Une-Deux Senses brings us a quick and easy tutorial for making your own adorable cupcake flags!

{Tutorial found here via Wedding Cabaret and Cupcakes Take the Cake}

Because I don’t have long hair, it’s a barely longer than chin-length bob, I decided it made some sense to schedule a hair trial along with my regular cut/color over the weekend so I could decide if I need to let my hair grow over the next couple of months instead of keeping to my regular schedule of trimming. Generally speaking, I have been opposed to growing out my hair and being annoyed with it for months and hating it in photos just so it can be put up for one day, but I’m open to letting it grow a bit from this point forward. I searched around and found this simple and elegant chignon and brought this along with me for inspiration.

{Source}

I’ve gone to the same stylist since I was about 16, so she has a good understanding of what I love and hate. Using the above photo for inspiration, I let her know I was interested in something elegant, simple and classic. And it absolutely could not resemble prom in any way.

This crazy photo taken at a holiday party {me on the far left and my lil’ sister/MOH on the far right - and yes, we’re in the ladies room} gives you a good idea of the length of my hair. As you can see, it’s amazing what hair spray and hair pins can do…

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This week I thought I would highlight the work of one of my favorite calligraphers, Jenna Hein.  Jenna’s style is pure whimsy and lovely flourishes - perfect for any wedding, from a modern celebration to a vintage-inspired affair.  And in case you aren’t familiar with Jenna’s work, I thought I’d gather together a few of my favorite examples from her portfolio.

Jenna’s calligraphy is just lovely when used to address invitation envelopes, particularly when completed with unique or vintage stamps:

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{All images from Author’s personal collection*}

As I mentioned last week, it has been rather busy in our household this week and wedding planning has very much taken a backseat. I did however find time to make a start on the bunting which we are using to decorate our marquee at the reception and thought you might like to see how it is turning out, as it is nowhere near finished. Clearly, we need much more than this!

I began by sending an e-mail to all the female family members and friends I could think of that might have hoarded scraps of fabric over the years and so far have received a bag of donations from my Mum, her sister, my Grandmothers, M’s Mum and other female friends. I also dug out my childhood material box and have utilised some of what I found in there too. The nice thing about this is that most of the fabric is offcuts of clothes or things people have made. In photo 3 you can see the remains of my Mum’s nightie that she wore when pregnant with me, a pink and white spotty dress I wore when I was little and the blue sprigged fabric which comprised my ‘wedding outfit’ as a child [a skirt and waistcoat which could be worn over a white blouse - it lasted for years as it could be let out - much more wear than a dress which I would have quickly outgrown]. The floral fabric under the number 6 is left over from a dress my Mum made for summer events, which she wore to my graduation. So a lot of history which I hope might spark some reminiscing at the wedding.

The bunting itself  is very easy to make - I made a triangle template (photo 1) and cut out the shapes from the fabric (some of which I had to sew together to create a piece large enough). I then sewed the two triangles together, insides out, and turned them into little triangular bags, which were then turned the right way out (photo 4) and ironed flat (photo 5). I then pinned them to a length of tape - this one is an old piece that Mum found which is why it is so short, the rest will be attached to 20m lengths - and then sewed them onto the tape. My stitching is not very straight but this was the first attempt (and I don’t think anyone will see when it is attached to the marquee). Photo 7 gives some idea of how it looks when it is laid out [please excuse our sofa].

So, white marquee with multi-coloured bunting and miss-matched crockery. Aside from the table decorations (which I will post about soon) these will be our only decorations. I hope it won’t look too sparse, rather English garden party. And the best bit? We can take them home and then we have ready made birthday party decorations for the future…

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*With the usual apologies for the poor quality snaps from my BlackBerry. I really must get a better camera when I have some money.

DJ was been married before, between when we were engaged the first time and when we re-found each other. He’s the kind of guy who has always, always wanted to be married and (at the right time) have a family. It’s a good quality.  So I can’t blame him for meeting a girl in college and settling down right after. Lots of people are on that schedule, and while he was dating and marrying I had a fairly serious boyfriend myself.

Our second shot at dating was very sincere, from the very beginning. We both wanted specific things and weren’t willing to settle. We had to trust each other to get it right this time. Neither of us wanted to be a placeholder in a photo.

(source)

After DJ proposed, I started asking questions about his first wedding. I knew enough of his perspective on the marriage to believe that lessons were learned, but I was still afraid of making a major gaffe. I didn’t want to repeat anything, or inadvertently create similarities. So I pestered him with questions. What kind of dress did she wear - white, ivory, ballgown, strapless? What was their first dance? What colors did the bridesmaids wear, and what kind of flowers did she carry? Did they register for china? Did they have readings or music during the ceremony?

It was really confusing to me that the answer was frequently “I don’t know.” Really, he seemed to not know, but I couldn’t wrap my head around that. How could you just not know? He said he hadn’t been involved in the planning. That he hadn’t given much input in the registry. But still, I just didn’t get it.

(source)

As months went by I asked less and was more confident that his friends and family would be too kind to remind us of our checkered pasts. Not to mention the fun I was having collecting silver and sewing chair covers (oh boy!) But I did ask one more time, and finally got the real answer. DJ said that he doesn’t want to remember. He wants to remember our wedding not as his second, but as the one that made a marriage. So he’s made an effort to forget whether his ex wore a veil, where they registered, the dinner menu, and what kind of toast his best man made.

Oh. That I can understand. So I’ve stopped asking – and, for the most part, caring. I’m sure his ex was a beautiful bride and they probably had a very nice wedding. But even if we happened to like the same flowers, it wouldn’t be the same at all.

Have any of you planned around a prior marriage? Any sage advice for the seconds?

So in the past two week I’ve met with a few clients who are having an event at a private home/estate. With this comes great flexibility [set up time, vendor selection, decor choices] but also great risk and responsibility [especially if it isn’t YOUR home, and if it’s located in a neighborhood of any kind]. The main foreseeable problems, right off the bat, consist of a few things: parking, inconveniencing the neighbors, and noise restrictions.

So, let me break them down a bit in the way I see fit.

1. The parking situation, most likely, will not be easy. My suggestion is to find a local church or business center that may allow you to rent or use their spaces for your event. If it’s a couple blocks away, offer the guests a trolley. Yes, it may add a tad more expenses than you anticipated originally when you started planning, but the convenience for your guests will be worth it! Plus, this way the driveway of the home you’re at, and right out front of that, looks clean, beautiful, and UN-cluttered with cars for that big grand exit you’re thinking of […or is that me?]!!

2. For the noise situation, the best thing you can do is speak with the city. I’ll be honest- I’m not quite sure that the city will grant permits to anyone- home or not- for “sound” after 10 or 10:30pm. I believe it’s a general respect thing for the community surrounding you. Which is why this ties so much into the 3rd point, below…

Really and truly- that third one is a biggie. Probably the biggie-est. So, I’ll tell you what I’ve told them: offer the olive branch.

3. The absolute BEST thing you can do for dealing with the neighbors near by is be preemptive about it and TELL THEM, up front, and personally. I’m not saying you need to notify all the neighbors within 2 blocks but definitely the immediate near-bys are important. More than that, say it with more than words. Say it with effort. Say it with food. A few examples:

Fresh Baked Cookies

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Nancy Liu Chin has an amazing tutorial on Weddingbee Pro today - I love the flower girl basket and ring bearer pillow she created using mums.  So elegant and beautiful that no one will believe it’s DIY!

{Tutorial found here}

“Your good friend has just taken a piece of cake out of the garbage and eaten it. You will probably need this information when you check me into the Betty Crocker Clinic.”
-Miranda, Sex and the City

Sometimes it scares me how accurate SATC can be. What sweets lover wouldn’t do such a thing for a bite of moist, sweet cake covered in frothy, fluffy buttercream frosting? (Um, ok, getting hungry here). Or at least be willing to bake a dozen of them for her wedding? For those of you who are new to EAD, much (most!) of my wedding is homespun, from-scratch, authentic DIY. Cakes and all! True, I will be having some help, namely from my uncle, who is a German baker (go random family skills!) But I’m certainly getting in on this fun too!

The week of the wedding, I plan on baking some cakes to throw into the ring at our reception. I was the lucky recipient of 6 Meyer lemons this past month, and thought they should go to good use…so, I present to you, my super delicious lemon cake! Not to brag or anything. I think it’s hard to screw up cake. =)

Oh, yes. Made by me several weeks ago (it is sadly long gone), it is a lemon double-layer cake with lemon curd filling and lemon buttercream frosting. A cavalcade of lemony-ness. Let me tell you, it was super amazing (recipe below!) and gone very very quickly. Of course, the actual cake for the wedding would probably have 1 more layer on it to make it a bit more substantial.

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I’m not a professional designer, but I am among the growing population of brides who plans to create her own wedding invitation suite. It’s more affordable, more personal, and with help from tools like Gocco, it’s actually doable. (If you’re still on the fence about Gocco, just check out these amazing ideas from Cyd. I bought mine from the lovely Amy I. just a few weeks ago, and I can’t wait to start crafting!)

But before I get into invitations, let me tell you about the design decisions that will influence a lot of our DIY projects.

Color Scheme: Obviously color is important. It creates visual unity from the Save the Date you send months before your Wedding Day to the flowers and linens your guests see when they walk into your reception. We chose shades of reds and oranges based on the colors of early fall. Even though we’re getting married on August 28, I think this scheme will perfectly compliment the dark greens and browns of our outdoor venue.

Fonts: Font styles can really help to set the mood for your wedding – be it formal or casual. Script font is, of course, the most traditional choice. Examples include Edwardian Script, Sackers English Script, and Vivaldi. But we wanted to diverge from the conventional. We wanted a font that said celebration, merriment, and casual comfort.

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Today’s DIY project is from My DIY Wedding Day.  Lori from Federico Designs shows us how to create a beautiful embellished cupcake tower!

{Tutorial found here}