center of attention
as previously mentioned i wanted lush overgrown living arrangements (i.e. plants in dirt) for our centerpieces. obviously i decided to grow them myself.
i started looking for planters months before the wedding, wanting something simple as to not distract from the plants yet natural enough to not look out of place in a woods setting. they would also need to be sturdy enough to handle a potted plant.
when I started my search on etsy there were lots of reasonably priced wooden boxes. but the shipping costs would have added 50% to the total bill, and for some reason I couldn't stomach that.
then I was at michaels for something invite related and stumbled upon these boxes for $8.99 each:
pretty perfect right?
once I realized I had a 20% off coupon I bought every box they had in the store. i had to go to two other stores to buy enough for all the tables, but I got them.
after drilling a few holes in the bottom for drainage I got to work transferring my plants over and ended up with 18 of these:
then it was just a matter of taking care of them for a few weeks and letting them get really lush and overgrown.
two days before the weddding my sisters went into san francisco and bought a whole bunch of boxwood garlands at the san francisco flower mart, nora was quite impressed:
on friday (the day before the wedding) we transferred them up to the venue. it was a tight squeeze getting them all up there but luckily maya and neela's feet didn't touch the ground when they were strapped into their car seats so we were able to put them on the floor of the minivan my parents rented and there were no plant casualties.
photo credit: ryan sin photography
on saturday our fantastic day-of coordinator jess put them in the center of the table, surrounded them with garlands we had made at the san francisco flower market, a few mercury glass tea lights, the table sign names (in the table sign holders), and the place settings.
photo credit: ryan sin photography
i was thrilled with how it all came together.
photo credit: ryan sin photography
i mean how etherial and magical is this?
photo credit: ryan sin photography
even if etta felt our table needed a little something extra.
photo credit: ryan sin photography
love,
aunt maggie
so you want to know the best part about planning a wedding? everyone wants to help!
early on in our engagement my nieces indicated a strong desire to contribute to the wedding. my mom came up with an idea: have them make pot holders as favors for the guests.
it's wedding wednessday!
we've covered the dresses i made for nora, etta, maya, and neela. so now the time has come to talk about their accessories.
when victor and I got engaged I said i wanted our wedding to have three things:
- all my nieces as flower girls
- said nieces in love aunt maggie dresses
- food trucks at the reception
any youngest child will tell you there is often pressure to do things exactly as their siblings have done them.
as previously mentioned i wanted lush overgrown living arrangements (i.e. plants in dirt) for our centerpieces. obviously i decided to grow them myself.
it's wedding wednesday!
since my table signs were so cute i figured they needed a way to be displayed on the tables that was just as adorable.
aside from flower girl dresses and food trucks there is one more thing about our wedding I've had planned for years: the table names.
here is one thing I learned about wedding planning: once you decide on a venue and guest count the amount of money you are going to spend is pretty much set. but while you can't save money you can get more for your money.
now that we've covered maya, neela, and etta's flower girl dresses it's time to make something for nora. i knew whatever I made had to be very special as nora was so very helpful in picking out my dress.
I knew one of the flower girl dresses would need to be my favorite oliver + s pattern: the library dress, and who better to make it for than my rough and tumble namesake etta?
my youngest niece is miss neela banana peela. Now this child is so perfect anything would look great on her.
thus far in our invitation adventure we have:
- embossed the names
- addressed the envelopes
- lined the envelopes
- ordered, then reworked, the actual invites
- made the response cards
- tied it all together with a ribbon and tag
and I have to say all the pieces were looking pretty good.
so far in our wedding invitation saga we have:
- embossed the names on the envelopes
- addressed the envelopes with a copper pen
- lined the envelopes with a fern print
- ordered, then remade, the invites
- made the response cards and embossed the return envelopes
but wait, there's more!
so our invitations have thus far been embossed, addressed, lined, ordered (then reworked). next up was the RSVP cards.
now that the envelopes for our invitations were embossed, addressed, and lined it is time to talk about what we put in them, starting with the actual invitation!
so now that my invites had the names embossed and addressed it was time to turn my attention inside the envelope.
when we last left off with the wedding invitations i had lovingly embossed the names of all our guests on the invitations.
this past weekend my sisters and i went to austin for my "bachelorette" party.
in addition to bridesmaid dress shopping, day drinking, and succulent photographing we made a trip to craft, where for $10/hour you can use all their supplies and tools for whatever creative adventures your heart desires.
some girls have their weddings envisioned long before they are engaged, and the planning process is really just an exercise in execution. i am not one of those girls.
a few weeks ago i came across this giant piece of bark in the woods behind our friend's house.
so in a shockingly turn of events the internet has picked up on the fact that i am a 25-34 year old female who is getting married. this means everyday i get a flood of messages, emails, and ads.
