Category — floral & decor

Somewhere in the planning process, I decided that 2 six year old boys would not be very fond of carrying ‘girly’ pillows down the aisle. A fun DIY project quickly emerged in my mind to go along with our bird theme and a trip to Hobby Lobby ensued.

While planning, I did not have a blog so unfortunately I do not have step by step photos for this project. I can tell you how I did it and show you the final product which turned out to be one of my favorite details from the day.

Supplies:

• 2 medium sized birds’ nests (approx 3-4 in.)
• 1 bag reindeer moss
• 2 small birds or doves
• Hot glue gun

Instructions:

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Along the way, I did a great deal of online research to find the best prices on a wide range of items. For your own planning and projects, here is a brief list of my favorites. Maybe you can find a few bargains yourself.

Denver Fabrics

My grandma made the bridesmaids and flower girl dresses with the perfect shade of 100 percent green, silk charmeuse that I found here. When I purchased the material, you could order up to five swatches at a time for only a penny each. Unfortunately, over the past year the outlet has changed ownership and they no longer have the same promotion. The site still offers a fabulous array of bridal and special occasion fabrics for all of your projects at a fraction of the cost of some retail outlets.

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One area where we decided we could save money was in all of the print materials. I had a pretty specific idea of how I wanted the final invitations to look and knew we could create a simple look on our own.

We completed the Save the Dates before we actually had our professional engagement session so they included a photo we took on our own with the help of Thomas’s aunt. The color palette was already set at this time so they began to set the tone for everything to follow. The postcard was created using Adobe Photoshop and simply had to be dropped in the mail.

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You all know the old proverb, “it takes a village to raise a child,” and it takes quite a cast of characters to carry off a wedding and all of its nitty-gritty details. In order to adhere to a fairly small budget, we enlisted the aid of many family members and friends. Nearly all of the details, from the invitations to the bridesmaids’ dresses, were do-it-yourself tasks. After seeing all the details come together, we realized it doesn’t necessarily take a huge budget to create a beautiful day for you and your guests. You really just need a vision, a plan, and lots of helpers.

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We’re so excited to officially begin DIY month!  We’ll be showcasing some of our own projects along with all of the reader submissions and some fabulous weddings that were submitted as well!  There’s still time to send us your wedding or project, so please email us at {elizabeth anne designs at gmail dot com} with any contributions you have!  Remember the winner of our contest receives a $100 gift card to Amazon.com!

Our first entry is from Snow, who made this beautiful Just Married sign to go above her cake table at her reception.

Instructions and materials list for this adorable sign (which could be used for a wedding, shower, or any other party!):

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Yep, you read right. Wax and water balloons create THESE stunning luminaries:

Learn how {here} via CRAFT

Who thinks of these things?! Pure genius.

E.

PS - As this is a DIY post, I feel compelled to remind you to submit your DIY projects for our November DIY Month!  Details here.

It’s a real pleasure to be guesting for Rebekah and Ami this week. I’m a UK based wedding planner who writes her own blog about vintage weddings, but having recently been married I wanted to share my experiences with US brides and so I contacted Elizabeth Anne Designs. I hope I don’t disappoint!

We had an intimate budget wedding in August at a beautiful Georgian mansion called Pembroke Lodge in Richmond Park on the outskirts of London.

{Pembroke Lodge}

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Found via whip up, an easy and adorable ribbon wreath that would be simply perfect for your chapel door!

The Long Thread

A foam wreath, some ribbon, a few knots and voila!  The blog world’s ingenuity and ability to do more with less continually amazes me!

E.

…but a few well-chosen details can make a big difference. Here are some of my favorites:

1) Guest book pen (Etsy)

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At first I resented the fact that my venue (The Central Park Boathouse) restricted me by contract to a short list of three florists. Then, upon further investigation, I resented how much wedding flowers cost, no matter where you get them!

So I got this crazy idea. I decided I was going to purchase bulk flowers and arrange them myself. I was going to do this without any real training, after taking the bar exam for two straight days, in my tiny NYC apartment, with only a standard-size refrigerator.

This was the plan. I even signed up for a floral arranging seminar at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. About two hours into it, I think I finally came to my senses. I wanted to save money on my wedding as much as the next bride, but that was just ridiculous.

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