DIY Alphabet Crayons for the Little Guests

Looking for a quick idea to keep the kids busy at your wedding reception? Look no further than this awesome tutorial for DIY alphabet crayons I saw over at Spearmint Baby.

You could spread these out at a childrens' activity center (spelling your names or other little phrases) or package them up in to-go bags for each of your littlest guests. Parents will be forever grateful!

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A Summer Fiesta Wedding via Design*Sponge

I love everything about this real wedding featured over at design*sponge today! The colors are perfect for a summer fiesta and the little touches are unlike anything I've seen. It has a very handmade with love type of feeling, which I'm totally head over heals for.

Check out the post here.

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Guest Book Alternatives

The guest book—its one of those age old traditions that nobody really wants to break, but really, is it practical anymore? I had a guest book, and it currently sits at the top of our linen closet wondering what its purpose is in life. I concur.

While I still like the idea of capturing messages and names from your special day, I think we can do better than a traditional guest book. See some of these more modern ideas:

Typewriter guest book: Set out a vintage typewriter fed with some acid-free writing paper, or vintage note cards. You could even post a sign that encourages guests to write a wishful message along with their names. This would be a great item to frame after the wedding as well!

Song Dedication Cards: Have a stack of song dedication cards made up by your stationery (or DIY them), so guests of all ages can request a song. Leave enough room at the bottom for a sweet message to the bride and groom. Spread the cards all over the reception area—at the bar, at each guests’ place setting, or even at the guest book table (and don’t forget the little pencils). Your guests will love having their favorite tunes played in their honor, and you’ll love all the heartfelt messages you can keep later on.

Polaroid Photo Book: Set out a few Polaroid cameras along with a blank album with room to write next to each photo. Guests can take photos at will and fill in the album with memories and notes from the big day. Start them off right with a snapshot of the two of you, along with a note on what to do. You’ll get a variety of guest shots and hopefully some sweet notes to take home.

Note: since Polaroid cameras and film can sometimes be hard to find, also think about alternatives like the Fuji instax camera.

Sources: Typewriter, song request cards, polaroid guestbook.

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Covered Votives

I love the romantic glow of candlelight, there’s just nothing like it! I saw a few DIY projects in some of my favorite crafting magazines over the holiday break, and they inspired me to add a little light to my home decor.

You could definitely transform these ideas into wedding décor; like these tall glass pillars with table numbers, or add a sprinkling of tiny votives around each table. I love the idea of using vintage papers or sheet music to decoupage the votives as well, it adds an elegant pattern to the mix.

There’s about a million different ways to cover a votive, so look into it and see what fits your style. Just make sure it won’t catch fire halfway through the wedding!

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.

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Travel Themed Place Cards

I love the whole travel themed idea for weddings, especially when they're executed like this one, featured on Style Me Pretty! Holly and Sean had lots of little details from around the world, like their world map seating chart, their Singapore Slings cocktail hour, and these crafty little place cards!

Holly found a bunch of vintage envelopes from the 50's and 60's on ebay, so she encorporated small shipping labels tied around the vintage envelope that had the guests' name written on them. Here's what Holly had to say:

When you got to your place, the envelope was there, acting as your seating card, and you opened it to find your menu inside, which Sean made — we had four courses and we named each course as though you were on a plane: the amuse bouche was “Check-In,” then the salad was “Take-Off” then the entree was “Airborne” and the dessert was “Touchdown.

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Real Wedding: Jennifer & Ray

I don't usually feature real weddings on here, but one has come to my attention that I just can't pass up. Jennifer & Ray were married in Dana Point California, and boasted a fresh and fun color palette. The wedding was put together so well, with fresh florals, timeless bridesmaids and some pretty funky invitations, but the thing that I liked the most were the way they executed their place cards.

To keep with the funky pops of color, they added a variety of patterned napkins to each table, and then used tiny swatches from those patterns on the guests' escort cards! It's an entertaining way to guide guests to their appropriate table, and adds a ton of flavor to the wedding decor! Table numbers were also present, but I like the matching game more!

You can find an easy how-to guide at the Martha Stewart website here, or see the featured wedding details here!

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Wine Cork Place Cards

I like these, I really like these — unfortunately I have nowhere to use them. Our dinner parties are much too casual for seating cards, and I don’t plan on helping with any tuscan weddings in the future… but I liked them so much that I thought I’d do the math for you…

So say you stuck with the one wine cork per card, and you have 200 place/escort cards for the reception, that would work out to about 210 corks (200 plus a few extra for mistakes).

If you’re planning with a year to spare, that would mean finishing about 4 bottles of wine every week, if it’s just the two of you. You could always you enlist help from both sets of parents, which would equal a more realistic 6 bottles a month from all 3 parties.

You could always ebay the corks, but that’s not as special at collecting them yourselves. Another, more realistic option would be to use corks for the table numbers only, or for little signs all over the reception (menus, drink cards, etc.)

Here is a great tutorial from Weddingbee's by Mrs. D’orsay, on how to make these little card holders.

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4

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Coordinating photo strips

Being on the invitation side of wedding planning, it’s not often I get to see the bride and groom on their wedding day, which is kind of sad after all that hard work.

I got a little peak into Katie and Mike’s big day when she shared some of their photo strips from the reception. The little paisley design at the bottom matched their custom invitations perfectly, and was a great way to tie everything together!

When it comes time to work with outside vendors on your wedding related items, keep in mind, most will allow you to use custom artwork, so think about how you can tie in your invitation design or theme to the rest of your accessories.

Thanks for sharing Katie, and best wishes for the two of you!

Note: Katie and Mike hired Shutterbooth for their event.

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Cake to go

I think the rule with cake is (if you’re having one), have more than enough to feed your guests, rather than running out in the middle of your reception. While this is most definitely true, leftover cake can get old quick, so why not send home some spare pieces with your guests! I saw these adorable packages via Stephmodo, who executed the Martha Stewart template beautifully!

Near the end of the evening, station an extra server or friend at the cake table, dishing out ready-to-go slices of your wedding cake. It would make a very yummy midnight snack!

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Vintage Framed Chalkboards

I love the blue bell bazaar shop on Etsy… so much that I find myself looking for excuses to browse. “Oh”, I think, “I could use this beaker as a trendy vase for my new mod bathroom”. Don’t need it, but must have it!

One thing blue bell bazaar is famous for, are their collection of vintage framed chalkboards. I love the muted colors and heirloom look, which is why I think they’d fit perfectly in a vintage inspired wedding. Indoors or out, you could write the menu on here, or the series of events for your ceremony (in lieu of a program).

Here are a few other ideas:

+ have guests write a message or draw pictures on it instead of using a guestbook. Then photograph it at the end of the night

+ Use it to write out a hand scribed thank you message to all your guests

+ Use multiple boards to point out places like the restroom, parking or beverage stations

+ Use mini chalkboards to name each table. Leave a few pieces of chalk out for the kids (or adults) to doodle.

The framed chalkboards are very affordable and would make a great statement in your home after the wedding as well!

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Vintage Milk Glass Containers

I love antique milk glass vases and dishes, especially to add a vintage touch to your wedding! Think about it — they add texture and sheen without overdoing it on the color scale. Not to mention they go with almost any flower known to man! 

I see an assortment of milk glass containers almost every time I hit my local salvation army or goodwill, which puzzles me. Why would you ever want to get rid of these relics? I usually snatch up the most unique one for around $1.00 and move on.

My mother even had a collection of 20 matching milk glass vases from her own wedding, which were tragically sold in a garage sale about 3 years before my own wedding. Darn!

Above you see a handful of milk glass items, found on Etsy, if you can’t score any in your local area.

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.

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Song request cards

I just saw these song request cards over at Elizabeth Anne Designs, what a clever idea! Your guests will have a classy way to request their favorite tunes (unlike yelling in the lead singer's ear), and your Band/DJ will thank you later! See how they accomplished this look, at the original post, here!

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Red Otter handmade books

Brides looking for a distinctive guest book in lieu of that plain store bought one, shall look no further than the Red Otter Shop on Etsy! These hand bound blank books would be the perfect solution for a bride looking for more than just a signature from her guests… In this space, guests would be encouraged to doodle, write a message or pin a photo to their page. The options are endless!

I love the hand picked patterns found in this shop, and the lovely craftsmanship that holds it all together. I'm thinking about buying up a bunch of these and lining them up on my office bookshelf, just so it looks pretty!

 

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Nature inspired wedding details

Now that the weather is a little more tolerable, we've been seeing a lot more outdoor weddings. What better way to celebrate the day than with a few of these outdoor inspired wedding accessories!

monogram birdseed favors, butterfly place card, kissing ball pomander, table sign, garden faucet knobs, wildflower seed favor.

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Double Duty: Bud Vase

I love things that serve double duty, as long as they look like they have a connection… I don’t want to see your cake topper combined with your garter or anything crazy like that!

These simple bud vases double as a place card holder, and at a price of 6 for $10.00, they are quite the steal! This concept can be translated into other ideas as well, when it comes to place card holders. You could easily borrow the concept with a tea light instead of a bud vase as well!

If you’re on a tight budget, think about using the place card vase as a table number, that way you only need one per table instead of one per guest.

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Lanterns set the mood, not the budget

The glowing look of lanterns swaying in the breeze is always a warm and welcoming way to greet guests, whether in a tent or out under the stars. You too can accomplish the looks above, and still stay under budget with these simple designs from IKEA.

I like these inexpensive lanterns, ranging in price from $4.99 to $24.99, because at this price, you can afford to dress up the entire venue or outdoor space. Go overboard, and switch up the sizes for a more custom look!

lantern product photos from Ikea, night sky lanterns, white aisle lanterns, tree lanterns, dance floor lanterns.

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Kids Corner

If you're planning for lots of little guests, think one step ahead by designating a spot for a kids' corner at your reception site. Fill it with floor pillows, toys, games, coloring books and washable markers. They'll be so focused on playing that it just might keep them from starting a food fight with your perfectly frosted wedding cake.

Photo courtesy of Photography by Erin Vey.

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