DIY Bridesmaid Shirts

These were easy and fun to make and my bridesmaids loved them! The girls wore their shirts while we all got ready for the wedding together, which made for fun photos. I bought white, cotton, v-neck t-shirts at Old Navy and found all the below shown supplies at a craft store. 

1.) Wash and dry the t-shirts before sewing to ensure the fabric won't pull weird around the stitching later on. 

2.) Cut a piece of jersey knit fabric and place behind the area you're going to stitch. Place the knitting circle over the area, ensuring the fabric is taunt. 

3.) Use a pencil to lightly stencil on the letter or design you want to stitch on to the shirt.

4.) Thread needle, tie a knot at the end of the thread.

5.) Start stitching from the inside of the shirt. Keep even stitch lengths. I recommend using a stitch that loops back on the inside of the shirt instead of just going in and out. This gives more support to the fabric and prevents any weird pulling on the fabric. If that doesn't make sense think about it like this - You know you're doing it right when you can see the full letter from the inside of the fabric just like on the front. 

6.) Tie off the end of the thread on the inside of the shirt and remove the hoop. 

DIY Wedding Decor

DIY weddings require a lot of work, both in planning out and creating so many decor elements, and executing the day of, but it's so worth every glue gun burn! I loved being able to hand craft every detail of our big day to ensure it embodied who we are as individuals and as a couple. Here's a sampling! 

I had several really beautiful paper banners made by one of my bridesmaids!
This one, featuring our wedding date, hung on the front of our entry table.

Menu painted on vintage framed window. Table assignments clipped to a large bird cage themed wall hang.

Center pieces: wood slice, white wine bottle sans label, hand made chalkboard and twine necker. Wedding arrow painted on vintage framed window. Autographed wood slice instead of traditional guest book. Sweetheart table decorated with bird cages, an "I Do, Me Too" paper banner, and our initials. 

Tables decorated with burlap runners. Mason jar glasses with paper straws.

DIY burlap pillows with "Mr" and "Mrs" painted in white.
These were placed on a Victorian couch in the cigar and port lounge. 

Vintage wooden frame turned into a wine cork board with burlap and lace runner and flower.

Handmade ring pillow for bride's ring. 

Wood box painted white with silk flower attached to the top for groom's ring. 

Wine charm favors doubling as place markers at table settings

Hand painted wooden cake toppers

Beanbag toss hand made by my dad for the lawn games featured at our cocktail hour.

Wedding Vendors

Wedding planning is hard; harder than you think it's going to be; harder than it sounds when people tell you about it. Even with an extreme level of organization, it's simply not possible to get through the entire process without any frustrations or unexpected setbacks. My best piece of advice is to find vendors who you connect with, who you're comfortable with, and who are easy to communicate with. Let your vendors know up front what level of interaction you need from them so the expectations are set right from the beginning. 

I absolutely have to brag on our wedding vendors because each and every one of them completely blew me away with their quality of work and day-of execution.

VENUE
Young's Vineyard

   - When we were shopping around Shenandoah Valley for a winery venue, Young's Vineyard became our clear choice from the moment we set foot on the property. The vineyard owner, Annette, is friendly and easy to work with and can almost always be found in the tasting room alongside her employees. We highly recommend their port, zinfandel and chardonnay! 

CATERING & RENTALS
Clark's Corner Ione

   - Clark's Corner's event coordinator, Jessica, is the most personable and enthusiastic caterer I've ever worked with. Jessica was open to developing a menu that met our taste and style rather than pushing us into any already developed packages. The entire staff seemed genuinely excited to be a part of our wedding and never gave off an "I'm just here to work" vibe. Jessica also orchestrated all of our table, chair, place setting, and linen rentals through Party Smart. Clark's Corner wasn't just a vendor, they were a part of our wedding!

MUSIC
DJ Maestro

   - Abel had a website where our guests could request reception songs ahead of time. There were no hidden fees for sound equipment, as his base package includes his table, two speaker stands and a lapel mic for the officiant. Abel was good about sticking to our day-of timeline and was flexible when necessary. Abel has seamless transitions, good volume control and uses the clean edits of songs.

POPCORN STATION AT COCKTAIL HOUR

Popcorn Wagon Frankenmuth

   - Popcorn Wagon has a wide selection of drool-worthy flavors! The website has a guide that helps customers determine the appropriate volume to order. It was easy to schedule our delivery. The popcorn arrived on time and tasted fresh. Their prices are extremely reasonable for the quality of product!

OFFICIANT

Galen Dalrymple

   - Galen has known me since I was five years old, and he and his wife have remained some of my parents' dearest friends all my life. It was important to Scott and I that we have someone officiate our wedding who was and would continue to be invested in our lives and marriage. Galen provided pre-marital counseling during our engagement but was never intrusive. He was open to conducting the ceremony in a way that Scott and I were comfortable with. I couldn't have been more pleased! 

PAPER SIGNS AND BANNERS

My incredibly talented bridesmaid Erin Yamashita-Urevig (soon to be on Etsy!)

   - Erin isn't available to you just yet, but I'll be sure to let you know as soon as she is! Erin's creativity and quality of work never ceases to amaze me! Her banners were the perfect finishing touch on our decor, and tied our theme together in such a Pinterest-worthy way!

Wedding Music

I can hardly believe our wedding was already four days ago! We had an amazing time celebrating with our family and friends, and were so pleased with how all of our hard work, planning and crafting came together. I'll post more details and photos over the next week. 

I'm already getting lots of questions about our music so I wanted to get that up for you guys first!

Ceremony:

WEDDING PARTY PROCESSIONAL - Ben Harper "Forever"
BRIDAL PROCESSIONAL - Ben Harper "I Shall Not Walk Alone"
RECESSIONAL - Bruno Mars "Marry You"

Reception:

FIRST DANCE - Ed Sheeran "Kiss Me"
CAKE CUTTING - Michael Kiwanuka "I'm Getting Ready"
BOUQUET & GARTER TOSS - Kelly Clarkson "Tie It Up"
LAST SONG OF THE NIGHT - The Mowglis "San Francisco"

A sampling of music played at our cocktail hour:

Adele "Love Song"
Alexi Murdoch "Love You More"
Amos Lee "Shout Out Loud"
Beirut "Nantes"
Ben Howard "Only Love"
Brett Dennen "Make You Crazy"
Bruno Mars "Just The Way You Are"
Chairlift "Bruises"
Dierks Bentley "Come A Little Closer"
Don Henley "For My Wedding"
Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Heroes "Home"
Edwin McCain "I'll Be"
Faith Hill "Give In To Me"
Frank Ocean "Thinkin Bout You"
George Harrison "What Is Life"
Hunter Hayes "Wanted"
Ingrid Michaelson "Can't Help Falling In Love With You"
Ingrid Michaelson "You and I"
Jimi Hendrix "May This Be Love"
John Legend "Stay With You"
Keith Urban "Only You Can Love Me This Way"
Keith Urban "Your Everything"
Kenny Chesney "You Save Me"
Led Zeppelin "Going to California"
Lee Fields "You're The Kind of Girl"
Lynden DAvid Hall "All You Need Is Love"
Matchbox 20 "Overjoyed"
Matt Kearney "City of Black & White"
Mat Wertz "I Will Not Take My Love Away"
Mindy Gledhill "I Do Adore"
Mumford and Sons "I Will Wait"
Musiq Soulchild "Don't Change"
Passenger "I See Love"
Phillip Phillips "Gone, Gone, Gone"
Phillip Phillips "Home"
Ray LaMontagne "You Are The Best Thing"
Royal Wood "I'm So Glad"
Ryan Adams "Desire"
The Black Keys "Dearest"
The Honey Trees "To Be With You"
The Lumineers "Ho Hey"
The Lumineers "Stubborn Love"
The National "Don't Swallow the cap"
The Neighborhood "Sweater Weather"
Train "Marry Me"

DIY Cake Toppers

And the countdown continues - our wedding is in 10 days! Eek! I am flying to California Friday, so I've already been packing and organizing and finishing up as much crafting as possible before heading out. 

One of my favorites from our many DIY projects is our cake toppers! 

Initially, we hadn't planned on cake toppers because we aren't having a cake. A wedding without a cake - I know, right? But neither of us really like cake and we didn't see the point in spending a bunch of money on something we didn't care about. Instead, we are having a dessert station with assorted cheesecake bites! Although I didn't mind skipping the cake, I didn't really want to skip the cake cutting moment, so our caterer offered to prepare a sweethearts cheesecake just for us. At that point it only made sense to have (cheese)cake toppers, but they would have to fit our casual, country chic theme.

I stumbled across an Etsy shop called Goose Grease, which is a Columbian fair trade DIY wood figures business owned and operated by a family in Brooklyn. "Fair trade"often equals outrageous prices, but I really feel like I got an excellent bargain with their wedding kit, which only cost me $28.95! The box included four toppers, two brides and two grooms, which relieved my "oh no, what if I mess up!" anxiety. The six colors provided were adequate, since I was able to mix them to get the shades I needed for our wedding colors. The kit even included two paint brushes and a cute fabric pouch.

My Bridal Shower

My bridal shower couldn't have been more delightful, and was the perfect sendoff before my big move to Kansas City! My sister, mom and aunt threw my bridal shower at my aunt's home in the Oakland Hills. The weather was sunny and warm, perfect for enjoying a backyard tea brunch. I was especially flattered that my mom's group of best friends, who have known me most of my life, all came out to celebrate. I can't thank my family and friends enough for creating such a perfect day and beautiful memory!

It's Wedding Season!

It's wedding season! And this year oh so much more than that. It seems I've been attending an endless stream of baby showers, bridal showers and weddings this summer, and I'm enjoying it to the fullest! 

Last weekend the lovely Chris and Chloe became Mr & Mrs at a winery in Livermore. Despite it being a blazing 104 out when the 5:30 ceremony started, we all sweated it out together and had a fabulous time late into the evening.

DIY Bride is a Second Full-time Job!

I'm definitely one of those "why buy it if you can make it" kind of girls, and my wedding has been no exception. I've been crafting like a crazy woman for months, with the help of my bridesmaids and family. It's kind of unbelievable how being a DIY bride can take over your life! Every free evening and weekend seems to be now dedicated to scrubbing the labels off of empty wine bottles, teaching myself how to make fabric flowers, playing travel agent for my friends and family, and on and on. It's a second full-time job!

The most recent DIY hurdle was invitations. All of the invitations I was eying online were going to run between $5-$10 each, and I just couldn't stomach paying someone else to create paper goods that I was fully capable of doing myself. It was a lot more stressful and time consuming than I imagined! Trying to get the fonts just right, then the printer margins for the paper just right, and of course the printer jams every few pieces, then make sure you've got the addresses and number of guests just right, then assembling them in a way that is fun but not too far from traditional wedding etiquette... good grief! Thankfully, my mom and sister were willing to give up their Saturday to help, and we knocked out the entire batch in one day. One very long day.

I can't show you the invitations yet because they just went out yesterday, but here's my first stab at DIY bouts for the groomsmen. I haven't decided what I want them to look like just yet, whether I want them to be entirely burlap and lace, or perhaps a mix of fabric and flowers. My sister, mom and I are all brainstorming and plan to dedicate another Saturday this summer to get these done. Thank goodness for my creative family!

Wine Cork Board

When the beau and I booked our wedding venue, the owner was gracious enough to give us a massive bag of unused wine corks! For months I tossed around wine cork craft ideas, trying to decide how to incorporate them into our wedding. A couple of weeks ago, we were driving home from brunch when out the window I spotted an old, wooden frame at a neighbor's garage sale. I knew just what to do with it!

First, I detached one side of the wire hang on the back of the frame just to get it out of the way. Then, I attached a trimmed down piece of poster board, gently hammering in small nails every few inches all the way around the back of the frame. I glued the wine corks in rows to fill the frame. It's near impossible to find a frame that will fit the exact measurements of your corks, so either cut down corks to finish off your rows or, the much easier option, find a way to cover the gap. I used burlap and lace to create a runner around the end where the corks didn't fill the frame and topped it off with a bow in the corner.

I'm not sure exactly how I'll implement the cork board into my wedding decor just yet, but I'm absolutely in love with it!

Wedding Planning Update!

The beau and I spent our weekend in Amador County meeting with potential wedding vendors. Now that the sticker shock of these sort of appointments isn't quite so nauseating, we're beginning to enjoy the process a bit more.

Saturday we met with a few caterers and were reassured that our front runner is definitely still our front runner. We also dropped by our venue to take photos of the grounds and ask catering, rental and DJ related questions of the owner.

 

I haven't gone to any local wedding faires since all the vendors are likely to service only the greater Bay Area, and the faires here are generally too pricy to attend just for the heck of it. When I heard there was going to be a small wedding faire at Preston Castle in Ione while we were in town I couldn't resist!  

The entry was only $5 per person and benefited the Preston Castle restoration project. It certainly wasn't your average wedding faire packed with all sorts of vendors doing raffles and sampling - think small town, haunted castle, local vendors - but that's just what we needed. Our preferred caterer was there, a DJ we're really interested in, and we met a backup photographer just in case our current plans fall through. 

The best part of the faire had to be wandering around the haunted castle! That place is seriously cool... Maybe a happy alternative to a "trash the dress" after the wedding since the mere suggestion of partaking in the photo sesh trend sent my grandmother into cardiac arrest?

Engagement Photos

There is a misconception that photographers know what to do when being photographed because they're used to posing people for portraits. I used to be a photographer, I did it for eight years, and I can tell you this is so not true! I've only been on the opposite side of the lens twice - once for college graduation photos back in 2007 and more recently for an engagement shoot. Both times I found myself feeling incredibly awkward and at a total loss for how to look natural and comfortable. Thank goodness for good photographers who compensate for my awkwardness. My graduation photos were taken by Sarah Linda Gossett Raderman at an old cemetery in Oakland (way less creepy than it sounds - think old stone walls covered in vines) on black and white film, both 35mm and medium format. The beau and I went with a more modern shoot for our engagement sesh, posing all over Baker Beach for Jordan Murphy. I wanted to avoid anything San Francisco-cliche, but considering my fiancé is from the Midwest, thus half of our wedding guests will be from the Midwest, we decided some good ol' Golden Gate magic would be appropriate for our save-the-dates.

Here's a sneak peek!