Wedding Wednesday: DIY Details

Today's W.W. is all about those little handmade details that made our wedding "ours." I joke that I used the wedding as sponsored crafting but at the end of the day, but it ended up being a real team effort! (which is occasionally always a challenge for my personality)

[numbered descriptions below]

 

1. Probably the least "crafty" of the projects. I bought $0.50 plastic frames at Michaels, spray painted them white, and then printed out vaguely-calligraphy-looking numbers on nice paper. Ain't no thang.
2. As one of the favors, we wanted to spread the crafty love. I found a wonderful bike pattern on Etsy (Create2Destroy) and printed out copies on card stock. Fred made this mockup so people could see what the flat piece had the potential to become! The rolls of card stock were held tight by small white tags, stamped with a bicycle in copper-colored ink.
3. This ribbon isn't even a craft, but more of an expedition. I must have spent hours scouring the internet looking for the perfect yellow ribbon after seeing something similar on the cover of Martha Stewart Weddings (which you can see here) and they wouldn't/couldn't tell me where they got it. Grrrr. I finally discovered a ribbon shop on 38th Street called Hyman Hendler & Sons that happened to have gotten a visit from Miss Stewart herself. Huzzah! So down to 38th Street I went and bought one yard (to the tune of $20.50 a yard. Ouch!) But honestly, my $20 of ribbon was so great. I still have it and its going to be part of something very special that's in the works. (muah-ha-ha)
4. A week before the wedding my mother-in-law's sister (errr... My aunt-in-law?) flew here from Italy. She brought with her the other wedding favor: bombonierre (chocolate or candy coated almonds). I got these little bags and contrasting twine off of Etsy (studio8supplies) and printed out the labels on my computer with Avery circle sticker label paper. Then, the two most patient ladies in the world (my aunt- and mother-in-law) assembled them. I have it on good authority that it took hours. Thank you ladies so much!!!
5. A few weeks after we got engaged, I took a calligraphy course on the Upper East Side (with the all-star Harriet Rose) with the idea of doing some sort of calligraphy for the wedding myself. This ended up being the placecards, which was definitely a labor of love. I think I may have ended up throwing away twice as many placecards because of mistakes but my patient teacher had warned me of this and so it wasn't too traumatic. Honestly, it was a lot of fun to do!
6. This is the front of the menu. I have always loved these vows and wanted them to be featured somewhere so that's where they ended up. Here is the full text: "I take you to be no other than yourself. Loving what I know of you, trusting what I do not yet know, with respect for your integrity, and faith in your love for me, through all our years, and in all that life may bring us."
7. (The yellow bombonierre)
8. I, for some reason, decided to make my own memory board. (One day I'll pass on the full instructions, once I remember how I did it!) Guests were asked to fill out the small cards (with graphics from The Graphics Fairy) with marriage advice and then put them on the memory board.

10 points to anyone who has made it through the whole post! Whew! That was a long one. Next week: food. Nom nom.

 

**Enjoying the pictures? We are! They are all thanks to photographer extraordinaire Zlatko Batistich**