Today I will be talking about all things DIY and Etsy purchased from our big day.
I was really big on having home made items at our event...1 because it is usually cheaper and 2 because I think it would add a nice touch to our rustic vintage theme.
Let's start with DIY:
Centerpieces:
I knew from the beginning that we would be using mason jars. My mom and I searched and searched for the best deals and ended up getting all of our mason jars from OSH. We got each pack for $9 which ended up saving us almost $100! Once we had the mason jars we were on a search for what to do with them. Lace was huge in our wedding so I knew that it would have to be on them. We went to JoAnn's twice and bought them out of the perfect lace! :) We didn't have any extra and it was perfect. The next step was to find the candles and rocks to fill them with. I went to the Dollar Store and found the perfect rocks. I bought little rocks for the middle size jars and big rocks for the large jars. We ended up spending $17 on rocks. We found the candles at Hobby Lobby for $5 a pack and only needed 2 packs. Once all supplies were purchased we had a craft night - one of many for this big day - and assembled the centerpieces. With a little bit of hot glue and alcohol, my mom, me and a bridesmaid got these babies done in an hour. I was so happy with the end result. Total cost: $9.60 per table.
Signage:
I knew that I wanted signs every where for different things. I searched and searched Etsy and couldn't find the exact ones that I wanted for the price that I wanted. I ended up finding all of my signage from Hobby Lobby and Kohl's and couldn't have been happier with how they turned out. I bought the chalkboard easels (on sale) from Hobby Lobby and the picture frames (on clearance) from Kohl's. We bought some chalk pens from Hobby Lobby and Michael's and a dear friend offered to write them all out for me. Total cost: $45!
Seating Chart:
"Friends of the bride, Friends of the groom, Please sit together there is plenty of room!"
This is probably the item I was most excited for as far as the DIY projects went. I knew that I wanted something old and rustic. While it isn't that rustic looking it was an adventure getting to the final result. I had everyone on the look out for an old window or door. For months we were searching and searching. With no luck we finally told my Mother-in-Law about our troubles. 5 minutes later she called me from a garage sale and found this beauty for $3!!!! We snatched it up and that is when the make over began. We had to cut off the wires that were attached to it and my mom found some clearance black fabric that we stapled onto the back. We used the same chalk pens as mentioned above and voila! Our seating chart was born and I loved it!!! Total cost: $10!
Button Art:
Probably the oddest thing I requested from my guest was a button. I had put it in with the invitations that when they replied with a yes or no that they please include a button. I didn't know that this would be such a confusing thing, but in the end I got enough buttons from my guests and made this beautiful DIY project that sat at our Guestbook table and hangs in our house today. I loved that each button on their is from someone that we love and care about and a part of them and their family will always be in our house. My great aunt even sent us a button that she cut off of my great grandma's dress. It is the center of the "H" and I wouldn't have had it any other way. It is so special to me and an easy request I believe. Total cost: $10!
Now onto Etsy:.
Guestbook:
I knew that I didn't want a traditional guestbook. I went back and forth with different ideas. I thought about doing a calendar where every guest would sign on their birthday. Well then people started suggesting that I might hurt people's feelings if I forgot their birthday because they signed it on my guestbook. LOL. Plus I wouldn't look at that very often after the year most likely. I started searching Etsy and found the perfect item. It was a handmade wooden box with our names on the top and wooden hearts inside. The vendor, dazzlingexpressions, was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G to work with and it shipped and arrived so quickly! It is currently displayed in our entry way, but unfortunately all of the hearts are inside and not visible. I have bought all of the materials to make it something that can hang in our house and I am hoping to get to that soon. For another DIY project :) Total cost: $84!
Garter:
Oh the garter! That awkward moment when your newly wedded husband dives under your dress and your family watches. WEIRD!!!! Well, I didn't really care by the time of the night but I knew that I wanted something special and cute and manly. LOL. As manly as a garter can get. I searched Etsy once again and found exactly what I was looking for. I got a camo and lace garter that had our wedding date engraved on mine and "you're next" engraved on the receiver's. SnickerdoodleClothes was awesome to work with. I gave them my leg size and it was at my door shortly after. Total cost: $35!
