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Reception Details

Once I got into the DIY groove from the wedding stationery there was no stopping it. Creating the stationery was so easy that I thought I could add my own DIY touches to the rest of the wedding details.

Instead of having a traditional guest book, I decided to have a photo mat with one of our engagement pictures for our guests to sign.

I also created a fun way for our guests to share their wishes, thoughts, and funny stories We called it “Make a Wish, Take a Wish.” I bought two glass containers from Hobby Lobby. I filled each container with the left over shred from the out of town boxes and tied a bow on the outside of each container using the same ribbon from our invitations. I then created two signs using the same process I have previously mentioned: “Make a Wish” and “Take a Wish”.

The “Make a Wish” sign said: “Please write your thoughts and wishes to share with us for life, for the greatest gift of all will be the gift of your advice. When all is said and done, and you’ve nothing left to say, please do sign your name and go on, enjoy the day!”

We also wanted our guests to leave with something special so we created Paper Fortune Tellers, also known as Cootie Catchers. After using this online resource to learn the basics of how to make these Paper Fortune Tellers, I created my own template using a basic table in Microsoft Word that I could use to design my own fortune teller.

After I the template was created, I removed the black borders, printed the fortune tellers on magenta pink paper from Paper Source, folded them, and then created directions in case one of our guests was unsure of how to play. I placed the finished fortune tellers in the other glass container and created a “Take a Wish” sign.

The “Take a Wish” sign said: “You’ve celebrated with us and left a wish for us, too. Now it’s our turn to share a wish with you! Take some directions so you can learn how to play, Keep it with you so you will always remember our day!”

The last major DIY element I created was a candy buffet, which also doubled as our wedding favors. I bought clear Chinese take-out containers from Papermart and decorated them with the same ribbon and sticker I used for the wedding invitations. We bought varying sizes of glass containers to hold the candy. Unlike most candy buffets that you see at weddings, our candy did not follow our color scheme. Instead, we bought candy that we loved to eat: Hot Tamales, Jelly Beans, Starbursts, M&Ms, Sour Skittles, Snickers, Lollipops, Mini Chocolates, and Jolly Ranchers. In case one of our guests was not a fan of candy or red velvet cake, we also had Maggiano’s lemon cookies for each guest to take home. We packaged the cookies in small cellophane bags and tied them off with magenta ribbon.

The candy sign said: “Give in to your sugar craving and get yourself a treat. Hot tamales, snickers, and lollipops sure are sweet. There is plenty to choose from, and it’s all yours to take. Just don’t forget to save room for cake!”

*All images courtesy of Robert L. Walker Photography