Secret Garden

Courtesy of Photography by Tessie

As you remember, I chose flowers as one of my DIY projects.  You can read about that here.  So I've gone back through my photos from the wedding to give you a bit more insight into my flowers.  I used silver colored chalices for the larger pieces and julep cups in the same color for the smaller ones.  I got both of these here. I also chose a 24" clear glass pilsner vase for the head table.  I stuffed the base of this with a few sheets of crumpled up iridescent foil, which I picked up at Michaels.  Included in this order as well was a case of Aquafoam blocks.  I cut them in half for the chalices and they fit rather snugly.

Courtesy of Photography by Tessie

The large pieces then, consisted of red, pink and purple roses, eggplant calla lilies, Purple Hydrangea, Purple Carnations and Red Garden Roses.  I think I did a pretty decent job choosing the color palate, if I do say so myself.  My bouquet consisted of all of the above sans the Purple Hydrangea and Purple Carnation.

The silver pillars on the table came from ZGallerie (I love them!), as do the silver spheres.  The silver trays that they are sitting on my mom picked up at a party store I think.  I ordered a case of off-white UNSCENTED pillar candles, assuming that vanilla bean times twelve would be rather nauseating while you try to enjoy your dinner.

Courtesy of Photography by Tessie

I used bouquet jewelry from Cristalier.  I also used extras on the girls' corsages.  There is platinum ribbon wrapped around the handle of my bouquet and secured with boutonniere pins.

Courtesy of Photography by Tessie

Overall, the flowers turned out great and I got lots of positive comments on the tablescapes, including an offer to assist with a future floral business...ha, ha.  Looking back, doing my own flowers created a very special memory for me.  I wouldn't have it any other way.

If You Want it Done Right....DIY

Most of us (or our grooms) have laid down the law regarding the amount of money our wedding will cost us.  In an industry known for extravagance and over-the-top presentation, the current recession, depression or whatever we're calling it is really dampening the mood.  To combat this, there is a contingency of brides every year that venture into DIY (Do it yourself) territory.

For the right bride, this is a gold mine.  Some brides or grooms are incredibly creative and talented, and the opportunity to personalize your wedding in this way is one that shouldn't be missed.  One of the most popular projects is printing your own invitations.  This is a relatively simple project that can save you a lot of dough, as long as you aren't aiming for engraving or thermography.  There are, however, a few pitfalls to avoid when choosing any DIY project for your big day.  (And I am preaching just as much to myself here)

1.  Size of the project.  Sure, you can hand make your invitations (ahem), since there will only be 50 of them.  If that number is closer to 300, not so much.

2.  Cost of the project.  Sometimes you have a great idea and you are certain it would be easier (and cheaper) to do it yourself.  Make sure that this is true before you make the commitment.

3.  How much time will this take?   A great DIY project becomes a nightmare when it takes up WAY more of your time than originally anticipated.

4.  How many DIY projects are you tackling?  One or two DIY projects can be an enormous financial help, more than that can be detrimental to what you are trying to achieve.

5.  Will this require additional manpower?  Even though your bestie loves you, she might not be crazy about spending an entire weekend making stuff for your wedding.  Make sure that if you decide to green light a project that it is reasonable to handle alone, or with one other person in one or two afternoons.

In the end, there are some fantastic ideas out there from other clever brides.  Overdoing the DIY projects can cancel out your best intentions, leaving you stressed and unhappy in the end.  Try to pick one or two smaller projects that really showcase your specific talents to include in your wedding.  Leave the rest up to the experts!