We had a wonderful wedding and it turned out just as I had hoped. I really loved searching craft blogs and especially http://www.oncewed.com/ and seeing what others were coming up with for DIY wedding projects. I did all the planning by myself (well, with Skyler of course) and we did several DIY projects.
1.) Our invitations. This was THE most time consuming project (great pre-wedding bonding time...haha). I bought all the paper at Paperzone in Salem, Or. I used an awesome woodgrain embossed GMUND Savanna paper (http://beautifulpaper.typepad.com/oh_so_beautiful_paper/2009/06/woodgrain-embossed-paper.html), which I completely fell in love with and felt set the tone for our entire wedding (organic, simple, yet elegant). (I'll post a pic soon!)
2.) A birdbath with "Thank You" painted on wooden tags and filled with the cutest coin envelopes which we stamped with a white ink, filled with flower seeds and stuck a thank you note sticker on the back. (Fave Part: the white ink looked SO cool on the golden envelopes!)
3.) Centerpieces: green candles in mason jars with brown ribbon tied around ~5 times in cross crossing patterns, and a wine carafe with gorgeous flowers which us girls (me and bridesmaids) picked up from the Saturday Market the morning of the wedding. (Fave part: I got all the candle pieces all put together a few weeks before when I was home sick from work! So easy and cute!)
4.) Instead of a slide show (since we had no where to show it!), we tied twine from the shepards hooks which lined the dance floor and attached random pictures of Skyler and I together and from our childhoods with clothespins. (Fave part: we included a pic of my parents' wedding day, and his parents' wedding day).
5.) Candles in small mason jars, hanging from mini shepards hooks lit up the sides of the dance floor. Little sparkly golden birds sat next to the candles on little mounds of soil.
Small flower posies which were made from large bouquets bought from the Saturday Market sat in small mason jars hung from mini shepards hooks lined along the aisle in the ceremony. After the ceremony, the little mason jars were moved to add a punch of color along the tops of the retaining walls on either side of the dance floor.
6.) I made a small sign "Anderson" on some old, weathered board my dad had. We hung it in the cake tent at the wedding. (Fave part: it now hangs in my kitchen and I think of our wedding every time I look at it!)
7.) Taking the idea from my great friend Gemma, I decided to buy all my wedding flowers the day of the wedding at the local Saturday Market. We bought about 8 (large!) different bouquets with flowers of all variety (though we did pick several dahlia's since they hold up so well in hot weather). From those 8 bouquets, we had enough flowers for my bouquet, my 5 bridesmaids bouquets, 22 table top bouquets in wine carafes, 8 mini bouquets in the hanging mason jars along the aisle, and 5 boutonniere's for the groomsmen! Best part: They were gorgeous, held up in the hot weather beautifully, and cost me a total of $70 for ALL flowers!!
(This is my dahlia bouquet)
