because I’m actually getting sick of clicking every day on the (count ‘em) THIRTEEN wedding blogs I frequent. I’m actually proud of myself for reaching this point, because to me, my frustration over centerpieces only involving flowers means that I know I don’t want to throw money at using large amounts of flowers that will simply die one week later. In other words, the frustrations I feel when I look at wedding blogs is simply me pushing back against the “do-it-yourself” wedding arena. It’s me saying, “Yes, I will do-it-myself, but I’ll do it my own way, thank you very much.” It feels good!
Now, to update you all on the issue of my wedding dress: I’m in the process of coming to terms with my love for all-satin gown. Just because I didn’t expect to fall in love with it doesn’t make it wrong that I did; it simply makes the very act surprising, which, to tell you the truth, is a lot like how I fell in love with J. I didn’t expect to fall in love with him, and I could never have imagined how he makes me feel every day, but here we are, getting ready to celebrate and formalize our love through marriage. Strange, isn’t it!
So, my plan: there’s a possibility that the Pronovias gown that I love will be on sale in the month of January (trunk sales are a wonderful thing!). However, it needs to be significantly on sale for me to open my heart (and my wallet) fully to the gown, so in the meantime, I’m going back to ever-faithful David’s Bridal to try on their selection of all-satin gowns (a selection I avoided in favor of lace my first time there). I fully expect this experience to feel painful and to feel like I’m chasing after a gown that I can’t afford, but at the same time, I hope to find a simple, suitable (and beautiful) gown to serve as a back-up for the Pronovias gown.
Secondly, the issue of the venue has been weighing heavily on my heart. J and I really loved Vintage, and we’re very sad that we couldn’t use it for our wedding reception. However, I’ve gone back over the initial research I did on venues in Sioux Falls, and I toured two possible venues last week. The first was the banquet room in the basement of Cherry Creek Grill, a restaurant on the east side of Sioux Falls. While the size is right (150 people) and the room rental is exactly the right price ($150 total!), the overall look of the room (and, ahem, the smell: smoky) left a lot to be desired. However, they are available on our date, and, if my gut feeling is correct, will probably remain available for some time, as it’s a relatively unknown space.
The second venue, however, surprised me much like the Pronovias gown. I have placed a 30-day hold on the 3rd floor lobby space at the Washington Pavilion Museum of Arts & Science in Sioux Falls. The lobby is a grand space with columns, a huge maple stationary bar, and plenty of space to accomodate both our wedding guests and a dance floor. On top of that, rental of the space is $700, a steal as compared to what we’d have to spend for a similar location. We’re currently awaiting word from Leonardo’s Cafe, who would cater the event, on price quotes for food, and as long as the quotes are in line with our budget, I fully expect us to host our wedding reception here.
Tags: Cherry Creek, David's Bridal, Pronovias, Washington Pavilion
Posted in Budget Weddings, Fashion, Our Wedding, Venues | 1 Comment »