Trader Joe’s really is a special place. Not only do they have awesomely delicious food (have you tried their frozen flatbread pizzas?!), but they also carry a really nice selection of loose flowers and greenery at a great price. For the wedding we hosted at our house last March, we used a variety of eucalyptus bunches from Trader Joe’s. They cost $2-4/bundle and we only needed 8 bundles for 30...
DIY Gold Foil for Signs and Invitations
Gold foil adds a glamorous touch to everything from signs to invitations. However, custom gold foil invitations can be very expensive, adding multiple dollars to the cost of each invitation, especially if they are letterpress. There is a simple method to creating your own DIY gold foil invitations, signs, and other paper goods that uses some inexpensive equipment. You can add foil to some or all of a design –...
DIY Bridesmaid Gift Bags
My contribution to my sister-in-law’s bachelorette weekend was cute tote bags to hold all of the goodies the other ladies brought. I wanted something simple and classy. My sister-in-law was using a lot of gold, blush, and neutrals in her wedding decor, so I stuck with that palette. The Bag I searched far and wide for a reasonably priced, yet nice looking canvas tote. I eventually found a decent option...
Wedding Card Suitcase: Collect Cards and Gifts in Style
Looking for an incredibly simple and visually interesting way to collect cards at your wedding? You might want to consider using a decorative suitcase. I used a stack of two different suitcases with small, custom-cut paper letters that spell “Cards.” The Suitcases I found relatively inexpensive yet nice quality suitcases at a variety of places, including Hobby Lobby, Home Goods, and Amazon (see a selection from Amazon, below). You could...
DIY Craft Show Booth Signage and Backdrop Shelving
Over Labor Day weekend 2016 (yes this post is a long time coming), I exhibited my wedding and party printables business, Ciao Bella Studio at a wedding show called The Marry Mart. This was completely outside my comfort zone, but hey, do one thing every day that scares you, right? Never having exhibited at a bridal show before, I was starting from scratch when it came to booth design. The...
DIY Wedding Escort Cards
Escort cards are a perfect and simple DIY wedding project that don’t have to be a huge investment in time. Trends right now for providing this information to your guests include: A framed piece on an easel with all of the information for guests to see. My favorites are old windows with writing directly on the panes or a matted and framed cards. Separate cards that guests can take with...
DIY Moss Wedding Table Numbers
Table numbers are a fun, easy, and inexpensive project to DIY for your wedding. We wanted a natural feel, especially because our reception was outside, so I chose moss. These fit with a wide range of wedding styles – rustic, romantic, garden party, whimsical, etc. I made these table numbers to be free standing on the table. You could alter the design and leave off the wood base so they...
DIY Hanging Frame Wedding Photo Booth
Who doesn’t love a photo booth? I wanted to capture as many moments as possible at my wedding but did not want to pay for a giant, bulky, boxy photo booth (they can cost $1000+). I searched around for some DIY options on Pinterest and really liked the idea of using a large hanging frame. I think it fit the look and feel of our wedding and in general, was not too...
Wedding Gift Countdown: a Thoughtful Gift from My Bridesmaids
My lovely bridesmaids surprised me the month of my wedding with this beautiful gift board. Each of my four ladies chose thoughtful small gifts which were then wrapped using an assortment of paper, cute fabric bags and washi tape and attached to a bulletin board. Gifts were numbered for the days of April, and I opened one each day leading up to April 25th, my wedding day. My favorite part was...
Fujimax Instax Photo Wedding Guestbook
I used to wonder, ‘what is the point of a guestbook at weddings? Do people even go back and read them?’ Well, I didn’t want mine to end up sad, lost, and forgotten in a storage box somewhere. Enter the Fujifilm Instax Share Smartphone Printer SP-1. Read on for a list of materials used for our guestbook, some photos, and some tips and things I wish I had known. This guestbook turned...