A Black and White Wedding

My first wedding EVER...on my own.  I've HELPED with most of the processes and planned my own...I've put together many many parties, bridal showers, and baby showers...but never a whole freakin' wedding!  Can you say "anxiety"?  I hope so, because I had it.  Bad.


To add to the overwhelming pressure of making a bride's special day perfect, I only had a WEEK!!  After putting together her Bridal Shower, and it being a success; the Mother-of-the-Bride asked me to step in and help them with the wedding after the Wedding Planner bailed.

I won't bore you with my internal turmoil.  I'll just get on with the details and pretty pictures.  

The color scheme of the wedding was plum, black, grey, and white, of course.  Such an easy pallet to work with!  I found most of the decor at Michael's and Hobby Lobby.  Most of the paper items (programs, tissue poms, etc.) on Etsy.  Again, with little time to work with, I had to make exceptions and do the things I had time for...skip things I normally would have done, and make compromises.  So, this is what is looked like when it was all said and done...

There were twenty 85 inch round tables that sat ten people, one extremely long head table, and three food tables.  Plus, a side bar for drinks.  All of those surfaces had to be covered and decorated.  So, we went with white floor length table clothes on the round tables and put black organza overlays on them.  The long head table and all of the food and cake tables had floor length black table clothes with black and white damask table runners.

For a touch of whimsy and to fill up some space due to the very high ceiling, I tied a mixture of black, white, and silver balloons on the backs of the chairs at the head table.  These were multi-purpose, because when it was time for the departure, I went through and snipped them all off, passed them out to the guests, and had them release them as the newlyweds left on their honeymoon!  It was really cute!

I did all the flowers myself.  I stopped by Sam's and seriously bought them out of white flowers.  Then, I looked for anything "plum"...and then picked up a few green stems, greenery, and baby's breath.  I think I spent about $150 all together and I was able to make 10 mini arrangements for the head table, a large arrangement for the food table, and 10 more "small" arrangements for the guest tables...I also make 22 tussy mussy bouquets that went down the center aisle in the sanctuary.  (I wasn't in the ceremony, so I don't have any pictures yet. BOO.  I made 30 of the tussy mussies (paper cones with a ribbon handle)...I'll have to do a post on them when I get some pictures from the photographer.)

The bride loves vintage.  So, I tried to put little touches of vintage wherever I could...like the pearls and the black and white photographs...I also those the candelabras were a bit "vintage-y".

When I took on the role as "wedding planner", they still had not bought or decided on any kind of wedding favors.  After racking my brain, I thought about a CD with songs from their wedding.  The bride and the groom are both musical people, so it seemed to really fit them.  The bride loved the idea, so I got to work making a playlist in my iTunes account.  Then, I burned 85 CDs, made some labels w/ a thank you from the bride and groom and a list of the songs.  I put the CDs in some clear jewel cases and tied them off with some raffia.  If I would have had more time and a bigger budget, I would have ordered something like these...

They are from onefabday.com - amazing site for wedding favors!

Here's a few of the pics that I was able to snap quickly as I was buzzing around like a bee making sure drinks were full and the food table was stocked...oh, yeah...AND running the photo booth! <--another post all in itself!

All in all, I think the wedding was a huge success.  Everything pretty much went off without a hitch...the bride and groom were happy, which is all that matters.

And they lived happily ever after.

Links:

• I Spy Game for the guest tables (Paired up with a disposable camera, this is a great way to get some candid shots of all the guests!) - WeddingsbyJaime on Etsy
• Monogrammed Napkin Rings - EyeCandyEventDetails on Etsy
• Wedding Programs - iheartstationaryshop on Etsy
• Personalized Guestbook Art - PERSONALIZEDprints on Etsy

Remember, if you see anything you like or want to know more about, just let me know in the comments and I'll reply through email or just shoot me an email from my contact tab!

A Touch of Tiffany Bridal Shower/Bachelorette Party

"I'll tell you one thing, Fred, darling... I'd marry you for your money in a minute. 

Would you marry me for my money? "
"In a minute."
"I guess it's pretty lucky neither of us is rich, huh?"
"Yeah."

-Breakfast At Tiffany's

A couple of weeks ago, I put together a Bridal Shower on a last-minute's notice.  I had to act fast, so I just went with a few things I knew about the bride-to-be...

1. She loves vintage.
2. She loves Audrey Hepburn.
3. I love Paris...oh, wait.  This wasn't about me?  Ooops.

So, I just started throwing things together.  Stop #1, my go-to bakery for some truffles and petite fours.  I knew I had to get this order in first!  I decided to go with petite fours in white with black Os (initial of Groom's last name) and chocolate with white Os...white cake with lemon filling and chocolate cake with raspberry filling, in case you want to know the finer details...or something to drool over. 

My Stop #2 was Etsy.  It's my go-to place for DIY original party supplies.  I found just what I was looking for and everyone was so helpful in getting me my PDFs in a timely fashion and customizing all of it to my color scheme.  My main purchases were some personalized party games, dessert table labels, tissue paper pom poms, french soaps for favors, and some adorable lips and moustache straw flags! (click on the items for links back to the Etsy shops) 

For the rest of the decor, I just used what I already had...I'm a lover of all things Paris and French, so I had a few Eiffel Towers lying around.  I picked up some damask black and white ribbon and some Tiffany blue ribbon at Michael's to use on the dessert table...and wherever else needed some ribbon. To add a little "Audrey Hepburn" into the shower, I printed off some quotes and put them in black and white frames and set them around the dessert table and food area.

I usually ALWAYS use fresh flowers, but like I said, time was short, so I used some large artificial white peonies in some little Eiffel Tower vases.  They looked cute and matched the "feel" of things.


For the favors, I ordered some FABULOUS VINTAGE-Y French Soaps from The French Market on Etsy!  They were a hit.  Each one came in a stamped glassine bag with seam binding wrapping.  So so cute...so so French and vintage.  

(photo courtesy of FrenchMarket on Etsy)

My favorite little touch was the French Sparkling Lemonade I ordered from Amazon.  It was DELICIOUS and paired wonderfully with our lasagna, salad, and bread sticks from Olive Garden (I know, not French, but Bride's request).

I also did the wedding last weekend, so I'll do a post on that next week!  It's all black and white and vintage...turned out really cute!


List of links:
Damask/Tiffany Blue Table Tents/Labels - Posh Pixels
Personalized Bridal Shower Games in Tiffany Blue - Duecuori
French Soaps - FrenchMarket
Lips and Moustache Flags - HeSawSparks
Tissue Paper Pom Poms - The Whimsical Pom
Grey Striped Paper Straws - Amazon.com
Lorina French Sparkling Lemonade (FROM FRANCE!!) - Amazon.com


If you see anything else in the pics and want to know where I got it, just ask me in the comments or shoot me an email!


Hope you all are having a fabulous week!♥

Hunger Games Swag Bags

Raise your hand if you've been to see the Hunger Games!  Raise your other hand if you loved it like a fat kid loves cake...or like Peeta loves Katniss!  Now, hop on one foot if you think Gale is cuter than Peeta.  Say your ABC's backwards.  Kidding.

I did like any good fangirl would do and I went to the 12:01 showing of Hunger Games last Thursday night/Friday "morning"...and it was AH-mazing!!  I cried like a baby.  Ask Impulsive Addict.  She was there.  So, was Kiss, the girl without a blog.  She sure can kiss though. *sigh* ;)

If you know me AT ALL, you know that I can have a Twilight or Hunger Games "event" without some swag...or a party...or something!  These things must be celebrated appropriately.

So, I decided to throw a little last-minute Hunger Games Swag Bag together for my girlz, Skillz (aka Impulsive) and Kiss.  Here's what they looked like...

What was in the bag:

• Some tissues...for when you're "weeping at the reaping".  I decided to be clever and I made up some little squares using Avery Postcards (#3381) that I had left over from Isaiah's birthday.  I wrapped them around some personal size Puffs tissues and tied them up with some raffia.
• I wrapped up some cookies in parchment paper...ya know, 'cause Peeta is the "bread boy"...it didn't seem very appealing to wrap up bread, so cookies it was!  The cute little "Mellark Bakery" label came from Party Scribbles on Etsy!
• I had some grey and white striped paper straws left from a Bridal Shower I did last weekend, so I found these really cute FREE printable Hunger Games Straw Flags on Living Locurto! (Awesome website for free printables!)
• I bought some "tiny bottles" (Barefoot Moscato - YUM, Sky Vodka, and Coconut Rum) and wrapped them in some more labels I bought from Etsy that said "Sleep Syrup", also from Party Scribbles!
• I also included some cinnamon gum to represent Katniss, the Girl on Fire!

I forgot to take a picture of the swag all put together, but I just put all the goodies in a white craft sack and added some red tissue paper and a little raffia.  Using red and orange tissue paper together would have been cute too, but I was just using stuff I already had.

There ya go!  My Hunger Games Swag Bag!

I posted some links on my Hunger Games post from last week, if you're looking for more Hunger Games party ideas!

A Winter Wonderland Baby Shower

A few months ago, when my cousin Lindsay announced that she was having another baby girl, I went into hyper-speed-baby-shower-planning-mode.  I know that they only make it home a few times a year and I couldn't let her NOT have a baby shower...so, we (me, my mom, and my cousin Kristen) hurried up and planned her a Winter Wonderland themed baby shower for the day after Christmas. 

Now, I do not recommend this.  It was tiring, exhausting, and stressful, but we had no choice.  They were home for Christmas and not expected to visit again until AFTER the baby is here...so, the day after Christmas it was!

Here's what it looked like...

The Food.

The Cake.

I bought a bunch of onesies in different sizes and paint pens and I had everyone make the baby a onesie.

Everyone was so creative and we had a great time doing them.  They turned out so cute!  She'll have her very own unique onesies for at least her whole first year.

Here's the one I made.

A few more scenes from the shower...

 Shower favors.

I didn't get to do everything on my HWTM (hostess with the mostess) list, but it turned out great and Lindsay got lots of great gifts.

What do you think?

A Phineas and Ferb Birthday Party

Saturday morning I woke up and said...

Ferb, I know what we're doing today!

I planned a Phineas and Ferb party for Isaiah's birthday.  He's nuts about that show and I had the most fun planning around the theme.  It was a win-win!

I couldn't find any invitations and I had thought about ordering some off of Etsy (there are several people who sell custom Phineas and Ferb invitations on Etsy and Ebay).  I just couldn't find any that were exactly what I was wanting and I was on a short time frame.  As usual, I had waited until the week I needed invites sent out to find invites.  So, I went to Office Depot and found some fun paper, snagged a cute/wintery Phineas and Ferb pic from the Internet...wrote up a little invite and inserted the pic and voila...

Invites on the cheap.

I was able to find TONS of decorating stuff on Party City's website (click HERE).  They had a great selection and great prices.

I was up in the air about the cake until the last minute.  I just couldn't decide what to do with it.  There were so many possibilities.  I could have went with something from the theme song.  For instance, I had thought about having an Eiffel Tower cake made and putting Phineas and Ferb scaling up the side...or I had thought about having a Yeti cake made and putting Phineas and Ferb around the sides giving him a shower.  The wheels in my head were turning, but I really didn't have the time to wait much longer, so I just had a simple Phinea and Ferb-ish cake made at my favorite local bakery (Merritt's for all you local peeps...they never disappoint). 

It wasn't elaborate or anything, but I thought it was cute and went well with the rest of the decor.

Isaiah made it known that he wanted to build "contraptions" like Phineas and Ferb, so I set up a table with all sorts of craft/building materials.  The kids had a blast using their imaginations and putting together their very own contraptions.

We also had a couple of games.

Pin The Tail On Perry was fun! One of the perks of my job is working with a bunch of drafters.  We have a huge plotter at our office and one of the guys printed Perry out for me, but you might be able to have it printed some where.  I found a pattern for a platypus tail on line and saved it, colored it orange, printed them, and cut them out.

Find the Lawn Gnomes was a hit! 

I told them that the EVIL Dr. Doofenshmirtz had STOLEN all of our lawn gnomes and we need them back!  I sent them on a hunt for all the lawn gnomes they could find.  Prior to the party starting, I had went around and hid 40 lawn gnomes all over...under tables, on walls, under chairs...anywhere inconspicuous.  They had fun finding them and they were rewarded with mini chocolate bars. 

For the lawn gnomes, I just found a picture of one that I liked online, saved it to my pictures, a printed them out on card stock.

I also set up a Dr. Doofenshmirtz Laboratory and performed a couple of experiments. 

We inflated a balloon with vinegar and baking soda and made green slime!  It was SO cool. 


I'm not sure who had more fun them or me!  LOL.

We served cheese pizza and carrots w/ ranch dressing, at the request of the birthday boy.  I was going to serve grilled cheese because P and H's sister, Candace, loves grilled cheese.  I was going to cut them all into fourths and put them on a skewer.  Grilled Cheese on a stick!  Sounds cute, right?!  Isaiah INSISTED on cheese pizza.  Oh well. 

We also had a yummy Sundae Bar and a Candy Bar.  The kids loved making their own sundaes. 

Their favor bags consisted of Phineas and Ferb stickers and tattoos, pencils, sticky hands, a compass, Phineas and Ferb fruit snacks (found at Wal-Mart and Target), and a Phineas and Ferb Mix CD.  For the CD, I just downloaded about 10 of Isaiah's favorite Phineas and Ferb songs onto iTunes, made a playlist, and burned it to CDs.  I found some really cheap CDs at Office Depot (10 for $1). 

Every kid also got some cool shades just like Phineas and Ferb wear (found them at amazon.com).

(the two adorable children above are courtesy of my one of my best friends, blogger at my3ellas.

I think it was a success. 

I know the birthday boy had fun...he said, and I quote, "it was the BEST day ever". 

That was what I was going for.

I'm sorry if you tried to click on the link to my last giveaway from yesterday's blog post.  I forgot to link it up.  So, you can click HERE to make sure you entered.  Promise.  It'll really take you somewhere.  Not over the rainbow, but it will take you to my giveaway, which is just a $10 Starbucks card and a $10 iTunes card and another little surprise...no bluebirds flying and it wasn't sang about once in a lullaby.

I don't know what the heck I'm talking about.  Just go enter my giveaway.  I'll announce the winner in Thursday's blog post.  Hope you're all having a great week so far.

A Whole Lotta Halloween

A week...a WHOLE flippin' week?!  Man, I'm failing on the blogging job. 

In my defense, it has been a crazy busy past 7 days!

I planned/co-planned 3 Halloween parties, accompanied Isaiah's class on their field trip to the Aquarium, and Isaiah played his last football game of the season...and I have pictures to prove it!

Harvest Festival @ Legacy Family Church - Party #1

Halloween Bash @ The Farm 

(aka my Mom & Dad's house) - 

Party #2

Halloween Party @ The American Legion - Party #3

I don't know if I've ever told you guys before, but I'm the President of the American Legion Auxiliary that we belong to.  Around the Holidays, we throw parties for the children of the Veterans that belong to our Post and for the local community.  So, every year I plan the party w/ games and crafts and bunches of goodies.  It's a lot of fun!

1st Grade Field Trip to the Aquarium

The jellyfish and anemones are always my favorites!

Saturday was Isaiah's last football game.  They lost, but it was a great game and they played their little hearts out.

Here's a few of my favorite pics from the game.

How was your weekend?  Attend any parties?  Did you raid your kiddos Halloween bag check your kiddos candy for razor blades and needles? 

Hope everyone is having a great week!♥