Floral Alternatives...Paper Bouquets & Decor, DUH!

Let's suppose you aren't a huge fan of flowers, since they will end up dead and withered away within a few days...aaaaand spending a couple thousand dollars on said flowers is totally NOT in your budget.
I now propose an eco-and-pocketbook-friendly alternative, and if you're a true DIY'er you won't mind the time involved in creating this wondrous project...PAPER BOUQUETS! (OR BROOCH BOUQUETS, whichever you prefer). I will be posting a tutorial on creating the latter within the next few days so stay tuned folks.
(Brooch bouquet)

Now, you have to admit that paper flowers are darn cute. This is also not to mention the fantastic effect they will have on your pocketbook. Most paper bouquets are constructed from pages out of old books, newspaper, magazine clippings, or you can find some fancy stock/scrapbooking paper from your local craft store. Use any pattern you want to create a nice addition to your wedding decor. Bold contrasts are my personal favorite.

And honestly, they don't lack any bit of "elegance" or "fancy" or whatever you want to call it. It's a handmade project, which in my opinion, will not only last longer, but create better memories during the creation process as well. And the absolute best part is, you're not limited to one type of flower.
For the Kusudama tutorial, click here.

For the Ocasiocasa tutorial, click here.

For the Dahlia tutorial, click here. 

There's also a bazillion different varieties of roses and other florals that you can make as well. Round roses, spray garden roses, etc.

Have fun with this project, and happy flower making!

XOXO-Christina

Zazzle Custom Stamps!

These are AWESOME! I've been doing my happy dance ever since I found these custom stamps from Zazzle.com. Use them on your invites, Save the Dates, RSVP, engagement party invites, thank you cards, etc. Customize them with your wedding monogram, an engagement photo, or whatever your pretty little heart desires. With Zazzle, you can upload your own design, or use one of theirs (choose from pages and pages of gorgeous designs). Zazzle has teamed up with TheKnot.com and Hallmark to offer really sweet designs. You can change the color scheme, wording, font...this site has it all when it comes to personalizing! Prices range from $15-25 for per sheets of 20. Depending on the number of sheets you order, you can get a bulk order discount.

• Choose from seven postage denominations:
  $0.29: Postcards.
  $0.44: First-class, 1 oz. mailings.
  $0.64: 1 oz. mailings, unusual shapes.
  $0.64: 2 oz. mailings.
  $0.84: 2 oz. mailings, unusual shapes.
  $0.84: 3 oz. mailings.
  $1.04: 3.5 oz. mailings.
  $1.48: 4 oz. mailings.
  $4.95: Priority Mail (up to 16 oz.).

Monogram Etiquette

Monogram etiquette isn't common knowledge for most folks, hence the reason for this post. So how do I go about explaining the proper etiquette without boring you to tears. Hmmmmm, here goes: in short definition, monograms are those cute, calligraphy-looking letters you see hanging on bathroom towels in fancy houses (oh, and at weddings too). Who am I kidding, you know what a monogram is, right?? Exhibit a:
Ok, so on to the next (and more complicated) question…do you know the proper way to create your own monogram? In what order should your initials be displayed? Who's name comes first? Which is the bigger letter? Let's face it, how many people really take the time to research the appropriate way to display your monogram...I therefore, am putting together this very short, very simple list of rules to follow.

• A general rule of thumb, and most importantly...the brides name always comes first! Duh, because we are more beautiful and special...heh, I kid, I kid.
• If using initials only, the order is: the brides first initial, groom's last name, the grooms first initial

That's it. Pretty simple right? I'm glad we got that established. Now on to the fun part: the ways to utilize your monogram are ENDLESS. Use on wine bottle tags, stationary, cake toppers, napkins, aisle runners, favors, signs, chair ties, decor, signs, drink stirrers, flags, etc, etc, etc! A wedding monogram is kind of a big deal, almost in the same category as the cake, rings and officiant...ok, not quite. But close.

P.S. In case you didn't know, Envy Events will design your own personalized monogram for a flat rate of $50. Unlimited revisions included. Pass it on. Also, check out our post on custom monogrammed stamps from Zazzle.com.

DIY Project: Making Your Cupcakes Cute

If you are like me, you browse through countless wedding blogs whenever humanly possible. I love seeing all the lovely little details of DIY weddings and stare longingly, wondering how to share them with you all. Today I wanted to try those cute little cupcake signs that have been seen on Style Me Pretty. Here's an inspiration picture.

How cute are these?? But they are $9 for a set of 12, and that could add up really fast, especially if you have a large guest list. For example, if your guest list is 150, you would need 13 sets of 12, which comes out to (carry the 3, subtract the 1) $113. But enough blabbling, on to your DIY instructions...

Supplies needed (can be found in any craft supply store):

• Big scalloped-edge hole-puncher (2 inch)
• Slightly smaller circle hole puncher (1.5 inch)
• “Woodsies” wooden sticks (5.75 inch)
• Glue sticks & hot glue gun
• Cute construction or scrap-booking paper
• Letter stickers

Here is a closer look at the hole-puncher's:

Start by cutting out a few of each of the circles, playing around with the patterns and colors from the card stock you have. Then, hot-glue the circle onto the stick (or use Zots if you don't want to use a messy glue gun). If you don't want to leave the stick exposed on the back, glue the matching color onto the back.

 

Next, apply some sticker letters, or quotes to the circles. Mix it up by using different sayings such as:
Your monogram or initials,We Do, I Do,Love,Kiss,Sweet,Just Wed,In Love,Happy,Mrs, Mr, ...etc

 

All in all, these will turn out so cute!! Not to mention, they are sooooo ridiculously easy to make! This DIY trend has been popping up everywhere, and I love the idea of cupcakes instead of a traditional cake, or in addition to a traditional cake. There's many uses for these: think drink stirrers, attached to favor bags, "toss me" bags, at the bar or dessert table....the list goes on and on!

{Courtesy of Miss Petit Four of Weddingbee}

Custom Stamps for the New Mr. & Mrs.

SALE ALERT! These stamps were wayyyy toooooo cuuuuute to not share! How cumbersome and annoying is it to hand-address all of your thank-you cards, (future baby shower invites, perhaps?) and etc. etc. etc? I found these stamps while snooping around on PaperSource, and was excited to learn that you DON'T have to design your own monogram. The lovely folks at PaperSource provide you with pages and pages of pre-made designs, and all you have to do is fill in your info. As a crafty person, I love this website, not only because it is a DIY'ers online bible of paper choices, but the selection here is hard to beat anywhere else. It doesn't matter what your style is, you can find stationary to match here.


On a side note, stamps add a touch of class to snail mail, in my opinion, ten-times better than mailing labels. At $20-$30 each, a little pricey, but I think it's a nice investment. Can you think of a better way to introduce the new Mr. and Mrs. on an envelope? Thought so. Ok, maybe I get a little too excited about not-so-important minute details, but I'm purchasing one of these for myself, so I thought I'd share with y'all as well. 

You're engaged, now what?! STD's....(AKA Save-The-Dates!)

Being in love and finding out that your significant other wants to spend all of eternity with you makes for some pretty exciting times. But let’s face reality for a sec. Women especially… with us being hormonal creatures and all, can find that love and other things (such as LIFE & WORK & RESPONSIBILITIES) can sometimes get in the way of keeping focused on what to do as you plan for your day of matrimony. Aside from setting an initial budget, getting started on a master guest list, hosting your amazeballs engagement parlay…don’t forget toPICK THE WEDDING DATE! Upon picking such date, it’s time to get your Save-the-Date (STD’s – such a horrible acronym, but I’ll use it anyway in hopes of keeping this short and sweet) reminders sent out to your dearly beloved pals and fam.

SOOOOOO, the question of the day is: would you rather invest the time and money in creating DIY STD’s, or purchase pre-designed, ready-to go STD’s from one of our awesome vendors? I wouldn’t suggest going the DIY route unless you are crafty and are familiar with design software (I prefer Microsoft Publisher), but there’s definitely others (Photoshop, for one). 

Many templates can be found for free online (or used as inspiration as you design your own) at Intimate Weddings,  HP,  Punchbowl,  Shutterfly,  The Knot (even has the option to send free STD emails!),  Magnet Street,  Smilebox,  Wedding Paper Divas,  Minted,  Vistaprint…even Google, has some pretty sweet designs. And with Zazzle, you can create custom stickers (think monogram, wedding date, etc) to use in limitless ways!

Since we’re on the subject of STD’s, there’s a bazillion options out there for you to choose from. You could go with the magnet/photo/calendar type (my fave), badges/photo pins (also rad), photo postcards (eye-catching), fancy letterpress or regular stock paper invites (simple, yet classy), e-vites. And the list goes on and on and on.

If you’re opting towards DIY, keep in mind that it may seem like the cheaper alternative, but if you are a perfectionist (like me) and have glorious, VERY SPECIFIC ideas floating around in your head of what you want; the price and time involved may not be worth the stress - especially if you’re tackling this project flying solo.

............In conclusion, happy exploring!! And remember…Envy Events is always ready to lend an extra hand if needed. We are happy, busy little worker bees who loves every and anything crafty…especially wedding-related!

Pash Weddings: Fab Wedding Ensemble Templates

Hi folks,
Apologies for being MIA recently. With several weddings just around the corner, it's been a little tough finding the time to post blogs. In fact, it started to feel somewhat like a chore. So I've been collectigng the blogger ideas and now have many things to share with you all - hopefully one of my readers will find this stuff to be useful! :) :) :)

My most recent find has been an absolute timesaver! The wedding ensemble templates on PashWeddings.com are not only gorgeous, they will help those of you who aren't so computer savvy. If creating a menu card or place card seems daunting, use these templates and all you need is Microsoft Word, and your own text to fill in the details.

Enjoy!

Luvs,
C~

Invitation Etiquette

Image courtesy of edytaszyszlo.com

Weddings are the embodiment of traditions and practice - all in the name of love of course! The walk down the aisle, the exchanging of vows, the celebration afterwards...all of this has been done for centuries before our time. (sorry, back to the point now:) So whether your reception is super formal or the opposite, there are customs and traditions that have been established to help you express your joy and excitement for your special occasion. And with that said, wedding invitation etiquette can become an intimidating subject for some folks. There are so many formalities involved! Who to invite? How to address the invitation? What titles should be used? What is an inner envelope? How to deal with uninvited guests? Am I supposed to spell out "four o'clock" or is it OK to simply write "4:00"? What is a pew card? AHHH!

Since info on the web can be sketchy sometimes, I've browsed through and found a few trustworthy sites that I hope will assist those in need!

Here they are:

The Knot - The Q&A section on invitations is lengthy and there are bulletin boards where you can post and search questions by other "knotties".

Real Simple - I like the advice here...Be creative but don't forget the essential information!

Buzzle - The Tips, Rules and Etiquette section is especially helpful.

Wedding Paper Divas - Plenty of information to help you gather ideas, become informed and plan your stationary needs.

Wedding Tips - I would suggest subscribing to the RSS feed for the daily tip of the day, there's nothing like learning something new every day.

Above and beyond all of this, your only true limitation is your imagination and you should have fun with the project of creating your wedding invites.